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Here's the link: patreon.com/Hussain678 — all 30 advanced chapters are available there.
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The fireworks display was a tremendous success.
Stark Tower.
Pepper looked at Tony, moved.
She knew how expensive this grand fireworks display must have been!
Even if one set of Mark armor cost half a billion dollars…
Forty-two suits in total.
That's at least $21 billion!
This—
This was nothing short of luxury indulgence!
And yet, the man before her…
For the sake of happiness, without hesitation, had ordered J.A.R.V.I.S. to detonate every single Mark armor.
Based on the video, this was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Tony had long set in motion a "cleanup plan" with J.A.R.V.I.S.
This meant that, in the future, whether under threat from the Desperation Virus or while being kidnapped, Tony would light a multi-billion-dollar fireworks display on Christmas Day.
It showed that Tony truly wanted to sever ties with the past.
He didn't want to be shackled by the words "Iron Man" or "Mark Armor."
He wanted to be Tony Stark again.
Even so, Pepper couldn't help but speak.
Pepper: "Tony, you don't have to do this. Whatever decisions you make, whatever person you want to be, I'll support you quietly. You don't need to blow up every Mark suit to prove anything to me."
Tony seemed momentarily stunned.
He hadn't expected it at first…
In the video, he had acted decisively—destroying all 42 suits of armor!
It had exceeded even his expectations.
Yet, thinking it through, Tony fully understood why he would make that choice.
At the beginning of the video, Mark armor had already strayed from his original intent.
From a tool to protect the world…
It had become a prison for the mind.
His future self hadn't realized this at first.
Instead, he thought the unease came from not having enough Mark armor in quantity or quality.
So he went down the completely wrong path—developing more and more suits, tirelessly pushing forward.
But to him, that was just a cocoon.
If Kilian hadn't appeared and destroyed everything he treasured—the latest Mark 42, Pepper, piece by piece, to varying degrees—he might never have realized his mistake.
During the fight to kill Kilian, his future self focused on self-discovery, repeatedly reflecting on who he truly was.
Finally, his future self realized:
I, Tony, am not just an ordinary person behind the Mark armor.I'm not someone who relies solely on it.I am me.The armor depends on me, not the other way around.
Once he understood this, he felt like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon.
A new life had begun.
So, his future self blew up all 42 Mark armors.
This was his way of completely severing ties with the past.
Tony regained his composure.
Tony (muttering): "Right. If I'm nothing without the armor, then I don't deserve it."
Everyone around him fell silent, understanding what he meant.
Later, Colonel Rhodes asked:
Rhodes: "So, Tony… do you still plan to make Mark armors?"
Tony snapped his fingers.
Tony: "Of course. I'll keep building them. After all, Mark armor is just a tool. I won't be bound by a tool, nor by the idea of not being bound by a tool. For the sake of better protecting those I love, I'll continue to make Mark armor."
Rhodes heard Tony's cryptic words and felt at ease.
He knew that before him stood his old friend—more mature than ever.
Behind the military camp.
Howard was furious.
Howard: "Hey, my son! Why are you wasting like this?! How can you just blow up all that Mark armor?!"
"I know you want to sever ties with the past, but it doesn't have to be that extreme! This is a revolutionary invention! If you truly don't want it, explain to Colonel Rhodes next to you!"
Howard felt heartbroken.
In his time, the world was chaotic.
Every bullet was precious.
And now, in front of him, tens of thousands of rounds seemed to explode instantly.
How could he not feel sorrow?
He even thought—if this strange screen could only show video clips, but could reach the future and retrieve things from it, he would want all 42 Mark armors brought back.
Then he would fly to Germany, confront the head of state, and show who the real boss of the world was.
As for Miss Carter, her attention was elsewhere.
She thought of something else.
Carter: "Steve, think about it. We haven't seen fireworks in so long. I don't know when we'll get to see such spectacular ones again."
This time, Captain America boldly took her hand.
Cap: "We will. I promise! After the war, I'll take you to see the most amazing fireworks!"
They exchanged a glance.
A small spring trickled nearby.
In another tent, noise broke out.
Captain America looked over.
A military vehicle marked with a red cross stopped abruptly.
Two people carefully carried a stretcher, lifting the wounded down.
Cap felt deep sympathy.
Cap: "Life must be tough for these frontline soldiers. Their battles can't have been easy."
Miss Carter nodded.
Carter: "Schmidt sent a unit. 200 soldiers went, but fewer than 50 returned. Among them was the 107th Infantry Regiment."
Captain America's eyes widened.
Cap: "Wait… the 107th Infantry?!"
On the screen, the video continued.
After the cabin battle, the actor playing Mandarain was captured.
Happy was gradually recovering in the ICU.
Worried about the instability of the Desperation Virus, Tony took Pepper to remove it from her body, and she returned to normal.
Tony seemed to bid farewell to the past, visiting a skilled doctor friend to remove the shrapnel from his chest, meaning he would temporarily set aside the Iron Man identity.
Stark Tower.
Tony watched the continuation of the story.
A smile easily crossed his face.
It seemed… everyone had a happy ending.