Chapter 12: Road Menace

Obadiah's visit to Tony ended in complete failure. He didn't get his hands on the miniaturized Arc Reactor technology, and the Mediterranean specialists he had personally recruited had made zero progress in replicating it. His patience was wearing thin, draining away like sand in an hourglass.

At a charity gala in Los Angeles, when Tony confronted him about the company supplying weapons to terrorists, Obadiah finally dropped his fake mask of benevolence.

It was only then that Tony finally woke up to the truth. Everything had been orchestrated by Obadiah from the shadows.

He recalled the words Shane had once told him in the desert: "That's not for me to decide." He also remembered Pepper mentioning the possibility of a mole within the company.

Tony originally refused to suspect Obadiah, simply because he had no other family left in the world. Obadiah was the closest thing he had to one.

But now that the wolf has exposed its true nature, Tony has no more excuses. He jumped into his sports car and sped back to his mansion, assembling his suit in record time. Fueled by fury, he took off toward the town of Gulmira, the place Yinsen mentioned before.

If he couldn't stop the company's actions, he would just have to destroy those weapons himself.

Shane, on the other hand, was living his best life.

Ever since May caught him coming home drunk with Natalie, she had initially given him the cold shoulder. But then, as if overnight, her attitude did a complete one-eighty. Suddenly, she was warmly inviting him over to her place.

To be fair, her walnut and date bread was not great. But Shane had an iron stomach. Dark cuisine was nothing to him. He just had to rinse his mouth constantly afterward.

However, his relationship with May had skyrocketed. They had gone from mere neighbors to something much, much closer.

At the same time, Natalie kept throwing flirtatious glances his way. Her subtle yet continuous teasing was like leaves swaying in the wind, gentle yet relentless. If this kept up, Shane wasn't sure how much longer he could resist temptation before things spiraled out of control.

That night, Shane was fast asleep when his phone rang, rudely dragging him from his warm bed. Groggily, he answered, only to be met with chaotic noise from the other end.

It was Pepper.

Not long ago, under Tony's instructions, she had secretly copied confidential files from the CEO's office, uncovering evidence of Stark Industries' dealings with terrorists.

She also discovered the truth behind Tony's kidnapping. Obadiah had orchestrated the entire thing, not just to capture Tony, but to kill him. Unfortunately, the terrorists had their own plans for Tony, which inadvertently gave him a chance to escape.

However, Obadiah had caught on to Pepper's snooping. Just as she was about to leave, Coulson arrived at the office. Seizing the opportunity, she escaped with Coulson's help and exposed Obadiah's entire conspiracy.

Upon learning the full situation, Coulson personally led a team of agents to Stark Industries to apprehend Obadiah.

By then, Obadiah had already stolen Tony's Arc Reactor and installed it into his Iron Monger suit. The agents Coulson brought were nothing more than paper tigers against the monstrous war machine.

With the agents sacrificing themselves to buy her time, Pepper sprinted through the factory in her high heels, finally making it to the entrance just as her phone rang.

"Tony?! Oh my God! Obadiah—he's lost it! He—" She tried to explain what had just happened, but Tony cut her off.

"Pepper, listen to me! Get out of there right now, then call Shane and get him to help you!"

"What?! Shane?! Why?!"

"There's no time to explain! Just do it!"

Before Pepper could even process what Tony was saying, the ground beneath her trembled violently.

Whipping around, she saw the Iron Monger tear through the factory floor like a beast emerging from hell.

"Well, well~, where do you think you're going, sweetheart?"

The mechanical voice from the suit, cold and demonic, paired with the massive arm-mounted weapon that spun like a high-powered bug zapper, sent shivers down Pepper's spine.

Her face turned pale as she let out a terrified scream.

Just as Pepper thought she was about to meet her end, Tony streaked across the sky like a bolt of lightning, crashing into the Iron Monger with unstoppable force and sending it flying.

Pepper anxiously watched as Tony, clad in his suit, and Obadiah, piloting the Iron Monger, tumbled onto the road outside like rolling boulders. Only then did she remember Tony's instructions. She quickly pulled out her phone and dialed Shane's number.

"Hahaha, Tony! Look at this suit I modified! I absolutely love your design!"

The Iron Monger lifted a stopped car with both hands. The streets were already a chaotic mess, with multiple accidents caused by their battle.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., activate the chest cannon!"

Seeing Obadiah fully exposed, the arc reactor on Tony's chest flared to life like a blazing star, unleashing a dazzling beam of energy that blasted the Iron Monger away.

Unfortunately, the attack barely left a scratch.

Tony had no choice—he was running on the old, makeshift arc reactor he built in the cave, which didn't have much power.

As the Iron Monger was sent flying, Tony quickly reached out and caught a falling car.

But just as he set it down, the panicked woman behind the wheel, utterly terrified, slammed her foot down on the gas. The powerful engine roared, and the car took off like a runaway stallion—dragging Tony along with it.

"Ma'am! Calm down! Calm down! Hit the brakes! The brakes!"

The car's uncontrollable speed turned it into a raging tornado, with Tony helplessly pinned beneath it, sparks flying as his suit scraped against the pavement.

Appearing suddenly beside Pepper, Shane watched the scene unfold and sighed. "Reckless drivers are terrifying. You better stay off the road, Pepper."

"Oh my God! Shane?! How did you—"

Pepper turned to him in shock, then stared blankly at the shrinking portal behind him as it slowly disappeared.

"Shh! I'm gonna go help Tony. Make sure to put me on the clock for overtime. This is after-hours."

"Oh… okay…" Pepper nodded absentmindedly, then gasped as Shane suddenly vanished before her eyes.

---

"Hey~ Need a hand?"

A voice rang out beside Tony, who was still being dragged along the road under the speeding car.

Tony had no idea how Shane was keeping up with the vehicle, but he didn't have time to question it. His suit was being crushed between the car and the asphalt, sparks flying in all directions.

"Get me out of here! This woman is insane!"

With a casual snap of Shane's fingers, Tony was instantly freed from under the car. The vehicle, still out of control, sped off into the distance.

"Than—ugh!"

Just as Tony was about to thank him, a wave of nausea hit. He quickly flipped up his helmet's faceplate and doubled over, dry-heaving.

"Deep breaths, it'll pass. Just some side effects from instant teleportation."

Meanwhile, the Iron Monger had recovered from the earlier blast and was now charging toward them at full speed, wrecking everything in its path.

"It's you again?! Two little bugs! Perfect! I'll send you both to hell!"

Obadiah's voice, filled with rage and contempt, boomed from the Iron Monger's speakers as he locked onto Shane. He didn't know why Shane was here, but in his mind, now that he was wearing the Iron Monger suit, he was unstoppable. Nothing could stand in his way.

"Watch out!"

===

Want Bonus release? Vote now!

500 PSs = 5 Bonus chapters!