Chapter 8

Facing Liu Rui'an's statement, Tony Stark was quite surprised.

Ever since he found out that the palladium power core was poisoning him, this Iron Man had already been searching for a substitute element.

Unfortunately, no matter how hard JARVIS searched, he couldn't find an element that could replace palladium without causing further poisoning.

Surprised, Tony Stark quickly associated this with the manufacturing technology of the new element written on the letter he had just thrown away.

But if the other party already had this technology, why would it be written on the letter?

Unfortunately, no matter how Tony Stark asked, even threatening to terminate the deal, he couldn't get any useful information from the person.

Though he wasn't very worried that the other party would really terminate the deal, Liu Rui'an, who didn't intend to strain his relationship with this Marvel hero, saw that the atmosphere between them was getting awkward and said with a smile:

"Mr. Iron Man, you don't need to be so agitated. Besides the palladium poisoning and the new element, we actually have another deal to make."

"Oh? Another fair deal?" Tony Stark, suppressing his anger, said sarcastically.

"Mr. Iron Man, have you ever thought about completely solving your own problem?" Liu Rui'an, ignoring the other party's attitude, shrugged and said.

"Completely solve my own problem?"

Tony Stark, taken aback, instinctively looked down at his chest.

For Tony Stark, the root of the palladium poisoning wasn't from the arc reactor but from the large hole in his chest and the metal fragments that couldn't be removed from his blood vessels, which could end his life at any moment.

As long as this problem could be solved, all the dangers he faced would be resolved.

Seeing the fish about to bite, Liu Rui'an smiled and said:

"Exactly, I am well aware of how deadly those little things inside Mr. Iron Man are, and I have the ability to solve this problem."

"However, the prerequisite is that this deal can be successfully completed. Otherwise, I can only say sorry."

"On what basis should I believe you can do what you say?" Tony Stark, who had been silent for a long time, raised his head and asked.

"Very simple, I can deliver the goods first and then collect the payment." Liu Rui'an, who had anticipated this question, shrugged and said.

"Are you sure?" Tony Stark, who hadn't expected the other party to be so easy to talk to, asked in surprise.

"I'm sure, but..." Liu Rui'an nodded and smiled.

"But what?" Tony Stark, sensing that this wasn't going to be so easy, couldn't help but ask.

Seeing the other party's changed expression, Liu Rui'an, who knew he had successfully tricked this Iron Man again, smiled and revealed the answer:

"But, it's best to sign a contract, otherwise, how can I ensure my own interests?"

Originally, Tony Stark thought the other party would make some excessive demands, but seeing that this was a fair request, he still couldn't believe it and asked:

"Are you sure that as long as I sign the contract, you will solve my problem first and then collect the payment?"

"Exactly, I believe that as an American hero, Mr. Iron Man will not play any tricks in this matter."

"Of course, if you really do, I have no choice but to accept it." Liu Rui'an, shrugging, said with a look of being the weaker party.

After pondering for a moment, Tony Stark quickly determined that, apart from paying more, there was indeed no risk in this deal.

Weighing the pros and cons, he said:

"I agree to this deal. As for what you want, I choose one billion dollars and the formula for Adamantium."

Faced with this response, Liu Rui'an, who had hoped for a "big win," was somewhat disappointed but not surprised.

After all, among the options he had given, these two were the least valuable.

One billion dollars was nothing to Tony Stark, who could use the latest Iron Man armor as fireworks just to win a smile from a woman.

As for the formula for Adamantium, it wasn't strange at all.

Since Tony Stark's father, Howard Stark, could create Captain America's shield in the 1940s, even though it was an unintentional and non-replicable special product, it was still closely related to the formula for Adamantium according to the official setting.

To say whether the formula for this alloy was valuable, it was definitely not just a little bit.

Think about it, Wolverine's claws are made of Adamantium, and in "The Wolverine 2," the old Japanese man's armor also seemed to be made of Adamantium.

Even in Liu Rui'an's speculation, the reason why Iron Man's armors have such strong defense against physical and energy attacks, and possess buffer and shock absorption effects that can be called black technology, is likely because they replicated the material used to make Captain America's shield.

As for why, despite having such a good alloy formula, Iron Man's various models of armor can still be destroyed, the reason is simple.

In Liu Rui'an's view, the reason for not using Adamantium to make the entire armor, besides the difficulty in processing, is also related to the rapid updates of the Iron Man armors.

From the Mark I in "Iron Man" to the Mark 42 in "Iron Man 3," how long did it take in total?

Moreover, for ordinary people, this thing could be a "family heirloom," but for Tony Stark, it was just a consumable.

In this situation, using Adamantium, which cannot be processed again after the first processing, as a material, regardless of the cost, is not cost-effective in terms of consumption.

Thus, this led to the Iron Man armors having strong defense against physical and energy attacks but not being unbreakable like Captain America's shield.

Of course, according to Liu Rui'an's guess, the reason why Adamantium is so strong is also related to its density.

If pure Adamantium were used to make the Iron Man armor, without powerful propulsion, it might not even be able to fly.

Someone might say, even if Tony Stark has the formula for Adamantium, why would he be willing to exchange it given its value?

The reason for this is also simple.

Unlike the exclusive technologies of Iron Man, AI JARVIS, and the arc reactor, the formula for Adamantium is not exclusive to Tony Stark.

Otherwise, in "The Wolverine 2," the old Japanese man wouldn't have been so extravagant as to create a full-body armor for himself.

In "The Wolverine," the villain William Stryker not only gave Wolverine an Adamantium skeleton but also created a Deathstrike with an Adamantium skeleton in "X-Men 2."

Even if the X-Men series and the Marvel Cinematic Universe are not the same world, as "parallel worlds" based on the same background, these data are still quite reliable.

Since it's not something unique to him, it's not strange to use it to exchange for a solution to a life-threatening problem.

Actually, Liu Rui'an wasn't sure whether Tony Stark had the formula for Adamantium.

After all, when he crossed over, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was just entering its second phase, and he didn't know the plot after "Captain America 2."

Seeing Tony Stark's response, he naturally knew that his guess, even if not entirely correct, was at least partially right.

(Regarding the issue of Adamantium, please don't take it too seriously. Just consider the Marvel Cinematic Universe that the protagonist crossed into as a parallel world.)

After both parties confirmed the deal, Liu Rui'an and Tony Stark quickly signed the agreement.

Of course, the binding force of this agreement was actually not very high.

After all, compared to Stark Industries, describing Ambrella Biopharmaceuticals as a firefly to the moon is not an exaggeration.

With Tony Stark's strength and network, if he really wanted to renege, Liu Rui'an would have no way to deal with it, at least not now.

Fortunately, Liu Rui'an was not indispensable for this deal. If it didn't work out here, he could just find another place or another trading partner.

Moreover, with the hidden card of completely curing the injury in Tony Stark's chest, the possibility of him reneging was low under normal circumstances.

At this moment, Pepper Potts, who was in charge of drafting the agreement, only then realized that her boss and secret crush was already suffering from palladium poisoning and was close to death.

After Tony Stark, who had just signed the agreement, finally calmed Pepper down and sent her away, he looked at the person who was putting the agreement into his pocket and said:

"Alright, the agreement is signed. Now show your sincerity."

"No problem, let's start with the first step." Liu Rui'an paused under the other party's gaze and then said:

"Please immediately contact S.H.I.E.L.D. and obtain the legacy left by your father, Howard Stark."

Completely not expecting this response, and never thinking that S.H.I.E.L.D. would have a legacy left by his father, Tony Stark suddenly stood up and said:

"What did you say?!"