"So beautiful... No.. Who are you?" Pepper asked instinctively while looking at Raina, who stood before her in a long, cinched-waist dress. But as soon as the words left her mouth, she regretted them. She quickly got up from the ground and said, "Regardless, thank you so much for saving me."
"It's only natural. After all, sooner or later, we're all going to be part of the same family," Raina replied, retracting her hands and revealing a chilly smile as she spoke.
Pepper was bewildered when she heard this and she patted the dusty suit she was wearing and asked in confusion, "Part of the same family?"
"I'm Raina, one of House Head Kyle's subordinates," Raina replied with a nod.
"Ah, so you're one of Kyle's people." Pepper's eyes widened in surprise. She recalled their previous conversation, and her fair face blushed slightly. She stammered, "Um, Tony and I haven't... you know..."
Before she could finish her sentence, Raina seemed to sense something and quickly looked up at the night sky outside the factory. She said mysteriously, "They've finally arrived."
"What has arrived?" Pepper was once again at a loss.
The next moment, her suit jacket pocket rang with a pleasant cellphone ringtone. Pepper took out her phone, glanced at the screen, and saw that it was Tony calling. She hurriedly answered.
"Pepper, are you okay?" Tony's anxious voice came through the phone, accompanied by heavy breathing, as if he were engaged in outdoor activities.
Pepper's heart warmed instantly. She quickly replied, "I'm fine. Your Godfather's people saved me. But Stane is wearing an armored suit and has turned into a maniac."
"That's good to hear. As for Stane, I'll take care of him!" Tony declared confidently before abruptly hanging up the phone.
Pepper looked up at the sky outside with Raina.
There, a meteor-like figure with a brilliant red tail and a blinding white glow streaked across the night sky from the edge, descending diagonally and crashing onto the congested highway below.
Meanwhile, on the main road near Stark Industries...
Due to the sudden appearance of the fallen Iron Monger Armor in the middle of the road, countless vehicles honked incessantly. Some vehicles swerved to avoid the obstacle and crashed into the roadside guardrails, setting off a chain reaction of collisions, and creating a scene of chaos.
"Damn it, what just happened?" Stane was furious. He had no idea what had occurred at that moment, he felt as though he had been hit by a high-speed train and both he and his suit thrown out like projectiles.
He maneuvered the Iron Monger Armor to climb up from the cement road and saw a small van with its headlights on and barely stopped in front of him. Angrily, he raised the machine's massive left foot and kicked it hard on the well-protected front of the vehicle.
*Boom!*
The front of the van collapsed inward, and under the force of several tons of impact, it was sent flying backward uncontrollably.
Just as it was about to flip over, a crimson Iron Man Armor, adorned with opulent gold paint, leaped onto the scene. With both hands, it forcefully supported the rear of the van, while its legs acted as brakes against the ground.
*Screech!*
Accompanied by a sharp noise, two bright sparks flew up from beneath Iron Man's feet as it halted the van several meters away.
"Tony!" The Iron Monger stared at Iron Man, extending its hands and saying coldly, "I already spared you once. Are you coming here to die?"
"Stane, stop this!" Iron Man urged.
"Stop? Ahahaha." The Iron Monger burst into laughter, its white eyes glaring intensely, locked onto him. "With Howard gone, I was the one who raised the Stark Industries to its current position. Now your Godfather wants to drive me away with a single kick, it's not going to be that simple!"
During their standoff, many drivers who had been involved in accidents had abandoned their vehicles and fled in fear.
"If you want to go against my Godfather, you'll have to go through me!" Tony inside the Iron Man Armor snorted as he replied in a concise tone. It picked up a nearby motorcycle and wielded it as a weapon, charging forward.
Raina led Pepper to the rooftop of the manufacturing factory's third floor, where they had a perfect view of the battle unfolding on the road.
On the highway, fire and explosions erupted continuously as two humanoid machines, one large and one small, engaged in combat.
They alternated between close-quarters combat in their Armor and long-range attacks with projectile guns, showcasing the power of advanced technological suits that sent shivers down one's spine.
"Tony, you must win!" Pepper's heart was with Tony, and she anxiously clasped her hands together. Just then, a male voice sounded beside her, "It seems I've arrived just in time."
Pepper was startled and looked over to find Kyle, who was wearing a black trench coat, standing beside her. He, too, was watching the technological battle on the road.
"Boss," Raina smiled and approached, her slender, fair hands naturally wrapping around his arm.
"Mr... Kyle," Pepper greeted with the utmost respect. She almost addressed him as 'Godfather' directly.
"Watch closely. This is the most advanced technology that Earth possesses right now, displayed as the world's first battle before the public eye," Kyle said calmly, a hint of firelight reflecting in his golden eyes.
The rich relied on technology, and the less fortunate relied on mutations.
That was the current first law of the Marvel World.
As for the first battle of mutations, it had already been showcased by him alongside Steve in the base during the World War II era, more than half a century ago. Although it was only the beginning of mutations, it was enough to dominate large-scale wars among ordinary people.
Whether it was technology or mutation, only when their existence was exposed to the world and the public, and as they demonstrated extraordinary abilities in various small and large-scale conflicts, could Earth's people more quickly accept the changes of the times due to fear and apprehension.
On the battlefield:
Iron Man was gradually being suppressed by the Iron Monger, and it was being tossed around like a ball and brutally smashed into an abandoned bus.
The Iron Monger lifted its shoulder and launched a small missile, turning the ten-meter area around Iron Man into a raging sea of fire.
"Mr. Kyle, do you think Tony can win?" Pepper watched anxiously, her heart filled with worry.
"That depends on Tony himself," Kyle replied while stroking his chin. He analyzed calmly, "If we're talking about pure combat performance, Stane, who has no moral boundaries, may have made the Mark I armor a bit ugly, but its combat capabilities are incredibly fierce. On the other hand, Tony's Mark II, while well-rounded, falls slightly short in combat."
"More importantly..." Kyle paused, adding a somewhat mischievous touch, "I gave him an old power core, and it should be running out of energy by now."
"What did you say?" Pepper widened her eyes and looked nervously at the battle. She noticed that the light source on Iron Man's chest had indeed dimmed significantly.
There wasn't much energy left! They couldn't drag this out any longer!
In the midst of the battle, Tony was well aware of this fact. Wearing a battle-worn and damaged suit, he resolutely gazed at the night sky above and made a decision. He activated the thrusters at the soles of his feet and shot into the sky like a rocket.
"Where do you think you're going?" Stane shouted coldly, and exhaust fumes billowed from his feet as the massive Iron Man suit closely pursued.
The two of them accelerated continuously, racing into the vast, dark night sky.
Seeing this scene, Kyle on the rooftop couldn't help but shake his head. "Foolish fellow, it's over."
If it wasn't over then it was time for him to step in and end this commotion.
(End of this chapter)