Qinuo had an auntie-like smile on his face:
"Let me tell you something, with this kind of tsundere, it's best to be direct. Otherwise, to make her take the initiative, you'd have to die once first, just like now."
Pepper looked at Tony, who was still rummaging through the ruins in the distance, her eyes flickering with complex emotions.
There was worry, anticipation, and a hint of imperceptible determination. She bit her lip, seemingly pondering Qinuo's words.
"I understand. If he dares to refuse me, I'll resign and then apply to be his family's nanny."
With that, Pepper turned and walked downstairs, the crisp click-clack of her high heels echoing on the ground.
The surrounding Stark employees exchanged glances and followed suit.
Natasha also shook her head with a smile. This Demon King even liked to steal Cupid's job, truly a new understanding. Seeing Qinuo and his family leaning together, she didn't disturb them.
Qinuo sat on the edge of the rooftop, holding Pamela and Damian tightly in his arms.
"Tony definitely has to treat me to a big meal this time and thank me properly. I helped him a lot," Qinuo said smugly.
"I think if he knew you caused this explosion, he'd want to eat you," Pamela rolled her eyes at him.
"You know my body, it's very hard~" Qinuo grinned mischievously.
"Ugh, driving in front of the kids."
Though she said "ugh," Pamela leaned in for a kiss. Venom also came out, sitting on the other side, clamping Qinuo's arm with her chest.
"Who were you referring to as tsundere in your experience just now?" Venom asked.
"Uh, no one, I want a kiss," Qinuo said playfully.
"Hmph..." Venom didn't refuse and kissed Qinuo.
Damian, sitting on Qinuo's lap, let out a burp. She hadn't eaten much, so why did she feel so full?
She rolled her eyes helplessly, looking at the chaotic yet sweet scene before her, and secretly thought, "Adults are really incomprehensible."
---
In the ruins
"Detecting faint vital signs..."
Jarvis's voice sounded in Tony's ear.
Tony, who was searching through the ruins, brightened at the words, as if seeing a glimmer of light in the darkness.
He hurried towards the location marked by Jarvis, the ruins creaking under his feet.
He lifted a huge steel plate, revealing a broken and battered Iron Man suit underneath, with wires exposed and sparks flickering everywhere.
The armor's outer shell was severely deformed and damaged. Although the model was different from the previous mechanical soldiers, its unique design style clearly indicated it was from the same person.
Upon seeing Tony Stark, the battered helmet lit up and slowly opened, revealing a scruffy face.
He was spitting out large amounts of blood, mixed with fragments of internal organs. Even with the protection of the Iron Man suit, the immense Impact was not something an ordinary person could withstand.
"Tony... Stark..." A weak voice came from the man's mouth.
Bang!
Tony directly put down the steel plate in his hand, and a cloud of smoke rose.
Whiplash, Ivan Vanko, was dead, without even a proper line.
If it were peacetime, he might have been interested in interrogating the other party about the source of their technology.
But now, mechanical soldiers, kidnapping, explosions—the other party was directly or indirectly involved. He was filled with anger and just wanted to end all of this quickly.
Tony knelt on the ground in pain, clenching his fists tightly and slamming them hard against the ground.
His usually carefree face was now filled with pain and despair, his eyes revealing deep helplessness.
Even the indestructible Iron Man suit couldn't withstand this Impact, so how could Pepper's delicate flesh and blood body possibly endure it?
Thinking of this, Tony's heart felt as if it was being tightly squeezed by an invisible hand, making it hard to breathe.
A low whimper escaped his throat, tears welled up in his eyes, but he stubbornly refused to let them fall.
Tony's figure appeared incredibly desolate and lonely.
The ruins behind him seemed to be controlled by a mysterious force, slowly rising, but Tony, immersed in deep sorrow, was completely unaware of it.
And the advanced armor on him automatically switched to low-energy mode, quietly guarding Tony.
Its various sensors and early warning systems were in a semi-dormant state, thus also failing to detect this potentially huge danger.
Just then, a hoarse cry, like it came from the depths of hell, suddenly broke the dead silence: "Tony~"
The voice contained endless resentment and anger, sending shivers down one's spine.
Tony's body trembled involuntarily. Out of instinct, he quickly turned his head.
But before he could clearly see what was making such a terrifying sound, a huge steel arm slammed towards him!
With a loud "bang," a huge Impact instantly hit Tony's body.
He felt like a cannonball being launched, completely out of control, flying through the air. His body rapidly cut through the air, leaving a long arc.
Immediately after, Tony fell heavily to the ground and rolled uncontrollably like a runaway top.
Each collision with the hard ground produced countless dazzling sparks. After a series of violent rolls, Tony managed to stabilize himself, kneeling on one knee.
But Tony didn't bother to check his injuries. He endured the pain, raised his head, and looked in the direction from which he was attacked.
When he saw the scene before him, a chill ran down his spine to his brain.
He saw Obadiah controlling the giant Iron Monger walking towards him. The armor was battered, with even the cockpit in the chest exposed. The flames burning on it continuously repaired the damaged areas, making it even larger.
What was terrifying was that half of Obadiah's body in the cockpit had turned into pale bones, and it was burning with eerie flames.
This illuminated Obadiah's twisted and deformed face, making it look particularly hideous and terrifying. He looked like a demon that had crawled out of the abyss of hell, exuding an aura of Death and destruction.
"Obadiah... are you really still alive?"
Tony's eyes widened, and he muttered in disbelief.
"Of course, I've never been better, Tony. I really underestimated you."
Obadiah's voice came from the Iron Monger, filled with arrogance and fear.
The cockpit was completely repaired and slowly closed, protecting Obadiah tightly. He thought Tony had blown up the factory.
He was truly scared; he had almost died just now. Although he didn't know what this strange state was, he did feel very good.
"Now die, Tony!" Obadiah roared.
A huge Gatling gun rose from the Iron Monger's back, spinning madly and instantly spitting out red tongues of Fire, bullets sweeping out like a long whip.
"Fk!"
Tony cursed and quickly hid behind a thick wall.
Bullets rained down on the wall. In just a few seconds, the wall was riddled with holes.
Tony dared not linger for a moment. He could only drag his exhausted body and desperately flee. The Iron Man suit's energy alarm kept ringing in his ears, every step feeling incredibly heavy.