On the projection screen, the two armored figures streaked upward through the night sky like twin meteors. One chased the other relentlessly as their thrusters burned bright against the darkness. Within seconds they climbed past the lower cloud layer and continued rising at astonishing speed.
The altitude increased rapidly.
Soon the two suits had reached nearly ten thousand meters above the ground. At that height the air was thin and the temperature had dropped far below freezing. The cold was brutal, hovering around forty degrees below zero, a level where many aircraft systems would begin to fail.
Yet neither of the armored figures showed any sign of stopping.
The chase continued upward.
Ethan watched calmly as the numbers climbed. His reconnaissance drone, which was filming the entire fight, had an operational ceiling of around thirteen thousand meters. That was already pushing the limits of its design, and it would not be able to follow them much higher.
By now the two figures were approaching the edge of the drone's camera range.
Fortunately, the last few seconds of footage still captured the crucial moment.
Two bursts of flame flickered violently in the distance.
The thrusters of both armored suits began to sputter.
At such extreme altitude and temperature, the propulsion systems were failing. Ice crystals had already started forming across the metal surfaces of both machines, disrupting their delicate mechanisms.
Suddenly the smaller figure turned sharply in midair.
Tony didn't hesitate.
He angled the Mark II suit directly toward the Iron Overlord and accelerated forward with the last remaining thrust from his engines. The maneuver looked almost reckless, like a missile intentionally crashing into its target.
The collision came a moment later.
The Mark II slammed directly into the Iron Overlord's chest with tremendous force.
The larger armor, already partially frozen, had no time to react. The impact sent it tumbling violently downward like a massive metal block falling from the sky.
Tony was thrown backward by the collision as well.
Both suits began plummeting toward the earth.
The difference was subtle but important. Even as the Mark II armor spun through the air, faint sparks still flickered from its damaged thrusters. Those tiny bursts of propulsion slightly adjusted Tony's trajectory.
As a result, he fell directly above the Iron Overlord.
Lorna watched the screen with wide eyes.
"Wow," she exclaimed. "At that height they're definitely both going to die."
Ethan smiled faintly.
"Relax," he said casually. "The man inside the Iron Overlord is absolutely going to die."
He paused before adding calmly.
"But Tony won't."
Lorna turned toward him immediately.
"Why not?"
Ethan took another slow sip of wine before answering.
"Because I implanted Sabretooth's genetic ability into his body. With that healing factor, even severe injuries can recover in a short period of time."
His tone remained completely relaxed.
"And judging by the way he charged up there without hesitation, it's obvious he knows exactly how resilient his body is now."
The explanation struck Lorna like thunder.
Her eyes widened in shock as she turned toward Ethan again.
"Wait," she said slowly. "You mean you can turn ordinary people into mutants?"
Ethan nodded as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
"Of course. It's not particularly difficult."
Then he looked at her curiously.
"Why? Is something wrong?"
Lorna inhaled slowly, clearly struggling to process what she had just heard.
"That's… unbelievable," she said quietly. "You really should keep that ability secret."
A trace of worry appeared on her face.
"If governments or powerful organizations find out about this, they'll definitely come after you. Anyone with that kind of technology would become a target."
Ethan simply laughed softly.
"Don't worry so much."
He leaned back comfortably against the edge of the bath.
"There's an old saying where I come from. When soldiers arrive, the generals deal with them. When floodwaters rise, you build a dam."
His tone carried a calm confidence.
"I never planned to hide this ability forever anyway. And do you really think a country like this is incapable of discovering the truth?"
He shook his head slightly.
"Some things can't stay hidden, even if you try."
Lorna still looked uneasy.
Noticing her concern, Ethan leaned closer and kissed her gently.
"Relax," he said with a quiet smile. "I'm far stronger than you think."
His voice lowered slightly.
"When that day comes, you'll see whether I was lying."
Then he added something that made her eyes light up.
"But tell me something. Would you like to enhance your own abilities as well?"
Lorna blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"I could implant the Sabretooth healing factor into you too," Ethan said casually. "That mutation has incredible regenerative power."
The idea clearly shocked her.
"Really? I can do that?"
As a mutant herself, Lorna knew very well which abilities were considered extremely valuable. Sabretooth's self-healing power was famous among mutants for its incredible resilience.
"Of course," Ethan replied with a grin. "Why wait? I can do the procedure tonight."
His expression softened slightly.
"That way I'll feel more comfortable about your safety."
Lorna's face brightened immediately.
"You're amazing."
She leaned forward and kissed him warmly.
For a while the two of them simply enjoyed the moment, but eventually their attention returned to the projection screen.
The falling suits were now less than a kilometer above the ground.
From the drone's distant viewpoint, the two metallic figures looked like streaks of silver plunging toward the city. They remained tangled together as gravity dragged them downward at terrifying speed.
A few seconds later they crashed into the Manhattan district.
The impact was violent.
The two armored bodies slammed into the ground with a thunderous explosion, smashing a massive crater into the street. Earth and debris flew outward while thick clouds of dust rolled through the surrounding area.
The drone slowly zoomed closer.
As the smoke cleared, the aftermath of the crash became visible.
The Iron Overlord lay crushed beneath the Mark II armor.
Its heavy frame had suffered severe damage during the fall. Jagged cracks spread across the armor plates, and dark red blood seeped from the gaps between twisted metal components.
The Mark II suit resting on top of it remained completely motionless.
Lorna frowned slightly.
"Is he really dead?"
Ethan shook his head calmly.
"We'll know in a moment."
Just as he expected, Tony Stark wasn't going to die so easily.
The healing factor inside his body had already begun repairing the catastrophic damage from the fall. Within ten seconds, the Mark II armor stirred slightly.
Then Tony slowly pushed himself upright.
Small bursts of flame erupted from the thrusters behind the suit as the propulsion system restarted.
Tony stood there for a moment, silently looking down at the destroyed Iron Overlord beneath him.
Then he activated his engines.
The Mark II armor lifted off the ground and shot back into the night sky.
At that moment, distant sirens began echoing through the streets. Police vehicles were already rushing toward the crash site, their flashing lights illuminating the smoke-filled intersection.
Nearby civilians gathered around the edge of the crater, pointing and whispering as they stared at the massive wreckage lying in the street.
Ethan clapped his hands lightly.
"Well," he said with satisfaction. "The show's over."
The holographic projection disappeared.
He stood up from the bath and pulled Lorna to her feet beside him. This wasn't the first time they had bathed together, and she no longer seemed shy about it.
After drying off and dressing quickly, Ethan wrapped an arm around her waist.
The next moment, space around them twisted slightly.
In an instant, the two of them vanished from the room and reappeared inside a hidden laboratory.
Naturally, Ethan had brought her here to implant the healing factor into her body. He was never stingy with the women around him, especially someone like Lorna who had already become his partner.
Ensuring her safety in the future was simply the logical thing to do.
.....
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