At this moment, the previously composed leader, Matthew Ellis, displayed a rare trace of panic on his face. He glared at General Chris, then rubbed his temples.
He had thought that even though the broadcast building was bombed, there was still a chance that Mandarin could have been killed in the explosion. But now, it seemed clear: this was all part of Mandarin's plot. It was a trap!
Matthew Ellis could no longer maintain his composure, his expression becoming increasingly frantic. Seeing their President's panic, the meeting center quickly descended into chaos as well.
The Mandarin in the broadcast building was a fake, proving that he knew about the ambush. This meant that the country would now face a full-scale retaliation, which could be even more severe and terrifying than the first attack.
Matthew Ellis, in a state of panic, looked at Colonel Rhodes and suddenly seemed to recall something. He quickly picked up his phone and dialed Indra's number. However, there was no answer!
Matthew Ellis, now too anxious to be frustrated, turned to Colonel Rhodes and said, "Find the Inferno immediately, across the entire country..."
He paused, then added, "If you can't find him, find Iron Man!"
---
At the same time, Mandarin was calmly sitting in Tony Stark's office in Stark Tower, sipping coffee. Everyone in Stark Tower had already become his puppets.
He had waited a very long time for this moment. Ever since he was defeated by Tony Stark, he had been training, continuously increasing his power. He was now completely different from before.
He wanted to kill Tony Stark. This thought had been in his mind for far too long. Of course, besides Tony Stark, those other bothersome heroes couldn't be allowed to survive either. Keeping them alive would only cause him more trouble.
Mandarin picked up his coffee, just as a loud explosion shook the entire city. He watched as the coffee cup in his hand trembled violently, smiled, and took a sip. He had never tasted coffee so delicious.
"Boss!" A man holding a machine gun walked in from outside and said to Mandarin, "All the Exploding Men have entered the broadcast building. That explosion just now must have been the result of the broadcast building blowing up. With that level of explosion, no one inside could have survived."
Mandarin acknowledged with a nod, not lifting his head. His thick hair and beard almost covered his entire face, hiding any expression.
"Boss, the first phase of the plan is complete. What should we do with those under your control?" asked the man with the machine gun.
Mandarin still didn't look up and simply asked, "Where is Saman?"
The man replied, "Lord Saman is at the broadcast building."
Mandarin didn't respond. He placed his coffee cup down and fiddled with the ring on his hand.
Seeing Mandarin's silence, the man hastily said, "Boss, if there's nothing else, I'll head out."
At this moment, Mandarin finally showed a slight reaction. He raised his head, looked at the man, and said quietly, "You know, I miss the old Ten Rings."
The man looked at Mandarin, puzzled. He clearly didn't understand why Mandarin was telling him this.
Mandarin continued, "Because they lived in constant fear of me."
He paused, then added, "It seems you all have forgotten that you should address me as Mandarin."
Mandarin turned his ring, and a beam of light shot towards the man, slicing his body in half.
Without any expression, Mandarin disdainfully said, "Calling me 'boss'? You're not worthy!"
The people outside, seeing the unusual light, rushed in and found the man's bisected body. Their expressions briefly showed shock, quickly replaced by fear.
They bowed their heads, not daring to make a sound. They were new to the Ten Rings, as the previous members had mostly been wiped out. Although they had heard stories about Mandarin, most thought he was just a legend. With Saman as the previous leader, they hadn't fully acknowledged Mandarin's authority until now.
Seeing the man's corpse, they finally understood Mandarin's terrifying power.
"Take him away. Don't disturb my coffee," Mandarin said calmly, as if killing someone was a trivial matter.
Terrified, the men immediately removed the body. Mandarin picked up his coffee again, taking a leisurely sip.
Suddenly, the sound of breaking glass echoed in Mandarin's ears. He remained unbothered, continuing to enjoy his coffee. There were always fools rushing to their deaths, he thought.
Then, a man's voice broke the silence:
"I heard someone wants to kill me because I'm too famous. So, I came to see if they're worthy."
Mandarin smirked disdainfully at the challenge. Who dared to provoke him?
He looked up, a fleeting trace of surprise on his face. It was the Inferno?!
Mandarin looked at Indra and asked, "Why are you here? Shouldn't you be at the broadcast building?"