"Justin Hammer," Tony said coldly.
"What do you want in exchange for Pepper's release?"
Tony opened the visor of his armor and looked at Hammer standing across the dock.
At the same time, his eyes moved upward.
Pepper was hanging from chains on the overpass above them.
The drop was at least ten meters.
Even though Pepper had been injected with the super gene serum, a fall from that height would still be extremely dangerous.
She could be seriously injured—or worse.
While speaking with Hammer, Tony secretly instructed Jarvis to calculate a rescue trajectory.
"Oh wow, Stark… you're ruining the atmosphere," Hammer said with exaggerated disappointment.
"Fine, fine."
He spread his arms theatrically.
"Let's make tonight entertaining."
"How about this?"
"You take off your armor… and defeat these mercenaries by yourself."
"And if you succeed…"
"I'll release Pepper."
Hammer smiled mockingly.
He knew Tony would accept.
Over the years, Pepper Potts had become the only person Tony truly cared about.
She was not only the CEO of Stark Industries—she was the person closest to his heart.
"No, Tony!"
Pepper shouted from above.
"You can't beat them! They breathe fire!"
After receiving the super gene serum, Pepper's senses had been enhanced.
She had clearly heard Hammer's proposal.
And she knew exactly how dangerous these mercenaries were.
When she had been captured earlier, she had barely been able to resist.
Even the Shadow Ninjas protecting her had been burned into black mist.
The Extremis virus gave its users terrifying heat.
Even a vibranium suit could not withstand it indefinitely.
Pepper herself had eventually been forced out of her armor.
Tony and Pepper had both received the super gene serum, but Tony was not a professional fighter.
These mercenaries, on the other hand, were hardened killers.
"Alright… we'll do it your way."
Tony sighed.
"Jarvis, find an opportunity to rescue Pepper."
"And deploy the armor the moment she's clear."
"Yes, sir," Jarvis replied.
Tony stepped out of the Iron Man armor.
Hammer burst into laughter.
"Hahaha!"
"That's Tony Stark for you!"
"I admire your courage!"
He waved his hand dramatically.
"Gentlemen—"
"Give our billionaire hero a memorable night."
The mercenaries below the overpass grinned.
This was Iron Man.
The famous Tony Stark.
And now they were about to beat him to the ground.
One of the Extremis mercenaries stepped forward first.
Without warning—
BANG!
He kicked Tony square in the chest.
Tony flew five or six meters before smashing into a metal container.
The mercenaries erupted in laughter.
One after another, they began walking toward Tony.
Seeing someone kick Iron Man that far, another mercenary wanted to try.
But Tony moved faster.
He lunged forward—
THUD!
Tony kicked the man in the knee and followed with a punch to the jaw.
At the same time, he struck another mercenary in the face.
Both men were knocked to the ground.
Even Hammer looked surprised.
But the surprise quickly faded.
He knew the Extremis virus was far stronger than that.
Tony's attacks were not enough to defeat them.
Tony rushed another mercenary.
But before he could strike—
A hand suddenly grabbed his ankle.
The mercenary yanked hard.
Tony lost his balance and crashed to the ground.
The man released Tony's foot and raised his leg.
BOOM!
He stomped down.
Tony barely rolled away.
The ground cracked under the impact.
Tony's eyes widened.
The power was frightening—almost comparable to the Super Soldier Serum.
Tony rolled to his feet and punched the mercenary in the chest.
The man staggered back a few steps—
But didn't fall.
Within seconds, several mercenaries surrounded Tony.
BANG!
BANG!
Tony was quickly overwhelmed.
They slammed him to the ground and began beating him mercilessly.
Above them, Pepper watched helplessly.
Tears streamed down her face.
Hammer walked toward Tony with a smug smile.
Just as he approached—
Tony suddenly rolled backward and stood up.
At that exact moment—
The vibranium armor Tony had left behind activated automatically.
It launched into the air toward Pepper.
CLANG!
The chains binding Pepper snapped apart.
The armor assembled itself around her body piece by piece.
Moments later, Pepper landed safely on the ground.
Jarvis was controlling the suit.
Tony wiped blood from his lip.
Then he pulled something from his pocket.
It was a freezing card Karl had given him during the Lunar New Year.
Tony snapped it forward.
WHOOSH—!
A massive wave of blue energy burst outward.
Everything it touched froze instantly.
The mercenaries froze mid-motion.
Hammer froze with a shocked expression still on his face.
Even the Extremis virus inside their bodies could not save them.
Their cells were completely frozen.
Tony walked slowly toward Hammer.
He stared at Hammer's frozen face with disgust.
Then he punched forward.
CRACK!
Hammer's head shattered instantly.
His frozen body collapsed into shards of ice.
At that moment, Pepper landed beside Tony.
Jarvis disengaged the armor.
Pepper ran straight to him.
"Tony!"
"You scared me to death!"
Her voice trembled as she held him.
"If I were stronger… I wouldn't have been captured."
"You wouldn't have had to go through that."
She looked at Tony's bruised face with tears in her eyes.
Tony gently held her hands.
"Hey… it's okay."
"As long as you're safe."
"That's all that matters."
Pepper looked at him silently.
Then the two of them kissed.
Meanwhile, Peggy Carter, Hawkeye, and Black Widow had arrived at Killian's location.
It was a massive industrial factory.
Inside were dozens of mercenaries injected with the Extremis virus.
Even the mysterious Mandarin was present.
Killian stood calmly on the upper platform.
He had already heard about Hammer's failed plan.
But he didn't care at all.
To Killian, both Hammer and the Mandarin were merely tools.
They had helped him secure the funding he needed.
Now that Extremis had been perfected—
Hammer was no longer important.
Killian possessed the complete Extremis research data.
Only he could produce the virus now.
Even Maya Hansen had only completed part of the formula.
Killian looked down at the factory floor with a cold smile.
Everything was proceeding exactly as he planned.
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