Washington, D.C.
Capitol Building
Senate Armed Services Committee hearing.
The atmosphere was solemn, even depressing.
Beneath the huge dome, marble and heavy mahogany together form the symbol of the country's power, and the air is filled with the pedantry of history and bureaucracy.
Senator Stern sat upright in the high hearing seat.
His hair was combed meticulously, and his face was full of an expression that said, "I am justice incarnate."
This typical politician was looking at Tony Stark sitting below with what he thought was an oppressive look.
"Mr. Stark."
Stern spoke, his voice booming through the microphone throughout the hall.
"I think we've wasted too much time on your humorous personal responses. Let's get back to the point. The Iron Man Armor is undoubtedly the most advanced weapon system in the world today, and your insistence on keeping it as your personal property itself poses a serious potential threat to national security."
"Threat?" Tony laughed.
He looked directly at Stern and felt a little bit unable to hold back his laughter.
Tony looked as if he was not being questioned about national security, but listening to a lousy salesman trying to sell him an insurance policy in an exclusive club.
"Senator, I have to correct you." He shrugged and explained casually.
"First of all, that's not a weapon. It's a set of high-tech multifunctional prostheses.
You see, it can let me fly, it can make me stronger, and it can automatically play my favourite rock music when I don't want to listen to certain people's nonsense. I think this fully meets the definition of a medical device."
"Secondly." He paused, then looked at Stern with Innocent eyes.
"What do you mean by threats? Are you talking about the madman that Henry and I beat up in New York, who was trying to destroy Manhattan, and how he didn't even recognize his mother? Or is it about the terrorist nest that I took down in Afghanistan that you spent ten years trying to find? If these are considered threats...
He spread his hands, with an expression that said, "I'm in a difficult situation."
"Then I can only say that the safety standards of this world may need to be redefined."
"Ridiculous!" Stern's face turned pale in an instant, and he slammed the table heavily.
"Mr. Stark! Please put away your cynical attitude! We are discussing a serious national Issue here."
Are you kidding us, old man?
"Ahem."
Stern cleared his throat awkwardly. He glared at the assistant who had nearly inserted the USB drive the wrong way, then forced an explanation.
"These are video footage our intelligence agencies intercepted from some hostile countries. It looks like they're trying to copy your armor."
"Wow." Tony looked at the robot still struggling in the sand on the screen and gave a heartfelt admiration.
"I have to say, this is truly terrifying. Look at the smooth movements, the precise shooting, and the futuristic design. I can't believe they could successfully replicate my Mark I, which is now gathering dust in the warehouse, if they were allowed to develop it for another three to five hundred years."
"Puff."
At the back of the hearing booth, Rhodes finally couldn't help laughing, but he quickly realized that the occasion was not right and immediately covered up his gaffe with a violent cough.
Stern's face had completely turned the colour of liver.
He felt like he was not presiding over a hearing but participating in a public humiliation specifically targeting him personally.
"Mr. Stark!" he roared.
"We have evidence! We've invited an expert, an expert with exceptional attainments in the field of weapons manufacturing. He will prove to us that your technology is not impossible to replicate!"
As he spoke, he waved his hand and said, "Please welcome Mr. Justin Hammer, Chairman of Hammer Industries!"
Just as he finished speaking, a man in a well-tailored suit, with slicked-back hair and a self-proclaimed charming smile on his face, walked out from the side door.
That's right, the man who dressed himself up like a clown is Justin Hammer, who likes to make ex-wife missiles. Maybe his ex-wife is a mute, after all, this missile is a mute.
Tony looked at him, his expression showing no surprise at all.
He just curled his lips and looked at the guy with sympathy.
It's a shame that he is the second-largest arms dealer, but he doesn't understand that speaking up for the military is tantamount to walking into a trap.
"Oh, look at that." Tony clapped lazily.
"Isn't that who? Oh, right, the business wizard who's dedicated to repackaging my ideas in a cheap and knock-off way, and then selling them to equally tasteless customers at one-tenth the price?"
"I have to say, Senator," he suggested earnestly, turning to look at Stern.
"You have a truly unique taste in choosing your experts. Do you think it would be more persuasive to bring a poor imitator against the original creator? Honestly, your logic is even more impressive than those robots he designed that would tear their own heads off at exhibitions."
The smile on Hammer's face froze instantly.
Stern felt his blood pressure had soared to a dangerous level.
The smile on Hammer's face froze instantly.
Stern felt his blood pressure had soared to a dangerous level.
Just when he was about to use his power as chairman at all costs and forcibly order the guards to drag out this damn smooth-talking bastard.
"Buzz!"
A buzzing sound that seemed to come from beyond the sky suddenly rang in everyone's ears.
The voice was soft but penetrating.
The heavy bulletproof windows in the hall began to vibrate slightly, and fine ripples appeared in the water glass on the table.
"What's going on?"
"Is there an earthquake?"
The heavy bulletproof windows in the hall began to vibrate slightly, and fine ripples appeared in the water glass on the table.
"What's going on?"
"Is there an earthquake?"
Everyone in the hall subconsciously stopped what they were doing and looked around in confusion.
"Buzz! Boom!!!"
The low humming sound turned into a deafening sonic boom in just a few seconds.
The entire Capitol seemed to have been hit hard by a meteorite!
The violent shaking made everyone stagger and unable to stand steadily!
"It's an attack! An unidentified object is approaching!" In the back row of the audience, a black-braised egg suddenly stood up. Although it was daytime and there was no flashlight, his black-braised egg was still shining.
That's right, he is Nick Fury, the Goblin Emissary.
×××××××××××××××
2 chapters will be uploaded on daily basis i.e. 14 Chapters will be uploaded every week apart from the bonus chapters.
1 Bonus Chapter will be uploaded for every 50 Power Stones or 1000 Collections.
All interested readers can read advanced chapters on:
[email protected]/Heroicverse