Chapter 5

"Sister Pepper, wait for me for a while. Don't let Dad leave for Afghanistan before I come out!" Knowing that his father was about to leave for Afghanistan and experience the life-changing event, Mark quickly explained to Pepper and turned back to his room.

"Wait, Mark, what are you doing..."

Boom!

Before she could finish speaking, Pepper rolled her eyes helplessly at the closed door of Mark's room. "Really, both father and son are so unreliable! Move faster, you know! I can only delay him for a while—"

Although helpless, Pepper shouted to Mark, indicating she had agreed to his request.

"I know, I'll be quick!"

Listening to the response from Mark's room, accompanied by the sound of clinking tools, Pepper sighed. This was just another instance of genius at work.

Mark, feeling the pressure of being a time traveler, knew he couldn't tell anyone about the future he knew. He couldn't risk being seen as crazy by his unreliable father. He could only subtly provide life-saving items to ensure Tony still became Iron Man without drastic changes to the timeline.

Shaking her head, Pepper decided to check on Tony's preparations. "J.A.R.V.I.S, is Tony ready?"

"Sir is changing clothes. You can move to the restaurant first and enjoy the breakfast prepared by the chef."

"Thank you, J.A.R.V.I.S. But I've already eaten. I'll wait for him in the dining room. Time is tight today. I can brief him during breakfast."

With that, Pepper got up from the sofa and headed towards the dining room. Turning around, she accidentally bumped into the coffee table leg.

"Ow, that hurts." Pepper held back a yell, taking a deep breath. When she squatted down to see her red and swollen toes, tears welled up in her eyes.

Suddenly, a strange sound caught her attention. Pepper looked up and saw an open suitcase not far away. Inside, a white object was inflating, soon becoming a chubby, big guy.

"Master, your personal health assistant has noticed that you said [It hurts]. You may need medical care now. Please rate your pain on a scale of one to ten."

Looking at the chubby, inflatable robot with a harmless demeanor, Pepper instinctively replied, "I'm not sure what level it is."

"Now Baymax will scan you." Baymax's originally large black eyes turned blue as the hyperspectral lens activated. The light swept across Pepper's body and quickly disappeared. "The scan is complete. According to the analysis, your left big toe is swollen and painful due to trauma. There is no fracture. It is judged to be a soft tissue contusion. It is recommended to use an ethyl chloride quick pain relief spray."

"Okay… OK." Pepper was startled by Baymax's performance but nodded and agreed to the treatment plan.

Psst—

Baymax bent his short legs, squatted clumsily in front of Pepper, then extended a finger and sprayed the pain relief spray on the affected area.

"Really, it doesn't hurt anymore. Amazing!"

"Quick pain spray is only the current treatment plan. To recover quickly, please remember to apply a hot compress at night and use an anti-inflammatory drug."

"Okay, thank you for telling me."

"Please rate Baymax's service. Baymax cannot go to sleep until you are satisfied."

"Very satisfied. Go back and rest."

After receiving a satisfactory evaluation, Baymax swayed back to his charging box, waiting for the next call from its owner.

"How about it? The personal health assistant isn't bad," Tony, who had been standing in the living room for some time, asked Pepper with a smug look.

"Baymax is really great. How did you come up with such a genius idea?" Pepper, feeling better both physically and mentally, asked Tony excitedly.

"Uh..." But this question made Tony's face embarrassed. "Actually, it's not my idea. It's Mark's invention."

"That's right. How could you design such a cute robot? It seems Mark will surpass you soon. You have to keep up." Pepper didn't hold back, hitting Tony's pride directly.

To save face, Tony immediately changed the subject: "If you like it, I'll ask the kid to make another one for you. He wouldn't dare disobey me."

"Hmph, based on my relationship with Mark, I can handle it without you. Okay, let's get back to business. You have a tight schedule these days. First of all…" Pepper, Tony's most trusted assistant, quickly shifted focus back to work tasks.

"Well, that's all about the itinerary negotiated with the military. I have sent a copy to your email." After explaining the work, Pepper didn't forget Mark's request. She looked at the time and said, "I told you yesterday that the next few days will be very busy, and I asked you to go home early to rest. I didn't expect you to stay up so late."

Although she hadn't seen it herself, Pepper's years of experience with Tony, coupled with seeing his tired complexion and dark circles, led her to believe she had guessed correctly.

Hearing Pepper's tone and discerning look, Tony immediately explained with an innocent expression, "You've misunderstood me. I did go home directly after work last night. It's not my fault. The technique Mark used on Baymax was fascinating. I spent the night reading the relevant information, and it was exhausting."

"Really?" Pepper didn't believe him.

"It's true! Ask Mark if you don't believe me."

"Okay, I'll assume what you said is true." Seeing Tony pull out his son as a shield, Pepper barely believed him.

"Just what is it! I..." Tony wanted to explain further, but was interrupted by Mark, who suddenly opened the door and came out of his room.

"Father, come here and see what I've prepared for you!" Mark, holding a silver-gray suit with excitement, beckoned Tony over.

"What weird thing have you come up with now?" Curiously, Tony walked with Pepper to Mark's room.

"It's not weird! You're just jealous that I'm more talented than you. This suit is made using graphene nanomaterials and carbon fiber brackets, plus the Kung Fu master chip I wrote last night. After wearing it, it can protect your torso from various weapons and make you a martial arts master!"

That's right, this suit was specially made by Mark for his father's trip to Afghanistan. It was inspired by the movie "The Tuxedo" that Mark had seen in his previous life.

However, for convenience and style, Mark didn't completely copy the design from the movie but changed it into a slim fashion suit. Due to time constraints (and Mark being too absorbed in his research), he didn't achieve all the features of the magical tuxedo. He could only install the Kung Fu master chip meant for Baymax first.

But Mark believed this suit was enough for Tony to survive the attack in Afghanistan, at least without a big shrapnel piece in his chest.

"You're worrying too much. There are many soldiers protecting me. How could I be in danger? This trip is very safe. Don't worry." Although he said so, Tony still took the protective suit from Mark. "But since it's your effort, I'll wear it. After all, it looks pretty good."

Even if moved inside, Tony couldn't express it straightforwardly. He hadn't yet learned how to express his feelings.

But deep down, Tony made a secret decision. After this trip, he must repair the relationship with his son and make up for his past negligence.

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