"As long as you follow what's written here, even if some media outlets don't believe it, they won't be able to stir up any major public backlash. We're very experienced with this sort of thing. We know how to make it disappear from the public eye."
Coulson handed over a slip of paper as he spoke.
"This is your alibi. You were on a yacht at the time. As for Obadiah—he'll die in a private jet crash a week from now."
Tony was holding a newspaper, reading the front page.The headline read: WHO IS IRON MAN?
"'Iron Man' is a pretty good name," Tony said. "Sure, my armor's made of gold–titanium alloy, but the nickname still fits. I like it."
He even gave the press a comment.
Seeing that Tony hadn't responded to Coulson at all, Pepper turned to him instead.
"Thank you. Otherwise, we wouldn't have known how to explain this to the media today. We really appreciate everything you've done."
"No problem. It's our responsibility," Coulson replied. "Besides, one of our trainee agents was deeply involved in this incident. From our perspective, it's an internal matter."
Coulson rarely took the opportunity to tease Qin Xiao.
At that moment, Qin Xiao stood off to the side in a black suit, looking every bit like a professional agent—or a bodyguard.
"That's right. He's the instigator behind all of this. Today, he should be the one explaining things to the media."
Tony pointed at Qin Xiao and said irritably.
"And you'd better be mindful of your role. Mr. Instigator, dressed like that, you should go outside and help maintain order among the reporters."
"Understood, Mr. Stark."
Qin Xiao responded with perfect professionalism. He lifted the sunglasses on the bridge of his nose, turned around, and walked out, looking like a seasoned manager.
Tony was genuinely surprised.
"What did you do to him? Why is he suddenly so obedient? Don't tell me you used some kind of brainwashing technique."
Tony joked, pointing in Qin Xiao's direction.
"Our boss threatened him," Coulson said with a bright smile. "If he didn't cooperate today, his salary would be docked for a month. You know, he just bought a pretty nice apartment recently, so he's probably short on cash."
Coulson looked extremely pleased. The Middle East incident had happened right in front of these two.
Although Qin Xiao had volunteered to help this morning, he would never have been this compliant without a phone call from Nick Fury.
To be honest, commanding this guy felt oddly satisfying.
Once everything was ready, Colonel Rhodes went outside and fed the reporters nonsense for a full half hour.
Tony spread his arms, letting Pepper help him into his jacket.
Looking at the sweet, captivating woman in front of him, Tony suddenly realized how much he had neglected the girl beside him all this time.
What was that Chinese proverb Qin Xiao mentioned again?
A rabbit doesn't eat the grass near its own burrow.
Ah, forget it. The grass near the burrow probably just wasn't tempting enough.
Tony cleared his throat and glanced again at Pepper, who was straightening his clothes.
He still felt that changing the status quo would be more appropriate.
Coulson signaled to Rhodes.
Rhodes, having had enough of talking nonsense outside, finally got straight to the point.
"Mr. Stark has prepared a statement, but he will not be taking any questions today. Thank you."
As Tony stepped onto the stage, thunderous applause erupted.
There wasn't a single reporter who didn't like Tony Stark—not because he was universally beloved, but because news about him was everywhere, and it was always explosive.
Tony scanned the reporters, then glanced at Qin Xiao standing silently in the corner.
Qin Xiao shot him a provocative look and subtly raised his middle finger.
"Pfft—"
Tony couldn't help laughing. He then coughed awkwardly and said:
"Long time no see. I've prepared a statement today."
He pulled out the so-called official declaration prepared by Coulson and the others.
"Regarding the rumors circulating outside, it's been said that I was involved in last night's—"
"Sorry, Mr. Stark," a female reporter interrupted him bluntly, "but do you really expect us to believe that nonsense about a bodyguard in a suit?"
Tony not only recognized the reporter—he'd slept with her before.
She had long been committed to exposing Stark Industries' arms sales to foreign terrorist organizations.
She called Tony Stark a butcher.
"Hm?"
Even though Tony had agreed not to answer any questions today, he hesitated.
Then he couldn't help pointing at Qin Xiao beside him.
"That's right—there really was a bodyguard in armor, and he's right here. It's him. See? That cool-looking Asian guy in sunglasses from last night—it was him!"
Following Tony's finger, every camera flash in the room turned toward Qin Xiao.
"Fuck…"
Caught completely off guard, Qin Xiao cursed under his breath.
He stared at the reporters aiming their long lenses at him.
Qin Xiao put on a perfectly rehearsed smile and raised his right hand, making a gesture near his chin.
At today's press conference, the one question everyone cared about was:
Who is Iron Man?
Now that Tony Stark had spoken, Qin Xiao—whether he told the truth or lied—had become a prime interview target.
The only female reporter remained seated calmly in the front row, unmoving.
She looked at Tony Stark and spoke evenly.
"So he's the one wearing the armor. Very well, Mr. Stark. Then who is the person wielding the short sword?"
Casually, she pulled a laptop out from beneath her seat and clicked play on a video.
It was footage shot with a night-vision camera.
The colors were distorted and the image wasn't especially clear—
but you could clearly see Qin Xiao swinging a dao blade, severing the Iron Monger's lower limb as it tried to rise.
There was no doubt.
That person was Qin Xiao.
In contrast, Tony appeared only in the corner of the screen. His helmet had already been blown off, but because he was turning his head and the angle was poor, all one could make out was that he was white.
The audience erupted once again.
No one stopped to wonder why someone had been filming a rooftop battle in the first place.
A victorious smile appeared on the female reporter's face as she waited for Tony Stark's explanation.
She had been investigating Tony Stark for a long time—his love life, his company, everything.
To obtain firsthand evidence, she had even bribed the head of security in an office building across the street.
He was equipped with cameras capable of filming under all conditions, along with long-range recording gear.
She had specifically instructed him that if the lights on the top floor of Stark Industries ever turned on at night, he was to aim at the occupied rooms and start filming.
Last night, when the guard saw Tony and the Iron Monger flying through the streets, it was pure coincidence.
He thought they were aliens and immediately grabbed his equipment and rushed to the rooftop to capture them.
When he reached the roof, they were gone.
Who could have imagined that moments later, they would crash down onto the rooftop of Stark Industries?
While hurriedly setting up his gear, he figured out how to activate the night-vision mode.
That was how the footage reached the moment when Qin Xiao sliced off the Iron Monger's leg.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—he wasn't very skilled with the equipment.
He only managed to capture a clear image of Qin Xiao.
Tony, in the corner of the frame, was blurry due to poor angle and focus.
Even so, it was already enough.
The reporter wanted to see how Tony Stark would deny it this time.
Unexpectedly, Tony stood there in silence for a moment.
Then he tossed the prepared script onto the table.
And admitted it.
"Let me correct you—that's called a Tang dao," Tony said. "And yes, you guessed it. I am Iron Man."
plz support me if you can
patreon.com/fatimasoomro123
this fanfiction is 30-chapters ahead and also this fanfic is 30 chapter ahead there