Confrontation

Pepper was standing in front of Stark Industries, talking to Tony on the phone, when suddenly, a loud noise erupted beside her. She quickly turned around, relieved not to see Obadiah Stane.

Pepper patted her chest, reassuring herself "It's fine, it's fine. Obadiah can't get out."

But just as her words faded, another loud noise echoed, and this time, the direction of the sound had changed—it was much closer, as if it had come from right beside her. Pepper frantically looked around but found nothing unusual.

"Boom!"

Another deafening sound followed, accompanied by a tremor in the ground. In Pepper horrified gaze, Obadiah burst through the earth, breaking through the surface.

"Where do you think you're going?" Obadiah loomed over Pepper, looking down at her.

Pepper was terrified. She looked up at Obadiah, her mind blank. She staggered backward a few steps, the overwhelming fear even making it hard for her to breathe.

"You've outlived your usefulness, Pepper" Obadiah said after glancing at the radar display. He then raised his right arm, aiming it at Pepper, the weapon on his arm beginning to activate.

"Stane!" Suddenly, Tony voice roared from the sky, filled with fury.

Pepper quickly turned toward the source of the voice. At that moment, Tony appeared before her like a deity riding on a multicolored cloud, saving her.

Tony crashed into Obadiah, the sheer momentum carrying Obadiah away with him. They both plummeted back into the ground, returning to the depths of the underground Sector 16.

The two began to fight in the dimly lit Sector 16. The darkness couldn't obscure their vision; with the help of their suits, they could firmly lock onto each other.

Tony punched Obadiah in the face, but physical attacks couldn't inflict any real damage on Obadiah. On the other hand, Obadiah's strikes were taking a heavy toll on Tony.

"Mr. Stark, you need to create distance" JARVIS advised in Tony's ear.

"You're right!" Tony responded. He had to put some distance between himself and Obadiah. Obadiah was like a 200-pound heavyweight opponent, while Tony 80-pound frame would be crushed in a direct confrontation.

"Activate the disruptor rounds" Tony ordered. Instantly, several disruptor rounds shot out from his thigh, successfully disorienting Obadiah. Tony seized the moment to retreat, creating some distance between them.

But Obadiah wasn't about to let Tony go so easily. He activated his thrusters and lunged at Tony, smashing through a wall several meters thick and crashing into the lane outside.

The night in Manhattan was the true essence of New York. The lanes were filled with endless streams of cars, and the people of New York were enjoying their nightlife. Suddenly, the wall on one side of the lane shattered, and countless pieces of debris rained down on the passing vehicles.

Though the debris wasn't large enough to cause significant damage to the cars, it startled the drivers, causing a chain-reaction car accident. The situation spiraled further out of control as a massive figure burst through the debris.

Obadiah pressed Tony chest with one hand, pinning him to the ground, while the other hand casually lifted a nearby vehicle.

Tony stood up, looking at the terrified people inside the car, and said to Obadiah.

"Let them go, Obie!"

"This is called collateral damage, Tony" Obadiah replied, stepping toward Tony, ready to hurl the car at him.

"Focus all energy on the chest" Tony commanded JARVIS.

Instantly, the arc reactor in Tony chest began charging, energy converging within it before blasting out. The massive energy shockwave sent Obadiah flying, slamming him into another car. Fortunately, the people in that car had already fled, so no casualties were caused.

The car Obadiah had been holding also fell to the ground as he was sent flying. Tony rushed forward, using both hands to support the car.

This car, which Obadiah could lift effortlessly with one hand, was an unbearable weight for Tony suit.

"Energy has dropped to 20%, sir" JARVIS informed Tony. The reactor hadn't been recharged after its last use, and Tony had planned to discard it, but thankfully, Pepper had saved it for him.

Finally, Tony Iron Man suit, overwhelmed by the weight, set the car down on the ground. However, the emotionally distraught female driver accidentally hit the brakes, causing the car to push Tony forward.

"Oh! No no no, ma'am, stop, no!" The car pushed Tony for about 20 to 30 meters before he was dragged under it and flung out, rolling on the ground four or five times.

Tony shook his head, pulling himself together as he stood up. In the distance, Obadiah launched himself forward, the thrusters in his legs propelling him into a mid-air double kick that sent Tony flying.

As Tony soared through the air, Obadiah locked onto him via his control panel. Several missiles launched from Obadiah's shoulders, precisely hitting Tony. The explosions from the missiles ignited the surrounding vehicles, triggering a chain reaction of blasts.

Fortunately, everyone nearby had already evacuated.

Tony emerged from the flames of the explosion, facing the unrestrained Obadiah. Tony knew he had to fight back.

He had initially hesitated to use heavy weaponry in the city center, fearing civilian casualties. But seeing Obadiah like this, Tony realized that without taking serious action, he might truly be unable to stop him.

...

Meanwhile, Rhodey and his two companions, driving into the Manhattan area, suddenly saw a towering column of fire in the distance, followed by a deafening explosion from that direction.

"Fuck!" Rhodey couldn't help but curse. This was Manhattan! What were those guys doing? Starting a war?

Obadiah and Tony, now fully engaged in combat, had turned the area into a battlefield. The intensity of the scene was such that the towering flames in Manhattan could be seen from several regions across the Hudson and East Rivers.

Anxious and frantic, Rhodey immediately stepped on the accelerator and sped toward the source of the flames. Although his presence would be of little help, driven by his instincts as a soldier and a sense of duty, he felt compelled to rush there without delay.

Meanwhile, in another part of New York, in a high-rise building in northern Manhattan, a woman was admiring an exquisite sculpture in front of her while savoring a glass of rich red wine.

Suddenly, an explosion startled her, causing her to drop and shatter the glass in her hand. The sweet aroma of the spilled wine rose from the floor. Barefoot, the woman stepped through the puddle of wine and walked to the window.

Gazing at the towering flames in the distance, a flicker of anger flashed in her eyes.

Suddenly, with a fierce determination, she shattered the floor-to-ceiling window before her and leaped out.

And this—was the eighteen floor.

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