Having ascertained the full story, Tony Stark unreservedly leveraged his energy and connections to begin resolving the matter.
Being good friends with Shi Xiaolei, he couldn't just stand by; that was only one aspect. Several other, more important reasons also contributed to his motivation.
"Jarvis, suit me up, and while you're at it, call Rhode for me."
Arriving at the circular platform designed specifically for donning the Iron Man suit, Stark spread his arms and legs wide as he issued the command.
Whiplash, his arch-nemesis Ivan Vanko, hadn't appeared yet, and Thor hadn't been banished to Earth by his father. Since becoming Iron Man, Stark had only experienced two high-intensity battles in total.
One was against Iron Monger, and the other opponent was the Hulk.
The former was a purely technological product. It was obvious that with Stark's prowess in scientific research, Iron Monger, as a technological construct, was merely a large toy and absolutely incapable of leaving any psychological trauma or inspiring awe in him.
As for the latter, its potential was quite good.
However, because it was his first transformation and he wasn't yet familiar with the sudden changes, coupled with Bruce Banner's personality hidden within the green body constantly wanting to escape, the strength the Hulk could display in battle was actually rather limited.
If one were to compare them, he was even less formidable than the previous Iron Monger.
Neither of these formidable enemies had made Stark feel genuine pressure or given him a sense of crisis that 'the current Iron Man suit definitely wouldn't be able to handle this'.
Without sufficient motivation, and with his main project during this period being 'surgery to restore his body,' Stark's research on the Iron Man suit had only progressed to Mark 5 until today. Various new models designed to handle different situations had yet to be invented.
Mark 5 was a portable suit. The one in the modified van during his previous road trip was this model.
And now... the destination was a military base, where various heavy weapons were stored.
Although he didn't really believe the situation would take a sharp turn and escalate to a full-blown confrontation, what if something unexpected happened?
To be safe, Stark felt it would be better to choose the Mark 3, which offered higher defense.
Under Jarvis's control, a gap opened in the floor, revealing two iron 'soles'.
He extended his feet and stepped onto them. Several mechanical arms simultaneously got to work, piecing together components. In a flash, the lower half of the armor was fully assembled.
At the same time, Stark's upper body was surrounded by mechanical arms extending from the ceiling.
With the subtle metallic sounds of parts being assembled, screws being tightened, and the hissing sounds of the transmission shafts and shock absorbers test-running to relieve pressure, Tony Stark had transformed into the Iron Man, gleaming with metallic luster from head to toe.
It sounds a bit verbose, but it actually only took about ten seconds.
As the armor was fully donned, the call to Rhode also connected.
"Hey, Tony. Why are you calling me at this hour? You haven't recovered completely and want to go out and have fun again, have you?" Receiving a call around ten at night, it was normal for Rhode, knowing Stark well, to think this way.
"Listen." Without his usual flippancy, Stark's tone was very serious: "Rhode, I need your help with something. Sylvia called me and said Locke was taken away by your Air Force personnel. I just had Jarvis check, and the action team came from XXX Lab. The supervisor of that place is an Air Force Lieutenant General named Thaddeus Ross. Do you know him?"
"...Are you kidding me?"
"I'm serious."
Not wanting to waste time, Stark reiterated his stance: "I've already seen the research data from the lab; their research focus is 'super soldiers.' Remember those potions you bought back? They used them in experiments, and in my judgment, part of the reason they suddenly took Locke away is definitely because of those potions."
It was precisely to handle procurement requests from large official organizations like the military that Stark had suggested Shi Xiaolei also entrust the sale of the genuine potions to the newly established pharmaceutical company.
But people live in this world, and they can't avoid human interaction... It's not to say that being affiliated with a company means completely adopting an impartial attitude and treating all customers equally. Shi Xiaolei couldn't do it, and neither could Stark.
Because of his friendship with Stark, Rhode became the procurement representative sent by the Air Force.
"I understand." If he hadn't gotten some extra potions himself, the lab might not have had the opportunity to research them. Understanding the cause and effect, Rhode felt he also bore some responsibility in this matter.
As an upright soldier, Rhode was never one to shirk responsibility.
The guilt of having to take responsibility, coupled with an apology to his friend Locke, made Rhode also become serious: "Tony, don't worry, I'm leaving now and heading to the lab. I'll call you once I get there to tell you the specific situation."
"Just help me stall for a bit; I'll be there soon." Tony said, simultaneously activating the suit's jet engines.
With long plumes of exhaust trailing behind his feet, he ascended from his mansion on Malibu Beach. In the blink of an eye, Iron Man had vanished into the star-studded night sky.
"Aren't you in Los Angeles?" The armor's soundproofing was excellent, and the built-in communication device didn't pick up the roar from the jet exhaust. Unaware that Stark had already taken off, Rhode was still trying to persuade him: "Your body hasn't fully recovered, has it? Why don't you wait a bit, let me figure out the situation, if—"
"I'm already on my way." Stark chuckled lightly: "At my current speed, I'll be in New York in an hour and a half. Rhode, don't worry about me; you hurry up and go to the lab to keep an eye on things for me. Listen, buddy, among the entire Air Force department, you're the only friend I know who has any say. I'm counting on you; you absolutely must stall them and not let them mess around."
"I'll do my best."
"Not 'your best,' but 'you must.'" Stark emphasized: "I didn't think it was necessary before, and there are some things I haven't told you. Remember that big green guy who appeared downtown last time..."
After listening to Stark's account and recalling his own impressions from interacting with Shi Xiaolei, Rhode's eyes widened: "Are you serious?"
"Absolutely." Stark said: "That's why I'm telling you to hurry, because if a fight really breaks out, it'll definitely be you guys who suffer. Believe me, you absolutely do not want to see that."