The crystal chandeliers in the banquet hall poured down their brilliant light, illuminating the mingling guests. Obadiah Stane stood on the podium, his gleaming forehead reflecting the dazzling light, a meticulously calculated smile plastered on his face as he raised his champagne glass.
"Ladies and gentlemen," Obadiah was exceptionally magnanimous, "thank you all for attending the Stark Industries Annual Charity Gala. Although our... unconventional Tony is absent tonight..."
Below the stage, Chen Tian leaned against the champagne tower, his wine glass gently swirling. Natasha Romanoff had appeared by his side at some point, her red lips curved into a perfectly appropriate smile.
"This Bugatti is truly... unique," she elegantly swirled her glass, her gaze lingering on Chen Tian's tie, "Tony's new favorite?"
Chen Tian's lips curved slightly, and he deliberately lowered his voice: "Oh, Agent Romanoff is also knowledgeable about sports cars?"
"A little," Natasha's fingertip lightly traced the rim of the glass, "especially... certain specially customized models." Her gaze meaningfully swept towards 2B in the distance, "Your assistant seems very special."
"2B?" Chen Tian shrugged nonchalantly, "Just a regular personal assistant."
Natasha chuckled, her wine-red hair shimmering with a soft glow under the lights: "For Tony to lend you his beloved car, it seems your relationship isn't ordinary."
"Likewise," Chen Tian raised his glass in a salute, "to be given such attention by Stark Industries' legal counsel, I am truly flattered."
Their conversation was interrupted by a sudden increase in volume from the stage. Obadiah's speech was coming to an end: "...Let us raise our glasses together, to a better tomorrow!"
Amidst enthusiastic applause, Chen Tian's gaze inadvertently followed Obadiah's retreating figure. Natasha keenly noticed the shift in his gaze.
"Oh, interested in Obadiah?" she asked casually.
Chen Tian suddenly leaned close to Natasha's ear, his warm breath fanning her sensitive earlobe. To outsiders, they appeared to be a couple flirting, but the words he spoke made Natasha stiffen:
"Black Widow, Obadiah has a deep connection with the Ten Rings Gang who kidnapped Tony... does S.H.I.E.L.D. know?"
Natasha's pupils contracted violently, but her professional training allowed her to instantly compose her expression.
She feigned being charmed by sweet talk, a perfectly timed blush appearing on her cheeks, even biting her lower lip in cooperation.
Only Chen Tian could feel her fingers on his shoulder suddenly tighten, her nails almost piercing the suit fabric.
"You're so naughty..." she playfully slapped Chen Tian, her voice sweet enough to drip honey, but a dangerous glint had already appeared in the depths of her emerald eyes, "You shouldn't make jokes like that~"
Chen Tian raised his glass in salute, a cynical smile on his lips: "Whether I'm joking or not... Agent Romanoff should know very well, shouldn't she?"
Natasha's red lips curved slightly upward, her slender fingers seemingly idly caressing Chen Tian's tie, her fingertip subtly brushing his Adam's apple.
She tilted her head slightly, her thick eyelashes casting a shadow under the light, and dangerous, alluring light flickered in her emerald eyes.
"Mr. Chen," her voice was very low, with a hint of ambiguous huskiness, "I suddenly feel it's too noisy here... how about we find a quiet place to have a good 'exchange'?" She deliberately emphasized the word "exchange," her red lips almost touching Chen Tian's earlobe.
Chen Tian could clearly feel her warm breath, as well as the subtle hard object pressed against his waist—undoubtedly, it was Black Widow's signature stun baton. The smile on his lips deepened, but his right hand stealthily slipped into his suit's inner pocket.
"My pleasure," he nodded slightly, his left hand elegantly taking Natasha's wine glass and placing it aside, "But before that..."
His right hand quickly pulled out his phone, his thumb rapidly sliding across the screen.
A message on the phone, reading [Obadiah has left], had already been sent. Almost simultaneously, Tony's reply popped up: [Received, party's starting ^_^]
"You!" Natasha frowned, but quickly regained her charming demeanor. She leaned close to Chen Tian's chest, appearing to outsiders as if she were pouting, "You're such a disobedient boy~"
Chen Tian waved his phone in front of her, and a new message popped up on the screen: [2B has locked onto target location].
He lowered his head and whispered in Natasha's ear: "Now, we can continue our 'in-depth exchange,' Agent Romanoff."
Natasha's red lips curved into a dangerous arc, and her fingers quietly pressed the alarm hidden in her handbag.
She linked her arm through Chen Tian's, appearing to outsiders like an intimate couple walking towards the lounge, but in reality, both were secretly vying.
"You know," she said sweetly, "I especially like... educating disobedient boys."
Chen Tian felt the pressure from her fingertips, but he smiled even more brightly: "Coincidentally, I especially like... taming dangerous little wildcats."
Their figures disappeared around the corner of the corridor, while the crystal chandeliers in the banquet hall remained dazzling, as if nothing had happened.
Only 2B quietly watched their retreating figures, the mechanical eyes beneath her silver hair flashing with cold light, recording everything.
——
As soon as they stepped onto the rooftop, the night wind howled past. Natasha's figure suddenly flickered, her red hair drawing a sharp arc in the air, and in an instant, she had retreated five meters away. Her long legs were slightly parted, and her hands steadily held two Glock 19s, the dark muzzles pointed directly at Chen Tian's forehead.
"Wow~" Chen Tian seemed to have spent too much time with Tony; facing two guns, he showed no tension, but rather a playful expression.
He slowly raised his hands above his head, striking a standard Gallic rooster national gymnastics pose, "This welcome ceremony is truly enthusiastic."
Natasha's red hair danced wildly in the wind, and her emerald eyes no longer held any of the previous charm, only the cold sharpness unique to an Agent: "Now, let's reintroduce ourselves—who exactly are you?"
"I thought we were already well acquainted, Nat." Chen Tian used an intimate address for her, his hands still in a surrendering posture, "At least three minutes ago, you said you wanted to 'educate' me."
"Stop fooling around!" Natasha's index finger lightly rested on the trigger, "Our database has no record of you. Tell me, who exactly are you?"
Chen Tian, however, curved his lips into a smile: "Nat, before we continue this interesting interrogation—"
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze directed towards a dark rooftop in the distance, "Can Agent Coulson put away his sniper rifle first? I... am a little afraid of his gun misfiring."
Natasha's finger on the trigger stiffened imperceptibly. Agent Coulson's clearly flustered voice came through her earpiece: "How did he know my position?!"
The night wind swirled with silence between the three of them. Natasha's red hair was like dancing flames in the moonlight, her emerald eyes fixed on Chen Tian, trying to find a flaw in his cynical expression.
Chen Tian suddenly put away his cynical smile, his expression somewhat serious: "Nat, now is not the time for Agent games." He slowly lowered his raised hands, completely unafraid of the gun still aimed at him, "Obadiah should be on his way to Malibu right now; his target is Tony."
Natasha's gun remained motionless, but her eyebrows were already furrowed: "Proof?"
Chen Tian softly called out into the night wind: "2B."
Before his voice faded, Natasha's pupils suddenly contracted—the silver-haired girl had appeared at the edge of the rooftop at some point, and 2B's right hand was projecting a holographic image.
"This was stolen from Obadiah's computer." 2B's voice was calm, without a ripple.
In the image, Tony Stark was tied up on a metal chair, with bloodstains on his face and clothes. A dozen masked armed men surrounded him, and the leader was shouting at the camera. Although he was speaking Urdu, with 2B's simultaneous translation, the content was clearly audible:
"Stane! You lied to us!" The Terrorists leader waved an AK-47, "There was only Stark there, no Jericho missiles at all!"
Natasha's emerald pupils contracted violently, and her red lips pressed into a tight, straight line. She quickly pressed her earpiece: "Coulson, confirm this intelligence."
Coulson's hurried breathing came through the earpiece: "Received, Romanoff, we did find that Obadiah has been frequently contacting board members recently, but this video..." His voice suddenly became grave, "Wait, the technical department just confirmed, the video is real."
Natasha's gun lowered slightly, but she still maintained a vigilant posture: "When did you get this?"
Chen Tian shrugged, "After Tony returned to the United States and announced the closure of Stark Industries' weapons division, I told Tony that Obadiah was acting strange."
Chen Tian took a step forward, and Natasha's gun immediately rose again.
He spread his hands helplessly, "Come on, Nat, if I really wanted to harm you, 2B would have dismantled your little toys into pieces by now."
As if to confirm his words, 2B's mechanical eyes suddenly flashed with a blue light. Coulson's gasp immediately came through Natasha's earpiece: "Damn it! My sniper scope is locked by a laser!"
Natasha took a deep breath and finally slowly lowered her twin guns, but her fingers remained tightly on the trigger guard: "Continue."
Chen Tian stretched, "Tony didn't believe his dear uncle would betray him, and I was at a loss for a while, until I got 2B."
Chen Tian pointed at 2B, "I had 2B help me steal this recording and show it to Tony."
Chen Tian seemed to recall Tony's 'what the hell' expression, and chuckled softly, "So, we decided to find a time to give Obadiah a taste of his own medicine."
Natasha tilted her head slightly, taking a deep breath, "So you came to the gala, and not Tony Stark?"
Chen Tian shook his head, "This gala was just an accident, but isn't this a good opportunity? An opportunity to legitimately get rid of Obadiah." As he spoke, he looked at the distant, dimly lit city, "Otherwise, I wouldn't have driven that car over."
Natasha's red lips parted slightly, revealing an incredulous expression: "You plan to... get rid of Obadiah?" Her fingers unconsciously rubbed the gun grip, "Tony's going to use that demon-like armor?"
Chen Tian raised an eyebrow, the moonlight casting mottled shadows on his face: "Wow, S.H.I.E.L.D. even knows that?" He whistled, "But why am I not surprised?"
2B's mechanical eyes suddenly flickered: "Master, Mr. Tony just activated the Mark-2 system."]
translated_sentences
Coulson's urgent voice came through Natasha's earpiece: "Satellite shows high energy readings at the Malibu Villa! Wait… what is this?" His voice suddenly became shocked, "A new suit! Completely different from that demon armor in the Middle East."
Chen Tian revealed a sly smile, took out his phone, and quickly operated it a few times: "Nat, why don't you use S.H.I.E.L.D.'s satellite to see for yourselves?" He turned the phone screen to Natasha, which showed the real-time monitoring footage from the S.H.I.E.L.D. satellite.
In the footage, the golden-red Iron Man suit was soaring into the sky from the ruins of the Malibu Villa, the Arc Reactor on its chest drawing a dazzling blue light across the night sky. Behind the suit, Obadiah, piloting the Iron Monger, was frantically firing, bullets streaking countless lines of fire across the night sky.
————
Above the Malibu Villa, the golden-red Mark-2 suit cut through the night sky, Tony's voice echoing in the night wind through the external speaker: "Obie, your knock-off's paint job really needs improvement—" Before he finished speaking, the Iron Monger's Rocket narrowly missed his faceplate, exploding into a sea of fire behind him.
"Shut up!" Obadiah's roar came from within the Iron Monger's heavy armor, and he manipulated the huge mechanical arm to smash fiercely at the Mark-2, "You think you're the only one who can make toys?" The Arc Reactor on the Iron Monger's chest flickered with unstable blue light, clearly a replica of an early version.
Tony deftly dodged, his palm repulsor accurately hitting the Iron Monger's joint: "Wow, this power output is so bad it hurts my heart." He deliberately drew out his words, "Do you want me to teach you a few tricks?"
The Iron Monger suddenly unfolded a set of miniature missile launchers from its back, and twelve Jericho miniature missiles simultaneously locked onto the Mark-2. "Go learn in hell!" Obadiah sneered as he pressed the launch button.
"Sir, multiple lock-on alert." Jarvis's voice sounded in Tony's ear. Tony sharply pulled up, the suit's leg thrusters spewing dazzling exhaust flames: "Jarvis, set thrust power to 110%!"
The missile swarm traced a deadly arc in the air, relentlessly pursuing. Tony suddenly made a sharp turn and dived towards the sea. Just as the missiles were about to hit, he suddenly opened the cluster cannon on his chest, and a blinding beam of energy detonated half of the missiles in mid-air. The Impact of the explosions sent the Mark-2 tumbling several times.
"Cough, cough… This feels more exciting than being drunk." Tony shook his head in the cockpit, looked up, and saw the Iron Monger raising Tony's sports car to smash at him. He quickly initiated emergency evasion, but his left arm was still grazed by the car door, and the armor emitted a harsh metallic grinding sound.
Obadiah laughed triumphantly: "How about it, Tony? Is my 'power output' enough?" The Iron Monger's shoulder-mounted Gatling gun began to spin and warm up.
Tony checked the damage report and suddenly noticed the Iron Monger's chest reactor flickering more intensely. His eyes lit up: "Hey Obie, is your fake about to run out of power? Do you want me to lend you a power bank?"
Obadiah's roar exploded in the communication channel: "Shut up! You arrogant little bastard!"
The Iron Monger's mechanical arm slammed heavily onto the ground, concrete fragments scattering, "You think only you are worthy of owning these technologies?"
Tony keenly noticed the Iron Monger's chest reactor flickering faster and faster, the blue light becoming intermittent. A cold smile curled at his lips: "Jarvis, analyze the enemy reactor status."
"Analysis complete, Sir." Jarvis's voice was calm and precise, "The enemy reactor is a modified first-generation Arc Reactor, with severe energy output fluctuations. Estimated remaining operating time is no more than 3 minutes."
Tony gracefully circled in the air, deliberately slowing down to lure the Iron Monger into pursuit: "Obie, do you know? Your Arc Reactor was deliberately shown to you by Pepper." He paused deliberately, "I had already phased out that design."
The Iron Monger's thrusters spewed overloaded flames, and its bulky frame emitted a metallic grinding sound of being overburdened. Obadiah's voice was already clearly panting: "You… you're lying!"
Tony's voice suddenly turned ice-cold, the Mark-2 suit hovering in the air, its palm repulsors flashing with dangerous light: "Obie, do you know? I always thought my experience in Afghanistan was an accident, until Chen Tian investigated your computer!"
The Iron Monger's movements clearly slowed by a beat, and Obadiah's voice became somewhat flustered: "You… what are you talking about?"
"What am I talking about?" Tony sneered, the suit's faceplate suddenly popped open, revealing his angry face, "Chen Tian and I have already found your transaction records with the Ten Rings Gang!" He pointed sharply at the Iron Monger, "You provided my itinerary to the Terrorists just to get rid of me and take control of Stark Industries!"
The Iron Monger's chest reactor suddenly flickered violently, and Obadiah's voice became hysterical: "No! Those are all fakes!"
"Fakes?" Tony's voice was filled with pain and anger, "Jarvis, play the recording."
A clear recording echoed in the night sky: "…ensure Stark never returns… I'll handle the board…" Obadiah's voice in the recording sounded particularly sinister.
The Iron Monger suddenly shook violently, Obadiah furiously roaring at the control panel: "Damn it! This is impossible!"
"There's more." Tony's voice grew colder, "Do you know why you got the Arc Reactor so easily? I deliberately had Pepper put it in her office!"
He slowly raised his arms, and all of the Mark-2's weapon systems simultaneously locked onto the target, "That's right, just as you deceived me, I also deceived you! Surrender! Obie! I'll send you to prison! And give you a luxury suite!"
The Iron Monger staggered back a few steps, the reactor's light already turning a dangerous red. Obadiah's voice was filled with fear: "Tony… wait… we can talk…"
"Talk?" Tony's voice suddenly rose, "When you were in that cave in Afghanistan, watching those Terrorists torture me, why didn't you think about talking?!" The Mark-2's thrusters spewed dazzling exhaust flames, "When I almost died in the desert, why didn't you think about talking?!"
The Iron Monger suddenly made an unexpected move—it sharply turned and rushed at full speed towards the Malibu Villa.
"Sir, enemy target has changed direction!" Jarvis immediately warned.
Tony's pupils suddenly contracted, his expression beneath the faceplate instantly solidified: "Jarvis, scan the Iron Monger!"
"Scan complete, Sir." Jarvis's voice was unusually urgent, "Detected abnormal core in enemy suit, Arc Reactor is overloading."
"Damn it!" Tony's voice suddenly rose, the Mark-2's thrusters instantly overloaded, leaving a golden-red afterimage in the air, "Obie, what the hell are you doing?!"
The Iron Monger laughed maniacally in the night sky, dangerous sparks erupting from the armor's seams: "Doing what?" Obadiah's voice was distorted, "Since you've discovered everything, even if I live, the rest of my life will be spent in prison. Rather than that, I'd rather die in your Villa, and the script for my death is…"
"The World-renowned genius – Tony Stark – personally kills the uncle who raised him, all to completely control Stark Industries!"
On Tony's retinal display, Jarvis had already pulled up real-time energy readings. The Arc Reactor on the Iron Monger's chest was increasing its energy output exponentially, and the core temperature had already exceeded the critical value.
"Reaching critical point in 30 seconds." Obadiah's frantic voice echoed in the communication channel, "Enough to let the entire Malibu beach witness this magnificent curtain call! At that time, the image of my death will spread throughout the World!"
Tony's breathing became rapid: "Jarvis, calculate the explosive yield!"
"Estimated blast radius 800 meters, Sir." Jarvis's tone was unusually grave, "Equivalent to a Jericho missile explosion."
Just as Tony was in a dilemma, the Villa's front door suddenly opened. A woman in a red leather jacket with short chestnut hair slowly walked out, her figure particularly striking in the moonlight.
"Hey ~ Tony," Lia (Diablo) tilted her head, a playful smile on her lips, "Did you forget the golden rule of 'villains die from talking too much'?" Her voice carried a lazy tease, yet it made the Iron Monger abruptly halt in mid-air.
Lia's red pupils suddenly erupted with scarlet flowing light, like two blood moons blooming in the night. A dangerous arc curled at her lips, and she extended her hand, slightly twisting her wrist towards the Iron Monger.
"Mr. Obadiah ~" Her voice was sickeningly sweet, "Do you know? Tony has already made such a mistake, and you, the villain, have made it too."
In an instant, the space around the Iron Monger began to twist and deform. Obadiah's terrified roar came from within the armor: "Wh-what the hell is this?!"
Lia gently twisted her right hand, as if unscrewing an invisible valve. Suddenly, countless crimson cracks appeared in the night sky, and scorching magma erupted like living creatures, intertwining in the air to form a deadly net of Fire.
"No! Stop!" Obadiah's scream was accompanied by the harsh sound of melting metal, "Tony! Save me!"
Tony's faceplate revealed a shocked expression: "Lia, wait—"
But it was already too late.
Blazing magma coiled around the Iron Monger like a giant python, the heavy armor rapidly melting like butter under the high temperature. Obadiah's screams ceased abruptly, replaced by the shrill alarm of the reactor overloading.
Lia tilted her head, admiring her masterpiece, her scarlet pupils reflecting the blazing Fire: "What a pity ~" She murmured softly, "Not even a complete corpse was left."
With a deafening explosion, the Iron Monger's remnants transformed into a dazzling fireball in the lava. The Impact snapped nearby palm trees in half, and a wave of heat swept across the entire beach.