Hong Fei spent the next few days preparing. He tracked Tony Stark's movements through the news, then booked a flight to Los Angeles without hesitation. Stark was holed up in his Malibu Beach villa, prepping for a birthday celebration that promised excess.
The media couldn't get enough of him lately—mocking Congress at the hearing, racing through Morocco, promoting Pepper Potts from secretary to CEO. The headlines blurred together. Ivan Vanko had already infiltrated Hammer Industries by now. Without interference at the racetrack, the man had probably finished his revenge scheme.
Landing in LA, Hong Fei made his first stop a warehouse. Inside waited his weapon: a three-meter steel spear forged as a single piece. The shaft wore a matte black coating while the spearhead gleamed silver, sharp enough to throw Hong Fei's reflection back at him with crystalline precision.
The thing weighed seventy-two jin, its thickness making it unwieldy for average hands. He'd rented a van just to transport it. At dusk, he loaded up and drove to the coast.
Darkness fell. Hong Fei changed clothes in the van, activated his "Hidden Identity" perk, and strapped the spear across his back. The water swallowed him as he swam toward the villa's glow. Stark's parties always drew crowds—especially women. Even from the shore, their shrieks and laughter carried over the waves.
Not that they were particularly loud. Hong Fei's enhanced hearing picked up everything now. He slipped past the island's security measures like a shadow, scaled the cliffs in three strides, and hauled himself onto the roof.
Below, luxury cars lined the driveway. Black-suited security lurked everywhere. Inside, Tony Stark DJ'd in his armor, punctuating bass drops with pulse cannon blasts that shattered champagne bottles. The man was in his element.
Hong Fei settled cross-legged on the rooftop, the spear balanced across his thighs. He propped his chin on one hand and waited. Stark's armor, Stark's rules. The billionaire could burn his own reputation to the ground if he wanted.
Colonel Rhodes disagreed. He'd just assured his superiors Stark would behave—a laughable promise, really. The party's high spirits didn't last. Rhodes stormed back in wearing silver armor, his voice cutting through the music: "I'll only say this once!"
Heads turned. Before anyone could process the second suit, Rhodes snapped his faceplate shut. "Get out." The crowd scattered.
Stark blinked at him, swaying slightly. Rhodes jabbed a finger at him. "You don't deserve that armor. Take it off!"
Stark ignored him, waving at the DJ to keep playing. Rhodes grabbed his shoulders. "I said take it off!" Their scuffle sent them crashing through the floor, trading punches in full view of the remaining guests.
At this moment, Hong Fei's attention shifted away from them, landing on Natasha Romanoff. His jaw tightened. Weren't you supposed to be my financial officer? How'd you end up as Stark's secretary overnight? No wonder her calls went unanswered lately. Two-timing snake. She slipped outside to make a report, but Hong Fei let her go—he had bigger prey tonight.
It wasn't until the two below had fought enough and began to confront each other that Hong Fei stood up and stretched. Tony Stark and Colonel Rhodes faced each other, their palm-based Pulse Cannons pointed at one another. Colonel Rhodes: "There's no need for us to fight." "Ahem! Wasn't it you who started it?"
The sudden voice instantly drew their attention, and they immediately aimed their palms toward the entrance. Outside the shattered glass door, a figure shrouded in a dark red suit stood on the glass shards. His right hand was slightly raised, and a spear of astonishing length pointed diagonally toward the ground. "It's you?!"
Tony Stark exclaimed immediately, his drunkenness instantly fading by more than half. Colonel Rhodes, however, was confused: "Who is he, Tony Stark? Do you know him?" Tony Stark certainly wouldn't admit that he had been kidnapped and stabbed twice by this person. He quickly raised his other hand and said solemnly, "Drop that strange weapon and surrender, or I'll blow your head off immediately."
Colonel Rhodes followed suit and continued to press: "Tony Stark, who exactly is he?" Tony Stark said irritably, "He's obviously a bad guy. You think he's a guest?" Hong Fei looked at the two of them, and finally, his gaze landed on Tony Stark: "I'm here to talk business with you." Tony Stark retorted, "While carrying a weapon over three meters long?"
"I can throw it away, but I don't trust your companion." Colonel Rhodes: "Drop the weapon, and I can guarantee that I won't attack." Tony Stark: "I can't guarantee that." Colonel Rhodes turned his head in astonishment. Tony Stark continued, "We can talk business, but it has to wait until I've had my revenge. Colonel Rhodes, keep pointing at him; I'll be right back."
With that, he flew directly downward. "Hey! Tony Stark!" Colonel Rhodes's call went unanswered. He hurriedly turned to look at Hong Fei: "I don't know who you are, but please put down your weapon immediately, or I really will blow your head off!" The spearhead clattered against the floor. Hong Fei took a step forward: "How about you try it?"
Colonel Rhodes was decisive, and his palm cannon immediately began to charge. Hong Fei instantly activated the Eyes of Death. His body suddenly crouched low, and he took a step forward, looking like a galloping wild horse. The spear tip scraped against the ground, trailing a brilliant spark.
At the same time, light gathered in Colonel Rhodes's hands, eventually transforming into two brilliant beams of light that shot toward him. The speed of the pulse energy was far greater than a bullet, but the wind-up time for this skill was relatively longer. During the gap while he was charging, Hong Fei had already anticipated the attack trajectory.
Thus, in Colonel Rhodes's eyes, after the near-instantaneous Pulse Cannon was fired, Hong Fei's body suddenly pivoted, and he dodged the attack just by shifting his body to the side. In the same amount of time, Hong Fei pivoted the spear, gripped the shaft with both hands, and took a step forward.
His foot slammed into the ground as steadily as an elephant's leg, immediately kicking up a cloud of fine dust. His legs seemed to hold up the sky and earth, his muscles and bones instantly fully extended, and a fierce power rose from the ground, passing through his twisting waist and transmitting to his arms without any hesitation. His muscles bulged in an instant.
Without any flair, the three-meter-plus spear instantly thrust diagonally upward, like a viper emerging from its den, swiftly and fiercely piercing toward his opponent's head. "The thrust is the foundation of spear techniques; thrust at the yin, then thrust at the head." Swish!
A sudden gust of wind howled past as Colonel Rhodes barely registered the black dot streaking toward his visor. The spear struck with a thunderous crack, erupting in a blinding flash of sparks against his faceplate—yet the armor held.
Hong Fei hadn't expected to break through the Iron Man Armor's defense. But raw force didn't need penetration when physics did the work—the concentrated impact rippled through the metal like a hammer driving a nail through steel. The armor might withstand the spear's point, but nothing could stop the shockwave tearing through its wearer.