"Thank you for saving Pepper, Li Yue," Tony was deathly scared by the thought that Pepper was in lethal danger. He couldn't imagine how to live with himself if something happened to Pepper.
Fortunately, Li Yue was here. Tony's gratitude for Li Yue was immeasurable.
"Alright, Tony, you focus on dealing with him. I don't think you're in great shape," Li Yue brushed Tony's words and turned their attention to Iron Monger, who was crawling back up from the ground.
"Li Yue, please bring Pepper to a safe place. Leave that guy to me," Tony said to Li Yue, fearing for Pepper's safety.
"No problem, I'll take her to the safest place in the world. You concentrate on him," Li Yue replied.
Pepper was utterly confused. She had barely recovered from the shock of the near-death situation, and now she heard the incomprehensible conversation between Li Yue and Tony.
Anyone would be afraid when faced with imminent death. Pepper's reaction was normal and even commendable, considering she had lived her life as an office woman far from this kind of danger.
Li Yue disappeared from the battlefield along with Pepper.
...
After seeing Li Yue disappear with Pepper, Tony turned his fury at the gigantic Iron Monger. The bastard had tried to kill Pepper just now. Tony no longer cared that Obadiah was his uncle; right now, this monster was simply his enemy.
"Tony! I didn't expect that you would survive! But you shouldn't have come here. I have built a powerful armor; killing you would be easier than crushing an ant!" Iron Monger made a pose with a raised arm and a clenched fist, displaying the armor's strength.
"Don't be so full of yourself, Obadiah. I created that armor, and I will be the one that destroyed it as well. Accept your fate and live the rest of your lonely life in prison! Though, knowing the thirsty inmates, you would probably be very popular in there," Tony mocked the Iron Monger.
"Ah, Tony. Still the same as always. You enrage me as easily as you breathe. You're right; I made this armor based on your design. But that is exactly why you will fall. You're a technological genius, but you're an idiot in management. You have no idea how to turn your invention into something valuable. Just look at your own armor: weak. Fragile. I will rip that scrap metal apart and pull you from its wreckage before crushing you with my own hands."
Obadiah charged with his massive fist after he finished his villain speech. The terrifying power and mass came crashing down on Tony.
Tony confidently clenched his right fist to meet Obadiah's attack.
Boom!
A thunderous explosion burst out where their fists collided, sparks bursting from the impact.
But the Iron Monger was simply too big, and Tony's inferior Arc Reactor couldn't compensate for the collision. Tony was sent flying, while Iron Monger stayed in its place.
"Sir, the power level is too low. The current power reserve is 31%, and the armor has sustained 12% damage. I advise against fighting him head-on," Jarvis warned Tony.
"I know, Jarvis. How long until the cavalry?" Tony asked while avoiding Iron Monger's massive fists.
"Sir, the F-HK1 armor is much slower due to its size. It will arrive within six minutes," Jarvis replied.
"Alright, I just have to last six minutes, right?" Tony felt his confidence waver. The Iron Monger constantly barraged him with attacks, and he could only rely on his agility to dodge. Even then, he still suffered direct hits when he couldn't dodge in time. Fortunately, Tony's armor was strong enough to protect him from Iron Monger's attacks so far.
Li Yue handed Pepper over to Coulson and the team of SHIELD agents, asking them to escort Pepper to a safe place. He then went to the streets to join the bystanders that watched the spectacle for fun and profit.
Tony could barely resist as the Iron Monger drove him away from the Stark research complex to the highway. It didn't seem that he would be able to hold on for long.
"We are live to report the unexpected sighting of two robots, origin unknown, that suddenly appeared and fought on the street—Oh my God, that black robot just lifted a car! It was really strong! It ignored the life of the people in the car and smashed the car into the red robot!"
Li Yue turned to a beautiful lady and her camera crew that had suddenly appeared. The lady was holding a microphone and excitedly reported the battle between Tony and the Iron Monger.
"Good job! The red robot caught the car larger than it! Its strength was unbelievable!" Li Yue suddenly realized that a crowd was forming around him, commentating and exclaiming at the battle between Tony and the Iron Monger.
...
"Jarvis, focus the energy on the chest piece and release it at once!" Tony stabilized the car in his arms while ordering Jarvis.
Boom!
The Iron Monger had its right hand raised and ready to smash at Tony when a dazzling energy beam sent it stumbling backward.
"Lady, calm down, oh no—"
The frightened female driver mistook the accelerator pedal as the brake and drove straight at Tony.
Fortunately, Tony could think fast to move below the car and escape from its path.
But before Tony could stand back up, the Iron Monger returned to catch him.
"You are too kind, Tony. This is your weakness!"
Iron Monger grabbed Tony's head and a leg in his hands and slammed Tony to the ground before stepping on Tony with his right foot.
"Don't you think it's ironic? You want to stop making weapons, but you ended up creating the strongest one. You just have no idea how to even use it. But me? I could conquer the world with it."
Iron Monger stomped at Tony as he spoke. However, he soon realized that Tony's armor was too strong. His attacks couldn't cause fatal damage.
Iron Monger resorted to grabbing Tony in one hand and threw the genius billionaire away. Tony smashed into a car parked in the distance, destroying it. Fortunately, it was empty.
"Let me demonstrate the potential of your own weapon!"
A missile suddenly appeared from Iron Monger's shoulder and immediately fired at Tony.
Boom!
The violent explosion sent Tony flying into the air.
Flames erupted from Tony's hands and feet right before he slammed to the ground, stabilizing him in the air.
"Jarvis put all the remaining energy into the thrusters. Let's freeze him up high." Tony suddenly had a flash of inspiration, recalling Li Yue's warning about the freezing problem of normal steel material.
"Sir, unfortunately, that will be unnecessary. F-HK1 is estimated to arrive within 30 seconds; please stand by."
...
"Holy moly, that big robot just fired a missile. I hope the red robot is fine—oh God, that red robot can fly! It's floating in the air!"
Li Yue listened to the commentary from the news reporter beside him. Li Yue sighed. These foreigners were so miserable; they couldn't even say "fuck" on television.
"Look, what is that? Is that a meteor? It's heading toward the red robot! Dodge it!"
The spectating crowd suddenly noticed a dazzling light streaking across the horizon like a meteor, flying straight toward the red robot. They had unilaterally decided that the Iron Monger was the villain due to its ugly design—well, that and its blatant disregard for others' lives.
"It's not a meteor; it's another robot! A red one, even bigger than the black robot!" The surrounding crowd was overcome with another wave of shock. Another robot had arrived, bigger than the previous two, yet it was flying in the sky.
Li Yue secretly sighed in relief when the new armor arrived. He was really afraid that the armor wouldn't make it and Tony would be killed by the Iron Monger.
Of course, he had been watching the battle. If Tony was really in danger, he wouldn't hesitate to rescue Tony. Fortunately, he didn't have to do that.
...
"Jarvis, prepare to merge."