Ivan did not open his mask to reveal his face; he simply turned and lifted Pepper, then dangled her in mid-air. "Pepper!" Tony exclaimed, then immediately roared in anger, "Let her go! If you want revenge on me, come at me!" "Fine!" Ivan complied readily. As he released Pepper, he swung his long whip, binding it around Tony's neck. Tony shouted, "Rhodes!"
Before he even had to say it, Rhodes had already dived down, catching Pepper in his arms before she hit the ground. "Tony, Pepper is fine." Looking at Pepper, after experiencing a free fall of over eighty meters, her throat was hoarse from screaming, and her eyes were dazed. Gently placing her on the ground, Rhodes reassured her, "It's okay now, Miss Pepper.
Stay here and don't move; I'm going to help Tony." With that, he quickly ascended to join the battle. In the sky, Tony and Rhodes fought side by side. Ivan, relying on his armor and the Iron Legion, traded blows with them, though the Iron Legion suffered frequent losses due to material limitations. Flashes of gunfire, energy, and whips erupted around the Statue of Liberty.
Powerful attacks landing on the statue caused immense damage instantly; for instance, when Ivan lashed out with his whip, half of the steel-and-copper cast Goddess's head was gone. As a grand gift from France to the United States in the 19th century, having weathered over a hundred years of storms, the Statue of Liberty had become a symbol of independence and freedom for the people of this nation.
The sudden outbreak of battle instantly drew everyone's attention. The television station's helicopter arrived first. The cameraman, buckled into his seat by the door, was eager to shove his lens right into the faces of Tony and the others. Before long, the footage from here spread rapidly across the World, and the live broadcast ratings climbed steadily.
"Viewers around the World, what you are seeing now is a battle that suddenly broke out on Liberty Island in New York. We can recognize one of them as Iron Man Tony Stark. According to the latest news, the one fighting alongside him is the Military's War Machine, piloted by Colonel Rhodes, who was formerly in the Air Force.
Their enemy has two extremely terrifying whips, and the other armors are unmanned Iron Legion soldiers!" "Oh, God! That You-Know-Who just sliced off half of the Statue of Liberty's head with a single whip. This is truly terrifying! We all know the Statue of Liberty is not a stone statue; she is forged from a steel-and-copper alloy, but she had absolutely no ability to resist that blue whip."
"Iron Man is counterattacking! Is that a laser? He destroyed all the Iron Legion soldiers in one move, but unfortunately, the main enemy is still there!" While the battle raged in the sky, Hong Fei, after the helicopter arrived, resolutely abandoned his jet ski and chose to swim ashore. Stepping onto land, he shook the Water off his body and then walked into the Statue of Liberty.
The television cameras were pointed upward, so no one noticed his trail. Arriving nearby, he saw Pepper sitting on the ground, looking up and watching the battle above without blinking. "Hey!" Hong Fei called out loudly, and Pepper jumped in fright. Turning to look at Hong Fei, she was puzzled at first, but then suddenly began to scramble backward on her hands and feet.
Although he had changed his attire again, the hilt of the blade exposed behind Hong Fei's back was still gold and red. Before Hong Fei could speak, Pepper screamed at the sky, "Tony!!" Hearing this, Tony spared a moment to glance downward, and his pupils instantly constricted. "That damn bastard, why is he here again!"
Rhodes also saw the situation below and said, "Tony, you hold him off; I'm going to save her!" "Be careful!" "I know." Rhodes turned and dived, dodging Ivan's long whip, and then aimed and fired directly at Hong Fei. The bullets flew toward him rapidly. Hong Fei turned and drew his blade, a cold glint flashing.
The rhythmic clang of steel against bullets sent sparks flying in rapid succession. Hong Fei's blade moved like an impenetrable wall, deflecting every projectile with precision. Rhodes kept increasing the distance between them until—his left shoulder armor slid open. A cigar-sized round ignited and streaked toward Hong Fei at terrifying speed.
With a flick of his wrist, Hong Fei used the flat of his blade to bat the projectile sideways. It hissed into the sea with a disappointing splash. "Tsk. A dud?" Hong Fei's mocking tone hit Rhodes harder than any bullet could have.
Several seconds of stunned silence passed before Rhodes checked his weapon—empty. Hong Fei spun his sword in a lazy arc and gave a mocking wave. Rhodes glanced skyward where Tony and Ivan still clashed, then charged with a growl of frustration. The live broadcast abruptly cut away as Rhodes broke formation.
Viewers following War Machine's barrage suddenly noticed two figures at the Statue's base. "Ladies and gentlemen! Look there—another masked individual on Liberty Island!" The commentator's voice cracked with excitement. "Wait—is that... my God! He's blocking bullets with a sword? An actual sword?!"
When the gunfire ceased, the announcer nearly hyperventilated into his microphone. "It's true! A straight-bladed weapon deflected automatic gunfire! I swear on my mother's grave—no special effects, no tricks! This is happening live on Liberty Island right now!"
"Unless... maybe it's some new Iron Legion prototype?" The speculation died when Hong Fei's sarcastic quip about the dud rang clear. The commentator gaped for two full seconds before shrieking, "He's human! He spoke!" "Sweet merciful—how is this possible?!" Back at the manor, Dr. Helen Cho perched on the edge of Hong Fei's bed, eyes glued to the screen.
Her breath hitched in sync with the commentator's escalating excitement. When Hong Fei's blade became a silver blur against the bullet storm, she unconsciously leaned forward. The motion made her white lab coat slip, revealing smooth collarbones and the curve of breasts barely restrained by something far more delicate than work attire. Beneath the quilt, the telltale sheen of garter-fastened stockings glimmered on toned thighs.
That casual sword flourish—the way Hong Fei waved at Rhodes like swatting a fly—sent an electric jolt through her. Helen's thighs pressed together involuntarily.
Like Tony's suit, War Machine carried no melee weapons. With empty magazines, Rhodes had only armor-enhanced strength and military training—both woefully inadequate against Hong Fei.
Raw power favored the armor, but combat wasn't just about brute force. The suit's advantage wasn't overwhelming enough to dominate. War Machine accelerated to ramming speed, creating a pressure wave that dimpled Hong Fei's mask against his face.
Eyes of Death activated. Rhodes' charge became slow-motion. Hong Fei analyzed every joint seam, every hydraulic line as the armor closed in. At the last possible instant, he bent backward like a limbo dancer, torso parallel to the ground. Rhodes shot past overhead. For one frozen moment, their eyes met—Hong Fei saw the exact instant when shock registered in Rhodes' widened eyes.
Hong Fei gripped his blade one-handed and drove it upward in a single fluid motion. The steel tip found its mark—sliding perfectly into the armor's shoulder seam. As Rhodes sailed past, the blade carved through the plating with surgical precision, showering sparks and crackling energy until the gauntlet tore free. The entire exchange lasted less than a heartbeat.
"Whoosh!" The armor tumbled past like a discarded tin can. Hong Fei was already on his feet, poised for the next strike.