Rhodes refuses, "No, thanks, I don't smoke..."
What follows is he witnesses Stark taking out a cigarette and tossing it into the air. Instantly, a thin, blue and silver armor wraps around him. Rhodes swallows , "Give me one, please."
On the other side, General Johnson climbs back into a giant robot's cockpit. What appears before his eyes is a fist as big as a sandbag.
Iron Man plans to team up with Rhodes against Johnson but is stopped by the resurrected Steel Monster. He hears Obadiah say, "You know that? Most of the things I tell you about your father are not true."
"In fact, he smokes, drinks heavily, indulge in dissipation, always daydreams, half-hearted, and makes a mess that others have to clean up."
"All those heroic stories about him are made up by me. He is actually a bastard."
"But do you know how I stop him when he is about to say something stupid?"
Iron Man has a bad feeling, but before he can answer, a fist as big as a sandbag appears in his sight.
Seeing Iron Man flying backwards, Spider-Man rubs his hands and says, "Well, now here is a question , who should we help?"
Captain America taps his S.H.I.E.L.D., "I think Obadiah may have a point. He is Stark's uncle and has more reason to beat him up than me."
"But it's not good if we stand aside, right?"
"Then let's not stand here - let's go, there are injured people need us to bring to the ambulance."
On the other side, Iron Man struggles to get up from a pile of steel. He stutters, "Wait! Obie... Well, Howard is a bastard... so am I! But I think there might be a better way to solve this. How about sit down and talk? Or a board meeting?Violence isn't a good way..."
"You're not qualified to say that."
With a roar, the Steel Monster leaps up and lands in front of him. Shadows cast over Iron Man as Obadiah huffs, "Soon you will understand, your Iron Shell is useless, even if you change its look."
Iron Man feels helpless. Obadiah seems determined to beat him up, which only fuels his anger. He talks back, "You will soon find out it change more!"
As he speaks, he agilely dodges the giant steel monster's fist like a bird, and in an instant, he flies behind the Steel Monster and lands a punch on its back.
The Steel Monster retaliates with a backhand swing, but Stark evades it again. Although his current armor is lighter and thinner, its modified power system makes him faster and more agile.
He extends his palm, and the steel debris from the nearby ruins trembles slightly, then flies straight towards the Steel Monster. Jarvis warns, "The magnetic control system is still undergoing upgrades, high-frequency operation is not available, and energy is running out..."
Stark clenches his fist, and the steel debris flies towards the Steel Monster.
Obadiah clearly doesn't expect this move. Because Iron Man's previous fighting style resembles that of a warrior, relying mostly on his punches. But now, with his silver and blue armor, he looks more like a magician.
With the swing of Stark's arms, the steel debris shoots rapidly towards the Steel Monster. Obadiah manages to maneuver the mech and dodge most of the steel debris on the left side, but a few strike his armor's right arm.
However, he is more decisive. In the moment he is hit, he leverages the force to jump out, then throws an uppercut towards Iron Man in mid-air.
Iron Man's armor sparks in response. Unwilling to back down, he performs a reverse dive and punches the Steel Monster in the neck. The Steel Monster trembles slightly, grabs one of Iron Man's legs, and throws him away.
Iron Man is once again shaken and lands in the battlefield between Rhodes and General Johnson. Rhodes is also struggling, and Iron Man shouts, "Come on! Let's switch! And start the second half!"
It is the right decision. Rhodes's armor is more powerful, but his opponent is General Johnson, whose giant mech has eight tentacles. Without enough speed, Rhodes would be severely beaten. It would be better for Stark, with his more agile armor, to deal with him.
Thus, Rhodes stabilizes himself and performs a lift-off combined with a nosedive, flying towards Obadiah.
Once they switch opponents, the tide of the battle is turned. Stark uses his high maneuverability to dismantle most of the tentacles on General Johnson's back. Without the tentacles for assistance, Johnson's mech becomes a true tin can, becoming Iron Man's punching bag and starting to emit flames after a few punches.
The robots he summons are also swiftly dealt with by Stark's speed.
On the other side, Rhodes, who clashes head-on with the Steel Monster, is also enduring some hardships, but the mech has already suffered leg damage from the previous explosion. After a few rounds, it falls to the ground and seems unable to stand up anymore.
Rhodes walks up to Iron Man and says, "I once hear from my former boss, General Andro, he knows your father when he is young. But I don't know what really happens."
"Howard, that damn little shit! He used the military orders to give Andro promotion! That should be mine!I shouldn't be just an Air Force major general!"
"None of that matters now," Stark says. "Now, I'm afraid you won't even become a major general."
"Everyone knows, only Iron Man can build these armors. I'm using the technology you provide to the military, as long as..."
"No, that's not what I mean. I mean, although Howard was a bad person, I think there are indeed some things worth learning from him, such as finding a right partner within the military. Of course, that's not you..."
"Aren't you going to shut down Stark's weapons manufacturing department?"
"Where did you hear that rumor?"
Johnson turns his head to look at the armor belonging to Rhodes.
"My uncle told you, right?"
"Did he also tell you that every Stark is like this? We are fickle. Just a few minutes ago, I changed my mind. Not only will I not shut down Stark's weapons manufacturing department, but I also plan to formally cooperate with the military. It so happens that I have some ideas about exoskeletons for individual soldiers and medical support systems..."
"No! You can't do this! Dammit, I've already promised Hammer Industries..."
"Fools always find another fool." Obadiah's voice comes from a distance again.
Sparks burst out from Johnson's armor, indicating that he hit something inside.
"It seems these armors were manufactured by Hammer Industries for you. But pardon me for saying, these things are outdated."
"Yeah, you only gave outdated technology to Rhodes." Johnson, as the loser, doesn't forget to sow seeds of discord.
Rhodes, holding his arms, stresses, "He just gave me a cigarette, a very fashionable one."
Stark doesn't argue with Johnson anymore. He walks to the disabled Steer Monster and opens the cockpit. Obadiah is lying inside. He appears to be externally unharmed, but he looks pale, as if he is about to die.
"Doctors! I need doctors!"
Schiller appears and shrugs. "I guess what you need isn't a psychiatrist like me."
"Of course, but stop talking and quickly take him to the hospital."
The symbiote in his head speaks to Schiller, "His heart..."
Schiller touches Obadiah's pulse and finds that his heart rate is indeed abnormal. Obadiah coughs and says, "The external power source is not enough to sustain such a massive monster..."
"You tamper with your own heart?" Schiller asks.
Stark anxiously rips open Obadiah's shirt and discovers a scar on his chest. He exclaims impatiently, "Hurry! Send him back to my lab first!... Dammit, this path of biotechnology is a dead end! It's actually killing himself!"
"You're as arbitrary as your father, never listening to others' opinions..." Obadiah says weakly, but seeing blood trickling down Stark's forehead, he ultimately doesn't say anything.
"Send him back first. By the way, I know a good neurosurgeon. You'll meet him at the Stark Tower later."
After Schiller and Stark leave, only General Johnson and Rhodes remain on the battlefield. Johnson shouts frantically, "You damn madman! Rhodes! Don't you know that a soldier's duty is to obey orders? I am your superior now! That old Andro retired long ago!"
"Yeah, retired as a high-ranking general, got a well-paid job in Congress, enjoying a large retirement pension, went to Hawaii for two months last winter, and his granddaughter just got accepted by Harvard..."
Johnson's armor erupts with a violent explosion again.
After a long while, he gnashes, "You'll regret it, Rhodes. Stark can't be trusted. You'll regret becoming his friend."
"They are selfish, sensitive, suspicious, and will inevitably destroy everything. They have a genius brain to save themselves. But they won't save you, won't save a watchdog."
Rhodes takes off his armor and walks out from it. He looks around.
This place has been completely devastated. Not far away, Spider-Man and Captain America are helping the wounded onto ambulances. Most people have orderly evacuated, but many are injured by the aftermath of the explosions during their escape, just being rescued.
New York is big, but the aftermath of this battle only affects a few nearby streets. On the roads further away, vehicles and pedestrians are still bustling.
Soon, a purplish-red glow appears at the end of the sky, and dawn is approaching.
"You're right. Starks are all a bunch of bastards, impulsive, wayward, never considering the consequences, waiting for others to clean up their messes. But Iron Man is different..."
Rhodes looks at the light at the end of the sky. He reaches out, takes off his shoulder board, looks down at it, squeezes it between his fingers, and then throws it at Johnson's face.
"...Iron Man never retreats."