Tony increased his altitude, creating distance, and was trying to figure out how to keep the Bugster monster in check.
However, the Bugster monster shifted its attention back and started walking toward Stark Tower.
"Damn it, is this guy targeting my company?" Tony said resentfully.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., what weapons does the armor have left that I can use?"
"Sir, the armor's energy is now below ten percent. To maintain the flight system, my advice is that we cannot use the high-energy-consuming particle energy cannons anymore. We can only use various ammunition for harassment. Based on the actual results earlier, only the electromagnetic pulse rounds have a certain interference effect, and the liquid nitrogen cryogenic rounds can form ice for some obstruction. However, the armor is not equipped with many of either of these two types of ammunition," J.A.R.V.I.S. magnified the energy indicator icon and placed it in front of Tony, offering his suggestion.
Since Tony didn't know which ammunition would be effective previously, he equipped the weapon system with various types of ammunition from the start. Given the limited space in the Iron Man suit, the amount of physical ammunition that could be fitted was indeed very limited.
"Insufficient ammo?! Am I just supposed to watch this monster wreak havoc in my building? Never mind, prepare the electromagnetic pulse rounds first." Tony's expression was displeased.
"I must caution you, Sir," J.A.R.V.I.S.'s tone remained calm. "If the electromagnetic pulse rounds are deployed at too close a range, the armor's internal systems will also be affected by electromagnetic interference, losing normal function. Your life may be in danger. Analyzing the previous combat results, even firing all remaining ammunition equipped on the armor will likely not delay this monster for long. Furthermore, the Arc Reactor's energy has fallen to a critically dangerous level. My recommendation is still to return to the laboratory at the villa to install a new Arc Reactor, replenish energy, and restock weapons."
"Damn it. When dealing with this kind of monster, without the specialized power of those two Kamen Riders from before, is the current reactor power still insufficient if relying solely on brute-force energy attacks?"
Tony swore softly, then said to J.A.R.V.I.S.: "Tell me Pepper's location. I'll pick her up first and take her somewhere safe."
"Miss Pepper is in the conference room, together with the Group's board members," J.A.R.V.I.S. immediately replied.
Tony took a deep look at the Bugster monster not far away and prepared to fly directly to the conference room to extract the personnel.
"Sir!" J.A.R.V.I.S. suddenly called out.
"What is it?" Tony asked, frowning.
J.A.R.V.I.S. did not answer but immediately brought up the visual feed for Tony.
Not far away, a light source, similar to a teleportation circle from a video game, appeared out of thin air on the ground. After the light subsided, two figures in chubby armor appeared. They were Li Hua and Elena, who had transformed into Kamen Rider Brave and Kamen Rider Snipe in their Level 1 (chibi) forms, respectively—the same two he had encountered before.
"Well, the game boys showed up quite timely. Their appearance is exactly the same as when they disappeared last time. It's like they're opening a portal, just like in a game," Tony commented sarcastically, slightly relieved to see Kamen Rider Brave and Snipe appear.
"The situation is identical to when they suddenly vanished last time. According to energy scans, there is indeed some spatial fluctuation in the so-called 'teleportation circle.' This appears to be some unknown spatial transmission device," J.A.R.V.I.S. analyzed.
"I know that already," Tony rolled his eyes.
Li Hua and Elena also noticed Tony flying in mid-air.
"Isn't that the famous superhero, Mr. Tony Stark, Iron Man?" Elena said with surprise, sounding genuinely astonished. "Are you here to deal with the Bugster monster too?"
Without waiting for Tony's answer, she answered herself: "Of course! I almost forgot, this is the headquarters of Stark Industries. As the boss of Stark Industries, when a monster shows up in your own company building, you'd naturally be the first to rush to the scene. Though, it looks like the situation isn't going very well for you."
Tony twitched at the corner of his mouth. When had he, the great Tony Stark, ever been subjected to such sarcasm? Yet, he was unable to retort, having just fought the Bugster monster only to end in a crushing defeat.
"Stop wasting time with words. Finish the Bugster Virus excision surgery quickly and deal with the Bugster monster to prevent any accidents," Li Hua said flatly, holding his small sword and shield as he charged directly at the Bugster monster.
Hearing this, Elena wasted no time and immediately started shooting the Bugster monster, covering Brave's attack.
The Bugster monster seemed to take significant damage from Kamen Rider Snipe's firepower. It let out a massive, angry roar and swung its arm to counterattack Elena.
At this moment, Li Hua had already struck the monster with his sword, followed by a flying kick, using the force to retreat and create distance simultaneously.
Following the consecutive attacks from the two Kamen Riders, the Bugster monster began to show signs of separating the Bugster Virus from the infected host, and its form started to become slightly ethereal.
Seeing the monster's condition, the two Kamen Riders immediately pressed their advantage, launching continuous attacks, hoping to separate the Bugster Virus in one fell swoop.
"It was the same situation last time. After this kind of monster is attacked by these two armored guys, the child separates from the monster's body, and the massive monster transforms into a human-sized creature. It seems the virus that generates this monster and the human host are separating," Tony analyzed, observing the situation on the field.
Under the continuous attacks of the two Kamen Riders, the Bugster monster quickly began to dissolve, with many parts of its body flickering in and out of existence.
Finally, the monster's entire body emitted a dazzling light before shrinking. It separated Henry, the infected patient, while the Bugster Virus converged and materialized into a staff-wielding monster.
"Hey, Mr. Iron Man over there, please make yourself useful and take the patient to a safe place. Don't interfere with our virus clearing."
Elena flipped the lever on her belt (the Gamer Driver) while speaking to the spectating Tony.
"Level Up." Elena and Li Hua upgraded simultaneously to their Level 5 forms, preparing to fight the Bugster creature separated from the patient.
"Ugh, how dare they belittle the great Mr. Tony Stark like that!" Despite his words, Tony dutifully pulled the unconscious Henry up and carried him to a safe location.
"Is this the human infected with the Bugster Virus this time? Is he a Stark Enterprises employee?" Tony asked, looking at Henry lying on the ground.
"According to our data, this Mr. Henry belongs to a company with business ties to Stark Industries. He came to Stark Tower today to discuss related business with the President," J.A.R.V.I.S. scanned Henry's facial features, searched the database, and quickly provided the answer.
"Afterward, have this Mr. Henry undergo a comprehensive physical examination to see if we can find any information about this Bugster Virus. Maybe we can find some clues this time. We must find a way to deal with these monsters. By the way, was there anything unusual about the child we encountered last time?" Tony inquired of J.A.R.V.I.S.
"After the monster was destroyed by the two Kamen Riders last time, the infected child underwent a thorough physical examination arranged by Stark Group, as per your instruction. However, after the virus in the child was eliminated, no abnormalities could be detected. Following your arrangement, people were dispatched for long-term tracking and observation, with regular check-ups, and no abnormalities have been found either," J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.
In other words, they didn't obtain any effective information or clues?
"What exactly is this so-called Bugster Virus?" Tony's brows furrowed upon hearing this.
Meanwhile, the two Kamen Riders and the Bugster monster had engaged in combat. Although the Riders had a slight advantage, this specific Bugster monster was much stronger than the previous one they dealt with. The two Riders, one fighting close-range and one long-range, struggled to convert their advantage into a decisive victory.
"Damn it, why is this guy so tough?" Elena fired several shots, jumped to dodge the monster's attack, and complained.
"The Bugster Virus is constantly getting stronger. Haven't we been told that already?" Li Hua said calmly, meeting the monster's staff with his sword.
"We can't keep dragging this out. We must find an opportunity to execute the Finishing Move!"
"It seems Mr. Game and Ms. Game are having a hard fight. This monster appears to be significantly stronger than the one they faced before. Is this due to the nature of the individual monster? Or is there a general trend that the monsters are continuously growing stronger?" Tony's heart sank slightly, watching the fight and considering the possibility that the monsters were constantly evolving.
"It looks like the great Iron Man, Mr. Tony Stark, will have to break the deadlock," Tony stated.
"Sir, the armor's energy..."
"I know, insufficient energy," Tony raised an eyebrow. "I'm not going to confront this monster head-on. I'm just going to harass it and find an opportunity to use an electromagnetic pulse round to slow it down and buy them some time. When they eliminated the monster before, the 'Finishing Move' they used seemed to require some charge-up time. I can create that opportunity for them."
"But who designed this, anyway? It's really like a character executing a skill in a game, complete with sound effects. 'Finishing Move'? Do they seriously think this is a video game?" Tony couldn't resist complaining as he spoke.
(End of Chapter)