Chapter 1046: Astonishing Mundane People (Twenty-Three) (Patreon)

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"You... How could you..." Stark, his eyes red, held Maria tightly, continuously patting her back, saying, "Weren't you both already dead in the car accident?"

Seeing Maria unable to speak through her tears, Howard stepped forward, explaining, "Your doctor friend, Schiller, has explained everything to us. In simple terms, your science and technology had advanced to the point of making a deal with the Grim Reaper, and then paid some price to bring us back."

At this point, Howard frowned and said, "Tony, I didn't want to bring up such a dampening topic right after our reunion, but I feel this is completely unwarranted!"

"Human beings all have their life and death. Spending a fortune to bring us back will only affect your own life."

Finally, Maria regained her composure. She gently pushed Tony away, saying, "Little Tony, it's already good enough for me to see you again. We've talked with Howard on the way here. We came to see you once, and then we'll go back. You really don't need to resurrect us..."

After saying this, she tenderly held Tony's face, saying, "To snatch someone from the Grim Reaper must have cost a lot, right? You don't need to do this for us. Your father and I have already accomplished what we needed to. You're doing well, and we have no regrets..."

Howard stepped forward, with a persuasive tone, "Alright, alright, we don't have anything more to say. Hurry up and take us back. What if the Grim Reaper charges by the hour? We'll be at a loss!"

Stark rubbed his forehead. Howard hadn't changed a bit; if there was one big difference between him and Howard, it was that Howard was truly the world's shrewdest businessman, never missing an opportunity even on the road.

Howard, frowning, looked at his son and asked, "How did you negotiate with the Grim Reaper? What payment method did you choose? Are there any penalties for breach?"

"Um... I didn't negotiate with the Grim Reaper..." Stark could only deny following his words. He said, "The Grim Reaper you mentioned, in fact, is the Death Goddess. I haven't seen her. It was my friend, Schiller..."

Maria immediately showed a surprised expression, saying, "But on the road, the doctor named Schiller told us he's just a middleman because he has the ability to travel between the mortal world and the underworld, that's why he came to pick us up."

Stark's mouth twitched. He suddenly understood Schiller's intentions. Any parents would hope that their love for their children would be reciprocated by their children.

Although Howard and Maria outwardly objected, when it came to Stark spending a fortune to bring them back from the Grim Reaper, they still felt very relieved because it was a manifestation of Stark's love for them.

Meanwhile, Howard and Maria actually felt guilty. After all, their death had been too sudden. After resurrection, they had also wondered if Tony would feel resentful for being left behind.

But that psychologist had answered their doubts. Their son not only didn't resent them, but was willing to spend a great price to resurrect them. Being parents, this was already the highest achievement.

Thinking of this, Maria started to cry again, saying, "Little Tony, don't blame your father. At that time, we had no other choice. Everyone was pressing us, and if we didn't die, they would definitely come after you..."

Howard's eyes were also a little red. He bit his lip, the muscles around his mouth twitching constantly, showing some anger. Suddenly, as if he remembered something, he looked at Stark and asked, "Those damn bastards didn't pressure you again, did they? They didn't set their sights on Stark Industries again, did they?!"

At this point, he appeared somewhat agitated. He said, "Obadiah? With him there, you shouldn't be bullied. No, I need to go and see how things are at Stark Industries now..."

"Howard! Howard!" Maria exclaimed, "What's wrong with you? Didn't we agree..."

"But I can't let those people succeed!" Howard gasped for breath, "They actually dared to hand over the technology I gave them to Hydra?! And even implicated Sergeant Barnes! Good Lord, Steve must be very upset. No, I have to go and apologize to them..."

After saying that, Howard was about to leave, but at this moment, Steve hurriedly pushed the door open and rushed in. As soon as he saw Howard, his eyes immediately reddened, and he rushed forward to hug Howard.

"Howard! I can't believe I can see you again?! This is truly amazing! Schiller must have paid a great price!" Steve choked out.

Howard anxiously looked at him and asked, "How is Sergeant Barnes? Is Hydra mistreating him?"

After saying that, he stomped his foot in frustration, saying, "I should have been more decisive. If I didn't retreat, I should have not retreated at all. Compromising with them was the stupidest decision I've ever made in my life!"

Steve was somewhat puzzled. Howard lowered his head and said in a low tone, "I transferred that material to draw them out. If they could kill me, they would never get the technology. If they couldn't kill me, I would have a reason to confront them."

"Regardless, it's better than a slow death. But I underestimated their shamelessness. They actually teamed up with Hydra!"

"When I saw Sergeant Barnes' mechanical arm, I knew they had long been in cahoots with Hydra. Otherwise, how could the technology I gave them land directly in Hydra's hands so soon?!"

"I will never admit my mistake!" Howard said in a firm tone, "They said they needed this technology to provide prosthetics for disabled soldiers. But what's the result? They turned Sergeant Barnes, one of the most patriotic soldiers, into a killing machine!"

After Howard finished speaking, he could only stand there, gasping for breath, seemingly rendered speechless by anger.

His words reminded Stark, who was standing aside, of Connors.

He thought, if the technology Howard handed over had really been used on disabled soldiers, perhaps Connors wouldn't have turned into the Lizard and barged into Stark Tower. It was all part of the cycle of cause and effect, the unfulfilled retribution.

At this moment, Stark finally recovered from his shock. He said, "Howard, Maria, actually, the one who snatched you back from the Grim Reaper wasn't me, but Schiller Rodriguez."

"He devised a series of plans, allowing humans to negotiate with the Grim Reaper from scratch. He even created a Heaven where humans could be resurrected, although the quotas are limited, it has saved countless talented individuals."

"Schiller is a true miracle worker," Stark took a deep breath and said, "But to resurrect you, he must have paid a price beyond our imagination..."

At this moment, Maria and Howard exchanged a glance, then walked up to Stark, gently stroking his face. "Do you know, Tony, this fact makes us happier than you being willing to pay a huge price to resurrect us," they said.

"Because you have gained a precious friendship. One of your friends is willing to pay such a great price for you, just to spare you from grieving for your parents' death..."

Stark lowered his head, showing a touched expression. His voice became somewhat hoarse, as if on the verge of choking, he said, "All along, I knew Schiller was my friend, but I didn't know he was willing to sacrifice so much for me..."

"You might find it hard to understand. To negotiate with such beings of rules, it takes great wisdom, effort, and payment to gain any advantage," Stark's voice began to tremble more and more.

"Of course, I know," Howard stepped forward, patting Stark's shoulder, "All negotiations in this world are the same. Those without chips can only become prey, at the mercy of others. Wanting to turn the tables is as difficult as reaching the sky."

"And every individual human, compared to the Grim Reaper, is even smaller than an ant, more meaningless than a speck of dust. In such an extremely unequal situation, negotiation skills are useless. Your entire fortune combined might not even catch their attention."

Howard looked up, gazing into Stark's brown eyes, and said, "It seems like over these years, you've had many legendary adventures. Can you tell me about them?"

Stark even felt he misheard. He never thought there would be a day when Howard would listen to his stories. Clearly, many years ago, it was always Howard who was spinning fanciful tales, often passing out before telling even half of them.

Stark was about to speak. He had too much to say, but standing before these stories was another, more important matter. Stark took a deep breath, trying to suppress his boundless emotions, and then said, "We can talk about stories later. Right now, I have to go see Schiller."

"Just before you returned, Schiller's mental illness relapsed due to excessive mental pressure and fatigue. Although I don't know what price he paid exactly, I have to make sure that this price won't worsen his condition."

Howard paused for a moment, then glanced at Maria, and Stark immediately sensed something. He asked, "You said Schiller brought you here just now. How is he?"

"Tony, you really should care more about your friends," Maria shook her head gently. "Your father and I don't quite understand the things he talked about, like the Soul, but all we can say is, he looks tired, and there's a deep wound on his neck that doesn't seem to have fully healed."

"Tony, I remember Stark Industries also has a medical business. Didn't you have him hospitalized for treatment?" Maria gently furrowed her brows, looking like a saint full of caring concern. She said, "The condition of that wound doesn't seem good, but at that time, your father and I were worried about something else, so we didn't dare ask."

Stark immediately became somewhat agitated. He turned to Steve and said, "You probably don't mind chatting with your old friend a bit more. I'll go find Schiller..."

Steve opened his mouth, intending to say he would also go, but leaving Howard behind wasn't appropriate. So he stepped forward and said to Howard, "There have been many things happening in the past few decades, you might not be able to adapt."

Howard raised an eyebrow, snorted coldly, and said, "Do you think I'm you? I'm the genius Stark, even more genius than the one who just left. What can I not adapt to?"

Steve shrugged, then said, "Well, aren't you worried about Bucky's situation? Let's go, let's see him. We'll take the bus. Look, I just got this transportation card..."

After speaking, he took out a diamond-shaped crystal from his pocket and waved it in front of Howard like a child showing off a toy. Howard rolled his eyes, completely uninterested.

It wasn't until he had just stepped out of the door, right at the entrance of the Sanctum Sanctorum, that he saw shuttles flying all over the sky and a chaotic queue of people.

"What is this??!!!"

[Read at www.patreon.com/shanefreak, and thanks for the invaluable support!]

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 1047: Startling Mundane World (Twenty-four)