The next morning, inside the lab, John slowly opened his eyes and muttered to himself,
"The efficiency of this meditation method is dropping day by day. If I want to reach 10 points in mental power, it'll take me at least a year and a half. That's too slow. If only I could use the spiritual potion again… sigh."
After taking the fifth spiritual potion early in his awakening, John had hit a bottleneck—the potion no longer worked. For him to use it again, he would need to develop the next generation of spiritual potions. But this was impossible for John in his current state.
There were no extraordinary plants on Earth. Even if some existed, they were either undiscovered or far beyond his reach. The only viable path left was to improve his meditation method.
Feeling mentally drained, John stood up and left the lab. He headed for the living room, not expecting anyone to be there. However, upon entering, he found himself surprised.
The living room was lively. Tony, Pepper, Happy Hogan, and another unfamiliar woman were gathered there. Although it wasn't crowded, the unexpected scene caught John off guard.
As John entered, no one initially noticed him—except the new girl. Their eyes briefly met, and John immediately recognized who she was.
'So, it looks like Iron Man 2 is about to begin,' he thought, averting his gaze.
John shifted his attention to Tony, who was busy bickering with Pepper, and said with a casual tone, "Brother, it's pretty lively here. What's the occasion?"
Tony turned toward John, his face lighting up with a big smile. Striding over, he asked enthusiastically, "John, tell me—what's the coolest way to make an entrance?"
John smirked, already guessing where this was headed. "If it's you, then jumping from an aircraft would be the coolest."
Hearing this, Pepper sighed, rubbing her forehead in exasperation, while Tony beamed with pride.
"See? That's what I've been saying! Even John agrees it's cool!" Tony declared, gesturing toward Pepper triumphantly.
Pepper shot him a sharp look. "No, it's not cool, Tony."
Ignoring her, Tony turned back to John, still grinning.
John chuckled lightly and said, "Anyway, what's all this about?" feigning ignorance.
Pepper seized the opportunity to answer, clearly exasperated. "We're preparing for the Stark Expo. Tony wants to make his entrance in the most reckless way possible—jumping out of a plane, in his suit. I vetoed it. John, can you please talk some sense into him?" she pleaded.
John glanced at Tony, who looked smug and defiant, and then back at Pepper. He smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry, Miss Pepper. I trust my brother completely. If anyone can pull off something that crazy and live to tell the tale, it's him," he said with a mischievous glint.
Pepper let out a defeated sigh, shaking her head.
Changing the subject, John pointed to the new woman in the room and asked, "By the way, who's this?"
Pepper straightened up and introduced her. "Oh, right. This is Natalie Rushman, my new assistant. Since Tony decided to wash his hands of all his responsibilities, the workload has been piling up. I had no choice but to hire someone."
John looked at Natalie, who gave him a polite smile. "Nice to meet you," he said, offering his hand.
Natalie shook it firmly. "The pleasure is mine," she replied coolly.
Tony interjected, "She's great. Keeps Pepper off my back," he joked, earning an annoyed glare from Pepper.
"Speaking of responsibilities," Pepper said, turning her attention back to John, "I hope you can keep an eye on him during the Expo. He's bound to do something dangerous."
John shrugged with a playful grin. "Dangerous is what he does best, Miss Pepper. But I'll do my best to keep him out of trouble."
Tony clapped him on the back. "See? That's why John's my favorite brother."
Pepper rolled her eyes. "He's your only brother, Tony."
The room erupted in light laughter, the atmosphere lively as they continued planning for the Stark Expo.
After an hour, only Tony and John were left. Taking the chance, John asked, "Okay, brother, what's bothering you? Tell me."
Tony didn't react at first, but after seeing John's serious expression, he smiled wryly. Without saying a word, Tony lifted the collar of his shirt, revealing dark blue veins spreading across his chest.
Even though John had an idea of what it was, seeing it so closely made him nervous. He hurriedly asked, "What the hell is this, brother? Are you all right?"
"This is a type of poison," Tony explained. "Right now, it's spreading slowly. Thankfully, my body is no longer entirely human. But even with my enhancements, it's not something I can stop entirely."
John's anxiety deepened as he heard this. He clenched his fists but maintained his composure. Tony waved a hand and reassured him, "Don't worry, John. I feel perfectly fine. It's just a side effect of the arc reactor."
John frowned and said, "If it's hurting you, why are you keeping that thing in your chest? Why not just remove it? We can go to a hospital to get the shrapnel taken out."
Hearing John's words, Tony's face turned serious. "John, I can't. This isn't just a piece of tech. This is me. It's my identity now. Removing it is impossible."
John looked at stubborn Tony for a long moment before saying, "Fine. Then take off your shirt and lay down on the couch."
Tony blinked, confused. "Why?"
"Don't ask. Just do it. I'm going to remove the shrapnel from your body."
"No, no, John," Tony said, waving his hands frantically. "It's too dangerous!"
"Trust me, brother. My control over elements has improved considerably. I can do this," John reassured him.
"Are you sure?"
John nodded seriously. Seeing the determination in his brother's eyes, Tony hesitated for a moment, then removed his shirt and lay down on the couch. His upper body, marked with dark veins and faint scars, was now fully exposed. The glowing light of the arc reactor flickered faintly in his chest.
"Remove the arc reactor as well," John instructed.
Tony hesitated but eventually complied. The trust between the two brothers was evident. He carefully detached the device, revealing the open, circular cavity in his chest.
John placed his hand gently on the edges of the metal socket, taking a deep breath. "Close your eyes and brace yourself. This is going to hurt—a lot."
Tony shut his eyes, his hands gripping the edges of the couch tightly.