After understanding the situation, the one-eyed director pondered for a while before finally concluding that there was no need to pay too much attention to Kid. He was just a thief, and the police could handle it. The director was organizing a combat team, but Kid clearly didn't fit the bill; he had no combat abilities. Despite his clever and imaginative heists, he wouldn't be of any use when facing an actual enemy.
Although the director was aware of Howard Stark's ambitious energy plans, he didn't know that the secret was hidden within the model. He had access to all of Howard's data at S.H.I.E.L.D., but he didn't realize that the model was the key.
So the one-eyed director's orders to Natasha remained the same: "Continue monitoring Stark. Don't worry about Kaitou Kid. It's just a model, nothing important." So far, no one knew why Kid had targeted such an object.
"Do we need to arrest him?" Natasha asked for final confirmation.
"Catching thieves is a job for the police," the director replied. "How is Tony performing lately?"
"Things are getting worse. He was just targeted by Kid, and today, he seems to act as if nothing's wrong and is throwing a party, inviting a bunch of drink-and-party friends," Natasha said.
The director knew that Tony was acting out because of his poisoning, but he still had faith in Iron Man: "Keep monitoring."
"Understood."
The situation with Iron Man and Kaitou Kid had become the biggest topic in New York, with countless people discussing it. Of course, Iron Man's fans just thought that Tony didn't care about the model, which is why he let Kid get away.
On the other hand, Kid's magic tricks sparked another round of discussion among fans. They couldn't understand how pigeons could lift both the model and Kid. It was this mystery that made Kid even more legendary, boosting his popularity. Since his appearance at the Louvre in Europe, Kid had made another daring move, targeting a tough opponent like Iron Man. No one could deny that he was both talented and audacious.
Only Liu A'dou knew that everything was part of his plan. Today, he had disguised himself and snuck into Iron Man's mansion. The place was a chaotic party, full of handsome men, beautiful women, DJ music, and beer. Tony, still in his Iron Man suit, was celebrating with them.
After the poisoning, Tony had tried to keep fighting, but now that his father's legacy was fulfilled, it seemed like he had no other goals. The poison had already reached 90% last night, and the idea of living in the moment had come to him. Tony really couldn't see a future for himself.
In the vibrant lights of the party, Liu A'dou, disguised as a young man, wore worn-out fashion and blended into the crowd. He shouted and danced along, one hand holding a bottle of alcohol, the other holding snacks: "Another one, Iron Man!"
"Welcome to my humble abode, everyone, let's dance together!" He said, swaying his hips to the DJ's rhythm. But the armor on him made his movements look stiff, like a platypus constantly standing up.
The men and women danced, sweating profusely but smiling the whole time. After all, they were there to enjoy themselves. In the process, they could find a corner for some private, intimate activities—completely freeing their desires.
Liu A'dou, on the other hand, was focused on eating. Every dish was a rare delicacy, and his awful eating habits made people avoid him.
Suddenly, the crowd started to stir, and Liu A'dou was pushed aside. It turned out that an empty space had been made for Iron Man's performance.
The beautiful women threw their bottles of alcohol into the air, and Tony used his palm's repulsor beam to blast the bottles midair. Bang—
The bottles shattered into tiny pieces, raining down like confetti on the crowd's heads, and the people screamed in excitement, "So cool! I love you, Tony!"
Tony signaled for the women to continue.
Another bottle flew through the air, still containing liquid. The liquid and shattered glass fell onto a woman's dress, slipping into her neckline or down her back and chest. The socialites began to dance even more excitedly.
The atmosphere reached its peak, and more bottles were tossed into the air. Tony raised both hands, shooting the repulsors without missing a beat.
"Ahhh!" The crowd went wild, cheering as the liquid rain continued, and the scene turned chaotic.
Rhodey and Pepper arrived together, having received invitations but were late due to work. Originally, Pepper had planned to stay with the poisoned Tony, but Tony felt that since he was still able to move and run, he didn't need anyone looking after him. Moreover, with so much business to handle, Pepper was needed at the company, so Tony had sent her back.
"My God!" Pepper, who had rushed back as quickly as possible, could hardly believe what she was seeing. Tony, dressed in his Iron Man suit, was performing ridiculous, laugh-inducing stunts. It was insane. "Rhodey, we need to stop him."
Rhodey, of course, knew that Tony needed to be stopped. He had promised the government that Tony wouldn't misuse the Iron Man suit, but now his friend had slapped him in the face. "Tony! Tony!"
Making his way through the crowd, Rhodey reached Tony's side. Tony, clearly a little drunk, looked at him with a grin. "You're late."
"Tony, you can't do this. Take off the suit," Rhodey said. "This is a very dangerous move."
But Tony, in a daze, grabbed a watermelon from the table and handed it to Rhodey. "I know you wanted to come, here, take it. Throw it. I'll hit it. Burp—" He let out a loud belch, and the smell of alcohol hit Rhodey's face.
Even though Rhodey was Black, his face flushed with anger. "Tony?!"
"Come on, throw it! If you don't, I'll get someone else to do it." Tony snatched the watermelon back and pointed at a woman. "You throw it."
The woman threw the watermelon with all her might, but it didn't go very high. Tony quickly raised his hand and shot. Bang—The watermelon's skin, flesh, and juice splattered everywhere, causing another round of screams. But the attack had passed over the heads of the crowd, and it was dangerously close.
Rhodey's face looked furious, and he turned to head for the basement. He needed to stop Tony from doing any more foolish things.
Pepper, watching the situation spiral out of control, didn't know what to do. She couldn't understand how, in just one night, Tony seemed like a completely different person. Could the poison have affected his brain?
"I'll only say this once—get out!" Rhodey, now in full silver armor, stood in front of Tony. "You're forcing me, buddy."
Tony saw the crowd disperse and complained, "Rhodey, why do you have to ruin the fun?"
"Tony, if you'd just take off the suit, I wouldn't have to do this," Rhodey said. "Take it off."
"Not happening."
Rhodey was furious. He attacked Iron Man, and the two powered suits clashed in the mansion. People scattered, and the destruction of the house began.
Pepper was escorted out by the fat driver Hogan. The two armored suits used everything in the room as weapons to attack each other—luxury cars, TVs, expensive pianos, exercise equipment, kitchen tools, and even the walls.
Liu A'dou had not left but had instead taken over the DJ booth, playing humorous music to accompany the battle. Truly, the wealthy were reckless. This mansion, worth billions, was being destroyed without hesitation. Watching the chaotic fight, Liu A'dou analyzed Iron Man's defense. He could take a few punches from himself.
The fight between the two had nearly demolished the mansion, inside and out. Not a single place remained untouched. Liu A'dou watched as the two Iron Men rolled onto a bed, which instantly collapsed, and they crashed through the floor, falling to the first floor.
The hand-to-hand combat finally turned into energy attacks. Iron Man raised his right hand and aimed at Rhodey. Rhodey didn't back down and raised his hand to target Tony.
"Tony, there's no need for us to keep fighting."
"Who do you think Iron Man is?"
"Tony, put down your hand."
"If you want to be War Machine, then fire."
"Tony?!"
"Fire!"
Whoosh—
The two beams of light collided, releasing a massive amount of energy. The shockwaves shattered all the glass that hadn't been destroyed and sent everything in the room flying.
Liu A'dou, using his microcosmos, was unaffected, but the enormous electromagnetic energy shook everyone inside and outside the house, including Liu A'dou's phone. Tony briefly lost consciousness, and when he opened his eyes, he saw his friend, now dressed in the silver armor, flying off into the night sky.
This was for the best, Tony thought. Now Rhodey could become the new Iron Man after his death. He believed Rhodey would do a great job.
Thud, thud.
Tony suddenly heard someone knocking on his helmet. He turned to see a completely unfamiliar person.