"What do you mean 'modified'? I don't care how—just shut those damn Iron Soldiers down!" Hans was covered in dust, his face streaked with blood, soaking the front of his shirt.
"It's him. He's the one controlling the Iron Soldiers!" the operator suddenly blurted out, as if struck by a memory.
A sinister grin—the kind that belonged to Slim—flashed in his mind.
"Impossible! That's absolutely impossible!" Hans snapped. "Call security!"
The operator scrambled to the phone, but all he got was a busy signal.
"The lines are down."
"Then call their cell phones!"
"Not working either!"
"We're locked out of the mainframe!"
"Who did this?" Hans was now losing it. "Don't just stand there like statues—I'm paying you people a fortune!"
"Let us handle it," said Natasha and Pepper as they stepped forward.
Under normal circumstances, Hans might've asked for their numbers without shame.
But this was no ordinary moment. His business was on the verge of collapse—he had no energy to flirt.
Waving them off impatiently, he snapped,"Don't bother me! Just leave! I'll handle this myself!"
"Oh really?" Pepper raised an eyebrow, eyeing the chaos-stricken staff around him.
"Of course! This is my company! None of this would've happened if Iron Man hadn't shown up! Do me a favor, take your assistant and get out!" Hans shouted.
Then to the operator, he barked,"Get these two women out of here!"
Natasha's eyes narrowed. In a flash, she lunged forward and slammed Hans against the control panel, twisting his arm with crushing force.
Hans screamed—his arm felt like it might break. One staff member rushed over to help, but crumpled to the ground in pain, groaning as he clutched himself.
Black Widow's infamous low blow had landed true—without even turning, she struck with chilling precision.
The remaining men instinctively backed away.
Natasha leaned in close to Hans, her voice low and dangerous.
"Tell me, who's behind this?"
"Ivan... Ivan!" Hans gasped, pale and trembling. His bones felt like they were splintering.
"Where is he?" Natasha tightened her grip.
"He's at my company"
Natasha let go instantly, and Hans collapsed against the console.
Pepper pulled out her phone.
"Get me NYPD Headquarters—Command Center."
Before she could finish, Hans's eyes went wide with panic. He lunged forward.
"No, no, no... don't call the police!"
If the authorities got involved, everything would fall apart for him.
He hesitated, just the thought of crossing Iron Man was enough to freeze his blood.
"Step aside. Tell me everything!" Pepper demanded.
"Okay, okay! It's my fault!" Hans admitted, throwing up his hands. "I trusted that damn Russian! Thought his tech would make me rich. I didn't know he'd reprogram the robots! I want to skin him alive myself!"
Outside the expo center, chaos reigned. The rogue Iron Soldiers were firing missiles into the night sky like celebratory fireworks—except these explosions were all too real.
The watching crowds were frozen in horrified awe.
Having gotten the answers they needed, Natasha and Pepper hurried outside, where Happy was pacing anxiously. He'd seen Aetheris descend on the convention center and knew something was wrong, but the building had gone into lockdown.
Then came the explosions, and people poured out in waves of panic. With his solid frame, Happy had no hope of pushing through.
"Drive me to Hans Industries!" Natasha ordered sharply.
"I'm not leaving Pepper. I'm staying to protect her!" Happy protested.
"So you want me to drive?" she asked coldly.
"Ugh… fine. I'll drive!" Happy sighed, shaking his head. On her first day, this woman had already beaten him black and blue.
He hadn't lasted a single round.
Meanwhile, Aetheris circled above the chaos with dozens of Iron Soldiers in pursuit. His original plan was to drain their energy using his upgraded power core, but they showed no signs of weakening.
Ivan had actually improved the arc reactor. Impressive.
It still couldn't compete with Aetheris's new element, but it was a massive step up from previous designs.
"I need a new strategy. Paul, get away from the convention center now!"
With a sharp dive, Aetheris soared toward the outskirts of the city.
In the backseat, Natasha began changing clothes. Happy focused on the road until a glance in the rearview mirror stole his attention.
One thought echoed in his head: white and huge.
When Natasha was down to a black camisole, Happy could hardly keep his eyes forward.
Just then, a dump truck veered into their lane, its headlights blinding. Happy snapped out of his trance and swerved hard, barely avoiding disaster.
"Eyes on the road!" Natasha scolded, clearly irritated.
She then unclasped her camisole, freeing her chest completely.
From a small bag, she pulled out a nearly transparent bodysuit. Delicate as spider silk, it clung to her as she slipped it on.
Her slender fingers moved smoothly down her legs, over firm thighs, across her abdomen, and with one fluid motion, she packed her explosive figure neatly into the form-fitting suit.
"Wearing this without anything underneath always feels wrong," she muttered. Despite her many combat missions, she still found the S.H.I.E.L.D.-issued suit slightly unsettling.
"That bald pervert… who designs something like this? A cosplay addict?"
Thanks to Happy's quick driving, they soon reached Hans Industries.
"Hey! You need an access pass!" a guard barked.
Before he could finish, Natasha silenced him with a flying kick.
Another guard charged but was met head-on by Happy.
"Hmph. You're mine."
With that, Happy delivered a punch to the man's jaw. The two of them grappled like brawlers in a street fight, neither willing to let the other go.
(End of Chapter)
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