Chapter 199 Human Bomb
"Look at how the president handled this! He just found a war machine with colors!"
"The same armor, painted red, white, and blue. The military even named it Iron Patriot so people wouldn't forget those are the colors of the national flag!"
"What we need is the Divine Punishment Knight, Iron Man! Only then can they deal with that Mandarin, not this Iron Patriot!"
"I strongly suspect this is the Divine Punishment Knight's doing. Only he could do this. That Mandarin is what he looks like under his armor. Now he's finally revealing his ambition."
Finney flipped through the TV channels, watching the various media outlets expressing their dissatisfaction with the president and wanting him to help. Of course, there were also those taking the opportunity to smear him.
After the Battle of New York, although the influence of aliens had been suppressed, New Yorkers were well aware of the changes in the world, which made them remarkably calm about this terrorist attack.
Turning off the TV, Finney got up to discuss the matter with Tony. Rhodes alone couldn't possibly deal with Killian, or even his men.
Arriving at Tony's villa, they found him absent. After a phone call, they learned he wasn't in New York, but with Rhodes, the man the media had been criticizing on television.
"Rhodes!? Is he satisfied with the nickname 'Iron Patriot'?"
Finney asked with interest over the phone.
"Hmm..."
Tony glanced at the puzzled Rhodes beside him and chuckled, "He thinks War Machine is too warlike, so he seems to like this one."
"Hahaha!"
Finney couldn't help but laugh. Someone who practically carried an entire arsenal on his body complaining his armor was too warlike? It was a joke.
Rhodes, realizing the caller was an acquaintance, felt slightly displeased with Tony's answer: "This is the result of a public opinion poll; many people like it."
Thinking that Tony might be looking for Rhodes because of the Mandarin, Finney decided to go and talk to them as well, so he asked, "Where are you now?"
"You're coming over?"
Tony was taken aback, then told Finney their location.
Soon, a ring of fire appeared out of thin air beside them, and Finney, dressed in 'Demon Possessed' armor, stepped out of the portal, instantly exciting the surrounding diners.
"The Divine Punishment Knight!"
"Oh my god! I saw Iron Man and the Divine Punishment Knight at the same time!"
"Wow, it really is him, he's alive!"
Fortunately, Tony and Rhodes had a reason for choosing this location to meet; although the crowd was excited, no one rushed over to bother them.
"Long time no see, Rhodes!"
Finney greeted him. They had a great time chatting the first time they met, and Rhodes was one of Tony's most trusted friends, so they would occasionally meet at Tony's villa afterward.
However, after spending half a year on Vormir, the Battle of New York followed, and then graduation, they hadn't seen each other for some time.
"Long time no see!"
Rhodes happily stood up and hugged Finney. He knew Finney's identity, but in this situation, he couldn't very well call him by name.
Tony looked at the crowd around him, even more excited than when he arrived, and felt a little unhappy that he couldn't compete with Finney's popularity. He asked, "Why did you suddenly come over?"
Finney pulled out a chair and sat down, not answering Tony's question, but instead asking, "Are you talking about that Mandarin?"
"You know him?"
Tony's expression became slightly more serious. He had just talked with Rhodes for a while and knew that this Mandarin had caused far more than three bombings.
And so far, no clues had been found about the bombs, which was the most crucial point.
"Have you forgotten what I told you before?"
Finney glanced at Tony. He thought that by telling Tony in advance, Killian would be found quickly, but the Mandarin still showed up.
"Extremis virus!?"
Tony was stunned, then suddenly remembered what Finney meant, and his expression instantly became one of sudden realization: "No wonder they can't find the bombs!"
"You know what happened?"
Rhodes' spirits lifted as he looked at Finney and Tony. From their conversation, it seemed they knew how the explosion was caused.
"Let's talk at my place!"
Tony glanced around, feeling it wasn't safe to discuss this there.
"Okay!"
Rhodes quickly stood up. After all, the president had already taken him along to make his statement, and he wanted to resolve this quickly to prove himself.
"I just got here!"
Finney was slightly speechless, but seeing Rhodes' anxious expression, he didn't say much. With a flick of his wrist, he opened a portal in front of the two of them.
This caused a gasp from the surrounding crowd.
"J.a.r.v.i.s, we should go!"
"Yes, sir!"
Tony took out his phone and said. The armor guarding the store entrance, under J.a.r.v.i.s's control, walked into the store.
Although it wasn't the first time Rhodes had seen a portal, attempting to pass through it was a first. While excited, he also had a slight doubt: "If I use water, can I extinguish this portal?"
"This is energy, not sparks!"
Finney gave him a speechless look, and after Tony and his armor passed through, he urged impatiently, "Hurry up and go!"
Rhodes obediently followed, crawling through, while Finney waved goodbye amidst the cheers and reluctance of the surrounding crowd, passing through the portal and closing it.
Upon arriving at Tony's villa, Finney dispelled the 'possession'. Rhodes had seen his appearance before, so there was no need to hide it.
"This is so convenient!"
Looking at how suddenly they were at Tony's villa, Rhodes couldn't help but exclaim, "Whatever I want to eat, I don't even need to order takeout, just drive around and I'm there!"
Finney rolled his eyes, then sat down on the sofa and asked, "What are you planning to do with that Mandarin?"
"That's a military secret!"
Rhodes shook his head, choosing not to tell Finney directly.
"Then I'm not coming to save you once you're caught!"
Finney looked at Rhodes and replied with a sneer. He remembered that there seemed to be a Killian mole within the military, and Rhodes' plan should have been exposed long ago.
Upon hearing this, Rhodes' expression immediately became conflicted. After thinking for a moment, he asked first, "What is this Extremis virus you mentioned before?"
Finney mimicked Rhodes' tone and answered seriously, "That's an internal secret!"
At this time, Tony also found relevant information about several explosions, analyzed it, and based on his memories and research on the Extremis virus during this period, he basically confirmed that the explosions were caused by the virus.
This result made him very angry. The Extremis virus is injected into the human body, which means that those explosions were not without bombs, but rather suicide bombers.
"Okay, the military has found some clues about their bases, and I expect to have results soon. Then it will be my turn to take action!"
Rhodes shrugged and revealed the military secret.
"That must be a trap!"
Finney shook his head, then looked at Tony, who was approaching with a grim expression, and asked, "What's wrong?"
"It was definitely caused by the Extremis virus!" Tony looked at Rhodes and explained, "They didn't lack bombs; they used human bombs!"
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(End of Chapter)