Tony looked at it curiously, frowning. "What is this…?"
Luke shook the bottle. "Kidney Tonic called Shilajit, originating from India, the place that invented the Kama-Sutra. One bottle clears your mind, two bottles wipe out fatigue, three bottles… keep you energized forever. Aside from the terrible taste, there are absolutely no side effects. A must-have for people like you."
Tony Stark's expression instantly darkened. He recalled last night's painful defeat, and a faint ache rose in his lower back.
Looking slightly strained, Tony shook his head with a stiff expression and turned to leave.
"My kidneys are perfectly fine. I don't need any supplements. You've got the wrong person!"
"Is that so? That's a pity. This stuff can genuinely restore youth. Handling seven at once would be easy, and it fully restores both mental and physical energy."
Tony paused for a moment, clearly tempted. But sensing the curious looks from Gwen and Sharon Carter, he immediately straightened up, walked home with firm steps, and shut the door.
His kidneys could fail, but his dignity could not!
Ding ding ding—!
Luke put away the Kidney Tonic, smiling as he walked home with Gwen and Sharon Carter. Just then, he received a message.
He opened it.
"Sorry, brother, I might've spoken a bit loudly just now. I just remembered something. Uh… I have a friend… you know him too, Happy. He's been having some issues lately. Low energy, no stamina. Ahem… you know how it is, middle-aged men can't help it."
"He's too embarrassed to ask directly and has been looking for remedies. Don't misunderstand, my kidneys are great. I can handle two! It's just that tonic you mentioned… is it really that effective?"
A smile formed on Luke's lips as he sent a voice reply. "I understand your friend's situation. Since we know each other, I'll give you a discounted internal price. One hundred thousand dollars per bottle. I'll send one for you to try first. Guaranteed to keep you feeling like a groom every day."
The next second, another message came through.
"No problem. And don't misunderstand, it's for my friend! My friend! My friend!"
"I understand."
"…"
Luke smiled as he put his phone away. Beside him, Gwen and Sharon wore rather strange expressions.
They hadn't expected Tony Stark to have… such issues.
As for Luke, he seemed to notice something. His smile faded slightly as he said, "Don't get the wrong idea. I never use this stuff."
"Oh?"
Luke's smile froze. The joke had come back to hit him.
To prove himself...
That night, Luke didn't even eat dinner and didn't close the door, charging forward like Jason of Friday the 13th, making people scream and panic without stopping even once.
On the ground floor, Gwen and Sharon Carter stared wide-eyed at the ceiling, silently counting sheep.
It had to be intentional. The noise was far too loud.
Meanwhile, Tony was also trying it out.
After finishing one bottle, the taste was unbearably bitter, but the effects were undeniably real.
For the first time, Tony realized he could be that kind of man.
Even after taking on seven, he still had the energy to continue working on his Iron Man suit, and his efficiency had even improved.
Kidney Tonic Shilajit. Everyone who tried it said it was amazing.
...
Early the next morning,
"Luke, give me—give me more Kidney Tonic! I can't be without it… I mean, my friend can't be without it!"
"Happy specifically asked me to buy a thousand bottles from you first. Oh, right, does this stuff expire? Why don't I see a production date or shelf life?"
This morning, Tony Stark, who had been waiting outside, rushed forward as soon as he saw Luke come out, waving a check in his hand.
"This is a magical product. It's priceless, understand? Magic doesn't expire."
Luke took the check and waved his hand. Instantly, exactly one thousand bottles of Kidney Tonic appeared on the ground, arranged neatly in perfect order.
Tony's eyes lit up. "Are you interested in going into business? Let's invest together and start a pharmaceutical company focused on men's health. Trust me, this stuff will sell like crazy. You'll become the next richest man in the world!"
At one hundred thousand dollars per bottle, it was undeniably expensive. But for the wealthy, pride mattered more than money.
One bottle of this Kidney Tonic could turn a man into a powerhouse for five hours.
If you didn't buy it but your friends did, then when you all got together, the one who lasted the shortest would be humiliated.
Everyone else could handle seven, and you couldn't even handle one. Who could accept that?
Would you still have any place in that circle?
Losing respect was one thing, but the real fear was your partner finding you lacking and leaving for someone else.
"Boring. I'm not interested in money."
Luke waved his hand dismissively. The title of richest man meant less than a single strand of hair to him. If he had the time, he would rather spend it increasing his strength.
Seeing this, Tony didn't push further.
If it had been anyone else, he would have thought they were just showing off. But this was Luke, someone capable of overturning oceans and mountains. Money truly meant nothing to him.
If he wanted, he could instantly become the ruler of a powerful nation, or even the master of Earth.
Tony was just about to call someone to move the Kidney Tonic when Luke suddenly noticed something and spoke with interest.
"Tony, your trouble has arrived."
"What?"
Tony looked up in confusion. At that moment, Jarvis's alert sounded. "Sir, three hundred unidentified flying objects have been detected approaching from a distance of eight hundred twenty-four miles."
Tony's expression changed slightly. He subconsciously glanced at Luke, and seeing the look of someone watching a show on his face, his lips twitched.
"Damn it. Jarvis, activate the defense systems immediately. Deploy all Iron Man suits and give them a proper welcome!"
Tony ignored moving the Kidney Tonic and quickly summoned Mark IX.
This was a special Iron Man suit, completely different from the fifty-plus suits seen in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It was a Vibranium Iron Man suit.
Mark IX had not yet been painted, and its weapon systems were incomplete, equipped only with basic palm repulsors.
Even so, Tony put it on without hesitation, because the sense of security it provided was unmatched.
Just as he finished suiting up, the three hundred enemies had already closed in to within a few hundred meters.
Their appearance was now clearly visible.
They were a group of silver-white mechs, each about two meters tall.
With their flat, featureless heads, it was obvious they were unmanned units.
At that moment, several Iron Man suits, controlled by Jarvis, flew out of the villa and joined Tony in engaging the enemy.
From their appearance alone, Luke could already tell these were new models jointly developed by Hammer Industries and Whiplash.
Hammer Industries and Stark Industries were both major players in the military-industrial field.
Before this year, Hammer Industries' market share had been less than one-fifth of Stark's.
After Tony announced the shutdown of his weapons division last year, Hammer Industries quickly rose, claiming a portion of the market alongside giants like Vanguard Science and Umbrella Corporation.
But no one had expected Tony to create the Iron Man suit. Justin Hammer simply didn't have the capability to claim that market.
Judging from something like the "Ex-Wife Missile," it was clear their technology couldn't solve the energy problem.
That was when Ivan Vanko appeared.
During his debut at the Monaco Historic Grand Prix, Justin Hammer had also been present and immediately noticed the older Arc Reactor technology used by Whiplash.
So he used money and influence to get Whiplash out of prison.
The two joined forces to create powerful mechs comparable to the Iron Man suit, hoping to carve out a share of that market.
However, Justin Hammer wanted profit, while Whiplash only wanted revenge. The two were never truly aligned.
Whiplash had secretly embedded backdoors in these unmanned mechs, allowing him to seize control of them at any time.
Luke hadn't expected that the unmanned units, which were supposed to cause chaos at the launch event, would instead head straight for Tony Stark's seaside villa.
"Could it be because of the Three Great Special Metals?"
Luke speculated silently. Tony's purchase of the three special metals from him wasn't a secret.
Many factions had tried, directly or indirectly, to acquire them from Luke, but he had refused every one of them.
As a result, Tony's supply had become a highly coveted target.
Given the personalities of Justin Hammer and Ivan Vanko, it wasn't surprising that they would take action.
If they waited for Tony to fully research and integrate the three special metals, then no matter how many suits Hammer Industries produced, they would all be outdated. Whiplash would also lose his chance for revenge.
"Heh~ But this has nothing to do with me. I'll just enjoy the show."
Luke dragged over a small stool and started eating the watermelon in his hand.
Before transmigrating, he could only watch special effects in a cinema. Now, watching a mech battle unfold in real life… the feeling was completely different.
While casually watching the "fireworks" in the sky, Luke called over Sharon Carter, who had dark circles under her eyes because of all the noises coming from the upstairsers, and asked about the recent situation.
However, what surprised him was that Thor hadn't made a move yet.
"What is Thor doing? Did he get drunk last night and get carried off by someone?"
Luke muttered.
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