Tony studied Maya's agonized expression, his eyes brimming with helpless pity. Anxiety tightened his chest, but he forced himself to stay calm. One wrong move, and Hong Fei could snap her neck without hesitation. The man's earlier display of strength left no doubt about that.
Tony subtly pulled Pepper behind him, shielding her as he demanded, "Who are you?"
Hong Fei smirked. "Didn't you want revenge? Here I am."
"Are you the one behind all this?" Tony pressed.
"No." Hong Fei's answer came swift and sharp. In one fluid motion, he dropped Maya to the ground and leveled his index finger at Tony.
"Enough talk. I'll give you a chance. Beat me, and I'll let both of them go. Lose, and I only want her."
His finger shifted to point at Maya, who lay crumpled beside him.
Her expertise in biological science could prove invaluable to Dr. Helen Cho. As for the risk of her exposing his identity, Hong Fei wasn't worried. He had ways to ensure her compliance, ways to silence her permanently if needed.
Hong Fei had arrived under the guise of being the mastermind's subordinate, and it made sense to take Maya—Killian's former partner who'd suddenly grown a conscience and turned traitor.
Tony glanced back at Pepper. "Get out of here."
She hesitated, her face etched with worry, but Tony's insistence left her no choice. Reluctantly, she retreated, glancing back every few steps. Once she was gone, Tony turned to Hong Fei.
"Did Killian send you?"
Hong Fei's gaze flicked to Maya. "What did she tell you?"
"She shared her suspicions. Killian may be careful, but he can't erase every trace. He's the prime suspect."
Hong Fei paused, his voice dropping to a low, dangerous rumble. "Smart people like you don't tend to live long."
Tony shot back, "And bad people like you belong in hell."
"Let's test that theory."
Before the words fully left Hong Fei's mouth, Tony shot into the air.
......
Outside the villa, a row of Iron Man suits rose in unison, their chest and palm repulsors glowing with charged energy. The next instant, the television broadcast erupted into static, the villa's windows shattered into a cascade of glass, and the blinding light inside flashed like relentless lightning in a storm.
Meanwhile, in Miami, Big Head roused Killian from his slumber. As usual, Killian ignored his companion and began issuing orders with the air of a mastermind.
In the Middle East, Killian's true subordinates infiltrated a terrorist base. While the Iron Patriot arrived to "spread democracy," they ambushed and captured Rhodes, stripping him of his armor.
Killian contacted the Vice President, extracting details about Air Force One's next moves. Using the high-temperature abilities granted by Extremis, he forced Rhodes out of the armor and gestured for his men to swarm in.
"Bring our President back as a guest," Killian ordered, pointing to a crew-cut subordinate.
Big Head shook his head. "That won't work."
Killian shrugged. "Fine. The timing isn't right yet. Let's head to the dock and check on the preparations."
With that, the group set off in a grand procession, dragging Rhodes and the roaring Iron Patriot along.
......
Back in Malibu, Hong Fei moved with astonishing grace despite the armor encasing his body. He darted through the air like a bird, weaving between the crisscrossing pulse energy beams that formed a deadly net. Each attack missed him by a hair's breadth as he carved a path through Tony's defenses. Slowly but surely, he closed the distance.
Even though Hong Fei was wearing armor, his body was as light as a bird and as agile as an ape. The intricate web of energy beams in the air seemed almost decorative as he slipped through them effortlessly, inching closer to Tony with relentless precision.
Tony's instincts screamed at him—the figure before him felt unnervingly familiar. As Hong Fei closed the distance to just a few meters, Tony abruptly adjusted his stance and retreated in a flash. Simultaneously, the array of armor hovering outside the window surged inward, swarming the room.
Hong Fei immediately felt the pressure mount.
It wasn't that Tony's autonomous armor had suddenly become a force to reckon with—it was more that Hong Fei's current disguise paled in comparison to his full-strength form.
On the other side of the room, Tony wasted no time. He barked an order to Jarvis, who swiftly sent a video call request to a specific number. As the line rang, Tony's brow furrowed, his breathing deepened, and his heart rate spiked.
The call connected after a few tense seconds. Hong Fei's face appeared in the corner of Tony's vision. His voice, when it came, was ice-cold.
"What do you want?"
Tony didn't mince words. "Where are you?"
"None of your business."
Tony didn't press further. A moment later, Jarvis flashed Hong Fei's signal location on the screen: New York.
Tony glanced back at the feed. As Hong Fei moved, the estate in the background flickered in and out of view. Relief washed over Tony. Without another word, he ended the call and turned his attention to the figure wielding a warhammer, locked in a furious skirmish with his armor.
Confidence flickered in Tony's eyes as he watched.
Seizing an opening, Tony launched a series of long-range attacks from the periphery, momentarily suppressing Hong Fei. Meanwhile, Maya, regaining her senses, didn't waste time. She scrambled to her hands and feet and bolted from the room.
The cacophony of impacts and energy explosions echoed through the space.
The first crack tore across the floor, quickly widening and deepening. With each thunderous strike of the warhammer, the damage worsened. Finally, with a deafening crash, the floor gave way entirely. Chunks of varying sizes plummeted downward, crushing the meticulously arranged sports cars in the building below into twisted scrap. Thick dust billowed up, obscuring vision.
Tony swiftly adjusted his thermal imaging, and an irregular yellow blob appeared in his view. Before he could act, a warhammer shot out of the dust. It struck Tony's faceplate head-on with brutal speed and precision. The metallic clang echoed as Tony was sent sprawling to the ground.
From the swirling dust, Hong Fei's silver armor emerged, the tattered black cloak billowing behind him. He leaped through the gaping hole in the ceiling, landing with practiced ease. The nearby armors were too slow to react. Hong Fei rolled to his feet, snatching the warhammer from the floor.
He rose, his stance rock-solid, power gathering in his frame. The force traveled upward from his feet as he straightened, his waist and abdomen stretching taut. His fingers clamped around the hammer handle like iron claws, and he swung it in a full, counter-clockwise arc.
The armor on his forearms and upper arms bulged outward as he moved, every motion driven by instinct.
Clang!!
The massive hammerhead slammed into the center of Tony's chest armor with pinpoint accuracy. The reactor flared, its light erupting in fine, branching paths across the metal surface.
They crawled over the armor's chest like lightning piercing through dark clouds. After a brief flare of brilliance, the reactor began to flicker erratically. Tony's body twitched in sync.
A skill card floated up, suspended in the air.
Jarvis acted swiftly, stabilizing the reactor's glow before it could fully extinguish. Though the armor remained lifeless, its floating counterparts surged toward Hong Fei once more. Outnumbered but undeterred, Hong Fei swung his hammer with the ferocity of a lone warrior breaking through enemy lines, reducing the unmanned suits to scattered fragments.
Outside, the armed helicopter's machine guns roared, their firepower cutting through the chaos. Tony's mobilized armors, fewer than ten in number, were quickly dispatched, and the battlefield fell into uneasy quiet.
Seizing the moment before Tony could reinforce, Hong Fei bolted from the building. The helicopter responded with a heavy missile launch.
The explosion erupted with devastating force, sending shockwaves that scattered dust and debris in all directions. Hong Fei emerged from the villa, Maya still conscious and tucked under his arm. He sprinted toward the cliff's edge, planting one foot firmly before launching himself into the air.
His hand closed around the helicopter's landing gear as it veered sharply toward the distant sea. Behind them, the villa, rocked by the missile's impact and its already unstable foundation, tilted precariously. Furniture, concrete, and shattered armor tumbled from the island's edge, plunging into the ocean far below.
As the helicopter vanished into the horizon, the churning sea erupted once more. A lone suit of armor shot skyward from the depths, disappearing into the clouds.
......
Deep beneath the waves, Hong Fei rendered Maya unconscious and deposited her in the helicopter, leaving her to be retrieved by others. He discarded the cracked warhammer into the ocean and turned his flight toward Miami. The journey spanned the breadth of the United States, from Los Angeles to the East Coast.
Active Skill Card: Mark 42 (Green) — Tony Stark
The Mark 42, dubbed "Prodigal Son," is Tony's remotely controlled armor with automatic assembly capabilities. While innovative, its combat effectiveness pales in comparison to other suits, and its defensive capabilities are notably weaker.
Its green-tier status makes it incomparable to the blue-tier Veronica. Its primary value lies in its potential as a reference for Ivan to study its assembly mechanics. Perhaps one day, the iconic phrase "I'll form the head" might become a reality.
......
By noon, Hong Fei arrived in Miami, removing his silver armor on the docks.
Killian stood nearby, his expression vacant and oblivious—a testament to his weak mental resistance. As Hong Fei approached the Iron Patriot, he addressed Big Head: "Any discoveries?"
"Yes!" Big Head stepped forward eagerly, playing a video for Hong Fei.
"Boss, take a look. This is the guy Arthur identified after analysis. He disguised himself as a reporter. His press card and workplace are legitimate, but his name never appeared in the newspaper's payroll records. His tax records stopped seven years ago. Essentially, he should be a dead man."
Hong Fei entered the Iron Patriot armor, the faceplate closing and the chest reactor glowing to life.
"Continue."
"According to facial recognition, Arthur found that he vanished from the United States seven years ago, only to reappear in Europe three years later. Since then, he's been operating in various countries under different reporter identities. Wherever he goes, news related to the Ten Rings seems to follow."
Hong Fei gave a curt nod, his voice sharp and decisive.
"First, have Arthur pinpoint his location. Then send a team to apprehend him. You'll head over tomorrow to handle the interrogation personally. However long it takes, I want you to peel back every layer until you uncover the Ten Rings' lair."
"No problem. As for this place—"
"After tonight, there won't be anything left of it."
Hong Fei turned to face the ocean, his expression unreadable. The armor around him surged upward, its thrusters igniting with a low hum. Its target was clear: Air Force One.