Malibu, Tony Stark’s cliffside villa.
The night was as dark as ink, and the sound of waves crashing against the rocks felt exceptionally mournful tonight.
Tony sat on the sofa, a glass of whiskey in hand, his brow furrowed.
Ever since the press conference ended, a sense of unease had been lingering in his heart.
It wasn’t because of the plummeting stock price or the board’s impeachment, but because of…
what that man named Levi had said.
“Betrayed by everyone…” Tony subconsciously touched his shirt pocket; that black business card was still cold to the touch.
At that moment, Obadiah Stane pushed open the door and entered.
He held a pizza box, a familiar, warm, elder-like smile on his face.
“Tony, I think we need to talk.” Obadiah set the pizza on the table and sat down beside Tony.
“About that crazy decision of yours, and the injunction the board just issued.” “There’s nothing to talk about.” Tony rubbed his temples tiredly.
“I am the master of Stark Industries.
I have the right to decide what the company sells and what it doesn’t.” “Of course, of course.
You’re Tony Stark; you’re always right.” Obadiah smiled and patted Tony’s shoulder, but his hand silently slid behind Tony’s ear.
*Buzz—* An extremely faint, high-frequency vibration sounded.
Tony’s body stiffened instantly.
It was the sonic paralyzer he had just developed.
The prototype hadn’t been released yet; the only one in existence…
was in Obadiah’s hand.
An intense paralysis swept through his entire body.
Tony felt his nervous system being severed.
He couldn’t even move a finger; he could only stare with wide, terrified eyes at this familiar “uncle.” “You see, Tony.” Obadiah was still smiling, but that smile now looked more demonic than anything else in Tony’s eyes.
“This is your problem.
You’re always too smart, too arrogant, and you forgot the most basic rule of survival—never turn your back on anyone, not even your godfather.” Obadiah pulled out a specialized extractor from his coat and roughly tore open Tony’s shirt, revealing the miniature Arc Reactor emitting a faint blue light.
“It’s truly beautiful…” Obadiah looked at the ring of light with obsession.
“This is the legacy of the Stark family, the key to the future.
Unfortunately, in your hands, it’s just a toy to keep you alive.” *Clack.* With a tooth-aching sound of twisting metal, Obadiah forcibly unscrewed the reactor from Tony’s chest.
Without the power source, the shrapnel originally held back by the magnetic field began to stir, inching toward Tony’s heart.
Suffocation and agonizing pain instantly flooded Tony’s brain.
“Don’t blame me, Tony.” Obadiah placed the still-glowing reactor into a briefcase and took one last look at Tony, who was paralyzed on the sofa, his face as pale as paper.
“You could have died a hero in that cave.
Now…
you can only die like a pathetic wretch in your own mansion.” The door closed.
The living room was left with only the dying Tony and the howling wind outside.
His vision began to blur, and his body grew cold.
Is this death?
In those final moments of consciousness, Levi’s whisper at the entrance of the press conference echoed in Tony’s mind: “When you find yourself betrayed by everyone, or when those iron toys you’ve built can no longer protect you…” “Damn charlatan…” Tony cursed in his mind.
A powerful will to survive forced him to use the last of his strength to crawl toward the underground laboratory.
He remembered there was an old reactor there.
Pepper had made it into a gift, engraved with: “Proof that Tony Stark has a heart.” …
Stark Industries, Sector 16 secret laboratory.
“This…
is power.” Obadiah stood before the massive Iron Monger mecha and embedded the stolen Arc Reactor into the slot in the chest of the armor.
*Vroom—!!!* As the blue light of the reactor flared to life, the sleeping steel beast awakened.
Countless indicator lights flashed frantically, the hydraulic system emitted a low roar, and the massive steel arms slowly rose, stirring a gust of wind.
“System self-check complete.
Power output: 100%.” The cold electronic voice made every pore on Obadiah’s body tingle with excitement.
He couldn’t wait to climb into the cockpit, feeling the heavy armor wrap around him.
This feeling of being invincible was better than being an emperor.
“Sir!” Just then, the lab doors were burst open.
Several SHIELD agents, led by Phil Coulson and Pepper Potts, rushed in.
Pepper had originally come to steal evidence of Obadiah’s crimes, but she hadn’t expected to witness the awakening of this monster.
“What…
what is that thing?” Pepper covered her mouth, looking in horror at the silver-gray giant, three meters tall and bristling with heavy weaponry.
“Obadiah Stane!
I am an agent of the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division!” Coulson raised his pistol, though he knew it likely wouldn’t even tickle the big guy.
“Get out of that machine immediately!
Hands behind your head!” “SHIELD?” Inside the cockpit, Obadiah’s voice was processed through an amplifier, becoming a metallic roar.
“You’ve come at the perfect time!
Just in time to christen my new toy!” *Boom!* The Iron Monger took a violent step forward, the floor cracking instantly.
It raised its right arm, and the barrels of the Gatling gun began to spin rapidly.
“Run!” Coulson shouted, shoving Pepper aside.
*Rat-tat-tat-tat!* Tongues of fire spat out as a dense storm of bullets shredded the lab doors and the surrounding walls in an instant.
Several SHIELD agents didn’t even have time to find cover before they were torn apart.
It was a massacre.
In the face of absolute firepower, ordinary agents had no way to fight back.
…
In the shadows outside the laboratory.
“Tsk, tsk.
Truly tragic.” Levi, wearing tactical goggles, stood on a high crossbeam, watching the battle below as if it were a play.
Ada Wong and Hunk’s squad lurked in the darkness behind him, like a pack of wolves waiting for their moment.
“Sir, the SHIELD people are almost wiped out.” Hunk’s voice sounded over the comms channel.
“That tin can’t’s firepower is fierce.
Gatling guns, shoulder-mounted missiles, and hydraulic rams on the arms…
pure violent aesthetics.” “That’s Obadiah’s taste: big, dumb, and black.” Levi commented, “However, since SHIELD has already tested its firepower for us, it’s time we got to work.” “Hunk, that woman named Pepper cannot die.
She is Tony’s weakness and our bargaining chip for future business with Stark.” “Understood.” Hunk racked the bolt, the Gauss rifle emitting a soft hum.
“Target locked: Iron Monger right arm joint.
Charging complete.” By now, the battlefield below was a one-sided slaughter.
Coulson led Pepper as they scrambled behind a massive shipping container.
Obadiah, controlling the Iron Monger, approached step by step, his sinister laugh echoing through the speakers.
“Pepper!
My dear little niece!
Stop hiding!” “Come out and see your uncle’s new masterpiece!
This is the future of Stark Industries!” Obadiah raised his left arm, an anti-tank missile locking onto the container.
“Die!” Just as he was about to pull the trigger.
*Shhh—!!!* A streak of faint blue light shot down from the dark ceiling above, moving so fast the retina could barely track it.
*Bang!* A brilliant burst of sparks exploded at the joint of the Iron Monger’s thick right arm.
High-strength alloy armor was as fragile as paper before the kinetic energy of a Gauss projectile.
The massive impact force directly snapped the internal hydraulic drive shaft.
*Screech—* The arm that had been aimed at the container fell limp and useless, and the missile failed to launch.
“Who’s there?!” Obadiah was struck with horror.
He swung the machine around violently, trying to find the source of the attack.
“SHIELD reinforcements?
No, bullets with this kind of power…” Before he could figure it out, a second and third shot followed in quick succession.
*Bang!
Bang!* The left knee and the auxiliary thrusters on the back.
Precise.
Lethal.
Every shot hit a structural weak point of the mecha.
The massive Iron Monger lost its balance and stumbled, crashing to one knee with a thunderous thud.
“Good evening, Stane.” A voice altered by a voice changer rang out over the laboratory’s public address system.
“This is the Foundation Task Force.” “Your equipment is suspected of illegal construction and noise nuisance.
We are here to perform…
a mandatory decommissioning.” As the voice faded, dozens of disc-shaped EMP grenades flew in from all directions, sticking firmly to the Iron Monger’s armor like magnets.
*Beep, beep, beep.* Red lights flashed rapidly.
Obadiah’s pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks.
“No—!!!”