The outer skeleton of Stark Building rumbled as it unfolded, the mesh structure supporting the Triangle Tower retracted, and the cylindrical metal skeletal shell blew open. The primary support structure emerged, cannons aligned and embedded, shell layers unfolded, and weapons attached.
Innumerable similar processes were constantly repeated, metallic radiance similar to sunlight scattered across the sea, while sophisticated steel skeletons like fish surfacing from the water. Within mere seconds, the entire Stark Building unfolded and evolved from top to bottom, and countless cannons and weapons swarmed out.
After all small turrets on the top-most layer had fully expanded, a row of launching devices ascended between the two metal pillars at the top of the Triangle Tower, before humming and pivoting, aiming at the standoff between the two camps.
"Defense protocol initiated, standard defenses deployed, locking on...locked on...ready..."
Beyond the layered sturdy metal and perfectly fitted internal structures, levers rose, gears started spinning, energy transmitted along circuits, preheating, firing pins trembling—the first stage cannons, second stage cannons, the blooming mouths of the cannons like flower buds; the light had arrived.
A storm of fire rained down. The Stark's Mech Suits, led by War Machine Rhodes, took off, withdrew, and provided crossing cover systematically, while Justin Hammer's Mechs, as led by Justin Hammer himself, indicated a full embracement of the 'headless fly' strategy.
The moment he wanted to take off, half of the hundred Mechs were obliterated by the gruesome storm of light.
Pieces trailing heavy smoke plummeted to the ground, rolled a few times, wobbled twice in place, then finally turned into dust.
Everyone who was taken to the security layer of the Stark Building watched as a missile pursued a Mech with a sharp whistling sound. After a loud explosion, countless fragments fell from the sky.
Then, hundreds of Missiles, each trailed by smoke, screeched across the sky like nightmarish hobgoblins in darkness, casting silhouettes of everyone behind the glass curtain walls. They looked up, saw fireworks bursting across the New York Sky in daylight.
Hammer thought today would see a showdown of robots, but as it turned out, surface-to-air missiles and full-coverage firepower were the best weapons against Mechs.
Having endured the onslaught of mechanized domination, Stark no longer wished to engage in physical combat with any enemy.
The Iron Man now believed that such combat methods were an insult to technology. In the torrent of steel, each enemy should have the most appropriate way to meet their end, just like the ultimate goal pursued by the industry and mechanics—calm, precise, fully armed.
A true Iron Man could adopt thousands of ways to eliminate enemies. He could disassemble them, shatter them, explode them into fireworks, or burn them into ashes. However, these tactics definitely did not include jumping out in a Mech Suit to throw punches.
From behind the glass wall of his own office, Obadiah was watching. As Stark hovered in mid-air, missiles flew out with his waving arms, circling like a swarm of sharks chasing their prey. Justin's Mech Suits fled for their lives under the fierce firepower. Justin and Whiplash couldn't even find an opportunity to get close to Stark.
He remembered Stark, who had been forced to fight desperately in his Mech Suit against General Johnson's Mech, even sustaining severe injuries. Now, there were countless cannons on either side of the glass curtain walls' supporting structures. The rounds and sparks made it difficult for Obadiah to see outside.
Obadiah lit a cigarette for himself, picked up his phone, and before the call was connected, he murmured to himself: "It seems that your son has finally come to his senses..."
As Stark's astounding firepower was fully deployed, a military helicopter arrived, but they dared not approach the fire cover area. Even the advanced Mechs driven by Justin shattered instantly under this savage fire cover, let alone armed helicopters.
However, the problem they faced was that after the entire Stark Building was converted into cluster turrets, the fire coverage area was unfeasibly vast. They could not even have face-to-face talks with Stark and could only call him from a good distance away.
The first voice in Stark's Mech was Obadiah's. He heard his uncle speak in a calm tone: "The military will connect a call to you shortly. The benefits you sent out must be recouped, do as I say ... "
Two minutes later, Rhode's voice rang in Stark's Mech: "The military demands negotiations. Do you permit the connection?"
"Deny connection, you lead the Mech Armor Troops to destroy those few that escaped. Make sure that barring Justin and Ivan's personal Mechs, they no longer have any armed forces,"
"Received, over..."
Two minutes later, Jarvis's voice sounded: "Scan results confirming... all threats have been thoroughly eradicated, firepower coverage area compressing, military communication has been routed... "
Before the person on the other end could speak, Stark said, "Send over a helicopter, we'll negotiate face to face."
Looking at countless cannons on Stark Building not yet withdrawn, the liaison for the military said: "We can't get there, please leave your firepower coverage area, then..."
"Leave my firepower coverage area?" There was a slight mockery in Stark's tone: "Do you have any recent plans to land on the moon?"
"beep---beep---" A busy signal came from the military communication, and very quickly Stark heard a much older voice: "In ten minutes, we will send someone to Stark Building for negotiations..."
Under the gaze of the military helicopter, Stark slowly landed. He retracted the Mech Suit covering his body, then returned to the building.
Soon, the cannons on the structure of Stark Building gradually retreated. The tide of people released from the secure layer surged out through the narrow doors, like a floodgate being opened.
As the skies darkened, the massive crowd gradually dispersed, each returning to their respective places. One by one, lights began to glow between the buildings.
The lights of New York are magnificent and sleepless tonight.
Global Times, Herald Daily, New York Daily, in the buildings of various major newspapers, from outside the windows looking in, countless people are engrossed in their work. Photographs are fed into printers, newspapers fly out of the printing factory like butterflies, fluttering their wings in the New York sky, tracing smooth arcs.
After working the night shift, newspaper employees stand in front of the coffee machine, watching amber-like coffee drops fall into the cup, splashing ring after ring, creating rippling foam.
After the foam dissipates, Shiller puts down his cup, removes his glasses, rubs his brow, and closes the newspaper in his hand. He turns to Rhodes and asks, "So, the military has gone into negotiations with Stark?"
"It was bound to happen eventually." Rhodes's tone is relaxed. After returning from his vacation, his military solemnity has been notably softened. Rhodes takes a sip of his coffee and says, "But the military made a mistake."
"What is it?"
Rhodes laughs, recalling the scene after the battle ended yesterday.
Rapid, distinctive footsteps echo in the lobby of the Stark Building's first floor. The elevator door opens, and several pairs of boots step in, the generals' solemn faces blocked by the slowly closing elevator doors.
With a 'ding', the elevator arrives. Guided by the lights, they push open the door to a conference room, yet the person inside is not Tony Stark as they expected. Instead, it's a man they'd least like to see.
The leading general's face twitches slightly, he utter a name gruffly, "…Obadiah Stane."
Shiller takes a sip of his coffee, turning the newspaper page in his hand. As he reads, he says, "I can already imagine their dismay."
"It might be even worse than you think," Rhodes responds with a touch of schadenfreude. "Ever since I separated myself from the military system and gained an outsider's perspective, I've found how foolish it was for me, in their shoes, to expect everyone to contribute to the country."
"So, you're not planning to return then?"
Rhodes shakes his head and says, "It's hard for me to completely disconnect from this system, I've traveled too far down this path."
"I am waiting for the right opportunity, when I have the capacity to change it, even if it's just a part of it."
"After all, I can't possibly work solely for Tony, because in that case, I wouldn't have the position to punch him when he screws up."
"I can see that you really want to punch him."
"Like I said, I'm waiting for the right window of opportunity." Rhodes shrugs and laughs.
"Keep talking about the negotiation. Justin Hammer and Ivan Vanko must have participated, right?"
"Yes, their part is the most colorful."
After the generals walked in, the smoky and shabby Justin Hammer and Ivan Vanko followed them in.
Rhodes and a few other mecha suit officers ushered them in. Obadiah Stane sat at the head of the conference table, not even glancing at Hammer, but instead focused his gaze on Ivan's face.
Tony Stark walked in wearing a clean suit. After seeing Justin's mecha suit, he walked over laughing, brutally patting the shoulder of the suit. A 'crack' sound echoed as the shoulder armor fell off, inner circuits sparking up a series of sparks, 'bang', the arm armor also exploded.
Tony chuckled, "What did you name this toy again? Ex-Wife? This is everything a married man can do? Hahaha!"
Ivan wanted to punch him, but Rhodes stopped him. Whiplash's electric whips had been confiscated, and the room was filled entirely with Tony's mecha suits, so Ivan had no choice but to surrender.
Obadiah was still staring at Ivan, he knocked on the table, signaling everyone to take their seats. Tony and Rhodes sat to the left, the military, Hammer, and Ivan to the right, while Obadiah sat in the middle.
He first turned to the military and said calmly, "I understand your intention to knock, but your approach remains as brutal as ever."
He glanced at Justin Hammer and said, "The glove you've found is far inferior to his father, the knocking sound is not pleasant."
With Obadiah present, Tony slipped into one of his zoning out periods, he made no attempt to decipher what Obadiah was hinting at, nor was he interested in contemplating the current situation. Beyond that, all he could do was stare down Ivan.
Skipping the lengthy mutual explorations, politeness, reminiscences of the past, bypassing debates over right and wrong, virtue and vice, and even skipping the stage of projecting a peaceful world outlook, over an hour later, they finally get to the main point.