S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury!

Couldn't survive?!

"What do you mean?" Luo Bai asked in confusion.

How could someone who had been perfectly fine suddenly not want to live anymore?

Polaris, standing nearby, was startled by those words as well. Unable to hold back, she asked, "You've been showing up frequently in the news and newspapers lately. You're rich and famous, so why would you suddenly say something like that?"

Stark sighed. "A lot happened while you were gone. I only look happy. In reality, I don't have much longer to live. There's something wrong with my Ark Reactor."

The Ark Reactor?

That reminded Luo Bai of something.

"You have palladium poisoning, don't you?" Luo Bai asked.

At those words, Stark, who had been utterly dejected moments ago, lit up.

"You know what's wrong with me?!" Stark asked.

"Judging by your symptoms, it looks a lot like it." Luo Bai pointed at the veins on Stark's neck, which were clearly abnormal.

Seeing that Luo Bai understood palladium poisoning, Stark asked eagerly, "Then do you know how to deal with it? Honestly, I can't think of anything else to do. I've tried a lot of methods, but none of them worked very well."

Stark could clearly feel his body getting worse and worse. His AI butler, JARVIS, had also kept warning him that his physical condition was terrible, but he had no solution.

Although he had been working hard on researching it, he had never been able to fundamentally solve the problem of palladium poisoning.

He could only rely on various methods to ease the symptoms.

"Do you see this?" Stark asked.

He pulled out a huge water bottle filled with an inexplicable green liquid.

"Do you see this? Chlorophyll juice. I drink this stuff every day. Honestly, it tastes awful!" Stark sighed, his face turning as bitter as a melon.

Luo Bai could understand. "I deeply sympathize with your suffering."

"Do I need sympathy? No, I need a solution!! Do you have any good ideas, Luo Bai? I want to hear your opinion. Even Yinsen has run out of options." Stark complained.

Since the terrorist incident, the only people Stark could trust were Yinsen and Luo Bai.

But he had asked the right person.

After all, having learned the plot, Luo Bai really did know how to solve the problem of palladium poisoning.

"Are there still missile fragments in your heart that haven't been removed?" Luo Bai asked.

Tony nodded. "Yes."

"I should be able to help you solve that problem." Luo Bai replied, then activated the Eye of Agamotto.

Aiming it at Stark's heart, Luo Bai tried to reverse time.

Since he had only just obtained the Time Stone and had barely used it, his hands inevitably trembled a little the first time.

Fortunately, everything went fairly smoothly. Before long, Stark's heart had been restored to its original state.

The instant his heart recovered, Stark felt the difference. It was as though he could live again!!!

Feeling the changes in his body, Stark asked in astonishment, "Oh my God, Luo Bai, how did you do that??"

"Just a little bit of magic." Luo Bai answered with a smile.

"Cool~~" Stark became excited.

But he soon remembered something else and could not help saying, "Luo Bai, I'm very grateful that you saved my life again. But I'm still troubled by the Ark Reactor's materials."

Stark had used palladium as the Ark Reactor's core material, which was why he had been poisoned.

Although his heart had now returned to normal, he still had to replace the Ark Reactor's core material.

It was just that...

"My armor is constantly being upgraded, and it needs powerful energy to run. With current technology, I really can't think of what material I should use to build another Ark Reactor." Stark sighed.

Luo Bai thought for a moment and asked, "Tony, was your relationship with your father not very good?"

"Why are you suddenly asking that?" Stark asked in confusion.

Luo Bai explained, "Didn't you want to replace the Ark Reactor's material? Your father may have had a solution."

"My father?!" Stark complained in bewilderment. "But he's been dead for a long time!"

"What I mean is, your father once researched a new technology. That technology happens to solve the reactor material problem." Luo Bai explained.

New technology?! His father?!

"Why didn't I even know my father had researched new technology, while you do??" Stark asked, his face full of confusion.

"Well... I am a mage, after all. It's normal for me to foresee the future or something." Luo Bai replied with a smile.

That explanation might have sounded a little forced anywhere else, but since Luo Bai was a mage, it was reasonable enough coming from him.

"Foresee the future? Are all you mages this badass?" Stark exclaimed.

After complaining, Stark's expression became hesitant, as if he were pondering something.

"Now that you mention it, I remembered something. I recently encountered an organization called S.H.I.E.L.D. They seem to have some of my father's things. I heard this S.H.I.E.L.D. also has something to do with my father," Stark said.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s full name was the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division. It was a special force used by the international Security Council to handle all manner of strange incidents.

Simply put, it had been established by The U.S. government to manage people with superpowers.

Although its original intentions and goals were good, it was still run by people, and agents at that.

So Luo Bai did not particularly like its methods or style of handling matters.

Especially S.H.I.E.L.D.'s director—Nick Fury.

Luo Bai disliked him even more.

Although some of his actions were good, and his intentions were to benefit humanity.

His way of thinking, in Luo Bai's view, was seriously flawed.

Besides, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s combat strength was utterly pathetic.

An organization that weak... simply could not manage superpowered people.

From what Luo Bai knew, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s upper ranks had basically already been infiltrated by hostile forces, so there was no point mentioning it.

However, regarding Stark's matter, S.H.I.E.L.D. really could offer some help.

"On this matter, S.H.I.E.L.D. can indeed help you a little," Luo Bai explained.

"Oh, right. They also want me to join some Avengers." Stark complained.

"Are you planning to join?" Although he already knew the answer, Luo Bai still asked symbolically.

Sure enough, Stark gave an affirmative answer. "I've considered it. More precisely, I've already joined. They said the Avengers were created to save Earth... and that aligns perfectly with my own ideals. Oh, and they seem to be planning to recruit you too."

"Why would they know about me?" Luo Bai asked in confusion.

Stark explained, "Do you remember when we dealt with Obadiah together? S.H.I.E.L.D. used their all-seeing surveillance to observe what happened then, so they learned of your existence. They asked me about you. I told them you were a mage."

"I see. But I'm not interested in joining the Avengers." Luo Bai refused bluntly.

"Actually, I guessed you'd refuse, because you're very low-key in how you conduct yourself. I even turned them down for you before, but they said they wanted to meet you in person. They're standing outside right now. Do you want to see them?" Stark asked.

His words made Luo Bai hesitate.

If he followed his heart, Luo Bai definitely did not want to meet them.

But considering Nick Fury's personality, he would certainly find every possible way to meet him.

To avoid trouble later, Luo Bai felt it would be good to make things clear now.

"Since they're here, let them in." Luo Bai relented.

Stark said nothing, merely taking out his phone and sending a text message.

Soon, there was a knock at the door. Polaris immediately ran over to open it.

When the door opened, a sexy short-haired beauty appeared outside.

A bald man stood beside her.

Yes, another bald head!

Only this time, it was an egg-shaped bald head.