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The two of them were so excited that they had to stand face to face.
"Hahaha!"
Tony burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha!"
Happy laughed even louder.
Happy grinned and patted Rhodey hard on the shoulder.
"Ha! Rhodey."
"I never would've guessed that someone who looks as serious as you would use such a playful password."
"No wonder I heard Tony say that when we were watching the Iron Man Origins footage."
"We agreed not to drink on the plane—then the camera cuts, and suddenly Tony and I are drinking while watching a strip show at 30,000 feet."
"I really didn't expect you to be this… wild, Rhodey!"
"You look all serious on the outside, but your body tells the truth."
"Hahaha!"
After saying that, Happy couldn't help but slap Rhodey's shoulder again.
Rhodey immediately fought back.
"Happy, you're no better."
"Want me to ask JARVIS to replay that video of you and Black Widow?"
"I really enjoy watching you spend a passionate night together in the car~~~"
The moment he heard that, Happy's face changed drastically.
He begged for mercy over and over again.
Rhodey finally felt better.
Fortunately—
This was something that would still happen in the future.It hadn't happened yet.
I really need to stop using such stupid passwords, Rhodey thought.Otherwise, things get way too social.
But then again…
What kind of name should I come up with next…
…
At that moment, a new title appeared on the screen.
"Iconic Scene 7: Five, Four, Three—Do It Again!"
To completely capture the Mandarin, Tony infiltrated a massive mansion.
[In just a few seconds, Tony relied on his engineering skills and homemade gadgets to eliminate the enemies one by one.][Even without his armor, Tony Stark himself was formidable.][After the battle, Tony regained his confidence.]
[Door breached. Entering the bedroom.]
Tony finally found the Mandarin he was hunting.
But to his shock—
[This so-called Mandarin was nothing more than a disgraced stage actor.][He only acted tough in front of cameras, spouting cruel words to spread fear.][He spent his days drowning in alcohol and women, hiding inside this villa.][This ordinary man had no idea what was really happening outside.]
...
Stark Tower.
Tony felt as if he had punched with all his strength—only to hit cotton.
After all—
In the previous footage, the enemy had sent helicopters to bomb his home.He had been forced to flee to a place even he didn't recognize.
Tony had believed the Mandarin to be a terrifying mastermind.
Instead—
He was nothing more than a drunken, gambling, chain-smoking actor.
So then…
Who was the real mastermind behind everything?
...
[Just as Tony was reeling from the truth—]
A bald bodyguard struck him in the neck.
[Then—]
Tony woke up again, this time inside a dungeon.
There, he encountered the botanist Maya once more.
[Maya confessed that she had joined Killian's AIM organization back in 1999.]
With Killian's funding, the Extremis virus had been transferred from plants to animals—with promising results.
[However, Extremis remained unstable.][Multiple domestic human explosions were the clearest proof.]
[Killian had previously sought Stark's cooperation not just for funding—but possibly for Tony himself, to help perfect Extremis.]
[At this moment—]
Killian entered the dungeon.
[Back in 1999, he had poured out his despair to Tony on a rooftop.]
He had believed he would gain recognition from the elite.One-on-one support.A chance.
[Instead, Tony stood him up.]
[Killian spent the entire night alone on that rooftop.][It was New Year's Eve.][Fireworks lit the sky, making him look like a rat in the sewer—pitiful, pathetic.]
[Now—][Their positions were reversed.]
[Tony's hands were bound.]Suspended on a rack, unable to move.
[Killian wore a white suit, his hair slicked neatly back.][Now it was his turn to make Tony despair.]
[A hologram was projected.]
[What Tony saw shattered his heart.]
[Pepper—his lover—had been kidnapped.][Her body was enveloped in a red glow.][She looked to be in immense pain.][Pepper had been injected with Extremis.]
[Tony turned his head away unwillingly.]
[The deranged Killian grabbed Tony's neck, forcing him to face the projection.]["Open your eyes," he demanded.]
[Tony—][Finally felt the despair Killian had known on that rooftop in 1999.]
...
Stark Tower.
Everyone present fell silent.
After all—
A twisted villain like Killiancould arguably be said to have been created by Tony himself.
At the beginning, Killian had merely been a socially awkward "Frankenstein."
If Tony hadn't stood him up in 1999—
Then perhaps—
There wouldn't have been bombings and attacks across the country.Pepper wouldn't have been kidnapped or injected with Extremis.She wouldn't have suffered so much.
Pepper hesitated, then spoke softly.
"Tony…"
Before she could finish, Tony raised a hand, stopping her.
"Pepper, I know what you're going to say."
"I was wrong."
"JARVIS—locate Killian, or find the AIM organization."
"If you can find him…"
Tony sighed.
"I'll personally apologize. And I'll give them sufficient financial support."
"Right now, Extremis is unfinished."
"It could be a miracle cure—something that restores the disabled to normal life."
"But instead, it's become a catalyst for human bombs."
"That's… unacceptable."
The others nodded in agreement.
Tony picked up his glass and took a sip.
He thought—
I've done some stupid things in the past.
I sincerely hope that in the future…
There will be no more supervillains.
And if there are—
Let it not be because of me.