A long stretch of asphalt road hugged the coastline, its dark surface gleaming faintly beneath the afternoon sun. The ocean breeze swept across the pavement as a silver sports car roared past, its engine howling with effortless power while dust billowed in its wake.
The sleek vehicle sped down the road like a silver bullet before suddenly braking near a roadside strawberry stand. The driver stepped out without hesitation.
It was Tony Stark.
Moments later, Stark casually handed over his expensive wristwatch to the vendor in exchange for a small carton of fresh strawberries. The trade might have looked ridiculous to anyone watching, but Stark barely gave it a second thought as he climbed back into the car and drove away.
Not long after, the sports car pulled into Stark Tower.
Tony walked straight into the office of Pepper Potts, who had recently taken over as the new CEO of Stark Industries. When he arrived, Pepper was still in the middle of a phone call, her expression tense as she listened to the person on the other end.
Behind her, the television was broadcasting a news program. The host was openly questioning whether Pepper Potts was truly qualified to take over leadership of Stark Industries.
Stark stood there quietly for a moment before speaking politely.
"I'm sorry," he said with an awkward smile. "I haven't been completely honest with you before. I came today to make things right."
Pepper didn't respond immediately. Over the past few days, Stark's reckless behavior had caused enormous trouble both for the company and for her personally. The pressure from investors, politicians, and the public had been relentless.
Instead of answering, she simply stared at him coldly.
Stark coughed lightly and cleared his throat. "Do you know how short life actually is? I've never really had the chance to say what I wanted to say before."
He paused, suddenly struggling to organize his thoughts.
"Well… I only recently realized this myself," he continued awkwardly. "And I don't care—no, that's not right. I mean I do care."
His words became increasingly tangled.
"But I don't expect you to… well, what I mean is…"
"Stop."
Pepper's brows knit together in frustration.
"I honestly have no idea what you're trying to say," she said flatly. "But Tony, I'm currently responsible for running a massive global corporation. Do you have any idea how difficult that is?"
Her voice grew sharper.
"This was the responsibility you handed to me, and I've been doing everything I can to keep things stable. Government officials call me every day, the stock market swings constantly, and the media won't stop asking questions."
She looked straight at him.
"I'm trying my best to do this properly. Do you understand that?"
Tony opened his mouth like a child who had just been scolded but couldn't figure out how to defend himself.
Pepper then shifted her gaze to the strawberries he had placed on the desk.
"Do you know the one thing in the entire world I'm allergic to?" she asked calmly.
"Strawberries," Stark replied with irritation.
Pepper paused briefly before speaking again, her tone slightly defiant.
"For most people, something only needs to be said once before they remember it forever. But what about you, Tony?"
Stark immediately tried to defend himself.
"I knew you had some kind of connection to strawberries," he said quickly. "See? That's progress."
Then he frowned slightly.
"Wait a second… who exactly are you saying can remember things in one try?"
At that moment, the office door opened.
Happy Hogan, Stark's former bodyguard, leaned in and reminded Pepper that it was time for her scheduled flight.
Pepper stood up immediately.
"Since you're here," she said calmly to Stark, "you can deal with your own personal belongings."
With that, she left the office together with Happy. As the door closed behind them, Pepper unconsciously reached up and touched the necklace around her neck.
Her expression darkened slightly, though Stark never noticed.
Inside the office, Stark stood there quietly for a moment before grabbing one of the strawberries and tossing it straight into the trash can. Just as he was about to leave, his eyes suddenly fell on something sitting in the corner of the room.
It was the 3D architectural model of the Stark Expo industrial complex.
Stark stared at the model carefully, his brow slowly furrowing as if he had just noticed something strange hidden within the structure.
At the same time, inside Hammer Industries, Ivan Vanko had finally completed the tasks he had been working on in secret.
Over the past several days, he had modified an entire batch of combat robots. Individually, each machine wasn't particularly powerful, but when deployed together they could overwhelm enemies through sheer numbers.
Justin Hammer was extremely satisfied with Ivan's work.
Of course, Hammer himself wasn't exactly a good person either. From the very beginning, he had secretly planned to imprison Ivan permanently and squeeze every last drop of value out of him.
According to Hammer's grand plan, the combat robots would be officially unveiled during tonight's highly anticipated product launch event.
Once that happened, Hammer Industries would finally surpass Iron Man.
Massive military contracts would come pouring in, and Justin Hammer would rise to the peak of fame and fortune.
Meanwhile, inside Typhon Tower, Natasha Romanoff knocked lightly on the office door before stepping inside.
She wore a fitted business suit, and her graceful stride carried an effortless elegance.
"Boss," she said calmly, placing an invitation on the desk. "Hammer Industries is holding a press conference tonight. They've sent you an invitation."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Do you plan to attend?"
"Of course I'm going," Ethan Voss replied immediately.
He picked up the invitation card and glanced at it before smiling faintly.
"Look at this line here," he said, tapping the paper. "They claim this will be a historic press conference."
He read aloud in a playful tone.
"From this day forward, the methods of warfare will undergo revolutionary change, triggering a massive transformation across society."
Ethan looked up at Natasha, studying her expression.
"So tell me, Natalie. What do you think?"
Natasha smiled slightly.
"It's hard to believe Hammer Industries has that kind of capability."
"Oh?"
Ethan narrowed his eyes.
"Hammer Industries is worth billions and supplies equipment to the Department of Defense," he said. "You're saying they can't pull something like this off?"
Natasha shrugged lightly.
"That's just my personal opinion," she said calmly. "But if we're being honest, Stark Industries is the company most people place their faith in."
Ethan nodded slowly.
"That's a fair point."
He waved his hand casually.
"Go get ready. Change into an evening gown. We'll attend the press conference together."
"Understood, boss."
Natasha turned and walked toward the door.
Ethan watched her leave, his gaze lingering thoughtfully on her elegant figure.
He was well aware that Natasha was still wary of him. Even so, the woman standing before him truly was like a dangerous rose covered in thorns.
Captivating and impossible to ignore.
Anyone who could remain completely unmoved by her charm was probably either a monk or completely blind.
Seeing Natasha unexpectedly reminded Ethan of someone else.
Betty Ross.
He had already met one of the only two women capable of calming the Hulk.
With that thought in mind, Ethan picked up the phone.
"Felicia," he said calmly. "General Ross has a daughter."
"I don't care what methods you use. Recruit her into the Typhon Group."
After giving the instructions, Ethan raised his hand and opened a shimmering portal in the air.
On the other side lay Noah Town.
For the first time, Ethan gathered the Justice League together.
Professor Charles Xavier, Wolverine, Cyclops, Storm, Colossus, Abomination, and several others were already waiting.
Ethan looked around at them.
"Everyone," he said calmly, "a new mission has come up."
"There's a military press conference tonight. According to my information, something unexpected may happen there."
He paused briefly.
"Just in case, I'm bringing all of you to the scene."
Professor Xavier smiled slightly.
"That's exactly why we joined the Justice League," he replied.
"Excellent."
Ethan nodded once.
"Then let's move out."
To avoid attracting attention, Professor Xavier and the others traveled through a fixed portal and arrived quietly at the Typhon Estate in New Jersey.
Ethan himself returned to Typhon Tower.
Night soon arrived, and the sky glittered with scattered stars.
Ethan Voss arrived at the press conference accompanied by a large entourage. Alongside the six core members of the Justice League, dozens of enhanced soldiers led by Frank Castle were also present.
Every one of them wore identical uniforms.
On the chest of each uniform was a bold emblem: a large letter J surrounded by a circular border that formed the shape of the number six.
The J represented justice, while the six symbolized the six founding members.
Admittedly, the design concept had been shamelessly borrowed from the Avengers.
Even so, Ethan's group did not enter the venue immediately. Instead, they waited quietly around the outer perimeter of the press conference area.
Meanwhile, Ethan walked into the venue accompanied by Natasha, who now wore a stunning burgundy evening gown.
He deliberately sought out Pepper Potts so they could watch the show together.
The press conference soon began.
According to Ethan's expectations, Ivan Vanko should have already placed a provocative phone call to Iron Man by now. That meant Tony Stark was almost certainly on his way.
On stage, Justin Hammer enthusiastically introduced his creations.
"Army!"
"Air Force!"
"Navy!"
"Marine Corps!"
As his voice rose dramatically, a platform at the center of the stage slowly lifted upward.
Standing upon it was Lieutenant Colonel James Rhodes in the War Machine armor.
Just then, a deep rumble suddenly echoed across the sky.
A streak of blazing light cut through the darkness before slamming down directly onto the stage.
The moment the crowd recognized the familiar gold-and-red armor, the audience erupted into deafening cheers.
Iron Man had arrived.
Tony Stark wasted no time.
He walked straight toward Justin Hammer and demanded bluntly, "Where is he? Where's Ivan?"
Hammer immediately began stammering nervously, refusing to answer the question.
At that exact moment, the robotic armors displayed on stage detected Iron Man's presence.
The annihilation protocol activated instantly.
The machines Ivan Vanko created in this timeline were far stronger than the versions seen in the original film. They no longer relied on remote control systems.
After all, Ivan and his father Anton Vanko had spent years researching armored technology. Even a fraction of their innovations was enough to rival Stark's own designs.
Within seconds, War Machine's armor was also hijacked and placed under Ivan's control.
Realizing the danger posed to the civilians in the audience, Iron Man had no choice but to lure the machines into the sky.
.....
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