The North Shore of Long Island, the "Blackstone" private pier.
The abandoned warehouse crouched in the night like a giant beast. On the open ground of the pier, Obadiah Stane stood inside the four-meter-tall, pitch-black "Iron Monger" armor, frantically adjusting the arc reactor on his chest, which had been forcibly enlarged and was flickering with intense blue light.
"Energy output is unstable, Mr. Stane!"
"Shut up! Give me energy!" Obadiah roared.
Just then, a meteor trailing blue and white exhaust flames approached rapidly from the horizon.
"Fire! Shoot him down!" Obadiah bellowed over the communication channel.
Mercenaries on the pier and the sea opened fire simultaneously, a barrage of bullets spraying into the night sky. The silver-blue meteor wove flexibly through the hail of bullets; most attacks missed, and the few that hit were deflected by the armor.
"Jarvis, mark all targets, prioritize clearing heavy weapons."
"Targets locked. Micro-missiles launched."
Iron Man's outer arms opened, and dozens of micro-guided missiles swarmed out, accurately diving toward the Rocket launchers and heavy machine gun positions all over the pier.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Explosions erupted one after another. Iron Man swooped down, his palm repulsors firing in succession, destroying the mercenary squads attempting to concentrate fire one by one. His movements were fluid and seamless—this completely healthy body allowed him to push the armor's performance to its limit.
"Obadiah!" Iron Man hovered in mid-air, the blue light of his faceplate locking onto the black behemoth below. "Game over. Give me back what's mine."
"What's yours? It's mine now, Tony!" Obadiah's voice was filled with madness. "And I've made it bigger and stronger!"
The reactor on the Iron Monger's chest blazed with light, the Gatling gun spun wildly, and the shoulder missile pods opened simultaneously!
Iron Man executed a lateral maneuver, the hail of bullets grazing past him. He climbed rapidly to avoid the missiles, simultaneously retaliating with accurate repulsor blasts that struck the Iron Monger's joints. Explosive flashes lit up the thick armor, but left only scorch marks.
"Useless, Tony! Your toy gun can't pierce me!" Obadiah laughed wildly, maneuvering the Iron Monger to step closer.
Tony calmly analyzed the data. The Iron Monger had terrifying strength but was clumsy, with low energy efficiency. His own advantage lay in mobility, precision, and the instability of the opponent's reactor.
"Jarvis, analyze the energy fluctuations and find the overload critical point."
"Detected strong energy dissipation and resonance disorder. Suggest guiding it into a resonance collapse."
A cold light flashed in Tony's eyes as he began to lead the battle toward the gantry cranes and shipping containers at the edge of the pier. Using his mobility advantage, he constantly wove in and out to harass the enemy, his repulsors accurately striking the Iron Monger's leg hydraulic lines, sensors, and the connection points of the chest reactor.
Obadiah was provoked into a rage; his attacks became increasingly violent but repeatedly missed, accidentally damaging pier facilities and his remaining henchmen. The Iron Monger was clumsy in the narrow area, becoming increasingly unwieldy.
"Is that all you can do, just hide, Tony!"
Just then, a pure and gentle white halo, soft as moonlight, cascaded down and covered the entire pier.
There was no attack, no Impact. But everyone felt a jolt in their spirits; a sense of peace and hope flowed through their hearts, diluting their murderous intent, fear, and rage.
The Iron Monger's movements faltered, and Obadiah's roar caught in his throat. Iron Man felt energized, his mind clearer than ever before.
It was Artoria! Although he couldn't see her, Tony understood instantly. This brief stagnation was the best opportunity!
"Jarvis, calculate the resonance induction attack point!"
"Calculation complete. Target: the third cooling fin above the chest reactor, angle 37 degrees, continuous fire with maximum repulsor power!"
Iron Man hovered instantly, arms raised, the light in his palms condensing until it was blinding, and two thick repulsor beams slammed into the marked position!
"Bang! Boom!!!" The cooling structure overloaded and melted! Out-of-control energy rampaged through the Iron Monger's body, the chest reactor flickering violently and emitting a shrill scream.
"No! The energy is out of control!" Obadiah screamed in terror.
"Goodbye, Obie." Iron Man said coldly, rapidly increasing the distance.
The next moment—"Rumble!!!" The Iron Monger's chest reactor exploded with earth-shattering force! A searing fireball swallowed the black armor, and a shockwave swept through everything. The explosion illuminated half the night sky over the pier.
As the flames dissipated, only charred and twisted giant metal wreckage remained on the pier. Obadiah Stane, along with his ambitions, turned to ashes.
Iron Man landed not far from the wreckage, watched quietly for a few seconds, then turned to look toward New York. "Potts. Connect immediately."
New York, Stark Tower penthouse apartment. Potts sat on the sofa, holding a cup of cold tea, her fingers trembling slightly. She knew Tony had strengthened security and said there were "reliable friends" protecting her in secret, but Tony's loss of contact and Obadiah's betrayal left her in a state of chaotic anxiety.
What she didn't know was that in the shadows of a taller building diagonally across, Minerva was like a sculpture blending into the night. After Tony lost contact, her alert level had been raised to the maximum. She "saw" the explosion in the direction of the pier and received Artoria's "Tony is safe" message. She did not reply, only increasing her sensor precision once more.
Suddenly, she caught an anomaly—inside a van in the building's underground garage, the sound waves of weapons being loaded and electronic devices starting up were transmitted. At the same time, surveillance cameras in several directions suffered professional, synchronized, and brief interference.
Threat confirmed. Target: Potts. Mode of operation: Coordinated infiltration/forced assault.
Minerva did not hesitate; she sent the highest alert code via the quantum encryption unit and initiated an emergency response.
The tires of that van were pierced and solidified by nanofibers extending from cracks in the ground, paralyzing the vehicle. Before the three armed assailants inside could react, high-efficiency nerve anesthetic gas was released from the van's ventilation ducts. The three men groaned and collapsed.
The figures attempting to infiltrate triggered pressure-sensitive micro-adhesive bombs the moment their feet touched the ground, and they were firmly stuck in place. A silent alarm was transmitted simultaneously.
All of this happened within ten seconds, silent and efficient. Potts was completely unaware of the crisis that had been right on her doorstep.
Minerva confirmed the threat was neutralized and turned her sensors toward the northeast. A moment later, she sent a message to Artoria: "Peripheral threats cleared, total of seven, now under control. Potts is safe. Detected high-energy individual approaching at high speed, identified as: Tony Stark. Estimated arrival: 1 minute 20 seconds."
After sending the message, her figure faded and disappeared into the shadows.
One minute later, Iron Man landed on the rooftop landing platform of Stark Tower with a whistling sound. The armor disengaged, and Tony walked eagerly into the living room.
"Potts!"
"Tony!" Potts rushed over, her eyes filled with tears. "You're okay! Obadiah..."
"He will never be a problem again." Tony said briefly, hugging her, his gaze sweeping across the living room. "Where is Artoria? And her companions?"
"I'm here." A calm female voice came from the terrace entrance.
Artoria (maintaining her Aerith form, the halo already retracted) walked over slowly. She looked at Tony and nodded slightly: "It seems the pier is resolved."
"Resolved. Thanks to your final 'help'." Tony looked at her, his eyes complex. "As for Potts..."
"A small trouble, cleaned up. Your people are downstairs taking custody." Artoria's tone was casual, and she looked at Potts with a gentle smile. "You are safe, Ms. Potts."
Potts was stunned and immediately thanked her: "Thank you for saving him and protecting me..."
"Between friends, no need to say these things." Artoria shook her head and looked at Tony. "You are both safe, I should go back. Minerva is waiting for me."
"Wait," Tony called out to her, hesitating. "Your condition, is it alright?"
"It's fine for now." Artoria didn't explain much. "Get some rest, Tony. You've just gained a new lease on life, adapt well. Potts, take good care of him."
She nodded to the two of them and turned to leave. The door closed gently.
Tony walked to the window, looking at the police lights and S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicles downstairs, and after a long while, said to Potts in a low voice:
"Pepper, we need to re-evaluate our neighbors. Also, help me contact the best lawyer; I want to completely clean up the company, and also... make a new will."
Tonight, The Iron Man was born, and internal threats were purged. And the World was just beginning to notice those new, warm, and powerful lights.
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