Ivan had no idea what happened.
But he could confirm one thing now—this armor absolutely wasn't made by him!
Absolutely not!
Even if his father Anton Vanko crawled out of his grave, this armor was still made by that idiot Justin Hammer!
Had to be!
He, Ivan Vanko, only provided the arc reactor in the chest.
Failing his revenge was fine, but he couldn't lose his reputation—especially not let that bastard Tony Stark mock him.
Tony looked at this familiar scene, seemingly realizing something.
He called out tentatively to the empty air: "Hermione?"
No response.
"Who are you talking to?" Rhodey asked, confused.
"Uh... nothing." Tony Stark shrugged, playing it off.
He couldn't exactly say he suspected an invisible kid was watching nearby, could he?
Tony walked up to Ivan, looking at him.
Ivan caught Tony's odd expression and emphasized again: "This armor is a Hammer Tech product. Nothing to do with me!"
Tony gave him an "I get it, I totally get it" look.
"I know, I know."
Seeing Tony's expression, Ivan Vanko exploded: "What do you know?! You definitely don't believe me! This piece of junk that falls apart at the slightest touch was absolutely NOT made by me! If I, Ivan Vanko, made this garbage, I... I'll..."
He had to preserve his last shred of dignity.
Shattered bones and crushed body matter not—must leave innocence in the world.
"I'll write my name backwards!" Ivan Vanko couldn't think of a harsher oath.
Seeing Ivan so agitated, Tony quickly reassured him: "I know, I really know. Hammer Tech, right? I get it."
Justin Hammer takes the fall.
Ivan took a deep breath, trying to calm down.
"You have to testify for me in court," he said. "Prove it wasn't my technical problem."
"In exchange, I'll tell you a secret." Ivan paused, lowering his voice. "All the Iron Soldiers have bombs. They're on countdown to self-destruct. You can still disarm them if you go now."
Tony's face changed instantly.
He immediately activated his armor's positioning system, rapidly scanning the surroundings.
"Damn it!" Tony cursed under his breath.
On the location map, he saw a small red dot flashing next to an Iron Soldier wreckage—and that red dot represented Pepper!
"Rhodey, watch this guy!" Tony shouted to Rhodey, then accelerated sharply toward Pepper's location.
"Jarvis, connect me to Pepper!"
The moment the call connected, Tony yelled urgently: "Pepper! Get away from those Iron Soldier wrecks immediately! Now!"
"Tony? Oh my god, are you okay? What's happening?" Pepper's voice came through.
"Don't ask, just run! Those wrecks are going to explode!" Tony's voice was filled with anxiety.
Suddenly, a sharp, urgent beeping sound came through the phone.
Tony's heart leapt into his throat.
The piercing alarm echoed madly in Tony's ears, growing more urgent.
In the distance, red lights on the Iron Soldier wreckage flashed frantically.
Too late.
Tony's heart felt like it was being crushed by an invisible hand, nearly stopping.
"BOOM!"
The explosion finally came.
Flames shot skyward. A massive shockwave swept outward, carrying debris and metal fragments.
Pepper's figure was instantly engulfed.
"NO!"
Tony let out a desperate roar, his mind going blank.
Seconds later, the flames gradually dissipated.
At the explosion's center, everything within ten meters had been leveled.
Tony's pupils contracted sharply.
He saw a familiar figure.
Pepper!
She was alive!
The overwhelming relief made Tony almost unable to believe his eyes.
He accelerated hard, rushing toward Pepper.
The armor landed with a heavy thud.
Tony didn't care about anything else—he pulled Pepper into his arms.
"Are you okay? Are you hurt?"
He asked urgently, voice trembling.
"I... I'm fine."
Pepper's voice also trembled slightly, clearly still shaken.
Tony released Pepper, examining her carefully.
Head to toe, checking thoroughly.
"Jarvis, scan Pepper's health status!"
"Miss Potts is in good health. No external or internal injuries detected."
Jarvis's voice sounded in Tony's ear.
Tony's anxious heart finally settled.
"What just happened?"
Tony frowned.
Why was Pepper unharmed at the explosion's center?
"A spherical energy field appeared around Miss Potts, protecting her from the blast."
Jarvis provided the answer.
Pepper froze, seemingly remembering something.
She looked down at the golden snitch necklace around her neck.
This was a gift from Hermione.
"It saved me..."
Pepper murmured.
She finally understood—this seemingly ordinary necklace wasn't just a Quidditch championship memento. It was a magical artifact that could release a protective shield at critical moments.
Hearing Pepper's words, Tony also recalled previous events and quickly told her what just happened.
"Hermione might be back from Asgard," Tony said.
Delight flashed across Pepper's face.
She'd already learned from Coulson about what happened in New Mexico—that Hermione had gone to Asgard with Thor to stop Loki's scheme.
Pepper had been extremely worried.
She thought it was far too dangerous for a young girl like Hermione to run off to an alien planet with a bunch of "gods" she'd just met.
What if that Loki character and the Frost Giants bullied her?
She'd even questioned Coulson about why S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't stop Hermione.
Coulson had looked aggrieved, saying they simply couldn't stop that young witch.
Pepper had been on edge this whole time.
Now hearing Tony say Hermione might be back, she immediately pulled away from Tony's embrace.
"We're going back to Stark Tower!" Pepper said urgently.
Tony looked at Pepper's anxious expression and couldn't help laughing.
"Hey, don't be so hasty."
He tried to comfort Pepper.
"We just went through a huge battle and finally reunited... Don't you think we should celebrate first?"
Tony tried to create a romantic atmosphere.
"Don't worry, Hermione's not that easy to hurt."
Tony pursed his lips.
Who could bully her?
She probably went to bully the aliens.
Pepper glared at Tony.
Romantic?
Romantic my ass!
She just wanted to confirm little Hermione's safety.
"Alright, alright, we'll go back." Tony could only agree reluctantly.
The two returned to Stark Tower. Just reaching the entrance, they saw bodyguard Happy standing there looking completely lost.
"What's wrong?" Tony asked.
"The young miss just came back."
Happy answered.
"She asked me if S.H.I.E.L.D. delivered anything."
"I said no, and then..."
Happy paused, seemingly choosing his words carefully.
"She huffed off and turned into a demonic gust of wind and flew away."
Pepper & Tony: ?
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