Chapter 66: One More Person

At the center of the stage, rousing military music began to play. As the lights flashed, a door gradually opened in the floor of the stage.

Justin Hammer announced loudly, "Army Iron Soldiers!"

Under the watchful eyes of the audience, two rows of a total of eight iron-clad robots rose up onto the stage, making a spectacular entrance.

These were real humanoid robots—each over two meters tall, imposing in stature, their bodies covered with thick armor plating. Every inch of their frames was bristling with weaponry.

The army iron soldiers, painted in earth tones, immediately left countless guests in the audience gaping in astonishment. Had Hammer Industries truly achieved such an epoch-making technological breakthrough?

This was undoubtedly a milestone in the world of arms manufacturing!

Even Black Widow and Pepper Potts in the audience couldn't hide their surprise.

Especially Black Widow.

S.H.I.E.L.D. had received absolutely no intelligence about this. When did Justin acquire this kind of technology?

Her beautiful eyes narrowed dangerously...

On stage, Justin gestured grandly and announced again, "Navy Iron Soldiers!"

As he spoke, another door opened below the stage. Another group of humanoid robots, different in design but equal in number, slowly emerged.

These navy blue iron soldiers each had missile launchers mounted on their shoulders, bristling with numerous "Ex-Wife" missiles.

"Air Force Iron Soldiers!"

Once more, the stage floor opened, revealing two rows of silver-gray humanoid machines.

By now, the entire hall was erupting in thunderous, prolonged applause! The exposition had clearly delivered a massive surprise to everyone present—though none knew the true "surprise" was yet to come.

"And—Marine Corps!"

Finally, two teams of iron soldiers painted in deep green camouflage made their entrance.

The scene was now in complete uproar!

Reporters reveled in the spectacle—this was front-page news! Hammer Industries was the undisputed star of the night!

Pepper and Black Widow both wore serious expressions, each lost in thought.

"Yeah! Yeah!" Justin Hammer cheered excitedly.

He was clearly relishing the cheers, all for him. "They're much better than cheerleaders!" he quipped, mocking Tony's recent choice to invite a troupe of leggy, short-skirted cheerleaders to the Stark Expo.

Immersed in the fervor, Justin had no idea that his Iron Soldiers were already under the secret control of their true creator—Ivan Vanko.

"The War Machine is about to take the stage," Luke observed from above, the scene vivid in his memory. He knew the tide was about to turn.

"Although this is revolutionary technology," Justin declared on stage, "there's still a need for real soldiers on the battlefield. Ladies and gentlemen, I am honored to introduce the first prototype, the Comprehensive Anti-Threat Combat Armor, and its pilot—Colonel James Rhodes of the Air Force!"

The so-called "Comprehensive Anti-Threat Combat Armor" was, in fact, a modified Mark II.

Rising from below the stage, War Machine had been transformed by Hammer Industries almost beyond recognition, weighed down with tank-like armor and bristling with Hammer-made weaponry.

Most eye-catching of all was the massive Gatling gun mounted behind his shoulder.

Amid a wave of salutes and applause, War Machine's Rhodes saluted smartly on stage.

Rhodes: [-_-]ゞ

Behind him, the row of Iron Soldiers all saluted in unison.

Justin Hammer did his best impression of an American salute as well.

Applause thundered, whistles rang out, and the energy in the hall reached its zenith—

"Hammer Industries reporting for duty to America and her allies—"

Justin's grand words were suddenly cut off by a piercing sound tearing through the air.

Every head in the audience turned.

The venue was an open-air stage. Out in the night sky, a meteor streaked toward the hall.

At the sight of this "meteor," Pepper's expression grew odd.

The "meteor" was upon them in an instant.

Red and gold—the iconic color scheme of the Mark VI—gleamed under the lights, a striking inverted triangular arc reactor at its chest. Tony, in his freshly-forged Mark VI, made a dazzling entrance, landing magnificently on stage!

In a flash, Tony seized the spotlight, drawing all eyes and a standing ovation from the guests!

No matter where or when, Iron Man was always the center of attention!

"Big trouble, Rhodey," Tony said as soon as he landed, addressing his old friend.

Rhodes, misunderstanding Tony's intent, thought he wanted to resume their previous duel: "Tony, there are civilians here. I'm under orders—don't start a fight."

He had been ordered by the U.S. military to take a suit of Iron Man armor, but in truth, Tony had only let him have it out of their longstanding friendship.

If Tony truly hadn't wanted to give it up, no one on earth could have taken any Iron Man suit from him.

Waving to the crowd, Tony whispered, "Wave to the audience. Listen to me—everyone here is in danger. We have to save them. You need to trust me right now."

"The last time I trusted you, I got beaten up in your house," Rhodey retorted.

"Listen, I think Justin Hammer is working with Ivan Vanko."

"Who?" Rhodes thought he'd misheard—he'd heard the name of a dead man. "Vanko's still alive?"

Stunned, Rhodes hesitated. Meanwhile, Tony strode over to Justin, pressing him for Vanko's whereabouts.

Justin feigned ignorance. "Who?"

"Tell me! Where is Vanko?"

"What are you doing here, man?" Justin continued to play dumb, looking innocent.

At that moment—

"Uh... Tony." Inside War Machine, Rhodes suddenly noticed his control interface flashing red. He'd lost control of the suit. At the same time, a targeting system had locked onto someone.

That someone was Tony.

Everyone watched as the Gatling gun mounted on Rhodes' back abruptly whirred to life, aiming straight at Tony before the stunned audience.

"Is this your doing?" Tony asked in a low voice.

"No, it's not me! I can't move—I've been locked out!" Rhodey replied anxiously.

At that instant, all the Hammer Iron Soldiers on stage activated as one, every weapon trained on Tony.

The audience erupted in chaos!

"Get out of here! The whole system's been hijacked!" Rhodes shouted.

There was no longer any doubt—it was Ivan Vanko.

He was repeating what he had done on the Monaco racetrack, but on a grander scale. His goal was to defeat Iron Man Tony, in front of the whole world, to redeem the honor of the Vanko family.

Justin Hammer, ever the sly one, was the first to leap off the stage. The entire audience began to scream, surging toward the exits in panic.

"We'll fight outside," Tony said, launching himself into the air and soaring out through the dome.

All the Iron Soldiers, including War Machine, opened fire on Tony without hesitation. "Ratatatat!" The storm of gunfire tore the glass dome overhead to shreds in an instant!

Inside, the crowd was thrown into a frenzy, everyone desperately scrambling to escape.

"No, no!" War Machine suddenly took flight, chasing after Tony, completely beyond Rhodes' control.

On stage, the two teams of Iron Soldiers ignited their jets, launching after Tony and out of the hall.

No one was more exhilarated than the most fearless group of all—the reporters.

Live television broadcasts were already transmitting this unfolding crisis to viewers across America.

Reporters had noticed that there seemed to be major news almost every day lately, keeping every news outlet in a state of feverish excitement.

Black Widow, having made it outside, immediately sent an emergency report to Director Fury through a secure channel.

"Director, the numbers are overwhelming. Plus, the suit has been compromised. Tony may not be able to handle it alone," she quickly assessed.

Fury was not in New York at the time. Days ago, he had departed for the Arctic Circle.

"Try to contain the situation, Agent Romanoff."

"Director, I'm alone here."

"Who else does the Bureau have in New York? Who's closest?"

"Hawkeye is still in New York. But, Director, there's one more..."

"You mean him?"

...

Invisible in the sky, Luke was tracking Tony and the swarm of Iron Soldiers tailing him via onboard radar.

He was momentarily surprised when he received Black Widow's call.

"Aunt Natasha, do you need something from me?"

Outside the venue, urging Happy to drive faster, Black Widow pressed her lips together in a half-smile. "Kiddo, it's time to make good on your promise to S.H.I.E.L.D."