Chapter 81

"Rhode, get out of the armor quickly!"

Rhode, a colonel in the military air force, reacted to Tony's urgent shout. He quickly activated his armor, escaping from the War Machine without hesitation.

Tony immediately sprang into action, hovering in the air and flying upward. As he reached a safe altitude, a portal opened, and he pulled Rhode into it, ensuring their escape.

Meanwhile, Abel glanced at Obadiah, who was still struggling to free Zach from the damaged armor. Abel transformed into black smoke and ascended into the air.

Finally managing to drag Zach out of the wreckage, Obadiah glanced at the flickering energy core of the armor and then abruptly threw Zach aside.

With a sigh of relief, he looked up at the night sky and muttered, "Live, Zach, live…"

In the next moment, all the battle armors and energy cores of the steel soldiers ceased functioning, and a massive explosion erupted. The entire Stark Industry Fair site was engulfed in the blast, but fortunately, all the people had been evacuated, sparing them from heavy casualties.

However, the scale of the explosion sent shockwaves through the government and military in New York City. Obadiah and his cohorts were found dead, while Tony and Rhode emerged as heroes and saviors. Given Rhode's status as a military colonel, the government could not afford to take responsibility for the incident.

Consequently, the blame fell squarely on Justin Hammer and Hammer Industries, who were far from innocent. They bore at least half the responsibility for the chaos.

In the aftermath, the government and military propaganda machine sprang into action, framing Tony, Rhode, and the mysterious Abel—who concealed his identity—as heroes.

Though Rhode and Rodriguez were cynical about the government's narrative, the news spread quickly, and the three men gained notoriety across the United States and beyond.

Now, seated in Tony's Stark Mansion, the three of them relaxed with drinks in hand. Tony and Rhode had glasses of wine, while Abel held a glass of soda water that couldn't be beaten.

While drinking, Tony pressed an ice pack to the swollen bump on his head. If Jarvis hadn't scanned it to confirm there was no serious injury, Tony would have considered going to the hospital.

"Tony, this time should be over, right?"

"It's over, it's over. No one can escape the explosion of the armor itself."

"Well, then you have time to build a new War Machine for me."

Glancing at Rhode, Tony nodded helplessly and said, "Okay, this time I'll use the latest technology for you and prepare all the weapons. It saves you from finding other people to work with me, which can be a hassle. If you hadn't had any problems this time, we might have already dealt with Obadiah."

"I'm not to blame," Rhode said, downing the rest of his drink in one gulp. "Okay, I'm going back. I still need to report on what just happened."

Turning to Abel, Rhode hesitated for a moment before saying, "Abel, I'll pretend I don't know you and just say Tony came to you. Otherwise, given how the military operates, you might find yourself in a lot of trouble."

Originally, Abel had planned to discuss this matter with Rhode and was even ready to use Oblivion. However, Rhode's suggestion to leave some distance allowed Abel to accept the situation more comfortably.

Raising his glass for a toast, Abel downed his soda in one go and smiled. "Thank you, Rhode. You helped me a lot."

"It's okay, but this toast doesn't count. Wait until you're twenty years old for the real toast."

After finishing, Rhode nodded to Tony and Abel, then took the elevator to leave.

As Rhode stood in the elevator, he contemplated his thoughts until he finally nodded and muttered to himself, "Well, in this way, he should be a mage like the Sleeping Beauty Witch? The dark one... well, there's nothing to mess with him in the future."

At the same time, Abel sneezed, rubbed his nose, and looked at Tony. "Tony, what you meant just now was to acquire Hammer Industries and then use their foundation to establish a company to research potions?"

"Yes, that's it. Of course, many military facilities and other assets in Hammer Industries will probably be taken over by the military itself. What's left will be mostly just the channels and company framework. Even so, it's definitely much more convenient than building everything from scratch; many things don't need to start from the ground up."

"I don't know much about these things. I'll leave it to you so I can concentrate on restoring the potions."

"In my opinion, if you want the company to make money, consider restoring some potions targeted at certain diseases or ones that could be sold to the military for combat assistance. Especially the military potions. If we can get the military on board, many processes will become simpler, even if some things will still be troublesome."

Abel nodded, acknowledging Tony's insight. Stark was indeed second to none in the world, but since the military-industrial cooperation had ended, they had faced pressure from various sources.

"If it weren't for Tony's identity as Iron Man and Stark Industries' foundational presence in SHIELD, the government and military wouldn't dare to be too oppressive. It's uncertain what the situation would be like now."

"Tony, I'll handle the research and development for this pharmaceutical company, and you'll manage it. Even if this company is a subsidiary of Stark, all I need is money and convenience for my research. As for other things, like fame, I'm not interested."

"Don't you want to show up?"

"There are too many complications to explain there, so let's wait."

Tony shrugged. "Alright, do what you want, but be prepared. You'll have to tell your mother about these things sooner or later."

"Don't worry, it's already in the plan."