Chapter 81: Tony: Come On~

In truth, when Zhong Shenxiu extracted the shrapnel from Tony’s body, it was not the healing spell that played the main role. Rather, it was the increasingly dexterous manipulation of chaotic magic he had recently mastered; the healing spell merely served as an auxiliary measure.

The entire process unfolded roughly as follows: Zhong Shenxiu first injected a trace amount of chaotic magic into Tony Stark’s body, much like he would sense a patient’s fracture. He let this minute magic vibrate subtly, flowing along with Tony’s blood. When the magic encountered a Jericho missile fragment, the vibrations gave Zhong Shenxiu a distinct feedback, allowing him to pinpoint the exact location of each shard.

This technique was even more precise than the detection capabilities of a 128-slice CT scan, a skill he had acquired over close to a month by constantly experimenting on those gangsters. Thanks to these generous, sacrificial lambs, who not only offered money but also their spirit of “contribution,” Zhong Shenxiu was now able to perform the operation swiftly and with effortless ease.

Once he had located a fragment, the next step was to envelop it in chaotic magic and then forcibly draw it out at high speed from Tony’s body. This was a violent process. Zhong Shenxiu didn’t bother to follow the blood vessels or any such pathways—instead, he simply forced the fragment through Tony’s veins, membranes, tissues, muscles, and skin, layer by layer, tearing them open to extract the shrapnel.

At the same time, his healing spell operated at full capacity. The moment the shrapnel sliced open flesh, the wound was simultaneously healed. The end result: Zhong Shenxiu would extract the fragment with a flick, and Tony’s body would remain unscathed—perhaps the only casualty was the expensive shirt over Tony’s chest, now with a small hole.

Such a process, requiring split-second coordination and divided concentration, was the best testament to how Zhong Shenxiu had mastered and refined his various abilities. It must be said that a profession like medicine, with its demand for meticulous precision, was indeed the perfect training ground for honing such skills.

Snapping out of his thoughts, Zhong Shenxiu glanced at the sharp, silvery fragment in his hand. According to his earlier scan, Tony still had seventeen pieces left in his body.

A million dollars for each fragment, for a total of eighteen million. Truly, if you want to shear wool, you must choose the fattest sheep. As for whether Tony would pay? Zhong Shenxiu was confident—a man like Tony Stark, a top-tier billionaire, would surely know the value of his own life compared to eighteen million dollars.

On the other side, Tony fumbled at the tear in his shirt for a good while, only to find that his skin was as smooth as if he had applied ten packs of finishing powder. Instantly, all his worries melted away.

Perhaps others might think Zhong Shenxiu had performed nothing more than a magic trick or sleight of hand. But as the person in question, Tony could keenly sense how the fragment began to tremble within his body, then shot out through layers of tissue and muscle, flying out of him in an instant.

Moreover, as the chief engineer of the Jericho missile, Tony recognized at once that the fragment in Zhong Shenxiu’s hand was indeed from the Jericho missile, the very shrapnel lodged inside him.

It was only now that Tony realized how naïve and one-sided his previous outlook had been. The young Mr. Zhong before him—by conventional medical standards, such youth would have meant inexperience, for medicine was perhaps the most dependent of all disciplines on clinical practice.

Any doctor would tell you that diseases in the real world never present as neatly as in the textbooks. The same illness could have entirely different clinical manifestations in different patients.

It was precisely this understanding that had made Tony initially dismissive of Zhong Shenxiu—how much skill could a kid who looked barely out of college really have? Now, Tony’s view changed completely.

Who said a doctor must rely on scalpels and drugs to heal? This was a superhuman! Tony’s gaze softened unconsciously as he looked at Zhong Shenxiu. Everyone values their own life; faced with a healer of such extraordinary ability, his first instinct was to befriend him.

For someone as proud as Tony, this was quite a rare sentiment. As for a million dollars per fragment? With “Stark” as his surname, what did that amount to? Even if it were ten million per piece, Tony wouldn’t bat an eyelash. If it were a hundred million... well, he might have to think about it. But a mere million? Tony lost more than that in a single night at the casino.

After a brief pause, Tony thrust out his chest, exposing it boldly to Zhong Shenxiu, and said, “Come on, kid, I’m ready—” The flamboyant words were a clear invitation: I’m ready, get all the shrapnel out of me.

Seeing Tony’s exuberant theatrics, Zhong Shenxiu instinctively took a step back. Mimicking Coulson’s smile, he curved his lips to a perfect 16.666 degrees and solemnly repeated:

“One million dollars per fragment. Small business, no credit extended.”

With that, Zhong Shenxiu casually tossed the shrapnel into his pocket, crossed his arms, and stood his ground—a clear signal that no money meant no treatment.

Tony’s beaming face froze awkwardly. He dropped his puffed-up chest and coughed. He understood—this was Zhong Shenxiu’s way of retaliating for his earlier disdain and sharp words.

So, Tony immediately turned to Pepper beside him. “Pepper.”

Pepper, ever the consummate assistant, instantly understood. She pulled out her phone from her briefcase, tapped a few keys, and smiled at Zhong Shenxiu. “Mr. Zhong, could you give me your bank account number?”

“xxxxx,” Zhong Shenxiu recited a string of digits. Pepper nodded and tapped away briskly.

Before long, Zhong Shenxiu felt his phone vibrate. He checked—the message read: One million dollars deposited.

Impressive, he thought. Top-tier billionaires really are in a league of their own when it comes to efficiency.

Maintaining a calm expression, Zhong Shenxiu pocketed his phone and looked at Tony, who was once again pursing his lips, eager to thrust out his chest and shout, “Come on!”

However, Zhong Shenxiu didn’t rush to treat him. He silently summoned the Eye of True Sight, curious about what abilities Tony might offer.

Name: Anthony Edward Tony Stark.
Combat Power: 6.
Abilities Available: Iron Heart, acquisition probability 1%.
Combat Suggestion: Just a little tech nerd.