Ronin slowly pushed open the secret door and made a silencing gesture to the people behind him, signaling them to stay put and not move.
Cromwell and the others understood immediately. If nothing went wrong, the hall would soon turn into a battlefield of gunfire and bullets. Stepping out would be suicide.
Ronin crept out stealthily, crouching by the wall and poking half his head out to observe the situation.
The filmmakers were kneeling on the ground with their heads in their hands, begging the thugs not to kill them. The thugs really didn't kill them—their mission was to take these people away, and they were currently waiting for the helicopter to land.
"Sidney, how much longer are you gonna make me wait, you bastard?" one of the thugs roared into his walkie-talkie.
"Easy there, buddy? Just give me three more minutes," came the reply from the other end.
The thug put away the walkie-talkie and bellowed at the restless filmmakers: "Move again and I'll cripple your arms!"
Seizing the right moment, Ronin pressed the activation button on the side of his tactical visor and dashed toward the stage.
Tactical visor activated!
A crystalline blue light screen immediately appeared in front of the tactical visor, as if everything in his field of vision was now encompassed within it.
"I see you!"
The pulse rifle pointed at the group of thugs. The muzzle spat out blue flames, and every bullet hit its mark solidly, striking the thugs.
The tactical visor would lock onto enemies in view, prioritizing those closest to him. As soon as one enemy fell, it would quickly lock onto the next target. Every bullet was used to its fullest potential.
It took at most two shots to kill a thug. One energy crystal was compressed into 25 bullets, meaning that after firing one crystal, he could eliminate at least 12 enemies.
There was no need to aim—just hold down the trigger and swing his arm to follow the targets locked by the tactical visor, and he could instantly kill three or four enemies.
He would need to reload the energy crystal midway. Ronin had already picked out cover: the pillar beneath the stage!
The thugs reacted quickly and immediately raised their guns, unleashing a barrage of fire at the stage. However, Ronin's running speed was extremely fast, and all the bullets struck behind him.
Using methods meant for ordinary people against Soldier: 76 was simply foolish. At such close range, pointing and shooting worked fine against normal people because bullets flew fast, but Soldier: 76 moved incredibly quickly—faster than a 100-meter sprinter.
If they aimed at where he currently was, by the time the bullet arrived, his body would have already advanced at least one step.
So the bullets all hit the stage wall. A landscape painting by a master artist was destroyed beyond recognition, and the dense holes in the wall were terrifying to behold. If those had hit a person, they would have turned into a sieve instantly.
The filmmakers were all dumbfounded, thinking they must be hallucinating from fear. How could a character from a movie appear in the real world?
Some people, however, believed what they were seeing. A few days earlier, there had been news that Soldier: 76 had protected Mr. Ronin and his assistant, and witnesses had personally seen Soldier: 76—though the witness was just a little kid, so his words weren't taken seriously at the time.
Now, they couldn't help but believe the boy's account. Soldier: 76 really did exist in this world!
Soldier: 76 would always appear when people faced threats, eliminate all the criminals, then hide his achievements and fame, departing quietly once the deed was done.
Ronin's heart pounded violently. He hid behind the pillar and took deep breaths. Even for him, sprinting desperately consumed a lot of stamina, but there was no other choice—he didn't want to be turned into a sieve by a hail of bullets.
Even now, quite a few bullets were still striking the other side of the pillar.
This was a sign of the thugs' inner panic. Seeing half their companions fall, seeing the superhero from the movies, and seeing that familiar tactical visor—even people accustomed to life and death couldn't help but feel their legs go weak. They could only vent their panic by pouring out bullets.
In front of Soldier: 76, they had no chance of victory.
After reloading the energy crystal and adjusting his condition, Ronin charged out again, taking advantage of the final few seconds of the tactical visor…
Rat-tat-tat!
The blue flames that sprayed out were like the cold scythe of the Grim Reaper, ruthlessly harvesting their lives like cutting wheat.
The thugs launched a desperate counterattack before dying. Countless bullets narrowly grazed Ronin's back, but not a single one hit him.
When the last enemy fell, Ronin raised his pulse rifle, placed his left hand on his hip, and panted lightly.
Boom!
Suddenly, there was an explosion. The wreckage of a helicopter crashed not far from the entrance, emitting black smoke and sending dust flying.
Then, with a whoosh, an iron lump flew in.
Seeing the bodies all over the floor, then seeing Soldier: 76, along with the gentlemen and ladies who were filled with gratitude toward Soldier: 76, Stark helplessly spread his hands. He was definitely the extra one here.
Ronin's head immediately buzzed. Why had Iron Man come?
There was a miniature communication device in the combat suit. He quickly called Stark, who answered almost immediately.
"Mr. Stark, you definitely won't expose my identity, right?" Ronin said in a lowered, hushed voice.
"Actually, I came to save you… and now I feel really bad, like I punched cotton. When people feel uncomfortable, they inevitably do some inappropriate things." Stark also spoke very quietly, just loud enough for Ronin to hear.
"I promise you—I'll find female stars with great acting skills, good looks, and excellent figures to collaborate with you on films. The crew will supply cheeseburgers every day and will definitely create a comfortable, relaxing filming environment for you. As for the script, I'll revise it until you're satisfied. If you're not happy, we'll scrap it and start over. I have the patience."
To get Tony to keep the secret, Ronin offered sufficient sincerity.
Seeing Soldier: 76 and Iron Man standing motionless, the others looked bewildered. What were they doing? Some kind of telepathic communication?
"I think it's OK!" Stark thought the conditions were pretty good. "By the way, Soldier: 76's uniform and pulse rifle are ready."
"I can pick them up anytime."
"No need. I brought them over while I was at it. They're with Thomas now."
"Thomas?!"
Ronin understood. It was Thomas who had called Iron Man. Knowing Thomas as he did, the guy would definitely rush in to "save" him just to satisfy his own vanity!
Not only that, Thomas had a hidden chuunibyou (delusional middle-schooler) soul inside him. Going to nightclubs could only release pressure but couldn't awaken that chuunibyou soul.
This time, it was the perfect opportunity. The moment he put on the Soldier: 76 uniform, the chuunibyou soul in his body awakened like a beast that had been sleeping for many years!
"I'm leaving first. Now Thomas is Soldier: 76, and Soldier: 76 is Thomas."
Ronin prepared to slip away. If two Soldier: 76s appeared here, everything he had done before would go down the drain.
"I think we can hug. This is definitely a historic moment!" Tony opened his arms.
Ronin didn't refuse. Wearing the skin of Soldier: 76, he gave Iron Man a big hug.
This hug spanned countless dimensions!
"Ladies and gentlemen, this scene will be remembered forever! Overwatch member Iron Man and Overwatch member Soldier: 76 meet for the first time in the Brilliant Star Bowen Hall on September 16, 2009!" Tony's voice returned to normal volume.
Once their fear was gone, many of the filmmakers exclaimed and hurriedly took out their phones to capture this historic moment.
Including Cromwell and several other big names in the film industry who had appeared on stage—they were also extremely excited as they took out their phones to snap photos. This scene was simply too shocking!
The superhero from the movies and the superhero from reality had embraced each other. This explosive news would surely exhaust the ink and paper of every major newspaper!