Dario Agger looked at the image on the screen, speechless.
The convertible wasn't sponsored by them—although he had offered, Norman had refused, saying he wanted to use an Osborn car.
He had expected Osborn to arrange an armored vehicle that offered all-around protection for Norman, but it turned out to be a convertible after all!
But this car really wasn't an ordinary convertible; this thing could actually fly!
But isn't a flying convertible still a convertible?
"Arrogant idiot. Does he think his flesh and blood can withstand a few bullets?" said Agger.
"Perhaps he has other arrangements," said Killian, the head of AIM, over the communicator.
Originally, AIM intended to deal with President Ellis, to take down Ellis and install the Vice President.
But now, Norman's threat was clearly greater. They would rather join forces with Roxxon and use the remaining time of Ellis's term to take Norman down.
Ellis and Roxxon clearly had a deep relationship, but for Roxxon Corporation, even changing a Vice President didn't matter—after all, they were of the same party.
Besides, the kidnapped Roxxon Corporation accountant didn't really die—they had been plotting this all along, to further control the United States.
Agger said, "But we have arrangements as well. Have those two tin cans been taken care of?"
A few days ago, the CIA gave the President some intelligence: The Mandarin's signal was in Pakistan, so the Iron Patriot, Colonel Rhodes, flew to Pakistan.
Just like in the original, poor Colonel Rhodes was captured by Extremis soldiers.
This time, Colonel Rhodes was beaten badly. A few hours ago, a video of Colonel Rhodes being tortured was sent to Tony.
Seeing Colonel Rhodes beaten beyond recognition enraged Tony. Jarvis didn't need much effort to track the sender's address. Iron Man lived up to his reputation as a super weapon, deploying incredibly fast; within a few hours, he had arrived at the doorstep.
Then, a dozen or so Extremis soldiers "opened" Tony.
Compared to the original, Tony was beaten even worse this time. Fortunately, the Mark 42 had disassembled before AIM could tamper with it—the kind that no one but Tony could put back together.
From the moment Tony set off to the moment he was captured, the entire process took less than 12 hours, and no one noticed anything wrong—the public was already accustomed to Iron Man flying around in the sky.
The Iron Patriot approached the location where Norman was giving his speech. Killian replied over the communicator:
"Everything is ready. Get ready to clean up."
This was a campaign speech intended to showcase Norman's toughness and affinity with the people.
He would drive through the streets in the convertible, arrive at Dealey Plaza, and then deliver his speech.
Because the goal was to be approachable, Norman didn't mind leaning out of the car to shake hands with the people on both sides of the street.
Osborn's bodyguards maintained observation and communication from the shadows, ensuring no suspicious individuals approached. Soon, Norman arrived at the designated location, his skull still intact.
Norman walked onto the podium, his face wearing an incredibly confident smile. The crowd was happy to see such a President.
"I know many people are worried about today's scene—what happened here, I think every American remembers vividly."
"But I am still willing to choose this place as the first stop of my tour, for no other reason than to tell everyone: We are strong, and no one can do whatever they want here."
Norman spread his arms wide, and this remark made the rednecks cheer loudly.
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