Morning sunlight spilled down, bathing the island in a golden glow.
By the shore, seagulls flew into the distance, and the waves chased one another playfully.
After landing, Li Ang could see Dr. Banner doing his morning exercises nearby.
"Hey, Li Ang!" Banner looked delighted to see him.
If Li Ang had not introduced him to Stark and taught him to make peace with the Hulk inside him, he would probably have been locked up as a weapon again by now.
After landing, Li Ang looked Banner over. He looked much more spirited than before, with more of the serenity that "Short, Big, and Tight" talked about.
"Looks like you and Hulk are getting along pretty well."
Banner could not stop smiling. "Yeah, I've been helping Tony with some experiments lately, too. Consider it my rent."
Li Ang was glad to see that his help had spared Banner so many detours.
He threw an arm around Banner's shoulders. "Come on, lead the way. Let's see how that old rascal Tony's doing."
At that, Banner hesitated. "He... hasn't been doing too well lately."
Of course Li Ang knew Tony was not doing well. That was exactly why he had come.
Soon, they arrived at the island's research institute.
Except for certain special areas, the institute was brightly lit, and every laboratory was filled with the best equipment.
As they made their way into the institute's interior, a row of Iron Man Armor came into view!
Every model from MK1 to the latest MK5 was on display.
Li Ang looked them over, then followed Banner farther inside to Tony's private laboratory.
As the door opened, the smell of alcohol hit them. Li Ang's enhanced sense of smell picked it up even more sharply. Covering his nose, he saw Tony slumped over the desk.
The scattered laboratory equipment around him made Li Ang frown.
"Oh God... this place was fine last night." Banner was startled.
He looked around, even wondering whether Hulk had come out last night and fought Tony.
"Hm? Oh, it's you guys." Woken by Li Ang, Tony rubbed his eyes, still groggy. "What are you here for?"
He had definitely drunk far too much last night.
Li Ang pressed a hand to his forehead helplessly. "Didn't you ask me to come?"
Just as confusion crossed Tony's face, JARVIS reminded him, "Yes, sir. Last night, you called not only Mr. Li Ang, but eleven other contacts, including Miss Pepper."
Getting drunk was not the scary part. The scary part was calling people while drunk-and having someone keep a record!
"God, stop..." Tony immediately cut JARVIS off.
"Sir, Miss Pepper left you a message. Would you like to hear it?"
"No!"
Tony interrupted immediately, rubbing his hungover head. "I remember now. I even said I had a surprise for you, then gave it away myself."
The surprise he meant was the armor he had promised Li Ang long ago.
As he spoke, Tony clapped his hands, the sound echoing through the laboratory. A circular section of floor nearby opened, and a display platform slowly rose.
On the white platform stood a suit of blue armor, its metallic sheen making it impossible to look away.
The signature reactor in its chest glowed faintly. The blue armor had a silver faceplate and shoulder guards on either side.
A suit like this would cost at least several hundred million on the open market, yet Tony had simply given it to him.
It would be a lie to say he was not touched. Fortunately, Li Ang had not come empty-handed either. He approached the armor and walked around it, examining it carefully.
"Really nice." Li Ang clicked his tongue in admiration. This ultimate expression of engineering romance was simply too captivating.
"It is. Unfortunately, even on paper, this armor can't surpass you." Tony's voice was full of regret.
For an engineering genius, especially one as proud as he was, being unable to defeat Li Ang through science was a source of regret.
Though Tony tried hard to hide it, anyone could see the desolation in his eyes.
Li Ang heard the regret in Tony's words. He turned his head, a gleam flashing through his eyes.
The sudden sight sent a shiver through Tony, leaving him feeling as though he was being scrutinized. "Are you looking at me with X-Ray Vision?"
Tony immediately covered his crotch. "Even if you saved me, I'm not giving you my body."
Seeing this, Banner edged a little to the side as well.
"I'm looking at your blood, Tony." Li Ang frowned. The extent of the damage to Tony's body exceeded his expectations.
His blood had almost lost its color. Making blood curd out of it was definitely out of the question-it would not coagulate.
"The palladium has been eating away at your body. You're almost ready to head down and have tea with your dad, aren't you?"
Li Ang exposed his condition outright. Otherwise, with Tony's personality, he would definitely keep it from everyone.
"You can even see that? Your eyes aren't much different from X-rays. Maybe I should call a hospital and have-"
"Tony."
Li Ang interrupted him, pulled over a chair, and sat down. He had already worked out what to say.
To keep Tony from abandoning his research into the New Element, he could not supply him with leaves indefinitely.
So Li Ang took out only one leaf. "I have a kind of leaf that can slow the palladium poisoning, but you have to find a solution yourself. You can't just give up on yourself like this."
"A leaf? Marijuana?" Tony looked curious.
Li Ang took the Magic Divine Tree leaf he had prepared earlier out of his bag. Luckily, it was not called something like the Tree of Wisdom, or he would have been too embarrassed to offer the leaf.
"A leaf from the Magic Divine Tree. Eat it!"
Tony took the leaf and gave Li Ang a dubious look. "You really think this thing can save my life? I've tried every element on Earth."
"Try it and you'll see."
With the attitude that he was dying anyway and might as well try, Tony put the leaf in his mouth.
The instant the leaf entered his mouth, before he could even chew, it dissolved into liquid and flowed into his stomach. Then a surge of pure energy swept through his entire body!
The pain caused by the palladium vanished like dust swept away by a gentle breeze.
Tony exhaled. He had never felt so at ease.
He ran to a cabinet and took out a testing device, then squeezed out a drop of blood.
Two lines! No, wait-the concentration had dropped. It was almost down to zero!
"This... this isn't scientific!" After struggling for words, that was all Tony managed to say.
He simply could not understand why a single leaf could make the toxins inside him disappear.
Previously, in his search for a solution, he had spent a fortune buying almost every element on Earth, but none of them could replace palladium.
He had also tried making changes, but it had all been futile.
He had never expected Li Ang to casually pull out a leaf that would nearly cleanse all the palladium from his body.
"Do you have any more of these leaves?" Tony turned around with the look of someone who had discovered a priceless treasure. He wanted so badly to study it!
Li Ang raised a finger and wagged it. "Don't even think about it."
"Right, a miracle cure like this has to be extremely rare. This is simply too precious, Li Ang!"
Listening to Tony's heartfelt remarks, Li Ang blinked and looked at the lush Divine Tree in his system inventory, growing as thickly as roadside greenery. He did not know whether to laugh or cry.
He was doing this to train Tony!
[Received Steve Rogers's gratitude: +5,000 Presence]