After listening to Zhang Xi’s words, Tony sank into deep thought.
About five minutes passed before he finally nodded.
“Right, I remember now. That Gihren… the one who wanted to meet me, but I blew him off. Is that right?”
“Exactly,” Zhang Xi said.
“Actually, this is all your fault. If you hadn’t been so arrogant back then, none of this would have happened. But you don’t need to blame yourself too much. Who hasn’t been reckless and arrogant in their youth, right?” Zhang Xi offered in consolation.
“What’s done is done.
There’s no point in dwelling on it now.” Tony stretched his limbs and then asked, “So, what’s our next move?”
It wasn’t that Tony lacked decisiveness.
As a veteran Avenger, his strength was unquestionable, having saved the Earth from peril on numerous occasions.
The reason he asked Zhang Xi for a plan wasn’t because he wanted to run away, but precisely because he was smart.
Zhang Xi was his most valuable resource.
This man seemed to know everything about their world as if he had read the script.
When you can coast through a situation, why would you risk your life to carry the team?
Zhang Xi pondered for a moment.
Now that the plot of the Marvel World had changed, some details might not unfold as he had expected, but the general direction should remain the same.
In the end, Gihren would definitely come to Tony for revenge.
Zhang Xi then said, “What else can we do? Let’s just wait. Gihren will deliver himself to our doorstep.”
“OK, that’s one way to look at it, but what about Pepper?” Tony asked.
“She’s been kidnapped, you know.”
“Don’t worry. Gihren’s target is you, not Pepper. Besides, Pepper will be the key to your victory! All we need to do is wait.”
Of course, there were many other details to consider, but Zhang Xi had decided to ignore them all.
The more he intervened, the greater the risk of unforeseen complications.
So, he decided to jump straight to the conclusion!
Tony wasn’t entirely convinced by Zhang Xi’s suggestion, but he didn’t have any better options.
Moreover, Zhang Xi had proven himself to be incredibly capable, so he agreed to the plan.
“Oh, right,” Zhang Xi added.
“We need to prepare more armors for the upcoming battle. In this fight, armors will be treated as consumables. We must have plenty, or we won’t be able to defeat him.”
“Alright, I got it,” Tony nodded.
“Jarvis, get Stark Tower repaired.”
“Yes, Boss.”
Meanwhile, in a secret laboratory.
Pepper was tied to a chair, still unconscious.
Gihren walked over, sat down in front of her, and reached out to gently pat her cheek.
Pepper slowly opened her eyes.
Seeing Gihren, she couldn’t help but ask nervously, “Who… who are you? What do you want?”
“What do I want?” Gihren sneered.
“I am Gihren, a little nobody who was once looked down upon by Stark.”
“I idolized him, but he wouldn’t even give me the most basic respect! Does he think just because he’s a successful man, he can ignore everything? Huh?”
Perhaps due to his intense emotion, Gihren emitted a massive amount of heat as he spoke, his body turning from flesh-colored to orange-red.
Because they were so close, Pepper felt the heat and writhed in discomfort.
“I won’t kill him so simply. I’ll make him lose everything, and then die in agony, hahaha!”
Gihren laughed wildly.
Pepper gritted her teeth and spat, “You… you lunatic!”
“Madman? You’re the one who drove me mad!” Gihren’s laughter ceased.
He stared at Pepper, then suddenly grabbed her chin.
“Hmm, I just had a better idea. What would Stark do if I turned you into someone like me? I bet he’d be thrilled, wouldn’t he? Hahaha, how exciting!”
“No! What are you doing?” Pepper struggled violently, but the chains binding her were too strong.
No matter how hard she fought, it was futile.
Gihren stood up and waved his hand.
“Inject her with that. Hahaha.”
The assistant beside him nodded and slowly approached Pepper.
***
Meanwhile, at Stark Tower.
Tony was working on a new armor.
Zhang Xi had warned him that the Extremis virus generated extreme heat, so Tony was trying to make the armor more heat-resistant.
Zhang Xi watched with a relaxed expression.
“Mr. Stark, you’re wasting your time. No material can withstand the Extremis virus.”
Tony ignored him, continuing his experiment.
“You’d better not be lying to me, or I won’t let you off easy.”
“Of course I’m not lying. I’m counting on you to help me after all,” Zhang Xi said, standing up and looking serious.
“Let’s agree on this beforehand: as long as I help you solve this problem, you give me a few of your technologies. Don’t go back on your word.” This chapter was taken from g.com without permission.
“Don’t worry, I’m a man of my word.”
While Zhang Xi and Tony were working feverishly on the Iron Man armor, Gihren was also preparing for his final assault on Tony.
Of course, some of the events still followed the original plot, but they were minor details and didn’t need much elaboration.
One week later.
Tony and Zhang Xi were on the top floor of Stark Tower, both wearing their Iron Man armors, waiting for Gihren’s arrival.
“Ready, buddy? To be honest, I feel like fighting alongside you is even more seamless than it is with Rhodey,” Stark said.
Tony always seemed so relaxed, no matter the circumstances.
He would suppress all his tension deep inside and never show it.
Of course, there were times he couldn’t control it, like in *Captain America: Civil War*, when he lost his temper and fought Rogers and Bucky.
But that part of the story was still far off, so Zhang Xi wasn’t in any hurry.
“Is that so? But you and Rhodey are the real deal,” Zhang Xi replied.
“OK, I admit it. You’re right,” Tony said, taking a deep breath.
Then he asked, “Is he coming?”
“Yeah, almost here.” Just as Zhang Xi spoke, a helicopter began approaching Stark Tower.
Tony tensed up but didn’t launch an attack.
After all, the equipment might be on the aircraft.
If he attacked rashly, she could be in danger.
“He’s here!” Zhang Xi said.
“I know. Get ready for battle!” As Tony spoke, his armor sealed shut.
Both of them were prepared for the fight.
*Wha-whoo-wha-whoo-wha-whoo.* The helicopter hovered above them, and a group of people jumped down.
They looked at Tony and Zhang Xi with utter contempt.
In their eyes, the Extremis virus—which could even melt armor—was Tony’s perfect counter.
No matter what, Tony stood no chance.
“Gihren, I remember you,” Tony said coldly.
“You’re nothing but a loser. You were then, and you are now.”
“Is that so, Tony Stark?” Gihren sneered.
“You can only talk big for now. Soon, I’ll make you cry so hard you won’t even be able to make a sound. Tony, I’ll make you pay for your arrogance!”
(End of Chapter)