After the cheering died down, Tony introduced his assistant Pepper Potts to Ronin.
"Hello, Mr. Ronin. I'm also a loyal fan of Overwatch."
Ronin shook Pepper's slightly cool little hand and smiled. "Hello, Ms. Potts. Being Mr. Stark's assistant must be quite impressive!"
Pepper was indeed very capable—she kept Stark Industries running smoothly and in perfect order. In that regard, she was quite similar to Lucy. But the moment he thought of Lucy, Ronin felt a little unhappy. She should have come too.
"It's just part of my job." Pepper smiled sweetly.
Ronin smiled as well. Outside, Pepper still gave Tony plenty of face and knew how to protect a man's dignity in public. But at home, it was a completely different story.
He didn't believe for a second that Pepper truly thought this was "just part of her job." As his assistant, she handled every big and small matter at Stark Industries. Tony was basically a figurehead who couldn't even be bothered to show up at the company—he was a qualified hands-off boss.
Ronin thought the same. Yes, Tony was a hands-off boss. He didn't care about the company at all, pushing all the work onto a woman while he lived freely and leisurely. He really had no conscience!
His conscience was rotten to the core!
Tony glanced at his watch. "Let's head in. It's almost eight o'clock."
As soon as they entered, a simple-minded fat man came walking toward them and handed three movie tickets to Tony. "Mr. Stark, I wish you, Ms. Potts, and Mr. Ronin an enjoyable viewing."
"Thanks, Happy!" Tony took the tickets.
Ronin naturally recognized this fat man—it was Happy Hogan, who was both Tony's driver and his bodyguard. To be honest, the title of "bodyguard" was just for show; if they really ran into danger, it would still be Tony who had to protect him.
The red briefcase that Happy later handed to Tony caught Ronin's attention.
After a moment of thought, Ronin guessed what was inside the briefcase. It was very likely Tony's latest creation—the Mark V armor!
The Mark V was inferior to the Mark IV in both offensive and defensive capabilities, but it excelled in being lightweight and portable. It could be assembled anywhere and folded into a briefcase when not in use.
Tony had built the Mark V specifically to handle sudden emergencies. One could say he had thought things through very thoroughly.
It would have been even safer if Thomas were by his side, but Thomas cared deeply about the distinction between master and subordinate. No matter what Ronin said, he refused to come.
In truth, Ronin didn't care about such things at all. After experiencing so much, he had long since treated Thomas as a friend. He could also tell that Thomas regarded him as a friend. However, there was always a layer of separation in Thomas's heart—an inexplicable awe toward his boss. It probably had a lot to do with his upbringing.
They sat in three connected seats: Tony in the middle, Pepper on the inner side, and Ronin on the aisle side.
Ronin felt quite at ease. There was no need to worry too much about a terrorist attack. The security at Manhattan International Cinema was very strong. It would take considerable effort for terrorists to get in, and the security personnel were all from special police backgrounds. They could handle ordinary crises with ease.
At first, everyone's attention was focused on him and Tony. In the dark screening room, bright flashes kept appearing—movie fans were taking pictures of them with their phones.
Ronin and Tony said nothing. They could understand the fans' feelings. This might be the only chance in their lifetime, so they simply closed their eyes and let them take as many photos as they wanted.
When the screen lit up, the audience's attention was immediately drawn to the colorful visuals.
There was no opening sequence. The plot began by focusing on several scientists. Due to Earth's population explosion, they had no choice but to search for a planet suitable for human survival.
Thus, they drew up a brand-new space exploration plan. Exploring the Moon was the first step of this plan—and the most critical one.
The scientists successfully landed on the Moon and established a colony there, naming it "Horizon."
Among the colony's residents was a group of genetically modified gorillas. Their purpose there was to test a series of issues related to long-term space living.
One of the gorillas, after undergoing genetic modification by Dr. Harold Winston's team, showed extremely rapid brain development. The doctor himself also taught this gorilla human science and creativity.
"Wow! So cute! I really want to raise one as a pet." Pepper cupped her cheeks with both hands, staring in fascination.
The young Winston was an absolute adorable creature. Many girls in the theater had their hearts melted by the naughty and cute image of Winston.
Those rough guys only thought the gorilla was cute and wanted to hug it and roughly cuddle it. Ronin admitted he didn't have such thoughts. He wasn't a rough guy—he was a refined young man.
"Then I'll buy a gorilla and give it to you as a birthday present," Tony said with a straight face.
Pepper glared at him. She knew he wouldn't say anything nice. Real gorillas in the world weren't cute at all—none of them could compare to Winston.
The story continued. A few years later, the little cutie had grown into a young adult gorilla. The cuteness was gone, but what remained was his strength and intelligence.
From then on, Winston became the scientists' experimental assistant. He often gazed out the window at the beautiful blue planet, yearning for the infinite possibilities there.
Just as everything was developing in a positive direction, the gorillas that had lived on "Horizon" for a long time launched a rebellion. They no longer wanted to be raised by humans like livestock—they wanted to dominate the planet. One gorilla, designated No. 18, was the leader of the rebellion.
The first riot occurred when a scientist was delivering food to them. Three gorillas brutally killed him.
Many movie fans felt their hearts race and grew tense upon seeing this. Everything had been so beautiful, but from this moment on, it was clear this was not a fairy tale.
The fans were puzzled. Why?
The scientists had treated them well every day, feeding them good food and drink. If they got sick, the scientists would go to great lengths to treat them. These gorillas were more like a bunch of spoiled masters.
The scientists had cared for them meticulously—how could they suddenly attack the scientists?
This was the beastly nature deeply ingrained in their bones!
After genetic modification, the gorillas had gained human-level intelligence and ways of thinking. They could speak and perform actions no different from humans.
Their beastly nature was therefore infinitely amplified!
At first, the gorillas still felt some awe toward the scientists. But after becoming familiar with them, they realized these scientists had nothing that could truly threaten them. Their desire for freedom, power, and the future drove them to launch the rebellion.
The only gorilla not dominated by beastly nature was Winston. Because he had been naturally clever to begin with, after genetic modification he became even smarter than the other gorillas. He could use laboratory materials to invent small gadgets, which allowed him to control his own beastly instincts.
When the laboratory base was surrounded and attacked by the gorillas, Winston bravely stepped forward, vowing to protect the scientists to the death.
Unfortunately, he was outnumbered. One by one, the scientists fell in pools of blood. In the end, even Dr. Harold Winston—the one he had desperately tried to protect—collapsed before him.
At this point, many girls' eyes grew moist. They had witnessed the bond between Dr. Harold Winston and Winston, and they had also witnessed Dr. Harold Winston dying in front of him. It was a very uncomfortable feeling.
Endless anger completely awakened the beastly nature within Winston and amplified it infinitely.
His eyes turned golden, his body became a dark red like the fires of hell, and his entire body was wrapped in golden electric arcs. With every movement, he possessed the power to shatter mountains and split the earth.
The climax had arrived. The boiling hot blood in every male audience member's body surged. They wished they could dive into the screen and personally tear apart those heartless gorillas!
In the end, Winston killed the rebellion leader—the gorilla designated No. 18—and slaughtered all his own kind.
Once the beastly nature inside him was fully released, even Winston himself could no longer control it. Only after his anger subsided and the threat was eliminated could he return to a state of self-awareness.
Winston's life could never go back to the way it was. "Horizon…"