With Tony Stark's continued provocations, the official institutions, realizing they could no longer hold back, exchanged glances and signaled for several extraordinary individuals to step forward. Among them was a familiar figure to the Avengers: General Ross.
Truth be told, General Ross didn't want to get involved. Even without Robert and Clark present, Ross didn't relish the idea of being the spearhead. The last time he was forced to reveal his strength, it was out of sheer necessity and desperation to obtain Bruce Banner as a research subject. However, Ross had no choice but to act now. He had signed an agreement with the alliance of official institutions, and refusal to participate would result in facing the collective wrath of the alliance, something Ross wasn't confident he could handle. Moreover, despite restarting the Gamma Warrior program with Bruce Banner's research materials at the end of last year, the success rate was still abysmally low, with no true Gamma Warriors emerging thus far. Hence, Ross was forced to take matters into his own hands.
Now, the extraordinary individuals from the official institutions, led by General Ross, glared menacingly at the hovering mecha. This was Nick Fury's plan all along; he had no intention of playing fair. His strategy was for all the extraordinary individuals to strike simultaneously, destroying the mecha before the Avengers could react or propose taking turns.
In an instant, these extraordinary individuals unleashed their unique abilities, attacking the mecha in the sky. The scene was far more spectacular than the earlier mecha battle. However, the problem remained the same: the mecha Tony Stark had specially designed might not match his latest models in firepower and defense, but in terms of speed and agility, it was top-notch.
After all, as a bodyguard mecha, its primary function wasn't to eliminate powerful enemies but to safeguard its target's life. By enclosing the leader within the mecha and swiftly evading attacks, the mecha could keep the target safe until Avengers reinforcements arrived. Tony Stark had thought it through: even if he gave the interim leader his latest mecha, it wouldn't guarantee safety against all extraordinary events. When such events broke out, it would still require the Avengers to step in.
Clearly, this mecha was performing even better than Tony had anticipated. It wasn't just capable of clearing minor threats; its agility was such that the extraordinary individuals from the official institutions couldn't land a hit on it.
Of course, this was partly due to the limited abilities of the official institutions' extraordinary individuals. None of them had telekinetic powers, nor could they fly. In this regard, they were even less effective than the failed mechas. Though more powerful than those mechas, their inability to hit the target rendered their strength useless.
"Hahahaha! So this is the best you official institutions can do? General Ross, are you even trying? Oh, wait! You're so clumsy—ate too much, perhaps? Can't even jump properly?" Tony Stark couldn't resist taunting General Ross, remembering how Ross had previously kidnapped Bruce Banner right under his nose, making Stark feel helpless. Now, the tables had turned, with Ross being the one rendered powerless, unable to do anything against the mecha despite his strength.
"Iron Man, this doesn't seem to be what we agreed upon," Nick Fury frowned as he observed the situation, sensing things weren't going in their favor.
"Agreed upon? What wasn't agreed upon? I didn't object when your extraordinary individuals all attacked together. What's wrong? Now that you can't deal with my mecha, you're starting to nitpick?" Tony Stark mocked Fury, his tone dripping with disdain. Stark was well aware that Nick Fury had reached a level of shamelessness where he didn't care about double standards, much like the behavior of many media outlets in the country. But even against such shamelessness, Stark wouldn't hold back his criticism.
"No, no, no. I'm not nitpicking. After all, the goal of this exercise is to ensure the interim leader's safety, right? Your mecha dodging around like this—how will it protect the leader if he's in danger?" Nick Fury remained unfazed by Stark's taunts, calmly addressing him.
"My mecha is fast enough to evade any attack while carrying the interim leader. Isn't that sufficient?" Tony Stark scoffed in response.
"Not quite. Here, in an open space, your mecha can fly freely. But what if the interim leader is in an office when danger strikes? How will your mecha fly freely then? Only by defeating all the enemies can you truly guarantee the leader's safety," Nick Fury argued, shaking his head slowly.
"Why not? If danger strikes, the interim leader can just hop into the mecha, smash through the window, and escape. Why stay confined in the office? Is that all the brains you've got, Fury?" Tony Stark wasn't going to let Fury off the hook, especially since he suspected Fury's intentions. Stark was already planning to turn the situation to his advantage, though the target of his retribution wasn't clear yet.
"That depends on the situation. What if there's not enough time? What if the interim leader faces some other issue? Can you guarantee his safety a hundred percent?" Nick Fury pressed, arguing his point.
"Fine! What do you suggest? Are you actually proposing a drill?" Tony Stark asked impatiently, frowning.
"Why not? We have the space here. If our people can capture or harm the interim leader, it'll mean we've succeeded. But if your mecha can escape with the interim leader unharmed, then you win…" Nick Fury suggested after a brief moment of thought, realizing that letting Stark's mecha run around indefinitely wouldn't prove anything.
"Huh? No!" The interim leader, overhearing the conversation, approached and instantly panicked when he heard Nick Fury's proposal. He understood that he was being used as a pawn against the Avengers but hadn't expected to be put in actual danger. He had requested the Avengers as his bodyguards precisely because he feared ending up like the previous leader, who had met a sudden and tragic end. The idea of being part of a drill was entirely unacceptable to him.
"This is all for your safety, Mr. Leader. You agree, don't you, Mr. Stark?" Nick Fury smiled slightly as he addressed Stark, knowing full well that this suggestion would make the interim leader uneasy.
Yes, Nick Fury was being deliberate. If Stark disliked the interim leader for asking the Avengers to be his bodyguards, Fury's dislike stemmed from the leader's previous attempts to dismantle S.H.I.E.L.D. Although S.H.I.E.L.D. had ultimately survived thanks to the cooperation of various forces, its power and influence had been significantly diminished, leaving Fury bitter.
"A drill could certainly simulate a real-life threat, Mr. Leader. Don't worry, with my mecha, I guarantee you won't be harmed," Tony Stark assured the interim leader, shooting a meaningful glance at Fury.
"No, no, no! Even if there's a drill, it doesn't need me to personally participate, right? Can't someone just pretend to be me?" The interim leader was flustered. He couldn't maintain his composure under the circumstances and was seriously considering dropping the idea of having the Avengers as his bodyguards.
"If someone else plays your role, they might not act the same as you would, which could affect the protection efforts," Tony Stark replied, shaking his head.
"Exactly. Having someone else pretend to be you wouldn't be fair to either side. So, for fairness' sake, it's best if you participate personally," Nick Fury added, "But don't worry, our extraordinary individuals won't actually harm you. As long as they make contact, the Avengers will be considered the losers."
Nick Fury skillfully manipulated the interim leader while simultaneously making the challenge harder for the Avengers. However, Tony Stark wasn't fazed by Fury's trap. He had already planned to team up with Martian Manhunter to teach the interim leader a lesson without causing him any real harm.
"You guys…" The interim leader was left speechless. With Tony Stark representing the Avengers and Nick Fury representing the official institutions, he had no room to negotiate. He sighed, realizing that he had come to watch a show and ended up as part of it. Now, he could only hope that both sides wouldn't take things too far—he didn't want to actually get hurt in this drill.
Soon, the interim leader found himself in an office within the stadium, accompanied by the mecha and several of his bodyguards. Since it was a drill, it had to be as realistic as possible, and these bodyguards could potentially influence the outcome.
The interim leader pretended to read something, but his mind was elsewhere. The thought of what was to come made him swallow nervously, his eyes flickering with fear. Despite being a politician who had climbed the ranks step by step, he lacked the background and military experience to compare with the real power players. As a mere temporary leader, he was only meant to hold the position until the lengthy transition process could be completed. If it weren't for the need to stabilize public sentiment and take some of the blame, he would never have been given this role.
"Is this really going to be okay?" After a long silence, the interim leader, still hearing nothing, finally couldn't resist asking the mecha beside him.
Of course, there was no one inside the mecha, but the interim leader didn't know how else to ease his tension. In his mind, this drill was far worse than an unexpected attack—at least then, he wouldn't have to sit around in fear, unable to concentrate.
What the interim leader didn't know was that this was precisely Nick Fury's plan. He intended to exhaust the interim leader mentally before launching a sudden attack.
It wasn't just about revenge; Fury wanted to catch the interim leader off guard, increasing the chances of him making a mistake. If the interim leader messed up, Stark's mecha would be less likely to succeed in getting him out, making this entire scenario a psychological battle orchestrated by Fury.
"Damn it! Why hasn't it started yet?!" Sure enough, just as Nick Fury had predicted, the interim leader's initial focus began to wane. At first, he tried to stay alert, ready to jump into the mecha at the first sign of danger. But as time dragged on, his mental and physical stamina began to falter, and his attention wavered.
And it wasn't just the interim leader—his bodyguards, who were supposed to add to the chaos in the office, were also growing tired…
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