A cold smile curled the corners of his lips. "But unfortunately, what I'm about to do is beyond your ability to stop."
He finally reached a room filled with metal smelting and processing equipment.
The most striking figure in the room was a red and blue-colored entity. A machine gun, radiating a menacing aura of war, was mounted on its shoulder. This was War Machine, now rebranded by the government as Iron Patriot.
Several workers, armed with electric saws, were desperately sawing at the machine's alloy shell. But despite their efforts, they could only leave a few black scorch marks on the metallic surface.
"Still haven't taken him down?" Killian asked, removing his suit jacket as he addressed the burly workers.
"Not yet, Colonel Rhodes is proving remarkably stubborn. He refuses to come out of the armor," one of the men replied, pausing to wipe the sweat from his brow.
"Oh? Quite the tenacious fellow, aren't we, Colonel Rhodes?" Killian walked over and gently tapped the Iron Patriot's shell. "But I fear you won't be enjoying yourself much longer."
Hearing Killian's words, Rody, still inside the War Machine armor, was in agony.
He had previously received intelligence from the intelligence department about the Mandarin's residence and had gone to the location after the operation order was issued. To his surprise, the "Mandarin's residence" from the intelligence report turned out to be a disguised garment factory, devoid of both the Mandarin and any armed militants.
Caught off guard by this oversight, Rody was ambushed by an Extremis Virus-mutated individual hidden among the workers. The attack disabled the entire War Machine, and Rody was immediately transported here.
"I'll handle this personally now. Stand back," Killian said, waving his hand at the others. He placed his massive hands on the War Machine's abdomen, his arms glowing red as intense heat surged from his palms into the armor.
The air around the War Machine's abdomen shimmered with distortion as the armor plating turned cherry red. Inside, Rody's forehead was slick with sweat, and the armor's internal display warned of imminent structural failure in the abdomen.
"No way!" With a press of a button, the armor opened, and Rody lunged out, delivering a heavy punch to Killian and kicking aside a burly man beside him.
Just as he reached for the pistol on his back, a stream of fire erupted from the side, forcing him to roll across the ground to avoid it. Looking up, he saw Killian's mouth wide open, a torrent of blazing flames surging from his throat, aimed directly at him.
"Holy shit... you... you can breathe fire?" Rody stammered, staring at Killian's monstrous form.
The surrounding burly men snapped to attention, charging at Rody and tackling him to the ground, pinning him down.
Grinning, Killian straightened his expensive suit jacket. "Colonel Rhodes, stepping out of that armor was undoubtedly a wise choice."
"Now, I'll take custody of the War Machine." With that, Killian leaned back and climbed into the war machine.
***
Miami, within a devastated mansion littered with rubble.
Tony Stark crouched on the ground, scrutinizing the bearded man before him—one who resembled the Mandarin but carried himself with a completely different demeanor. He turned to the others. "Is this really the Mandarin? Or some kind of stand-in?"
"From your perspective, this is indeed the Mandarin. But in reality, the Mandarin himself could be someone else entirely. For now, let's interrogate this guy. Even if he's not the mastermind, he might know something."
The "Mandarin" in question, the focus of their attention, stood dazed, his wide eyes filled with a chaotic mix of emotions. As Chen Chen and Tony approached, he immediately shouted, "My brothers are seeking revenge—don't come after me! I'm innocent!" He then put on a disgusting, tearful act.
Tony couldn't help but cover his forehead, hidden by his helmet. *How could this guy be the Mandarin? This is so embarrassing.*
"I can give you a chance to explain everything about the recent bombings—every detail, from start to finish."
Chen Chen spoke softly, standing before the Mandarin. He snapped his fingers, and a green ripple spread outward from him. In an instant, everything in the mansion seemed to rewind through time, restoring itself to its original state.
Chen Chen pointed. "Sit."
Suddenly, Chen Chen, Tony, and Mandarin materialized in the villa's grand hall. The three settled into high-backed chairs. Chen Chen casually sipped his coffee, while Tony and Mandarin wore expressions of utter bewilderment.
After all, this was their first experience with such arcane magic. Tony, having witnessed Chen Chen's abilities and experienced magical teleportation before, handled it relatively well. Mandarin, however, looked as if he'd seen a ghost, his stunned face gradually transforming into terror.
*Clink.* Slowly setting down his coffee cup, Chen Chen addressed Mandarin. "Our time is precious. You'd best explain quickly, unless you want to become a pile of useless rotten meat."
Heeding Chen Chen's threat, Mandarin didn't dare waste another moment. Taking a deep breath to steady his racing emotions, he began to speak, his pale lips trembling slightly. "Th-this matter is still quite complicated."
He continued, "My name is Trevor Slattery, and I'm an actor. The Mandarin isn't a real person, but a fictional character. I was responsible for portraying him. I had some drug abuse problems, and when I ran out of options, I had to resort to illegal activities."
"Then someone approached me to act in a play, knowing I could draw a crowd. They gave me more of the white powder to control me. They gave me everything—this mansion, those beauties, and even plastic surgery. In return, I was to act as the mastermind behind the bombing."
Tony frowned. "Are you talking about Killian? Did he create you?"
"Killian, yes. He created me," Mandarin—no, Trevor Slattery—continued. "The bombing, the custom terrorist attacks, the sick serial killer—it was all his think tank's idea."
"We've figured that out," Chen Chen said calmly, his gaze fixed on Trevor. "Do you know his next move? I'll give you a hint: even if you don't tell me, I can still extract it from your mind."
"I'll tell you, I'll tell you! Killian seems to want to use War Machine to kidnap the president and then publicly execute him live on a cargo ship for everyone to see."
-----------------------
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