Scene: Rooftop of a building 30 meters east of Hammer Tower, Manhattan.Starring: Qin Xiao, Tony StarkDirector: Natasha RomanoffScreenwriters: Natasha Romanoff, Qin Xiao, Tony Stark
"I just got a call from Rhodes. Hammer is currently at the air force base installing weapons on Rhodes' new armor. Once we locate Ivan Vanko, Rhodes will have him under control immediately."
Qin Xiao and Tony had just returned, after a long conversation with Rhodes. In the end, Rhodes had secured a suit for the military, and the Illuminati added another War Machine to their plan.
"All set. Where are you two? Heroes, ready?"
Black Widow's voice crackled faintly through their earpieces.
"Of course!" Tony answered confidently.
Qin Xiao glanced behind him, nodded, and said,
"Let's go!"
"Action!"
Black Widow tapped the table and leapt onto the planks.
"Bang!"
The moment she spoke, Tony's armor's repulsors spun to full power, propelling him straight into Qin Xiao's abdomen, smashing him through the rooftop railing and hurling him into the sky.
"Tony! You jerk! I wasn't ready!"
Qin Xiao roared midair.
"The director already shouted—learn what professionalism means, my friend. From now on, we're enemies!"
Tony said, grabbing one of Qin Xiao's arms in midair, twisting, and using the momentum to slam him onto his back, sending him crashing hard to the ground.
"Boom!"
The ground at Hammer Tower's entrance cracked under the impact, fissures visible even to the naked eye.
"Ah? Missed?"
Tony hovered above Qin Xiao, fire trailing behind him.
A blinding white light flashed in his hand thrusters. Two laser cannons locked on, aimed directly at Qin Xiao.
"Damn it, Tony! This isn't in the script!"
Qin Xiao muttered under his breath, rolling to dodge the beams as he sprinted toward Hammer Tower.
Tony said nothing, smashing through the glass door with his armor and storming inside.
A sudden gust of wind swept past the doorway. Qin Xiao grabbed a coffee table and swung it toward Tony.
"Whoa!"
Shards of glass scattered as Tony slammed into the side wall.
"Extra scene—you're picking it up fast!" Tony muttered through the earpiece.
Tony quickly stabilized himself, pointing at Qin Xiao. A line of text appeared on the helmet's HUD. He glanced down and read with a frown:
"Qin, I've always considered you a trusted friend, yet here you are making business deals with that clown Justin Hammer! You know what I hate most? That pretentious bastard!"
Beneath the words lay the hurt and anger of betrayal—a mix of fury and helplessness.
Black Widow sighed through the earpiece.
Qin Xiao responded by hurling the remnants of the coffee table across the room.
"This is just business! Nothing personal. We haven't even signed a contract yet. This is why you threw me from above. I really want to kick you hard…"
"Ahhhhh!"
A girl, seemingly working at the front desk on the first floor, screamed, clutching her head as she ran between them, stepping on shards of glass.
"I'll beat you up, Tony!"
As she charged, Qin Xiao improvised a line. Black Widow, hacking into Hammer's surveillance system, facepalmed at the screen.
"You want to hit me? I'm Iron Man. You think my armor is as easy to deal with as the junk Hammer Industries makes?"
Tony delivered the line in a cold tone.
Then…
Tick, tick, tick!
The wall clock echoed between them. A gust of wind sent documents fluttering through the air.
"Looks like it's your turn?" Tony's voice came through the earpiece.
"Tony, you changed the line. I don't know how to respond. That last part—was your addition." Qin Xiao muttered.
"Gentlemen! These lines are just to make your fight look realistic. Everyone on the first floor has escaped. Stop acting—go in!" Black Widow gritted her teeth. She wanted to smack herself—having these two improvise was the worst idea in her career.
Meanwhile, below in the underground lab, vibrations from above immediately raised alarms.
Five super soldiers remained: four men outside guarding the elevator and a lone woman watching Ivan Vanko work.
Unnoticed, as the guards left, Ivan smiled, glanced at the female super soldier at the door, and quickly switched the computer interface. His fingers flew across the keyboard.
The elevator doors trembled.
A loud crash—the elevator plummeted at an abnormal speed. Dust burst out from the shattered doors.
All guards raised their weapons toward the elevator.
Bang! The elevator doors were blown open, and a gold-and-red figure burst into the room, colliding with the guards.
Rat-a-tat-tat!
The guards fired instinctively, but a few shots later, Tony's armor and the force of the elevator threw them back.
Before they could react, the ceiling groaned above.
Qin Xiao descended from above. Like wolves among sheep, they collided repeatedly, tossing guards aside, before collapsing to the floor themselves, struggling to get up.
Hundreds of pre-assembled suits were stacked densely around the underground lab.
Tony immediately recognized them—they were the armors developed jointly by Justin Hammer and the military. He even knew the specs.
As single-operator suits, they were decent but unpowered, only able to execute basic movements.
Some had a faint blue glow on their chest plates.
"Arc Reactor!"
Tony and Qin Xiao exchanged a glance.
They had found the right place.
Inside, they searched for Ivan Vanko.
A figure flashed—four large, expressionless men, eyes empty, wearing combat boots, camo pants, and just tank tops—stood in their path.
Super Soldiers!
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