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scene grew quiet.
Everyone present was silent.
At that moment, only two words ran through everyone's mind:
Perverted!Absolutely perverted!!Utterly perverted!!!
Happy was the first to lose his patience.
Happy: "No, what the hell is this???""The two people blushing, fine, that's understandable—but why are they using humans as bombs???""And the explosion's power! The blast radius must be at least two or three hundred meters!""This is insane!!!"
Colonel Rhodes frowned, agreeing with Happy.
Since 9/11, the Twin Towers had become history.
The United States had invested heavily in aviation security to prevent terrorist attacks.
Strict measures were in place to monitor people from the Middle East.
They feared someone might drive a self-destructing vehicle into the city.
Even with greatly enhanced security, bomb attacks still occasionally occurred.
Yet among all these explosions, the one in the video was devastating enough to rank among the most powerful ever.
It might even be number one.
Why?
Because before the man in the blue shirt detonated himself, no one would have imagined he could cause such destruction!
You once said that to prevent another terrorist attack, the U.S. would at most deploy more guards, patrol cities more frequently, and pay closer attention to certain neighborhoods.
Check any suspicious targets directly.
But now, it's the man in the blue shirt from the video.
If he hadn't self-destructed… anyone seeing him would have thought he was just a normal pedestrian.
The reason the man in blue could self-detonate was because he had ingested the metal fragment given to him by the bald bodyguard.
If self-detonation were that easy…
That would mean you could give this to a few three-year-olds on the street, and they'd become human bombs, completely lowering everyone's guard!
This… is absolutely cruel!!!
Rhodes shivered.
Rhodes: "Tony, you're saying… Killian wouldn't have made deals with terrorist organizations, right?""Could that metal fragment be some new high-tech mini bomb?!""Uh… Tony? Tony!"
Seeing no response from Tony, Rhodes raised his voice.
He glanced at Tony, who was holding his chin thoughtfully, brow furrowed, deep in thought.
Suddenly!
Snap!
Tony snapped his fingers.
Tony: "I get it! I really get it!"
His eyes lit up.
He looked at Happy.
Tony: "Happy, do you remember back in 1999, when I was in the same room with that female botanist?"
Happy was stunned.
He didn't know why Tony suddenly brought it up, but he followed his lead.
Happy: "Yeah, I remember. Tony, what happened?"
Tony: "You remember that explosion that night?"
Happy: "Oh, you mean… you?"
Tony: "Exactly! Even tiny plants can trigger massive explosions! Just like what we saw in the video!"
And the plant root you broke that day was intact the next day, right?
This parallels the bald bodyguard's leg regenerating under the red light!!!
Happy: "Oh my God… that was plant research! How can the same effect happen on humans? And just a few years later, already so fast?"
Happy: "Wait, wait, wait—I have a question."
Pepper interrupted them from the side.
Pepper: "If inhaling that metal truly produces the effects seen in the video… self-destruction or limb regeneration… then hasn't Killian inhaled it too? Otherwise, how do we explain his rapid recovery?"
"But if both he and the bald bodyguard ingested it, why didn't they self-detonate like the man in blue?"
"If it doesn't self-destruct, why did the man in blue self-destruct after taking the same substance?"
The three fell silent, deep in thought.
Unconsciously, Pepper had taken control of the conversation.
Happy, impatient by nature, finally asked:
Happy: "Why?"
Pepper spoke firmly.
Pepper: "Because the technology isn't mature yet!""It's still unstable. Even if it can regenerate limbs, only a handful of core members can achieve the same effect.""To conduct sufficient human trials, Killian and his bodyguard secretly had to sell it to unremarkable civilians.""And because the technology isn't ready, those who mistakenly thought it was marijuana would explode upon using it.""So, I'm confident this isn't the first incident of this kind!""Rhodes, I suggest you investigate human-explosion incidents in the Middle East, North America, and elsewhere. You might trace Killian and his associates' movements.""We can use this opportunity to intercept them in advance and prevent more innocent casualties."
After Pepper's deduction, all three were impressed.
Happy (muttering): "No wonder Pepper will one day become CEO of Stark Industries. She's really capable…"
Pepper flicked her hair and smiled.
Pepper: "Of course."
Tony looked at Pepper, admiration shining in his eyes.
Yes. She deserves to be the kind of woman I admire. In critical moments, she truly shows strength and leadership.
Rhodes said:
Rhodes: "So… should I go to the military to investigate human-bomb cases now?"
Pepper was about to answer when Tony interrupted.
Tony grinned at Rhodes.
Tony: "No, wait, Rhodes.""You forgot we still have the ultimate cheat, don't we? That strange screen of ours?"