Marvel: The Rise of Little Iron Man

"Now... what should we do?"

Rod's voice was hoarse as if it had been sanded, echoing in the cold and quiet underground laboratory.

This problem is heavily pressed in the air, which makes people breathless.

Paul didn't answer immediately.

His eyes turned away from the blue coolant of the hibernation capsule and fell on Rod's tired and burning face. The Air Force Colonel, who had experienced hundreds of battles, was dim in his eyes at this moment, like a lost child.

Rod's fist was still clenching the broken encrypted phone, and the blue veins on the back of his hand had not completely subsided. He took a sudden step forward and pressed his hands on Paul's thin shoulders, but his strength was surprisingly restrained.

"You have known it for a long time, right?"

His voice was low, without the sharpness of questioning, only a deep pain, "Tony's palladium poisoning... When did you know? You... are carrying these by yourself?"

This sentence of "one person" made Paul's heart tremble gently.

He could feel the temperature from Rod's palm, and the clumsy and earnest care that belonged to the elders.

"Since I started to study the Ark reactor."Paul's answer was terribly calm, "I found that there is a fatal flaw between the half-life of palladium and the energy conversion rate. While it supplies energy, it also releases toxins that cannot be metabolized.

He raised his hand and pointed to the dormant capsule like a science fiction creation.

"So, you made this 'cradle'?" Rod's eyes moved, and his eyes were complicated.

"It's not called a cradle." Paul corrected, and there was no boy's pride in his tone, only a weight beyond age, "I call it 'time'. It can't be cured, it can only be suspended. To minimize human metabolism, cell activity is locked, and the rate of toxin diffusion will be close to zero. This is the only thing I can think of that can buy time for him."

Fight for time...

Rod chewed these four words, and his heart seemed to be gripped tightly by an invisible hand.

He flashed through Tony's talk and laughter on the Monaco track, the arrogance of his teasing Congressman Stern at the hearing, and his eternal radiant and irresistible appearance.

Who would have thought that under the steel suit and arrogant mask, there was a body that was chased by time and gradually decayed.

And the one who carried this secret and silently extended his life was actually the child in front of him who he had always thought was just a talented teenager.

"This thing..." Rod's throat rolled, and his instinct as a soldier made him instantly realize the terrible value of this technology, "If...If it can be used on the battlefield, those seriously injured soldiers..."

Halfway through his words, he suddenly stopped.

Rod looked at Paul's clear but bottomless eyes and suddenly felt a chill.

What he thought of, wouldn't those cannibal politicians and arms dealers on Capitol Hill think of it?

Once the technology is exposed, they will pounce on them like sharks smelling blood. At that time, what they want is not just one or two sets of uniforms. They will want to swallow Paul and everything in his mind.

"No." Rod shook his head vigorously, as if to convince himself, "Now, never let anyone know about the existence of this thing."

Looking at the struggle and determination in Rod's eyes, the corners of Paul's mouth almost raised.

"Uncle Rod, you think things are too complicated."

"Complicated?" Rod laughed self-deprecatingly, "Son, you don't know what you're facing. Congressman Stern is just a morbissman, and the whole military committee is behind him! If they want a suit, they won't give up!"

"What they want is not uniforms." Paul pointed out to the point, "What they want is 'account' and 'face'. Tony made such a big noise in Monaco, which made the military lose face. Hammer Industries' drones are overwhelming, which highlights the irreplaceability of Stark's technology. They were annoyed and coveted, which is why they got this tough confiscation order."

Paul's analysis was calm and thorough, which made Rod stunned. He found that he had never thought about the problem from this perspective.

"Then what do you mean?"

"It's very simple." Paul walked to Rod and looked up at him, "The forced confiscation is an infringement of private property and the bullying of the meritorious officials of Congress. Even if Tony Stark lies here, he is still the hero who saved New York, and public opinion will not stand on their side.

"But..."

"So, let's change the way." Paul interrupted him, "We can't let them 'collect', but we can let Tony 'give' it."

"Giving?" Rod's eyes suddenly lit up.

"That's right." Paul's speech was not fast, but every word hit the key point. "Tony Stark gave' a set of the latest model of 'War Machine' suit to his best friend in the army, Colonel James Rod, a hero of the air force with great military achievements. This is not confiscation, but the cherishing between heroes, and the highest recognition of Stark Industry's contribution to the military. You, Colonel Rod, will become the only 'Iron Man' designated by the military.

"This..." Rod was completely shocked by this proposal.

He opened his mouth and found that he couldn't say a word.

This plan is simply a godse-in!

It not only preserves the face of the military, but also preserves Tony's ownership of technology.Congressman Stern got his suit and could go back to cross; the military got the coveted cutting-edge equipment and earned a good reputation; and Tony, in an arrogant manner, gave a gift to his friends, instead of being humiliatingly robbed of his heart and blood.

Everyone's face has been saved. ULZ 008072 Rod looked at the teenager in front of him, and his heart turned upside down. This is no longer the category of genius. Even the old foxes who have been struggling in the political arena for decades may not have this means of understanding people's hearts and controlling the situation.

Rod looked at the young man in front of him, his heart in turmoil. This is no longer within the realm of genius. Even those seasoned veterans who have been in the political arena for decades may not possess this ability to understand people's minds and control the situation.

"I..." Rod's voice was a little dry, "Paul, thank you."

"Don't be in a hurry to thank me." Paul's expression became serious again, "You can give the suit, but Tony must wake up and give it to you in person.Therefore, we have to solve his problem first.

"How to solve it?"

Find a new element that can replace "palladium". Paul spoke in a casual tone, as if he were just going to the supermarket to buy a bottle of milk.

Rod's scalp was numb when he heard it.

Create a new element? This is something that God can do!

But looking at Paul's determined eyes, a trace of absurd trust surged from the bottom of his heart. Perhaps, for this child, it's really not difficult.

"Oh Okay." Rod nodded heavily, "What do you need me to do? Feel free to ask."

He walked to the hibernation cabin, his palm gently pressed against the cold cabin, and looked at his closed-eyed best friend inside, with mixed feelings in his heart.

"You should also be careful." Rod turned around and said to Paul in a low voice, "You fooled them this time, and they won't just let it go. They will stare at you like a wolf. You... are too dangerous."

Facing Rod's worries, Paul just smiled.

He walked to the laboratory console, tapped his finger on the touch screen, and called up an encrypted file.

The file has no title, only a constantly rotating three-dimensional logo composed of countless codes.

"Uncle Rod, what do you think is the most effective way to deal with a politician who is full of lies and is used to using power to suppress people?"

Paul's voice was very soft, as if he was talking to himself.

Rod didn't answer. He just looked at the mysterious sign and felt an inexplicable palpitation.

Paul's eyes, over the console, looked in the direction of Washington from afar, as deep as the starry sky in a cold night.

"It's not to use greater power to suppress him, nor to deceive him with more complicated lies."

He stretched out his finger and stroked it gently in the air, as if to erase something invisible.

"It's to make all his secrets no longer secrets."

"When a person stands naked in the sun, he is no longer qualified to tell anyone."