The Avengers Initiative

Natasha coldly rejected Tony Stark's request; if it weren't to prevent him from developing a drug dependence, the measure taken for him would have been a pain pump instead of oral painkillers.

"Isn't this the person who took my heart?"

Tony Stark put down the notebook Howard had left behind, pressed his left hand to his chest, and felt the strong, beating artificial heart. Only this rhythm of life gave him the feeling that he was still alive.

"It's a pity the doctor told me I can't drink alcohol, and I can't touch any drinks or food containing alcohol. Otherwise, I would definitely have brought out my treasured wine to share with you, and then we could have discussed the technical issues. The artificial heart you created is probably the most advanced in the world, and its structure has given me a lot of inspiration. What surprised me the most was that even though I drew up the blueprints for the artificial heart, even with Stark Industries' world-class manufacturing capabilities, we couldn't even replicate it exactly."

"There's just one thing I really can't understand: the way your artificial heart is powered is unprecedented and goes against current mainstream technology—why did you choose this when there are better solutions available?"

Young Master Stark was proud. He first praised the excellence of Wei Xiuming's artificial heart, and then indicated that he was no less capable and could create an identical one. However, his talent was limited by the processing precision of basic industries, and the times had already fallen behind him.

Wei Xiuming stepped forward, his tall frame allowing him to look down at Tony Stark: "I could create a relatively simpler heart, identical to your original in both appearance and performance. I could even extract your genetic sample and clone a heart for you. But could you have lasted that long back then?"

"I remember when you had the transplant surgery, you were practically a corpse. Your heart, pierced through, was so rotten it could have been thrown in the trash. I gave you the heart that belonged to a robot that cost billions of dollars to build, and modified the power supply in the shortest possible time so that your Arc Reactor could make that heart beat."

Pointing to the black lines spreading outwards from the Arc Reactor on Tony Stark's chest—veins corroded by palladium—he said, "But now it seems my plan has flaws. Just like that rumor, mounting a cannon that uses depleted uranium rounds will affect a pilot's fertility. The radiation from your Arc Reactor is clean and pollution-free compared to the current environment, but that tiny dose is enough to kill you."

My artificial heart is a perfect creation; what kills you is your own invention.

Regardless of whether Wei Xiuming's words implied this meaning, that's what Tony Stark thought.

However, Young Master Stark was not angry. Just like Titan Thanos a parallel universe, "a man cursed by knowledge" because he knew too much and saw too clearly the future of humanity and the universe. He looked around and could not find anyone who could understand him, so he scoffed at the little wisdom of others.

Just as he calls himself a "futurist," Tony Stark is not ahead of his time; rather, the times follow in his footsteps.

Now that there's someone equally intelligent and proud in the world, how could I not be happy?

"But the Arc Reactor represents humanity's most advanced technology in the energy field—the few countries with the most advanced nuclear technology are still spending huge sums of money researching controlled nuclear fusion. My Arc Reactor is already capable of low-temperature nuclear fusion." After saying Tony, Tony Stark picked up Howard's notebook and shook it, saying self-deprecatingly, "Even though I've reached this level, I'm still following the path pointed out by my predecessors. I've even explained the principles clearly, but I still can't find that ideal element even with a molecular model right in front of me."

The Stark father and son are very similar; both were playboys before marriage, both were scientific geniuses, and both were held back by the times.

Seeing that if the two continued talking, the conversation would veer into a personal showcase between the two scientists, Nick Fury, not wanting to listen to their almost dark exchange, said, "Mr. Stark. Tony Stark, I'd like to introduce you to one of my new initiatives, a rapid response division to deal with supernormal threats."

Tony Stark shifted his position, wincing in pain as he pulled at his injuries. "You mean threats like the Abomination and Worms?"

As a partner of the military, even though Stark Industries no longer conducts weapons research, it continues to research equipment such as satellites, drones, and detectors. Tony Stark has his own channels to know the inside story, including the birth of the Hulk and the Abomination, which he thought was just a common experimental accident.

Moreover, in the Marvel World, it's very common for Mutant to gain superpowers due to accidents like radiation, expired drugs, or electric shocks, so it's only natural that Tony Stark would think of these things.

"The Abomination is just a small thing that some criminal organization casually released. What's truly terrifying is that criminal organization itself." Before Nick Fury could speak, Wei Xiuming interjected, "As for the Worms, they are an unknown race from outer space. The batch that fell to Earth in the new millennium has been completely wiped out, but who can be sure that other alien races might be interested in Earth?"

"That sounds interesting. Let me know when you officially set up this department, and I'll consider joining. But you'll have to give me the naming rights; I'll definitely give it a catchy name." Tony Stark's expression softened. He recalled the ruins and corpses he had seen that night and didn't want that tragedy to repeat itself.

However, his nature hadn't changed. After being serious for only two minutes, he gestured with his chin towards Black Widow and said, "Would our Miss Romanoff be a member of this department? A pleasing female member would be beneficial for the relationships between department members. And this giant, what about you?"

"Natasha is my target, which I've already decided on. As for Kent Clark..." Nick Fury didn't make the decision for Wei Xiuming, leaving the choice to him.

Wei Xiuming shrugged and said, "I'm sorry, I won't participate. I'm just a scientist; I don't have their (weak) strength. I can't lift heavy objects, so I can't be part of the combat force."

"However, I can provide technical support and do some logistical work in this department. For example, I can act as a technical consultant for the upgrade of your Iron Man suit and give you some guidance on the general direction."