BOOM!
A terrifying explosion suddenly erupted, shaking the ground violently and causing cracks to form beneath them!
Tony bolted like a madman, yelling at Daniel, who was also fleeing, "How many bombs did you plant, exactly!?"
"Not too many. Just around a hundred."
"???"
Tony instantly felt a memory chase him like a shadow from the grave.
He remembered running for his life before the Mark III even existed. Now that he had built the Mark III, life seemed slightly better—he could run while wearing it!
Fortunately, the power of this explosion wasn't as massive as the last one and occurred deep underground.
After sprinting over a hundred meters, the shockwave finally subsided.
Looking back, a giant crater, dozens of meters wide, had appeared in the ground!
Tony approached the edge, peering down at the smoke-filled abyss, his mouth twitching: "He must be dead this time, right?"
Daniel glanced at his mission panel: "Not yet."
Thud!
No sooner had he spoken than a tattered steel armor suit suddenly leaped out of the crater!
The Iron Monger armor was in terrible condition.
Under the constant bombardment of TNT, even its powerful defense had suffered. Cracks spread across the surface, and a large hole had been blasted through the central cockpit, exposing Stane's disheveled figure inside.
"Didn't expect me back, did you!?"
Stane laughed maniacally, relieved to have survived death once again.
Tony was shocked.
Even this couldn't kill him? Was the truth that bigger mechs were stronger?
He instinctively raised his right arm to fire an energy beam, but the display read low energy.
Seeing this, Stane's face twisted into a cruel smile: "Haha! You're finally out of options, aren't you? Now it's my turn to—"
Bang!
A crisp gunshot cut him off.
Stane's smile froze instantly. A distinct bullet hole appeared on his forehead, blood slowly oozing.
Daniel expressionlessly put away the golden Desert Eagle and shook his head:
"Who pilots a mech without a helmet?"
"…"
Tony was stunned, unable to recover for a long time.
He had never imagined Stane would meet such a comical end.
Daniel ignored the bewildered Tony; his attention turned to the system messages appearing in his mind:
[You have successfully defeated the BOSS 'Iron Monger' Obadiah Stane!]
[Starting damage reward settlement...]
[Rewards are as follows: 10,000 EXP, 5 Free Attribute Points, Equipment 'The Lethal Weapon Three Thousand', Item 'Master Key', Item 'Red Mushroom', Item 'Blue Pill', Equipment 'BT-7274 Vanguard-Class Titan']
[Equipment: The Lethal Weapon Three Thousand (A super weapon combining ten different killing systems)]
[Item: Master Key (Opens any door, can also hack other people's Wi-Fi)]
[Item: Red Mushroom (Makes you bigger if you eat it)]
[Item: Blue Pill (Makes you bigger if you eat it)]
Daniel: "?"
None of these seemed particularly serious, but his gaze quickly landed on the last item.
[Equipment: BT-7274 Vanguard-Class Titan]
[Effect: A fourth-generation Vanguard-class Titan mech with advanced AI. Can collaborate with the pilot via neural link. Equipped with various weapons including high-speed autocannon, missile launcher, and energy weapons. Excellent mobility, defense, self-repair, and energy absorption.]
[Comment: Protocol 3: Protect the Pilot.]
"A mech!?"
Daniel's eyes sparkled, a massive wave of excitement surging within him.
The rewards actually included a full mech!
Judging by the description, it seemed just as capable as Tony's or Stane's suits!
If Tony weren't standing nearby, Daniel would have summoned it immediately to study.
Thump!
As Stane's life ended, the Iron Monger armor, now uncontrolled, crashed heavily to the ground.
Tony finally regained his composure. He looked at Stane's corpse with mixed emotions, voice low:
"I honestly considered him family. I never thought it would end like this..."
Daniel shrugged: "His daughter might be thinking the same thing."
Tony: "?"
Before long, accompanied by the screech of brakes, Agent Coulson and the S.H.I.E.L.D. team arrived.
Coulson looked at the two of them, exasperated: "I have to say, your location is always remarkably easy to find."
"You can't blame me," Tony pleaded. "I'm always the victim!"
After learning what had happened, Coulson directed his team to clear the scene.
His gaze swept over the Iron Monger wreckage: "I have a question. What happened to the arc reactor in this armor's chest?"
"Missing?"
Tony was taken aback and immediately checked.
Indeed, the chest area was empty. The arc reactor Stane had stolen was gone—but Tony clearly remembered seeing it moments ago.
He turned to Daniel, suspicion written all over his face.
Feeling the gaze, Daniel felt his dignity insulted: "Why are you looking at me? I didn't steal it!"
He really didn't. He had simply forgotten to turn off the auto-loot function.
The next day, Stark Industries held a press conference.
"The truth is... I am Iron Man!"
With one sentence, Tony caused a frenzy across America, forcing S.H.I.E.L.D. to work overtime cleaning up his mess.
Even Nick Fury developed dark circles under his eyes, though barely visible given his skin tone.
"Agent Daniel, your surveillance mission is now complete. Tony Stark will be handed over to Black Widow for further contact and assessment," Fury said over the phone.
At the perfect moment, the system chimed:
[Mission 'Monitor Tony Stark' settlement complete!]
[Rewards received: EXP +1,000, S.H.I.E.L.D. Reputation +30, Item 'Honeycomb Tech Smoke Grenade', Equipment 'Loitering Munition']
[Item: Honeycomb Tech Smoke Grenade (Releases large amounts of smoke, convenient for escape)]
[Equipment: Loitering Munition (Launches a controllable loitering bomb that scatters four explosives on detonation)]
Daniel thought: Shouldn't he go to a space base to test this effect?
Nick Fury's voice sounded again:
"I have an urgent task for you now. Over the past month, the Bronx area reported over 100 missing persons, including locals and tourists. Preliminary assessment suggests abnormal characteristics. Investigate and determine the cause."
[NPC Nick Fury has issued a new mission to you]
[Mission: Investigate Missing Persons]
[Objective: Ascertain the reason for the disappearances]
*[Rewards: 500 EXP, S.H.I.E.L.D. Reputation +10, Random Equipment 1]