The red Iron Man armor's chest plates automatically parted to the sides, splitting into a one-person-wide gap, like opening a door to welcome a master home.
Tony, clad in the Mark III, entered it. Once inside, the chest of the giant red armor closed seamlessly, leaving no visible seam.
This was Tony's first real combat test with this new armor. Although he didn't know its full capabilities, he could feel its immense power with every movement.
This armor was inspired by Li Yue, and it was still a semi-finished product. Li Yue had proposed a complete combat system concept, suggesting the armor could be deployed in space and rapidly deployed when needed. The system's functional modules also included independent satellite communication, independent operation, battle damage support (replacement parts could be deployed in case of damage), and a prison-style isolation pod.
"What did Li Yue call this system again? ... Right, Veronica. I wonder if this Veronica is Li Yue's ex-girlfriend. It's a shame this system is still theoretical. Who knows how long it will take to complete, but thankfully, the armor itself has been built first."
Tony looked at the stunned Iron Monger before him and had the leisure to think about such trivial matters.
"Obadiah, it's my turn now. You're going to enjoy this."
Inside the giant armor, Tony looked down at the Iron Monger, now significantly shorter than him, and said to him.
Obadiah was stunned. He didn't know when Tony had built such an armor, and it was even larger than his own. He already felt a desire to retreat. He had been able to overpower Tony earlier because his armor was larger, stronger, and Tony's Arc Reactor was low on energy while his own was full and equipped with many heat weapons. This had given him an overwhelming advantage.
Now, looking at Tony's armor, not only was it larger, but its craftsmanship was clearly far superior to his own.
What truly shattered the Iron Monger was observing Tony's armor's Arc Reactor. If his eyes didn't deceive him, there seemed to be five of them – one on the chest, and one each on the arms and legs.
"This is too much!"
This was the Iron Monger's most honest thought at that moment.
"My dear Tony, can we stop and talk? I don't think fighting solves anything, do you? I'll transfer all my shares in Stark Industries to you, giving you absolute control of the company. Just consider it, Tony."
The Iron Monger yielded. He had no choice.
"Talk? Why didn't you suggest talking earlier? Your worst mistake was almost killing Pepper. Now you want reconciliation? It's too late!"
Tony finished speaking, clenched his right fist, and with a burst of energy from his feet, punched the Iron Monger hard.
Seeing that Tony refused to back down and had initiated the attack, the Iron Monger could only fire his Gatling gun with his right arm at Tony, hoping to impede his advance. Simultaneously, he rapidly retreated, trying to create distance between them. He no longer dared to confront Tony head-on.
**Bang!**
With a single punch, the Iron Monger was sent flying, tumbling several times before stopping. But it wasn't over; the Iron Monger realized that just one punch had damaged over 30% of his armor, leaving a visible dent on its surface.
Watching Tony charge at him again at high speed, the Iron Monger scrambled to his feet and unleashed a barrage of fire from his Gatling gun, also firing his last remaining missile at Tony.
**Boom!**
...The violent explosion kicked up a cloud of dust and debris. The Iron Monger ceased his attack, staring intently at the impact site, hoping the smoke would clear to reveal Tony pulverized.
Unfortunately, his wish was destined to be unfulfilled. Before the dust even settled, Tony emerged step by step from the explosion site. The heavy Iron Man armor made little sound as it moved, but each step felt like a heavy hammer blow to the Iron Monger's chest.
The Iron Monger was dumbfounded. His armor showed not a single scratch after enduring such a powerful explosion.
"You've exhausted your options. Now it's my turn," Tony declared with overwhelming dominance.
With that, he raised his right arm, and energy gathered at the center of his palm, unleashing a dazzling beam of light.
The Iron Monger had no time to react properly. He only managed to shift slightly to the left, a movement that saved his life by avoiding a fatal blow to the chest. However, the right arm of his armor was still hit.
The Iron Monger's armor's right arm detached and fell to the ground. The severed end was glowing red hot, showing signs of liquefaction, with a few drops of molten metal sizzling as they hit the ground.
The Iron Monger stood frozen. He had just brushed shoulders with death and couldn't imagine what would have happened if the blow had struck his chest. He would undoubtedly have been killed instantly.
Tony himself was a bit stunned by the result of his attack. He hadn't expected such immense power, finding the Iron Monger's armor as fragile as paper before him.
At this point, the Iron Monger no longer entertained any fantasies of defeating Tony. His current greatest fortune was to escape. He looked around, contemplating a way out, when suddenly his eyes lit up, and a thought flashed through his mind.
...The watching crowd was also stunned into silence. They had never imagined that the smaller red robot could enter the larger robot, and the power unleashed afterward had left the black robot, which had held the upper hand, completely defenseless.
Then, it had withstood a missile strike head-on without damage and, in return, had severed the black robot's right arm with an energy beam. After all, the black robot possessed a body of steel, not paper.
Just as the crowd cheered for the red robot's dominance, they saw the black robot stop confronting it directly and turn to flee, not even retrieving its severed arm.
A spectator looked closely and saw the black robot fleeing in their direction, startling them into a shout: "Run! It's coming for us!" and then took off.
The crowd heard the shout and realized the black robot was heading for them, quickly scattering in all directions. Chaos erupted, filled with shouts, curses, and cries.
However, two people remained still. One was Li Yue, confident he wouldn't be caught by the Iron Monger. The other was the reporter, who was passionately broadcasting to the camera crew behind her, completely unaware of the approaching Iron Monger.
The camera crew, seeing the Iron Monger approaching, abandoned their camera and fled.
"So heartless, not even warning that beautiful reporter," Li Yue muttered inwardly, watching the camera crew's actions.
The Iron Monger was now less than a few meters away from them. It was only then that the reporter realized the danger and frantically prepared to escape, but it was too late.
In less than a second, the Iron Monger was in front of her, reaching out with its remaining left hand. The reporter could only watch helplessly as the giant metal arm lunged at her.
At this critical moment, the beautiful reporter saw a figure appear before her, silhouetted against the chaos. Its not-so-broad back was now providing her with an unparalleled sense of security.
Seeking collection, recommendation tickets, investments.