Meanwhile, Iron Man began drinking juice made from green vegetables every day. Pepper Potts and his bodyguard Happy did not know why, merely assuming he wanted to work out.
Apocalypse knew that the toxins from the reactor in Iron Man's chest had accumulated and were already affecting his health.
Iron Man was still using the relatively outdated palladium element. While it could provide energy, it carried radioactive toxins that continuously eroded the human body.
The only solution was to replace palladium with a clean, safe element.
But even a genius like Iron Man could not find a substitute right away.
Apocalypse gave Iron Man several Recovery Potions, but within two days, Iron Man discovered a problem.
"This Recovery Potion is strange. It can only precisely remove the toxins from yesterday, not even one percent more. It has no effect at all on the toxins accumulated the day before. At this rate, unless you can provide thirty thousand Recovery Potions for me to drink until I'm eighty, it ultimately won't solve the problem."
Apocalypse said helplessly, "More than thirty thousand? I only have a little over a hundred of these potions at the moment, and they cannot be reproduced. We still haven't figured out what they are made of."
Iron Man gave an embarrassed smile. "Such precious potions could save a life with every bottle. I was being greedy."
After a pause, Iron Man added, "Don't tell Pepper Potts or Happy. I don't want them to worry."
On the surface, Pepper Potts was Iron Man's assistant and Happy was his bodyguard, but the three trusted one another like family.
In the end, Iron Man even married Pepper Potts, and they had a daughter, Morgan Stark.
As for Happy, according to the original plot, he would most likely get involved with Spider-Man's still-charming Aunt May.
Iron Man tapped his watch and said, "Happy, come in and spar with me."
"Why don't you ask me?" Apocalypse shrugged.
"Give me a break. I don't want to get beaten up by a monster like you. Even wearing my armor, I couldn't take one punch from you."
Before long, Happy entered in a suit.
He looked over curiously. He only knew that Apocalypse was Iron Man's honored guest and had helped Iron Man escape from the Ten Rings in the Middle East, but he knew nothing else about this guest's background.
On one hand, Apocalypse had instructed them not to reveal his identity or strength, and Iron Man and Pepper Potts naturally kept that firmly in mind.
On the other hand, Happy was a chatterbox. If he knew Apocalypse's identity and strength, who knew when he might brag about it while drinking and let it slip.
After all, as someone close to Iron Man, countless intelligence agencies and gossip tabloids were watching him, hoping to obtain firsthand information.
Happy changed into loose training clothes and sparred with Iron Man on the platform for a while. Before long, Tony was panting from exhaustion.
Happy, on the other hand, looked overweight, yet his breathing remained steady. He clearly had real skill.
"Tony," Happy said, "how about you take a break? I'll exchange a few moves with Tang instead?"
Iron Man hurriedly said, "Don't provoke him! I'm afraid he won't control his strength properly and will press you to death with one finger."
Unexpectedly, those concerned words immediately stirred Happy's competitive spirit. Iron Man could not stop him as he insisted on exchanging a few moves.
Happy provocatively said to Apocalypse, "Mr. Tang, you aren't scared, are you?"
Apocalypse smiled. "Fine. I also want to find someone weaker to practice with, so I can control my strength. Otherwise, I might accidentally kill someone when I strike in the future."
Iron Man nagged from the side, "Tang, you have to go easy on him. Happy is my good friend. Don't let him get hurt too badly."
Happy's face instantly reddened. He felt as though his self-esteem had taken ten thousand points of damage. Had he become that useless in his boss's eyes?
He secretly resolved that he would go all out later and show this Eastern guest what he was made of.
Apocalypse did not even change clothes. He casually leaped onto the ring and assumed the opening stance of Tai Chi.
Tai Chi used softness to overcome hardness. If he did not want to deliberately hurt someone, it was perfectly suited for him.
Although Apocalypse only knew the basics of this martial art, he possessed immense strength. Using strength to master technique, he had forcibly figured out many of its key principles.
Happy took up a standard Sanda stance, constantly hopping on both feet and shifting his body to prevent his opponent from locking onto him. Then he suddenly lunged forward, punching toward Apocalypse's face.
Unfortunately, in Apocalypse's eyes, his movements were as slow as a snail and as weak as a breeze. With a simple move, Grasping Sparrow's Tail, he pressed and pulled, sending Happy flying into the elastic barrier at the edge of the ring. The straps creaked as they stretched nearly to their limit, then snapped back fiercely, launching the two-hundred-pound Happy into the barrier on the opposite side.
With one final rebound, Happy crashed into the middle of the ring and could not get back up for a while.
With just one move, Happy had lost all dignity, like a deflated balloon.
Unwilling to accept it, Happy lay on the ground and said, "I let my guard down. I wasn't standing steadily just now. Let me rest a bit, then we'll fight again."
Just then, Pepper Potts walked in on high heels, followed by a curvaceous woman in professional attire: a white shirt and black suit pants.
"Tony, this is Natasha Rushman, an assistant from the legal department. There are some documents that need your signature."
The newcomer was none other than Black Widow!
Seeing Natasha in her professional outfit, sexy yet seventy percent serious, Iron Man's eyes immediately lit up.
The women he usually flirted with were worlds apart from Black Widow in terms of temperament.
The moment Black Widow entered, she saw Apocalypse, and a flash of panic crossed her eyes.
She had never imagined that she would meet the "husband" she had been avoiding everywhere under such circumstances.
In the original plot, after Nick Fury saw Tony announce himself as Iron Man, he sent Black Widow to gather intelligence, confirm whether Iron Man posed a threat to Earth's security, and assess whether he could join the Avengers.
Now, besides gathering intelligence, there was another purpose.
With Nick Fury's intelligence network, there was no way he did not know Apocalypse was staying here. Sending Black Widow over was clearly meant to create an opportunity for the two of them.
Seeing Black Widow pretend not to know him, Apocalypse was in no hurry. He wanted to see how long she could keep pretending.
Tony's playboy mode activated at once. He stepped forward and said, "A new assistant from the legal department? How come I didn't know? Come by often when you have time. You're welcome here."
In the past, Black Widow would not have minded using her beauty to obtain information. But her bargain-bin "husband" was standing right beside her, and Nick Fury had warned her not to use that skill. Naturally, she did not dare go too far.
Black Widow said seriously, "Mr. Stark, these are agreements concerning the acquisition of several subsidiaries. They involve equity restructuring, so your signature is required for confirmation."
"No rush. Why don't we sit down first and have some champagne while we talk? Reviewing legal documents takes time, and standing all the time is tiring."
Black Widow said, "I'm not afraid of hard work. Besides, drinking is not allowed during work hours."
The more she refused, the more Iron Man's heart itched. With his looks, wealth, and fame, there had never been a woman he wanted whom he could not win over. Pepper Potts watched from the side, quietly growing angry.
At this point, she and Iron Man were not in a romantic relationship. She was merely his assistant, so she had no grounds to speak up.
Every time she saw Iron Man bring women back, she felt extremely upset.
Seeing Apocalypse smile silently from the side, Black Widow felt even more flustered and became even less willing to respond to Iron Man.
She hurriedly handed the documents to Iron Man and stepped aside.
But in Iron Man's eyes, that behavior made her seem like a shy little rabbit, a uniquely alluring trait among Western women.
"Huh? What happened to the person on the ring?" Black Widow changed the subject. "Is he injured?"
When Happy saw that a beautiful woman was paying attention to him, he sprang to his feet and said, "No, no. How could I be injured? I was tired from practicing just now, so I rested for a bit."
As he spoke, he flamboyantly swung his gloved fists a few times. "Um... Natasha, right? Want me to teach you a few self-defense moves?"
"O-okay."
To escape Iron Man's pestering, Black Widow quickly stepped onto the ring, though her eyes secretly glanced at Apocalypse.
"Hehe, beautiful. First lesson: when facing an opponent, stay focused. Keep your eyes on them at all times. Don't look around..."
Happy wanted to draw Black Widow's attention over, so he lightly tapped her through his glove. Unexpectedly, it triggered her instinctive response.
With a Brazilian jiu-jitsu move, she used his momentum to pull him, deftly locking her legs around Happy's neck. Her whole body hung from him, pressing down with her weight and instantly knocking Happy to the ground.
Other than Apocalypse, Iron Man and Pepper Potts were both startled.
Happy struggled for a moment and found that he could not break free. He could only tap the ground to surrender, though he still stubbornly said, "That one didn't count. I wasn't ready yet."
Beautiful, sexy, conservative, shy, and so capable in a fight—Tony did not even look at the legal documents anymore. He told Pepper Potts, "She's exactly who I want. Transfer her to my side."
Pepper Potts pursed her lips. "NO!"
How could Iron Man's intentions possibly be hidden from Pepper Potts? She firmly refused.
At that moment, Apocalypse moved. If he did not assert his claim now, Iron Man would keep pestering her. When it came to beautiful women, he had never understood the meaning of giving up.
"Tony, your flirting skills are way too terrible. Watch me." Apocalypse gave a wicked smile.
Before you continue