Devastating firepower instantly turned the center of the exhibition stage into a sea of fire. The shockwave of the explosion, carrying scalding metal fragments, surged in all directions. Screams mingled with the thunderous roar of collapsing structures; the scene was completely out of control.
"Pepper!" Lin Huai grabbed Pepper, who was stumbling from the blast, and shoved her into Happy Hogan's arms, commanding in an unquestionable tone, "Happy, take her to the underground parking lot. It's safest there. Then call the Police and tell them there's a terrorist attack here!"
"What about you?" Pepper grabbed his arm in panic.
"A good actor doesn't leave the stage before the final curtain call." Lin Huai smiled to reassure her, then vanished in a flash. Like a slippery loach, he wove through the frantic crowd and falling debris, found a safe corner, and directly dialed Nick Fury's encrypted private line.
"Fury, the old site of the Stark Industries Expo. It's time for you guys to clock in. HYDRA might make a move, keep a close eye on them. Have S.H.I.E.L.D. immediately seal off the perimeter and focus all efforts on evacuating civilians. Don't let your people come in and add to the chaos."
Before Fury could even respond on the other end, Lin Huai hung up and turned his gaze toward the center of the explosion.
Amidst the flames and thick smoke, that red and gold figure just stood there, completely unscathed. Bullets and energy cannons bombarded his armor like a rainstorm, but they seemed to hit a slippery slope, all deflecting to the sides along strange trajectories, unable to harm him at all.
"Control logic analysis complete." Tony's cold voice rang out over the comms. "The algorithms of these Drones are as simple as a classroom assignment I wrote when I was ten. Jarvis, mark their structural weaknesses."
Before he even finished speaking, he had already taken to the sky. Facing two Air Force-model drones pouncing from the air, Tony didn't dodge. The repulsor cannons on his arms fired scorching beams, accurately hitting the joints between the wings and the fuselage. With a piercing sound of twisting metal, the two Drones disintegrated in mid-air, turning into a pile of burning parts that fell straight down.
The armor upgraded with the Artificer set was a complete dimensional strike against these crudely made iron soldiers. Tony maneuvered through the steel jungle like a tiger among sheep, each strike precisely taking down one or more Drones. Within minutes, the once-menacing Drone legion was in tatters.
With the fodder mostly cleared, Tony hovered in mid-air, locking his sights on the War Machine, which was being controlled by Ivan to attack indiscriminately and create chaos.
"Rhodes! Report your status!"
"I'm getting fucking roasted in this tin can!" Rhodes' voice came from inside the armor. "I can't control it! This thing wants to take me to attack you!"
Just as he finished speaking, the War Machine's menacing frame suddenly spun around. The Gatling gun on its shoulder began to spin up, its cold muzzle locking onto Tony.
"Don't worry, honey. Technical support is on the way." Tony easily sidestepped the incoming hail of bullets while giving orders to the AI.
"Jarvis, hack that system and take back control!"
"Sir, attempting to penetrate. The opponent is using a hybrid mode of old-fashioned physical isolation and software encryption; it will take more time to crack. Estimated thirty seconds."
"Thirty seconds? Looks like I'll need to find time to upgrade you." Tony raised an eyebrow.
Tony suddenly accelerated, closing in on Rhodes. He didn't attack the War Machine but used his body to forcibly restrain it. The two steel giants grappled in the air, the sound of grinding metal setting teeth on edge as sparks flew everywhere.
In the back-end monitoring room, Ivan Vanko roared at the sight. He frantically pounded the keyboard, trying to use the War Machine's weapon system to break free from Tony.
While he was fully focused on the electronic duel with Jarvis, Lin Huai, who had been observing, appeared like a ghost behind two Marine Drones preparing to provide support. He flicked several cards from his hands, precisely jamming their drive systems and sights, ensuring no one interfered with Tony's actions.
"Sir, the firewall has been breached. Control permissions regained."
The red light in the War Machine's eyes instantly went out, and all weapon systems were paralyzed. Colonel Rhodes finally regained control, panting heavily with a look of lingering fear.
"Nice paint job, sweetheart." Tony released his grip and hovered in front of Rhodes, saying sarcastically, "It has a very... derivative feel. What, my tech wasn't enough, so you thought about wearing someone else's clothes?"
"Shut up, Tony!" Rhodes shot back weakly.
Queens, New Bay City, Hammer Industries' underground R&D center.
Ivan Vanko watched the wiped-out Drone legion and the rescued War Machine on the monitor, the muscles on his face twitching with rage.
He smashed the monitor with a punch, sparks flying everywhere.
He stood up, his eyes filled with a hatred purer than Hellfire. He walked step by step toward the center of the lab, toward that tailor-made, even more menacing and massive armor.
"It seems," he put on his helmet, "some things must be done personally."
Just as he spoke, two thicker and more lethal high-energy electric whips crackled to life behind the armor.
*Boom—!*
The ceiling of the Hammer Industries R&D center was blown open from the inside by a force. A brand-new, oppressive steel figure soared into the sky, creating a sharp sonic boom as it headed straight for the expo site! Just as he left, several soldiers in black tactical gear walked silently out of the shadows in that wrecked R&D center... Back at the expo site.
*Rumble!* With a loud crash, a steel figure even more massive and menacing than the War Machine slammed heavily into the center of the ruins with unrivaled momentum, making the ground shake.
Ivan Vanko had arrived. His brand-new Whiplash Armor was full of savage industrial beauty. The two high-energy electric whips behind him lashed out like venomous snakes, making a terrifying crackling sound and carving two molten deep grooves into the ground.
"Stark!" he bellowed toward Tony, his voice distorted through the speakers and filled with deep-seated hatred. "A Stark through and through, just like your thief of a father—so arrogant! Now you're like a rat crossing the street, hated by everyone. Do you know how many people want me to kill you with my own hands?!"
At the same time, on the top floor of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, the Triskelion Building.
Alexander Pierce stood before a massive floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the entirety of Washington D.C. An Agent in a tactical vest walked in quickly and reported with a respectful bow:
"Officer, the Strike Team has successfully infiltrated the Hammer Industries R&D center. We will have all of Ivan Vanko's research data shortly."
The Agent suddenly paused, clearly having received new information. "We... we didn't get the complete technical data for the arc reactor. He set up a security protocol, and we only obtained a portion."
Pierce's back remained motionless as he quietly gazed out the window, seemingly not at all surprised by this result. After a long while, he finally spoke slowly:
"A bunch of useless trash... Notify Sitwell to bring out our big toy for a test."