Tony's Resolve

Fifty-one percent of the shares—that meant absolute control. The company would be entirely under Luo Xia's command. Luo Xia had never imagined that such a good thing would happen to him.

Although Luo Xia knew perfectly well that Obadiah Stane was definitely setting a trap, he didn't reject the offer outright. As he'd said before, Obadiah Stane wouldn't be able to keep running around for much longer. With bait this tempting, the great white shark they hooked might well swallow him whole.

But Luo Xia wasn't familiar with business matters. He arranged a time to meet with Obadiah Stane, then called Matt. He hoped the top graduate from Columbia Law School could help.

Matt had probably just gotten home, but he readily agreed to Luo Xia's request.

Once he'd taken care of all that, Luo Xia hurried home, took a long, refreshing shower, then buried himself in bed and slept. He'd been pretty worn out these past few days.

He slept almost the entire night, until Dr. Connors's phone call woke him. The crazed doctor complained to Luo Xia, "You asked me to do research for you, so you need to provide the materials and financial support I need. Your robot smashed my refrigerated cabinet, and most of the compounds inside are ruined. I'm short on raw materials now. You have to get them for me, or I can't work."

"Dr. Connors, then let me ask you: where did you get your research materials before you met me?" Luo Xia was still a little groggy, but he wasn't about to be taken in so easily.

"Most of them were things I took with me when I left Osborn, but I didn't have much left. What happened yesterday ruined all the remaining raw materials," Dr. Connors replied helplessly.

That sounded like a reasonable explanation. Luo Xia had no intention of making Dr. Connors steal or rob to get what he needed for his experiments, so he asked him to send over a list of the materials and said he'd figure something out.

Once Violet had listed Dr. Connors's materials, Luo Xia couldn't help clicking his tongue. The list didn't look like much, but the total cost was steep. Just getting everything on it would cost over a million dollars.

And the materials were consumables, too. Once they were used up, he'd have to buy more.

"Sure enough, money lets you do whatever you want. Without it, you can't take a single step," Luo Xia said helplessly.

Putting that aside for the moment, Luo Xia grabbed a bite to eat, then drove his Sand Off-road Vehicle to Osborn Tower. He'd always been methodical. He'd gone to Osborn earlier to get a nanoscale surgical machine, but the kidnapping had derailed his plans.

When he returned to Osborn Tower, no security guard foolish enough to stop him showed up. Instead, Norman Osborn personally invited him to the office on the top floor.

"Sorry, Norman. The equipment you gave me was all destroyed. Things got pretty intense," Luo Xia said politely.

"Compared to the help you gave me, those things are nothing," Norman Osborn replied, naturally bearing no ill will.

He'd gotten the full story. The underground garage in Hell's Kitchen had looked as though a low-intensity battle had been fought there. Norman Osborn was already profoundly grateful that Luo Xia had rescued his son from a scene like that. How could he care about the equipment he'd given him?

"Good. Otherwise, I couldn't afford to pay you back," Luo Xia said with a smile.

After a few pleasantries, he asked how Harry was doing. It seemed the boy hadn't been frightened at all. Instead, he'd suddenly developed a keen interest in classical Chinese poetry, much to Norman Osborn's bewilderment.

Before, Norman had gone to all sorts of trouble to get Harry to focus on his studies, but Harry had remained obsessed with World of Warcraft. That was why he'd gone to an in-person gaming event in the first place.

But after coming back this time, he'd started reading books. Even if they were only books of classical Chinese poetry, it was still a welcome change.

Hearing Norman Osborn say that, Luo Xia gave an awkward laugh. Li Bai had gained a fan just like that. He didn't know what to say.

After talking for quite a while, Luo Xia finally explained why he'd come.

"The nanoscale surgical machine? I can give you a brand-new one. We originally planned to use it to enter the medical equipment market, but we eventually shelved the plan. I should warn you, though: the machine requires a highly skilled surgeon. Most people wouldn't be able to use it," Norman Osborn readily agreed.

"The surgeon will be Stephen Strange. He's the best surgeon in New York," Luo Xia said.

"Oh, I've heard of him. If he's the one doing it, there shouldn't be a problem." Norman Osborn knew what Dr. Strange was capable of. He was almost a miracle worker.

Everything went smoothly. Luo Xia asked Norman Osborn to send the machine straight to the hospital where Dr. Strange worked. The renowned surgeon would need time to familiarize himself with it before the operation.

Next, Luo Xia headed straight for Stark Industries to drag Tony in for a physical and get him ready for surgery.

But as soon as Luo Xia reached Tony's lab, a cloud of smoke drove him back out. It was fire-suppressant foam from a dry-ice extinguisher, and it nearly suffocated him.

Once the dry ice had dissipated, Luo Xia ran into the lab and dragged Tony out.

"Tony, were you trying to burn down the lab?" Luo Xia asked, looking at Tony's unshaven face. He looked like he hadn't slept in days.

"No, it was just an accident. You know how experiments are. All sorts of things can go wrong," Tony said, forcing an explanation.

Luo Xia saw that even the red Iron Armor in the lab was nearly complete. Tony was probably close to the practical testing stage.

He had to admit that Luo Fei had helped Tony make remarkable progress. Luo Fei's knowledge of mechanical joint structures alone had given Tony plenty of inspiration and saved him from a lot of repetitive testing.

"Tony, put the experiment on hold. I have something important to tell you. I found an excellent surgeon who can remove the shrapnel in your chest," Luo Xia told him.

"Shrapnel? No need. I'm fine as I am," Tony immediately refused.

"Letting palladium toxins seep into your bloodstream is your idea of being fine?" Luo Xia bluntly exposed his lie.

Tony fell silent. How could he not care about his own life? His outward nonchalance was all an act.

"I've already arranged everything this time. The operation has a ninety percent chance of success. You just need to rest for a few days and wait for surgery," Luo Xia continued, trying to persuade him.

"Ninety percent? So there's still a ten percent chance it'll fail?" Tony asked.

"The Tony I know isn't this timid. You won't take a chance even with ninety percent odds?" Luo Xia asked in surprise.

"It's not that I'm afraid. I just have something more important to do right now. I have to stay alive until I finish this. I can't take any risks." Tony pointed at the unfinished Iron Armor.