Dilos and Tony (Part 4)

Long Island, New York, 10880 Marbury Street, Stark Mansion basement.

Tony Stark, dressed simply in a white shirt and trousers, stood in his underground workspace, staring blankly at an empty little vial in his hand. Beside him sat a small package labeled Hope Solution.

"Sir, the Hope Solution is currently proving highly effective. A large amount of the palladium in your body has been expelled through your body's waste functions, and your blood toxicity has dropped from 40% to 1%. Until you find a replacement element, you may continue using the Hope Solution to remove palladium from your body."

A male electronic voice came from all around him. Tony's eyes briefly lit up at the words, but the light only flickered for a moment before fading away.

"JARVIS, it only treats the symptoms, not the cause. Besides, taking too much of this stuff can't be good."

Though Tony said that, he realized that he currently had no choice but to rely on the Hope Solution, because he had no way to solve his palladium poisoning.

He had already tried every element currently known to exist on Earth—using them individually, combining multiple elements, trying everything there was to try.

Unfortunately, none of it worked. Those elements could not even compare to palladium.

"Sir, perhaps you should stop using the Iron Man armor. The increasingly higher output of the armor will only worsen your poisoning."

There was a faint concern and sincerity in JARVIS's voice, though it was difficult to detect. Unfortunately, Tony did not notice it.

For the first time, Tony understood what it meant to be powerless. For the first time, the proud man understood what despair meant.

Ever since Obadiah had betrayed him, he had begun reflecting on just how many mistakes he had made. For the first time,