Looking at Stark in front of him, John Li smiled. "Mr. Stark, I want you to do me a favor."
"Oh, why do you think I will help you? Why don't I help those homeless people on the street?" Tony looked at John mockingly.
John didn't get angry but continued to smile and said, "I think you have a lot of questions to ask me. Isn't this a fair trade?"
Tony's expression changed, and he looked at John intently. "What else do you know?"
"There is a lot. Besides your past, I also know your future. Many questions you have can be answered by me, but there is a price to pay. I believe you are willing to pay it, right?"
"OK, great. What do you want?"
"Metal. I want high-quality metal, preferably a lot of it," John said expectantly.
Tony was taken aback, thinking about the information he had seen not long ago regarding the six tons of metal. How could he use so much metal just to make a model? He must have other uses.
"Jarvis, bring two tons of 'tungsten alloy impact-resistant high-strength steel plates' and two tons of 'titanium alloy metal plates' here."
"Yes, sir. They are expected to be delivered in two hours and fifteen minutes."
"Do you want some pure metal? No problem!" Tony looked at John with a sullen expression, a hint of sarcasm in his eyes.
"Emmm." John didn't respond to Tony's demeanor.
"Tell me, how do you know all this about my home, my business, even Yinsen?" Tony asked directly.
John touched his head, a little entangled. "This question is too broad. In fact, I don't know everything, but I know some of the more important and meaningful things. Yinsen is significant to you, so I know a lot about him."
"As for how I know, it's a superpower. You will meet someone who can see the future, but there should be no one else like me. You can rest assured."
The mention of Yinsen reminded Tony of the days in the cave. He looked at John, a bit conflicted. "What else do you know about Yinsen? Does he have family?"
"Yinsen didn't lie to you. His family really died at the hands of those people. He left without regrets. Well, maybe his only regret is that he didn't witness you succeed!" John thought about it.
"By the way, do you know why Yinsen thought of putting such a device on your chest to save you?"
"Hmm?"
"At the conference in Switzerland in 1999, Yinsen introduced his friend, Dr. Wu from China, to you. He was proficient in robotics and made great progress in treating heart disease. Ethan understood this and used that technique to save you."
John raised his eyebrows and added, "Oh, yes, at that time, another person approached you, but you ignored them and went to her room with a woman. You used to offend many people."
Tony shook his head. "I don't care if others are unhappy. Thousands of people wanted to see me every day. How could I possibly deal with all of them?"
"Hope!" John shrugged. Anyway, within a few years, Killian would find him. By now, he should have found the first batch of Extremis Virus trials.
"By the way, Mr. Stark, have you talked to Colonel Rhodes?"
Tony was startled by the question. 'Does he know this too?'
"It seems that your Mark 2 should have been officially manufactured!"
John's words made Tony stand up immediately, looking at John cautiously. "In front of you, I really have no sense of security!"
John spread his hands. "Mr. Stark, can I stay?"
"Stay? Here?"
"Yes, I believe that with your presence, your progress will speed up a lot. I can give advice at the appropriate times," John said with some expectation.
"Then first tell me what happened on the day of the last press conference. Were you flying?" Tony remembered the scene.
"To be precise, flying is one of my abilities, so yes, I flew away that day!" John smiled.
This was the first time Stark had seen someone with superpowers. Although it conflicted with his character, he endured the discomfort in his heart.
"Okay, I can find you a room, but I want your blood for study. How about that?" Tony said.
"No problem. But find a way to get my Aunt Jenny and Uncle George to go back," John smiled and nodded.
In short, after some persuasion, guarantees, formal certification, and a salary of $5,000 per month, Jenny reluctantly agreed to John staying there. She repeatedly emphasized that the maximum stay was two months, and he had to go back before school started.
Then, Uncle George was asked to take Aunt Jenny back, and even the plane tickets were booked for them, in first class.
After seeing them off, John yelled, "Yes, now I can really get started!"
Tony looked at John excitedly, as if seeing himself as a teenager, eager to break free from his parents' control but unable to appreciate their care until it was gone.
"John, they left. Are you happy?" Tony asked curiously.
"How should I say, I enjoy the love they give me. If the world were peaceful, I might immerse myself in this care, but some things I know I must take responsibility for," John said thoughtfully.
At this time, a large truck drove in. The trunk contained fifteen heavy silver and twelve dark gray steel plates. Two delivery people helped carry them to a guest room arranged by Tony.
As the sky gradually darkened, Tony felt a bit uneasy about John.
There had only been two people living in his house, Pepper and himself, but now there was suddenly an additional person.
Even though John was only eleven years old, he still seemed very annoying.
"Mr. Stark, what are we eating tonight?"
"Pepper will bring food back when she returns. And you are not allowed to enter my basement," Tony emphasized.
"Jarvis, record John's information and give him permission to enter and exit the house."
"Yes, Mr. Stark. Mr. John, please come with me."
Jarvis's voice came, and an indicator arrow appeared in front of John, leading him to the side of the information entry room.
When John came out again, the whole room was brightly lit, and Pepper had just entered the door, sitting on the sofa and putting her handbag down.
"Hey, John, Jarvis has already told me. You see, I brought back an extra meal!" Pepper greeted John warmly.
"Thank you, Pepper. Where is Mr. Stark?"
"He's in the basement studio. I'm going to see him. You can watch TV first!" Pepper took dinner to the basement.
John looked at the gorgeous and bright hall, full of advanced technology, and the tons of high-quality metal in his room. It was really great.