Chapitre 148: Chapter 149: The Outcome of Being Together with Iron Man's Ex-Girlfriend
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The holographic projection displayed an image that tore Tony Stark's heart apart.
It was a woman of extreme importance to Tony Stark, arguably the most important woman in his life right now. He was willing to give up everything for her, even his own life.
That woman was Pepper Potts.
At this moment, Pepper Potts was bound, her face filled with pain, and a fiery red color was visible beneath her skin.
Killian had also injected Pepper Potts with the Desperation Virus!
"This is a live broadcast. I'm not sure if you know, but now it's up to her body to determine whether she will become the ultimate being or give up," Killian said, admiring Tony Stark's desperate and anguished expression, "If she gives up, I have to say, the explosion should be quite spectacular. But before that, she will suffer a lot."
The video stopped at this point, and a question appeared.
[During Iron Man Tony Stark's rescue of Pepper Potts, how many suits of armor did he detonate?]
[A) One suit of armor]
[B) All suits of armor]
[This question is worth a life extension of five years if answered correctly. If answered incorrectly, one year will be deducted from your life.]
"Detonate the armor?" Steve Rogers found the question strange, "Stark, is detonating armor your ultimate move?"
"I don't have such a move," Tony Stark replied, "If I really wanted a big explosion, I'd plant bombs on the armor, not turn the armor into a bomb."
"But the question says you detonated the armor. What's that about?" Steve Rogers asked, "Under what circumstances would you detonate the armor?"
"There's only one situation: destroying the armor," Tony Stark said, "Although I designed that feature, I never imagined actually using it. Even if the armor is severely damaged, I can repair it. If it's really beyond repair, I can dismantle it and reuse its parts. If it's truly destroyed, there's only one possibility: the armor was taken by the enemy..."
"So you're saying Kilian took your armor, and that's why you detonated it?" Thor asked.
"No, that's also impossible," Tony Stark shook his head, "Because the armor is controlled by J.A.R.V.I.S., even if the enemy takes it, they can't use it fully. I can always make J.A.R.V.I.S. call the armor back. Unless they manage to take the armor and rewrite its system to take J.A.R.V.I.S. offline, only then would the armor be completely out of my control. But frankly, I don't think anyone can do that now. Kilian is nowhere near capable of doing something like that."
"So, after all that, your conclusion is that you wouldn't detonate the armor," James Rhodes asked.
"I can't imagine any reason to do that," Tony Stark shrugged.
"So, you have no idea about detonating all the armor?" James Rhodes asked.
"Correct, no clue," Tony Stark frowned, wondering what could have happened to make him detonate the armor.
"Stark, if it wasn't your own reason for detonating the armor, what if someone else threatened you to do it?" Bruce Banner suddenly spoke up.
"Dr. Banner, are you suggesting that someone threatened Stark to detonate the armor?" James Rhodes asked.
"That is indeed a possibility, just like the scene we saw in the video. Tony Stark was restrained, and if at that moment, Kilian pointed a gun at Stark and forced him to detonate the armor, or else he would kill him..."
"I'd rather be killed than submit to them," Tony Stark said, "If I were so easily swayed, back in the desert, I would have made weapons for them instead of secretly making armor."
"But what if Kilian pointed the gun at Pepper's head?" Bruce Banner asked, "If you didn't detonate the armor, he would kill Pepper?"
"This..." Tony Stark was stunned for a moment. After two seconds, he said, "Yes, if someone threatened me with Pepper's life, I would detonate the armor, whether it's one suit or all the suits."
"If Kilian threatened Stark to detonate the armor, then it's definitely not just one suit; it must be all of them," James Rhodes said.
"Damn it!" Tony Stark cursed under his breath and made a decision, "I choose B!"
[Answer is correct. Reward distributed!]
The video started playing.
James Rhodes and Tony Stark sneaked onto a ship while holding guns.
"Your anxiety won't act up here, will it?" James Rhodes asked in a low voice.
"I hope not," Tony Stark replied.
As they sneaked forward, they saw a shocking scene in the moonlight – the President, wearing James Rhodes's former suit of armor, was suspended there.
"Oh, my God," James Rhodes exclaimed in shock, "These guys have hung the President on an oil tank, and they're going to burn him."
"It's a bit like a Viking funeral," Tony Stark said.
The two of them wanted to rescue the President, but this was Kilian's territory, filled with his people, and they were quickly spotted before they could get close.
One enemy after another appeared, and from the faint redness in their eyes or on their faces, it was evident that they were not ordinary people but rather the ultimate beings capable of generating high temperatures.
"I miss my armor now!" James Rhodes felt the situation was becoming tricky.
"You're right, we need reinforcements," Tony Stark leaned against something, looking confident.
"Many reinforcements," James Rhodes said.
"Can you guess who they are?" Tony Stark suddenly said, his eyes still fixed on the night sky.
James Rhodes followed Tony Stark's gaze and saw dots of light appearing in the sky—not just one or two, but a whole array of them.
"Those are..." James Rhodes couldn't believe his guess.
"Yes," Tony Stark confirmed.
"All of them?" James Rhodes was astonished.
"That's right," Tony Stark said.
In the blink of an eye, the dots of light flew closer and closer until they were right in front of them. They were none other than a series of armored suits, all suspended in mid-air, forming an arc-shaped formation like loyal soldiers, protecting the center where Tony Stark stood.
In the vast night sky, the armored suits with energy exhausts formed a spectacular display.
"Tony, that's quite impressive!" Inside the answer space, James Rhodes couldn't help but give Tony Stark a thumbs-up.
"Stark, if you had suits like these during the Battle of New York, it would have been much easier," Steve Rogers said, "You could have handled the Chitauri alone, given that their individual combat abilities aren't that high."
"I'm already working on it," Tony Stark said, "When the Battle of New York comes, I'll give Loki a surprise."
"You've been haunted by the Battle of New York in the video. I think the reason you developed all these suits is to prevent a situation like the Battle of New York from happening again," Steve Rogers said.
"That's right," Tony Stark replied, "After all, I used to be able to maintain world peace on my own with just one suit of armor. I never thought I'd need to produce large quantities of them."
"J.A.R.V.I.S., target the thermal signatures of the ultimate beings and engage in destructive strikes," the group chatted inside the answer space, while in the video, Tony Stark gave the order to attack the ultimate beings, making this Christmas unusually "heated."
The armored suits flew and fought against Kilian's ultimate beings. The suits demonstrated their power, but the ultimate beings, with their formidable combat abilities, managed to destroy quite a few of the suits despite being mere mortals.
After some time, Tony Stark found Pepper Potts. Unfortunately, due to the intense battle between the armored suits and the ultimate beings, a lot of damage was done, creating debris and rubble. Pepper Potts ended up buried under the metal ruins.
"This is the result of being together with me and my ex-girlfriend," Tony Stark joked at this moment. He reached out to Pepper Potts, attempting to pull her out of the debris.
"You're such a jerk," Pepper Potts also reached out, trying to grab Tony Stark's hand.
"Right, she's watching. I think you should close your eyes. Close your eyes, so you'll feel better," Kilian said, first showing concern for Pepper Potts before unleashing his beastly side. He rushed toward Tony Stark and poked his chest with a fiery-red finger, melting his armor.
Finally, Kilian pushed Tony Stark to the ground, and a figure emerged from the molten metal—Kilian himself.
"Is this guy bothering you?" Kilian first showed some gentlemanly concern for Pepper Potts, but then turned ferocious, pouncing on Tony Stark and poking his chest with a fiery finger.
"It must be hot inside there, right?" Kilian's finger turned fiery-red, burning Tony Stark's chest, "Just like a turtle, hiding in its shell."
"Tony." On the side, Pepper Potts watched the scene, unable to help but call out.
"She's watching, so I think you should close your eyes. Close your eyes, and you'll feel better," Kilian raised his hand to attack Tony Stark.
Tony Stark lifted his arm, and a sword appeared on his armor. He swung the sword at Kilian, slicing off his arm.
But the next moment, Kilian's severed arm regenerated!
The arm he had lost fell to the ground, directly melting the iron plate beneath it.
"Such strong regenerative abilities," Steve Rogers was secretly shocked, from some perspectives, this Desperation Virus seemed even more potent than the serum he had injected before.
Originally, Pepper Potts was lying among the debris, but due to Kilian melting a section of the iron plate, a chain reaction occurred, causing her to fall onto the metal framework below.
And at this moment, James Rhodes successfully rescued the President and came to Tony Stark, saying, "The President has been rescued, I'm going to evacuate."
"Well done," Tony Stark said.
Whoosh!
James Rhodes and the President soared into the sky.
Everyone understood why James Rhodes left his friend behind and prioritized the President. As important as Pepper Potts was, she was just Tony Stark's woman, whereas the safety of the President was critical to the entire country—there was no comparison.
In that situation, taking the President away immediately to prevent any further danger was the wisest choice.
"Pepper, give me your hand. Don't be nervous, just give me your hand," James Rhodes left, and Tony Stark arrived at a metal frame next to Pepper Potts, reaching out to rescue her.
Unfortunately, due to the previous battles, the place was riddled with holes, and Tony Stark couldn't catch Pepper Potts. He watched helplessly as she fell into the sea of fire below.
"Pathetic, if it were me, I would have caught her," Kilian appeared again at this moment, glancing mockingly at the sea of fire below.
Tony Stark remained silent, running toward Kilian, and a fierce battle ensued.
Kilian, injected with the Desperation Virus, was undeniably powerful. He managed to disassemble the armored suits with his bare hands, almost every few seconds, he was removing a leg or an arm from the suits.
Fortunately, Tony Stark had plenty of suits. Whenever one set was destroyed, he could just switch to another one. Otherwise, he would have been overwhelmed by Kilian.
"We finally meet on the rooftop," while disassembling another suit, Kilian said to Tony Stark.
Then he raised his right hand and aimed it at Tony Stark's head, about to strike down with great force.
Tony Stark reacted swiftly, ejecting himself from the armor just as Kilian's hand smashed down, splitting the suit from head to crotch.
Bang!
Tony Stark, thrown from the destroyed armor, fell on the iron plate below, while Kilian stood above, looking down at Tony Stark.
"Mark 42 is back again." At this moment, another set of armor flew from the night sky.
"Really?" Thor, this mischievous guy, grinned and imitated J.A.R.V.I.S.'s tone, saying, "Stark, watching you fight has always been my delight."
"Stark, watching you fight has always been my delight," James Rhodes laughed along.
As known, repeating what someone says is a very contagious behavior. Once someone starts doing it, it's hard for others not to be affected.
"Stark, watching you fight has always been my delight," Sam Wilson also turned into a repeater.
"Stark..." Steve Rogers also joined in.
"Really?!" Tony Stark interrupted Steve Rogers, feeling exasperated. "Captain, why are you doing this silly thing too?"
"I don't even know why I spoke," Steve Rogers said.
"You're so useless." In the video, Tony Stark had a helpless expression.
"Tony, you really don't deserve her," Kilian said, standing there. "It's a pity. I almost made her perfect."
Bang!
Then, Kilian jumped down from a height and landed in front of Tony Stark.
"Wait, calm down!" Tony Stark said, "You're right, I don't deserve her, but you're mistaken about one thing—she's already perfect." Then, Tony Stark pointed both fingers like a sword, and the Mark 42's components on the ground flew up and began to assemble on Kilian.
"So, you detonated the armor to kill the enemy!" Inside the answer space, Steve Rogers' eyes lit up. He said to Tony Stark, "Great idea."
"I never thought the armor could be used like this," Bruce Banner also said, "Forcing it onto enemies and then detonating it."
"I feel quite embarrassed about it," James Rhodes said, "Such an advanced suit, something ahead of its time, being used as a bomb."
"But it's a bomb ahead of its time," Tony Stark said, "Have you seen any bomb that kidnaps people?"
The video continued to play, and the result was exactly as everyone had imagined. Tony Stark indeed used the armor as a bomb and blew up Killian.
However, surprisingly, Killian hadn't died!
But he was in a terrible state, covered in cracks, looking disheveled and miserable.
"There's no such thing as a substitute. You said you wanted to find Mandarin, but what you saw was me all along, Tony. I am Mandarin!" Killian opened his arms and roared, "I am the Mandarin!"
Bang!
At that moment, a stick suddenly swung at Killian's face, sending him flying.
Pepper Potts stood there, holding a stick, and undoubtedly, it was her who struck him.
Tony Stark was stunned; he never expected that one day Pepper Potts would resort to such physical action.
At this point, Pepper Potts also showed a fiery red appearance, looking much like Killian.
"Stark, I feel this thing is very powerful." Seeing this, Thor couldn't help but speak up, "That Killian can beat you in the armored suit, break your arm, and regenerate it instantly. Miss Potts fell from such a height without a scratch. Can't we mass-produce soldiers like this?"
"Thor, are you talking about human experiments and super soldiers?" Bruce Banner retorted as soon as he heard this, "That's Pandora's box, and it's better not to open it."
"Yes, Thor, the world doesn't need more super soldiers," Steve Rogers added.
"Captain, I don't know why you think like that. Don't you know what kind of enemies we'll face in the future?" Thor asked, "There are powerful enemies waiting for us in the future! If we pick loyal soldiers and train them to become super warriors, it will be a great asset in the future."
"And then what? Do you think the military will just sit back and watch?" Steve Rogers retorted, "No matter our initial intentions, I can guarantee that this team will eventually end up in the hands of the military, and their expertise is not in resisting aliens."
"Stirring up conflicts is their specialty," Bruce Banner firmly stood by Steve Rogers' side, "I am the best example. To replicate another me, that bastard Ross did so many despicable things! He even created another monster with his own hands! What Killian has can be more successful and easier to mass-produce. All the armies will go crazy for it. By then, we won't need aliens; we will already have a war on our hands."
"Everyone, hold on for a moment," Tony Stark finally spoke up, "I've had contact with this thing before. Maya Hansen approached me ten years ago, and it has a fatal flaw. Overheating can cause an explosion."
"For some people, this flaw can be ignored," Steve Rogers said.
"Especially for the military," Bruce Banner added.
"Tony, you've had contact with it. Can you make this thing?" James Rhodes asked.
At that question, everyone's gaze fell on Tony Stark.
"Give me time, and I can solve the overheating issue," Tony Stark said, "But I'm with Captain and Dr. Banner on this. I don't support creating this. Instead of wasting time on it, I'd rather make a few more sets of armor."
The video continued to play, and even after the armor exploded, Killian was still standing, but in a terrible state. And just as he walked out, another set of armor flew from the sky.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., the person at 12 o'clock is not the target. Deactivate the alert!" Tony Stark hurriedly said.
But as he spoke, he realized that his earpiece had fallen on the ground.
Boom!
The armor automatically locked onto the target and even treated Pepper Potts as a threat, firing a repulsor blast at her. But Pepper effortlessly dodged it and then easily knocked the armor out of the sky.
Then, Pepper Potts put on one of the armor's arms, kicked a missile on the ground towards Killian, and fired a repulsor blast, detonating the missile.
This time, Killian was completely reduced to ashes.
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[END OF CHAPTER]
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