Chapter 87 Black Flash's Target, Iron Man
New York, Stark Industries Headquarters.
It had been just over a week since the Battle of New York. Many streets were still under heavy reconstruction, but Stark Tower had already been fully restored, standing tall and brand-new in the heart of the city.
Inside the top floor.
This was both the office of Iron Man, Tony Stark—the man in charge of Stark Industries—and his personal private workshop.
Right now.
The notorious playboy sat in a chair, dressed in a simple black T-shirt and casual pants, his scruffy face unusually serious. He tapped and swiped across the holographic projection screen, carefully adjusting engineering parameters.
So absorbed was he in the machinery and cutting-edge tech that he didn't even notice when a mature woman in a fitted white suit stepped out of the elevator behind him.
She walked up beside him and set down a steaming cup of coffee, its fragrance drifting across the table. "Boss, have something to drink first."
"Thanks."
The sound of his secretary's voice snapped Tony back to reality. He picked up the coffee and took a sip.
"Tony," Pepper Potts said softly, her voice laced with warmth as she studied his slightly worn face. Even her tone of address shifted. "Ever since that battle, you've been working nonstop for over a week. You need proper rest."
"I'm fine." Tony drained half the cup and turned back to the holographic screen, excitement shining in his eyes. "With Banner here recently, our progress on the suits has been incredible!"
"Especially the counter-type armors. We've already finished building two prototype series!" He spread his hands wide with excitement.
Pepper rolled her eyes. She knew his nature well. Models came and went, but the suits were forever.
And that was exactly why he was Iron Man.
"You hopeless boss. Keep working on your toys. I've got a mountain of company affairs to deal with." She sighed helplessly, stepping toward the elevator in her heels.
The elevator doors had barely closed when Jarvis's voice suddenly filled the room.
"Sir, our satellite has detected a suspected appearance of the Black Flash."
Tony stiffened. "Where?"
The holographic display shifted to a world map. In the middle of the Atlantic Ocean, near South America, a black-marked target was moving across the sea.
The speed registered by the satellites was Mach 2 to Mach 3.
"On a plane?" Tony frowned. No ship could possibly move that fast.
"Apparently not," Jarvis replied. "It appears to be moving on its own."
Tony shrugged. "Figures. Nothing about Black Flash has ever made sense anyway."
He thought for a moment. "Based on its trajectory, where's it heading?"
"Calculating now… Done. Ahead of its course is a small island nation."
"Corto Maltese?" Tony muttered. "That tiny country? What could possibly be there to attract Black Flash's attention?"
Jarvis quickly gathered intel from the networks. "Last week, Corto Maltese suffered an armed coup. The ruling Herrera family was wiped out, and General Silvio Luna has seized control of the island."
"That's it?" Tony frowned. A coup alone wasn't enough to draw that monster's attention.
Jarvis continued. "Sir, there are additional files encrypted at the highest U.S. levels. Shall I attempt to crack them?"
"Crack them." Tony didn't hesitate.
Three seconds later, Jarvis spoke again. "It's Project Starfish. In Corto Maltese, there exists a facility called Jotunheim. For thirty years it has been researching alien organisms under this project. The results could pose catastrophic risks to the world."
"Furthermore, high-ranking official Amanda Waller is currently assembling a task force composed mostly of Gotham's worst criminals, codenamed Task Force X, to eliminate all traces of Project Starfish."
Tony shook his head. "Using dangerous convicts to handle global threats? Sounds exactly like something the U.S. government would do."
He didn't care for politics, though. His focus was on Black Flash—the creature he had once encountered and barely survived.
As the black-marked target drew closer to Corto Maltese, Tony gave a quick order. "Jarvis, prepare the Mark I Counter-Series Armor. The Anti-Black Flash model."
"Sir, that model only exists as design data and experimental prototypes. There is no complete unit ready for combat."
Tony's expression hardened. "Then build it now. Rush the process. I want it ready immediately."
"…Understood, sir."
…
The Atlantic Ocean.
Night had fallen. The sea was dark and still, waves rolling quietly under the wind.
Suddenly—
A streak burst across the surface of the water, like a black lightning bolt tearing through the night. The calm sea shattered in its wake.
The black flash moved at incredible speed, breaking the sound barrier with ease, blasting the air apart and whipping up violent storms on either side.
At the very center of the black lightning, two beastly eyes burned like green-blue flames.
It was Xi Nian, in his three-in-one black kitten form.
His four paws moved in a blur, like the spinning rotors of a helicopter, carrying him across the water's surface without sinking.
He had been sprinting across the ocean for countless miles, unstoppable.
Finally, an enormous island rose ahead of him.
Without slowing, he crossed the shoreline.
As soon as he set paw on land, his beast-like eyes flickered with bloodlust. From the ground itself, he sensed the island's chilling aura of death and slaughter.
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