"We lost Ivan Vanko." Hill's voice carried a hint of disbelief. "Right on the quinjet escorting him back to the mainland, he was... rescued by someone."
The air in the office instantly froze.
Nick Fury's facial muscles twitched visibly, and the Fury in his single eye burned so hot it almost smoked. Using his plane and his people for the escort, and the target just vanished into thin air.
He knew who did this without even having to think.
"HYDRA..." Fury's voice was cold enough to drop icicles. "Those rats in the gutter, are they not even bothering to hide their actions anymore?"
He looked at Lin Huai, a flash of realization crossing his eyes: "They probably know they're about to be exposed and are acting out of desperation."
He turned to look at Tony, speaking with great effort: "Stark, I will give you an explanation..."
"Fuck!"
Tony Stark slammed his palm onto the table and stood up abruptly, startling everyone.
He wasn't afraid of Ivan Vanko, and he certainly wasn't afraid of some bullshit HYDRA.
But he was scared.
The thought of him dealing with Demon cultists while Pepper might fall into the hands of those unscrupulous bastards made his heart twist in pain. He never wanted to experience a repeat of that scene in Monaco again in his life.
Tony ignored Fury completely, pulling out his phone as fast as possible to call Pepper.
The moment the call connected, all the mania and anger on his face vanished like a magic trick, replaced by a tenderness that bordered on pleading—one he hadn't even noticed himself.
"Hey, Pepper, listen to me," he said, his voice kept very low for fear of scaring her. "I've had a... small technical breakthrough here that requires absolute focus. So, can you do me a favor? From now on, just stay on the top floor of Stark Tower, or you can go back to the Malibu mansion. Jarvis will be with you. Don't go anywhere until I've settled all this. Promise me."
Pepper was clearly confused on the other end, but she still heard the wrongness in Tony's tone and gently agreed.
"I'll wait for you to come back, Tony."
Hanging up, Tony paced the office irritably like a trapped beast, muttering technical terms and upgrade plans only he understood while trying to concoct excuses.
Nick Fury opened his mouth but couldn't squeeze out a single word, his face a picture of speechlessness and embarrassment. Anything he said now would be hollow and weak.
At that moment, Lin Huai, who had remained silent, slowly raised the deck of tarot cards he had been fiddling with in his hand toward Tony.
Tony's irritable gaze swept over and instantly froze.
He saw Lin Huai's calm eyes and that eternally mysterious deck of cards in his hand.
A simple gesture was more useful than ten thousand words.
Strangely, Tony's frantic heartbeat actually steadied. He took a deep breath, stopped pacing, and gave Lin Huai a heavy nod... Meanwhile, at Hammer Industries headquarters.
Justin Hammer was spit-shouting at several Military procurement officers, vigorously pitching his latest masterpiece.
"Look, everyone! The 'Ex-Wife' missile!" Justin pointed at a flamboyant-looking missile on the holographic screen, a fawning smile on his face. "It features the most advanced cluster warhead separation technology! When it nears the target, it releases countless small explosives, just like my bitter ex-wife—once she clings to you, you'll never have a moment's peace! While its power might not match Stark Industries' Jericho, she's cheap!"
The officials watched with little interest. One interrupted impatiently, saying, "Mr. Hammer, we are interested in future technology like the Iron Man armor, not this outdated stuff."
Justin's smile froze. Just as he was about to say more, his private assistant hurried to his side and whispered a few words.
"Who? Aurora Defense?" Justin frowned; he didn't recall having any dealings with a company he'd never heard of.
"He said... the referral came from Senator Stern."
Justin's eyes widened instantly, and his heart pounded wildly. He immediately ditched the group of impatient Military buyers, straightened his tie, and rushed into his CEO office with a face full of smiles.
In the office, a well-dressed, composed middle-aged man sat quietly on the sofa. Standing behind him was someone who made Justin's heart skip a beat—Ivan Vanko!
The very man who had caused a scene at the F1 track in Monaco and revealed technology similar to that Stark fellow's in front of the whole World!
"Mr. Hammer," the middle-aged man stood up and slowly handed over an ID and a letter of introduction, "I am from Aurora Defense."
Justin's eyes quickly scanned the letter, which bore the wax seal of the Congressional Senate; it was signed by none other than Senator Stern, the man who called the shots in the Armed Services Committee. His hands began to shake.
The middle-aged man, as if seeing through his thoughts, spoke with a smile: "The gentlemen in Congress don't care if the future Iron Man armor protecting the U.S. is named Stark or Hammer. But Mr. Stark is stubborn and defiant, which has displeased many. We hope Hammer Industries can perform well and seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
Justin's breathing quickened. He looked at the silent, arrogant Ivan next to him and muttered as if in a dream, "I... I was originally thinking of ways to see if I could find a path to... invite this gentleman over... I didn't expect... I didn't expect..."
He hadn't expected the great gift he had dreamed of to be packaged up and delivered directly to him by a dedicated person and plane!
"No problem! Sir, please rest assured!!" Justin instantly reverted to his shrewd businessman persona, rubbing his hands excitedly and bowing slightly. "Hammer Industries understands its position perfectly! We've actually been secretly researching our own exoskeleton technology, but we were stuck on the power core! With Mr. Vanko's technical support, our progress... no, the progress of the entire industry, will advance by leaps and bounds!"
The middle-aged man nodded with satisfaction. He turned to Ivan, who had been watching coldly, and spoke in a flat but undeniably powerful tone: "We will provide everything you need—funding, equipment, and personnel. Aurora Defense can provide everything you need to complete your revenge. We only want results; use your value to prove that saving you was the right choice."
Ivan Vanko looked up, the arrogance and obsession unique to scientists flashing in his cloudy eyes.
"No problem," he said in raspy Russian.
But having lived on hatred in the freezing lands of Siberia until now, he understood better than anyone that relying on oneself was better than relying on others. He only believed half of these people's promises. True power had to be held in his own hands.
And so, under the ecstatic personal arrangement of Justin Hammer, Ivan Vanko was secretly sent into the most core and hidden underground munitions factory of Hammer Industries.
Looking at the row of top-tier equipment in front of him, which was hundreds of times more advanced than his own dilapidated workshop, a cold smile curled on Ivan's lips, filled with hatred and infinite anticipation.