Two hours flew by, and the movie came to an end. Many audience members were still reluctant to leave, savoring everything that had happened in the film.
"Wow! What a great movie!" Tony said as he stood up.
He had previously harbored a bit of doubt about Ronin's screenwriting ability. After all, Ronin's only notable work so far was Soldier: 76—it might have just been a flash of inspiration. But now, he was completely convinced.
Making one good work could be a stroke of genius, but producing two films that were both critically acclaimed and commercially successful required real skill.
A genius screenwriter—well-deserved!
He was even a little excited about the day Iron Man would be released. With Ronin's level of talent, there was no way it would be a bad film; at the very least, it would be on the same level as Soldier: 76 and Winston.
He had already decided that on the premiere day of Iron Man, he would invite all Stark Industries employees to watch the film. This movie feast belonging to him would be shared with everyone.
Pepper also nodded in praise. "The story was excellent, though the ending was a bit sad. It would have been nicer if Dr. Harold Winston hadn't died and had gone to Earth with Winston instead."
"A thousand people see a thousand different Hamlets. Everyone has their own idea of the most perfect ending in their hearts, but a movie can only present one ending, so it can't satisfy everyone." Ronin changed his tone. "But that doesn't mean the ending I chose is the best. You can keep the perfect ending you imagine in your heart—that's the best one."
Pepper nodded gently, looking as if she found his words very reasonable.
"Don't rush off yet—there's still a post-credits scene!" Ronin told them to sit back down first.
After the end credits rolled in black and white, the screen suddenly burst into vibrant color again with another short segment.
The other audience members immediately returned to their seats when they saw this. They hadn't watched enough; even if it was just a tiny epilogue, they had to see it, or it would be a huge loss.
The scene cut to the Overwatch headquarters building. Winston had integrated into this big family, gradually forgetting his sorrow, and was getting along well with Soldier: 76.
"You big, rude gorilla! If you dare take apart my pulse rifle again, I'll throw you out!"
Soldier: 76 was quite annoyed. Winston was great in every way, except for his habit of dismantling things. His pulse rifle had been taken apart by Winston no fewer than ten times. He thought Winston was just trying to show off his strong mechanical skills.
In reality, that wasn't the case. Back on the "Horizon" lunar colony, Winston had loved tinkering with things. He would often build something, get bored with it, then take it apart and reassemble it. It was his only source of fun in the lab. Now that he had come to Overwatch, that hobby hadn't changed at all.
Winston ignored him completely and continued dismantling the pulse rifle into parts on his own. Soldier: 76 finally lost his patience. He walked over, raised his fist, and pretended to look fierce. "You believe I won't punch you?"
Winston's ape eyes widened as he raised his own big, dark fist.
The contrast between the two fists was striking—one looked like a steamed bun, the other like a hundred-pound weight. The result of them colliding was obvious.
Soldier: 76 instantly deflated like an eggplant hit by frost. With no energy left, he weakly punched Winston's chest with a tiny fist. "Fine, go ahead and take it apart. Just remember to put it back together when you're done."
The entire theater burst into laughter, making many audience members who had felt sad about the ending feel a little better.
After that, the camera pulled back. The Overwatch headquarters building stood tall and imposing in the bustling city center, its iconic butt logo shining brightly.
Attentive viewers would notice that not far from the Overwatch building stood another very familiar skyscraper.
Its top was pointed, while the lower section was a flat landing area, seemingly designed as a helipad for small aircraft like helicopters.
The camera swept across it, presenting the entire building clearly to the audience. The large "STARK" letters on it were especially eye-catching.
"Wow!"
The whole theater gasped in surprise. Wasn't that the Stark Tower?
With that, the entire film officially ended.
Tony's eyes sparkled with excitement as he turned to look at Ronin. "Is this a surprise?"
Ronin shrugged. "If you think it is, then it is."
"Pretty cool!"
Tony still hadn't fully recovered. This surprise was too unexpected—it had actually appeared at the very end of the movie.
Pepper was also excited. As an employee of Stark Industries, seeing her company appear on the big screen stirred some waves in her heart.
"Mr. Ronin, is the next movie going to be Iron Man?" an audience member asked.
Many people present had seen the news saying that Mr. Ronin and Mr. Stark were collaborating to jointly create the Iron Man film.
Looking at this now, it seemed to be true. The next movie was very likely Iron Man.
"The post-credits scene already gave you the answer—why ask me?" Ronin said as he stood up.
"It's going to be an epic masterpiece!" Tony added.
The audience began chanting "Iron Man" in unison. Tony spread his arms, closed his eyes, and tilted his head upward as if standing under spotlights. He was clearly enjoying the moment.
"Tony, let's go!"
Pepper tugged at his sleeve, shattering his cool pose.
Tony lowered his arms, pouted, and muttered discontentedly in a low voice, "Can't you let me enjoy it for a bit?"
"You'll have plenty of time to enjoy it when Iron Man is released," Pepper said irritably.
"Ronin!"
Seeing Ronin walking away, Tony quickly caught up. "Ronin, I have an idea—let Iron Man participate in some kind of operation…"
"Tsk! That would definitely make for an incredibly exciting story!" After finishing, Tony looked intoxicated with the idea.
Ronin said seriously, "Tony, the Iron Man script is already complete. Adding anything to it now would ruin its original feel and make the story development feel mismatched or overly complicated and bloated."
"Alright then. When can I take a look at the script?"
Facing Ronin, Tony truly didn't have the courage to argue when it came to screenwriting. The other man represented authority in this area, while he was at best an imaginative mechanic with no real expertise in scripting.
"If you have time, we can do it now."
Upon hearing this, Tony turned to look at Pepper. "Pepper!"
"Enough, Tony. You don't need to say anything. Happy, let's go!"
Pepper's face was full of displeasure. She turned and got into Happy's black sedan.
"Then we should also…"
Before Ronin could finish speaking, he saw Tony's face tense up as he suddenly tackled him behind the car.
Ding ding ding…
Bullets struck the metal trash can, producing a series of crisp ringing sounds. Then a shell came hurtling over and exploded.
"Damn!"
Hiding behind the car, Ronin's ears rang from the shockwave. He glared, stunned. Were so many people trying to kill him? Was he really that hated? What exactly had he done wrong?
Tony got up, opened the briefcase, stepped into the boots, and let the other components automatically assemble onto his body. In about ten seconds, he was fully encased in the red-and-silver armor.
Mark V—online!