Chapter 174: The Mandarin
"Are they having a party?" Tony peeked in and saw five men sitting, eating food and drinking alcohol.
"Whew~" Tony exhaled, then calmly walked in. The moment he stepped inside, the eyes of all five terrorists turned to him.
"Hey!" One of the terrorists stood up and pointed at Stark, shouting.
Tony looked around and said, "The party's over. It's time for a lunch break."
Clang! Clang! Clang! Hiss!
Armor components bypassed the layers of patrols and flew to the location, dealing with the terrorists in short order.
"Jarvis, what's the situation outside?" Tony asked.
Jarvis, in the sky, scanned the area below and replied, "Everything is fine, sir."
"I have a feeling they are in here." Tony kicked aside the man lying in front of him and walked into the house.
In a central building, the Mandarin was smiling and stroking the blonde woman beside him. A flicker of light passed through his eyes, a strange smile appeared on his lips, and then his expression returned to normal.
"Haha~ Come on! Let's have a drink." The Mandarin raised his wine glass.
The blonde woman smiled charmingly, sat down on the Mandarin's lap, took his glass, and drank it in one gulp.
...
Bang! Tony punched and knocked out the guard watching the iron gate. Staring at the gate in front of him, he muttered, "Please don't be Rhodes~ Please don't be Rhodes~"
"The person inside, move out of the way!" Tony shouted. After waiting for three seconds, he raised his armor-clad fist and struck with all his might!
Boom! The iron door flew right off and smashed into the wall inside.
"Oh my Lord~" Rhodes was quietly crouched in the corner, looking up at Tony.
"Oh, no~" Tony looked speechless. How could it be Rhodes? It really was a case of what you don't want to happen, happens.
"Thank goodness, you finally came. I thought you had blocked me," Rhodes stood up and gave Tony a hug once he realized what was happening.
"Cut it out. By the way, where is Pepper being held?" Tony asked the question he most wanted answered.
"I don't know." Rhodes said, then suddenly remembered something and quickly added, "Oh, right Tony, that Mandarin guy seems to be a wizard. He just waved his hand, and my Iron Patriot armor fell apart with a clatter."
"What?" Tony looked Rhodes up and down and said, "Are you talking about the wizard who waves a magic wand?" Tony gestured with his finger in the air, "The Vanishing Spell? Is that it?"
"Are you... Harry Potter?" Rhodes frowned.
Tony nodded and said, "Mhm~ What house are you in?"
"Wait, Tony!" Rhodes realized Tony was getting off track and said, "He didn't use any spells or anything; he just waved his hand, and all the Iron Patriot's parts scattered."
"Oh, oh, oh~ Alright, Rhodey, now that you're safe, I'm leaving." Tony didn't have time to argue with Rhodes; he still needed to find his Pepper.
Seeing Tony about to leave, Rhodes immediately blocked the way. "Wait, Tony, did you just bring these two gloves?" Rhodes looked at the armor parts on Tony's hands, his expression very surprised.
"Of course not." Tony simply waved his hand, and armor pieces flew in from all directions, instantly assembling onto him.
"Alright, can I have a set?" Rhodes pointed to himself, indicating that he currently had no weapons.
"Sorry, this is custom-fitted for me. Don't you have the Iron Patriot?" Tony chuckled.
"Iron Patriot?" Rhodes suddenly remembered the Ten Rings' plan and quickly said, "Tony, they are going to pilot my Iron Patriot to capture the President."
"What?" Tony frowned and said, "Jarvis, did you hear that? Can you handle it?"
"Certainly, sir." Jarvis in the sky twisted his form and flew toward the President's location.
"You follow me for now." Tony waved his hand, telling Rhodes to follow. Otherwise, Rhodes would truly be in danger alone here.
Rhodes immediately followed, casually picking up a terrorist's gun from the floor. Having something in his hand made him feel a little safer.
"Remember, Tony, be careful of that Mandarin," Rhodes kept cautioning Tony from behind. The Mandarin had simply left too deep an impression on him.
Tony nodded carelessly, completely disregarding Rhodes' words. He had absolute confidence in his armor.
"Did you know, Tony, they were originally planning to tie me, Pepper, and the President to a boat, hanging us up. Then they'd cut our ropes simultaneously to see who you would save." This was what Rhodes had overheard nearby.
"Hmm~ Quite a plan," Tony said.
"Yeah, but actually, I think that's completely useless. It would be better to tie us up in three separate locations, ten kilometers apart. Then you might not be able to save all of us," Rhodes complained.
"Don't worry, I definitely won't save you then," Tony said firmly.
"Why? I always thought we had a good relationship," Rhodes said.
Tony turned his head and said, "Don't you have the Iron Patriot?"
"Actually, carrying a gun on your shoulder is pretty cool," Rhodes realized Tony was still teasing him about his Iron Patriot armor.
Bang!
Tony extended his hand and fired a repulsor blast, knocking away an enemy who had suddenly appeared there.
"What's the building in the middle for?" Tony looked through a window and saw the house right in the center.
"That's where that Mandarin guy lives, but I think, Tony, we should avoid provoking him for now," Rhodes pulled Tony back, advising him.
"I want to see how amazing your Mandarin is," Tony used his armor's thermal scanner to see the person inside.
"Watch this." Tony's thruster power instantly increased, and he plunged straight into the house.
Bang! Boom!
Tony smashed right through the wall, looked at the two naked bodies on the bed, raised his right hand, aimed the repulsor ray, and tilted his head. "Get dressed and get out!"
"Ah!" The woman immediately grabbed some clothes and ran out. As the man was about to follow her out, Tony shouted, "Stop! I wasn't talking about you!"
"Don't kill me! Don't kill me!" The Mandarin fearfully lay on the ground, trembling.
"You're the Mandarin?" Tony scoffed. This was the guy Rhodes was talking about?
"The Mandarin... is just a title given to me by those in the underworld. Just call me Little Man," the Mandarin laughed awkwardly.
"Hmph~" Tony walked over, sat down in front of the Mandarin, and crossed his legs, saying, "Where is Pepper?"
"This..." The Mandarin hesitated.
Bang! Tony casually raised his arm and fired a repulsor blast, smashing the table next to him.
"Ah! In the third building on the left!" The Mandarin fearfully blurted out.
"Don't move!" Rhodes appeared at the doorway, raising his gun and shouting. He really hadn't trusted Tony to go alone, so he quickly followed, only to be confronted with this scene.
"My Lord?" Rhodes frowned tightly.
Tony chuckled. "Rhodey, is this your 'Harry Potter'?"
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