Adam had always been a cautious person.
Even with Killian and his Extremis-enhanced men lying half-dead, Adam refused to lower his guard. Instead, he ordered several specialized armors to lock them down.
The armors, resembling massive steel restraints, pinned Killian and his men to the deck of the tanker. Their bodies were secured to the reinforced steel plates, leaving only their heads exposed.
Once the prisoners were secured, Adam stepped back and waited for Killian to recover.
Extremis truly was an incredible creation.
Despite having half his head blown off, Killian's body showed no signs of death. Instead, under the glow of red light, his injuries slowly began to repair themselves.
Watching the process unfold, Adam felt a pang of envy.
This guy was like a cockroach—impossible to kill. Short of blasting him with a tank, it seemed like nothing could finish him off.
Before long, Killian's body had completely regenerated. He opened his eyes, looking as if he hadn't just been blown to pieces moments ago.
Adam stared at him and spoke calmly.
"Aldrich Killian, I think it's time for us to have a little chat."
Killian remained silent, his gaze fixed on Adam.
Adam wasn't bothered by the lack of response.
"Aldrich, there's no real grudge between us. Is there any point in us fighting to the death like this?"
Adam's tone was casual, but his eyes remained sharp.
"The people you sent only managed to kill a few office workers. Hardly worth all this trouble, don't you think?"
"There's no bad blood between us—at least not yet. So how about we settle this peacefully? Maybe I'll even let you live."
Killian narrowed his eyes but still didn't speak.
Adam smirked and leaned in slightly.
"All you have to do is tell me who's behind you."
Killian's expression remained guarded, but Adam could see his hesitation.
"I know you didn't build this little empire on your own," Adam continued.
"This tanker? It belongs to IkeMobil Energy Group. And let me guess—there's no way you had the money to buy a $200 million floating fortress."
"Not to mention the military-grade modifications. That's another few million right there. So tell me, Aldrich—who's pulling your strings?"
Killian's silence finally broke.
"There's no one behind me!"
Adam's smirk deepened.
"Right. And I suppose you paid for all this out of pocket? Come on, Killian. We both know that's not true."
Killian's jaw clenched. The veins on his neck bulged as his skin began to glow faintly red.
Adam took a step back.
"Aldrich, I'd keep your temper in check if I were you."
"I've heard Extremis has a nasty habit of… overheating."
Killian's lips curled into a sinister grin.
"Good advice," he growled. "For you."
Before Adam could react, Killian's body erupted in a fiery explosion.
The armored restraints around him shattered instantly, sending Adam stumbling back from the blast.
He quickly recovered, but Killian was already lunging toward him, his molten-red arm glowing with intense heat.
Adam raised his hand cannon and fired two plasma beams directly at Killian's chest.
The attack blasted Killian's arm clean off, leaving it a molten stump.
But even as Killian staggered, his charred flesh began regenerating.
Adam grimaced as he saw the red glow return to Killian's body.
"This guy just doesn't know when to quit."
Killian charged again, but one of Adam's spare armors intercepted him.
"Skynet, liquid nitrogen—now!"
Jets of freezing white vapor sprayed out of the armor's nozzles, engulfing Killian in a cloud of frost.
Killian screamed as his molten body reacted violently to the sudden cold.
Adam didn't let up.
"Skynet, increase output and freeze him solid!"
The jets intensified, turning the cloud into an icy storm.
Even as Killian's body began to crystallize, Adam remained on high alert.
Extremis was powerful, but it wasn't indestructible.
The moment Killian froze completely, Adam stepped forward and activated his armor's plasma cannon again.
"Let's see you regenerate from this."
He fired.
The plasma beam tore through Killian's frozen body, shattering it into pieces.
Adam let out a slow breath, scanning the scene for any signs of life.
"Skynet, run a final check for life signals."
"Scan complete. No remaining life signs detected."
Adam smirked and turned away.
"That's more like it."
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