Chapter 153: Prosthetic Sonic Cannon

A brilliant silver sword light cleaved through the air where Iron Monger's head had been.

The arm that had been swinging towards Tony Stark seemed to lose all power instantaneously. Under the influence of inertia, it gently bumped against the helmet. The slight vibration was completely absorbed by the battle suit's defense systems, and Tony felt nothing.

Clearly, the impact hammer, bathed in the sword light, had been rendered inert and could no longer deliver its previous devastating force.

The other steel arm that had been tightly restraining him also slumped down limply. Tony stumbled forward a few steps, then quickly turned to face the now-headless Iron Monger behind him.

The colossal form of the Iron Monger stood motionless. The head had been severed cleanly at the base, the cut on the lower armor as smooth as a mirror. Severed cables protruded from the incision, occasionally sparking. The entire armor had been rendered completely combat-ineffective.

Under Tony's stunned gaze, the massive, decapitated body of the Iron Monger slowly toppled backward, its heavy impact shaking the ground.

In the dust cloud stirred up by the Iron Monger's fall, a tall and imposing black figure emerged and approached Tony. In his right hand, he held a silver two-handed knight's heavy sword, easily exceeding a meter in length. This was undoubtedly the source of the brilliant silver sword light Tony had just witnessed.

Black full-body armor, a silver two-handed knight's long sword – though he had never seen it firsthand, Tony Stark was intimately familiar with this description. From his childhood, he vividly remembered his father Howard recounting tales of Chen Mo's equipment and attire, detailing the origin and capabilities of each weapon and piece of gear.

The adamantium armor combat suit, personally designed by Chen Mo, renowned for its impenetrable defense and invulnerability; the legendary Sword of King Arthur, the unbreakable blade of the king; and the world's only original adamantium shield, capable of negating all attacks.

These legendary weapons and equipment, so familiar from his father's stories, were now materialized before him.

Thus, even without seeing the face of the figure before him, Tony Stark could unequivocally identify him as his godfather, Commander Chen Mo.

Tony Stark, having once again narrowly escaped death and been rescued by Chen Mo in his despair, swiftly retracted his battle suit's mask and exclaimed excitedly to the towering figure.

"Dad!"

As it turned out, Chen Mo had arrived at Stark Industries long before the two had ascended into the sky and had witnessed their entire confrontation.

Solely for the purpose of training his godson, Tony Stark, Chen Mo had refrained from immediate intervention.

It wasn't until he perceived Tony to be in mortal danger that Chen Mo drew the long sword from his back, unleashing his full speed and charging towards the two combatants.

Upon closing the distance to the Iron Monger, Chen Mo exerted force on his legs, leaping from the ground. The razor-sharp King's Sword in his hand slashed out in a swift arc, severing the Iron Monger's head. The Iron Monger instantly lost control and crashed heavily to the ground.

Having neutralized the Iron Monger with a single strike and delivered Tony Stark from peril, Chen Mo sheathed the King's Sword behind him, strode towards Tony, and, looking at him sternly, said in a deep voice.

"The battle is not over until the enemy is confirmed dead!"

Under Chen Mo's piercing gaze, Tony felt a pang of shame for his earlier carelessness. Accepting Chen Mo's reprimand, he nodded earnestly.

"I remember, Dad!"

This was the third time Chen Mo had saved him from imminent danger. Gazing at Chen Mo's tall and imposing figure, Tony couldn't help but feel a surge of profound admiration.

"It feels so good to have a dad!"

...

"Achoo!!!"

In a secret underground SHIELD base not far from Stark Industries.

Howard Stark, engrossed in experiments within the laboratory, suddenly sneezed uncontrollably again. The hand holding the tool inevitably trembled, and a crackling sound accompanied by a shower of electric sparks erupted, rendering the components on the experimental table before him completely useless.

"Damn it! What the hell? I've been sneezing constantly lately. Is that little bastard Tony thinking about me?"

Staring at the smoking remains of his experiment, Howard rubbed his nose in annoyance.

He was naturally aware that Tony had been kidnapped by terrorists, but knowing Chen Mo was involved, he wasn't worried about Tony's safety and had allowed Chen Mo to handle the situation.

Since faking his own death, he had largely stayed out of Stark Industries' affairs.

Howard viewed this as a crucial learning experience for Tony. He didn't want his son to remain a perpetually dependent child under his clandestine protection. True growth required facing adversity. He himself had fought alongside Chen Mo on the battlefield, and his son needed to become a true man.

In the past, he had harbored some concerns about Tony, given his reputation as an unreliable playboy. Fortunately, Chen Mo was back now. With Chen Mo's occasional guidance, Howard was confident that Tony would undergo a significant transformation.

Considering the individuals Chen Mo had mentored – Steve, Huang Quan, Han Qing, Luo Zhen, Wang Kun – none were cowards; they were all heroes. Howard had complete trust in entrusting Tony to Chen Mo's care.

...

In the Stark Industrial Park, Chen Mo observed Tony Stark, who was looking at him with a mixture of excitement and admiration, and shook his head helplessly.

Tony noticed Chen Mo's head shake and looked at him with some confusion.

"What's wrong, Dad?"

Chen Mo glanced at Tony and asked sternly.

"What did I just say?!"

Although Tony didn't fully understand the reason for Chen Mo's apparent displeasure, he still answered seriously.

"The battle is not over until the enemy is confirmed dead!"

Under Chen Mo's unwavering gaze, the meaning of his words finally dawned on Tony. He turned to look at the fallen Iron Monger.

Only then did he realize that although Chen Mo had severed the Iron Monger's head, causing it to lose control and crash, the cut surface only revealed sparking broken cables – no blood, no brain matter. This meant Obadiah was still alive!

Because he was unfamiliar with the Iron Monger's internal design and had been rescued by Chen Mo in the midst of the crisis, Tony Stark had instinctively assumed the battle concluded with the decapitation, completely overlooking these crucial details.

It was only now that he understood the internal layout of the massive Iron Monger differed from that of the Mark II, and it wasn't a close-fitting design. Obadiah's position was lower, within the Iron Monger's torso. Severing the head had only destroyed the Iron Monger's control systems, leaving Obadiah unharmed.

Under Tony's watchful eyes, the body of the Iron Monger lying on the ground emitted a burst of mechanical exhaust, accompanied by several plumes of white vapor venting from the chest armor. Amidst the whirring of internal mechanisms, the armor on the Iron Monger's chest fully retracted, and a ferocious-looking Obadiah stood up from within. After glancing at the headless Iron Monger behind him, Obadiah turned his head, his gaze venomous as he fixed it on Chen Mo, spitting out a hateful question.

"Who are you?!"

After the Iron Monger's head had been severed moments ago, the shrewd Obadiah had intended to hide within the armor, waiting for an opportunity to ambush Tony when he was off guard. However, this mysterious man who had suddenly appeared had seen through his ruse and stated it unequivocally.

Chen Mo looked at Obadiah coldly, disregarding his question.

However, as his eyes swept over Obadiah, Chen Mo's gaze suddenly paused.

Seeing that Chen Mo ignored his inquiry, Obadiah's already enraged face contorted with even greater fury. Yet, strangely, he displayed none of the panic and fear one would expect from someone who had just lost their most powerful asset. He didn't seem intimidated by Chen Mo, who had destroyed the Iron Monger with a single blow, or by Tony Stark, still encased in his Iron Man suit.

Under Chen Mo's curious scrutiny, Obadiah raised his left hand with a tyrannical expression. His left hand, the one that should have been severed by Crossbones Brock Rumlow, appeared completely intact. However, upon closer inspection, its movements were noticeably stiff.

Obadiah raised his left hand, his palm facing Chen Mo and Tony Stark. Then, under their watchful eyes, a gap appeared between his middle and ring fingers. The palms on either side of the gap separated and slid outwards, revealing a futuristic silver gun barrel extending from the center.

A smug smile spread across Obadiah's face, and a string of light blue energy began to illuminate from the base of the barrel, quickly spreading towards the muzzle.

When the entire barrel glowed with blue light, it seemed the energy had fully charged. Accompanied by a somewhat piercing whistling sound, a ball of hazy light blue energy was emitted from the muzzle and hurtled towards Chen Mo and the others at incredible speed.

Having noticed the anomaly of Obadiah's left hand earlier, Chen Mo had remained vigilant. Witnessing the arm's transformation, a strange look flickered in Chen Mo's eyes. Observing the hazy light ball speeding towards them, Chen Mo's shield, previously concealed, materialized instantly in his hand, intercepting the projectile.

The hazy light blue energy ball made contact with the shield, but instead of shattering Chen Mo and the shield into pieces as Obadiah had envisioned, it dissipated like a puff of smoke hitting a wall, creating only a faint ripple before vanishing silently into the air.

"How is this possible? How could the sonic cannon be blocked so easily?"

Obadiah, who had been so confident of victory, stared in disbelief as his attack was effortlessly negated, vanishing into thin air.

He had personally tested the power of the weapon in his left hand. Even an armored vehicle would disintegrate under a single blast. How could it be so easily stopped by a man with a shield!

Suddenly, a flicker of recognition crossed Obadiah's face. He cautiously examined Chen Mo, who had just lowered his shield. Upon closer inspection, Obadiah's expression underwent a drastic change.

The black alloy armor encasing his entire body, the round shield capable of withstanding immense attacks, the silver two-handed knight's sword that had decapitated the Iron Monger with a single strike, a sword that cleaved through iron as if it were mud – all these elements coalesced in his mind, and the name of a legendary figure surfaced.

Considering the known association between this legendary figure and Howard Stark, Obadiah's certainty solidified, yet his eyes, as he gazed at Chen Mo, were filled with utter disbelief.

"You... you're the commander of the special forces from back then?!"