The car continued towards the base, while Happy had already been taken to the Continental Hotel for Wax Bath treatment.
Eddie, however, was still spending Christmas with his girlfriend. This was their most important holiday, and the vacation was quite long, lasting from December 22nd to January 5th.
As for Hawkeye's call, sorry, he's on vacation right now, and he has no intention of offending his girlfriend by punishing evildoers; he's not that noble.
With Eddie refusing to answer again, Barton had to reassess Eddie's situation.
······
On the other side.
Tony, carrying his Mark 42 armor, found a warehouse and, after confirming that the owner was not there, forced open the warehouse door.
Tony glanced at the storeroom's contents from the doorway, then placed the Mark 42 on the sofa. Tony said with a self-deprecating laugh, "So you can sit more comfortably now, are you happy?"
Tony sat on the sofa to rest for a while, then went to the workbench, picked up a pair of pliers, and began to remove the fragments from his arm.
Just then, a child walked in, holding a Potato Gun and pointing it at Tony, saying, "Stop!"
"Don't move."
Tony looked at the child at the door, put down the pliers, and said cooperatively, "You've got me."
He then said, "The Potato Gun is pretty good."
"The barrel is a bit too long; with that length and width, aiming won't be accurate."
The boy aimed at a glass on the wall shelf, shattering it with a single shot, demonstrating that his aim was excellent.
Tony lowered his hand and said, "Now you're out of bullets."
The boy looked at the glowing object on Tony's chest and asked, "What's that on your chest?"
Tony laughed and said, "It's an electromagnet."
"You surely know you have a ton of stuff here."
The little boy continued, "What's it for?"
Tony didn't answer, but stood up and shone the desk lamp onto the Mark 42 on the sofa.
The boy's expression changed completely upon seeing it, and he exclaimed in surprise, "My God!"
"That, that's... that's Iron Man?"
Tony looked at the boy and said, "Strictly speaking, I am."
The boy walked up to Tony, placed a newspaper on his chest, and said, "Strictly speaking, you're already dead."
Tony opened the newspaper, and his own picture came into view, along with the headline. "Mandarin Attacks, Stark Rumored Dead."
Tony said helplessly, "Okay."
He then tossed the newspaper aside, and the boy went to the sofa, looking at the battle-damaged Mark 42, and asked, "What happened to him?"
"Alive."
"I created him, I nurtured him."
I will fix it.
The boy looked at Tony and said, "Isn't that just mechanical power?"
Hearing the other person's words, Tony didn't refute them. "I guess so."
The boy looked at Tony and said, "Well, if I were to build Iron Man and War Machine..."
Before the other person could finish speaking, Tony said, "Now it's called Iron Patriot."
The boy exclaimed, "That's even cooler!"
Tony retorted, "No, absolutely not."
"Anyway, I'll install a mirror..."
Tony asked, "A mirror reflection device?"
The boy nodded and said, "Let him become invisible."
Tony: "You want stealth mode?"
Boy: "Isn't that a good idea?"
Tony nodded and said, "That's a good idea. I can build one later."
The boy looked at Mark 42's fingers and, out of curiosity, broke them off.
Seeing this, Tony quickly shouted, "Don't do that!"
"Look what you've done!"
Are you going to break his fingers?
"He's injured, his whole body aches, stay away from him."
Upon hearing Tony's words, the boy lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry."
Tony asked, "Are you serious?"
He then continued, "Don't worry, I'll take care of it."
They then asked the boy's family, "Who's home?"
"My mom went to work at the restaurant, and my dad went to 7-Eleven to buy scratch-off lottery tickets."
"I guess he must have won the lottery, because he's been gone for six years."
Hearing the boy's words, Tony pondered for a moment before saying, "This kind of thing happens; it's nothing to worry about when a father leaves his child."
"I need the following: a laptop, a digital watch, and a mobile phone."
"The cyclone-threaded tube on your little cannon, the map of this town, the big spring, and a tuna sandwich."
Upon hearing Tony's request, the boy asked, "What's in it for me?"
After thinking for a moment, Tony asked, "What was the name of the man who saved you?"
"Who?"
Tony continued, "What's the name of the guy who bullied you at school?"
The boy asked curiously, "How did you know?"
Tony didn't answer the other person's question. He clearly knew that a child who had lost his father seven years ago would definitely be bullied by his classmates at school. He simply walked over to Mark 42 and said, "This thing of mine is just what you're looking for."
He then took a metal can from Mark 42's arm, held it in his hand, and said, "This is a jar for crickets."
"Just kidding, this is an extremely powerful weapon."
"Don't point it at your own face; pressing the button on top will scare people away."
"Since there's no danger to my life, it's perfect for self-defense, what do you think?"
The boy immediately reached for it, but Tony didn't hand it to him. Instead, he continued to ask, "How is it?"
"Is the deal done?"
"Make a deal."
After handing the items to the boy, Tony asked, "What's your name?"
"Harry, what's your name...?"
Tony answered directly, "Machinist, Tony."
Then he looked at Harry and said, "Do you know what I'm thinking?"
Where's my sandwich?
Harry immediately sat up from the sofa to find the things Tony had just mentioned.
······
On the other side.
At Rose Hill, Aldrich Killian received a phone call from his subordinate.
"Sir, we destroyed the house, but we didn't find any bodies."
"Stark not found."
Killian said calmly, "Understood."
"I have to go now. The Mandarin should be recording, but he's a bit..."
"You know his temper."
"Continue as planned today, call me when you're done."
After saying that, Killian hung up the phone and went into a room filled with photographers and staff.
At this moment, Killian spoke up, "Listen up, all of you. No talking or eye contact, or I'll blow your head off."
The Mandarin arrived quickly, sat down in a chair, and then looked at Killian, saying, "Alright, what are we waiting for?"
This "The Mandarin" is none other than the terrorist leader Mandarin appeared in the news, but in reality, he is an obscure actor and a drug addict.
As soon as the Mandarin was in place, the video recording began immediately.
······
On the other side.
After Jiraiya surveyed the area, he and Kankuro arrived at a deserted cliff.
Kankuro, who was standing to the side, looked at Jiraiya and asked, "What should we do?"
Jiraiya spoke first, "Find Tony."
Jiraiya bit his finger, formed hand Hand Seals, and shouted, "Summoning Technique!"
"Bang!"
As the smoke cleared, Pakkun appeared before the two.
Upon seeing that the person summoning the spirit was Jiraiya, Pakkun raised his head and said, "Lord Jiraiya!"
Jiraiya looked at the Ninja Dog Pakkun and said, "Pakkun, do you remember Tony Stark's scent?"
Upon hearing Jiraiya's words, Pakkun replied, "I remember him, I know that guy very well."
"Did something happen to him?"
Jiraiya spoke of Tony's situation, "He went missing after being attacked by terrorists, and I need you to lead us to him."
Pakkun shook his head helplessly. "My meal ticket, he's been captured by terrorists again. He's such a worry."
Pakkun then lowered his head to sniff Stark's scent, but after a while, he looked up and said:
"Stark isn't in New York; he might have gone a bit too far this time."
Pakkun sensed for a moment longer, then said, "Found it, come with me."
Watching Pakkun disappear in a flash, Jiraiya turned to Kankuro and said, "Little guy from Sunagakure, remember not to fall behind."
The next second, Jiraiya chased after the direction where Pakkun had disappeared, and Kankuro quickly followed.
······
On the other side.
Tony and Harry arrived in town, and Tony complained about the things Harry had brought, "The sandwiches are alright, but the springs are a bit rusty."
"The rest of the materials will have to do for now."
"Also, you said you'd give me your sister's watch..."
Harry asked, puzzled, "What's wrong?"
Tony rolled up his sleeve, revealing a cartoon girl's watch on his wrist, and said, "I thought it would be a slightly more mature watch."
Harry laughed, "She's only six years old, please, this is a limited edition."
Harry then asked, "When shall we talk about the New York Incident?"
Tony refused, saying, "I guess I won't say it. Just forget about it."
"What about the Avengers? Can we talk about them?"
Tony refused again, saying, "Never mind, let's talk about it later."
"Kid, give me some personal space."
As Tony and Harry talked, they came to an open space where offerings for the deceased were laid out, and several black figures were painted on the wall.
Tony asked, puzzled, "What's going on here? What happened?"
Harry went to the center of the street, looked at the things on the ground, and said, "There's a man named Chad Davis who lives on this corner."
"He won many medals when he joined the army."
"Later, people said he suddenly went mad; he made a bomb and blew himself up right here."
Tony stepped forward, looking at the figure appearing on the wall. He recalled seeing this news when he had Jarvis investigate. After observing the scene for a moment, he asked, "Six people died, right?"
Harry nodded. "Yes."
Tony continued, "Including Chad Davis."
"That's right."
Tony sat down next to Harry and said, "Really? That doesn't make sense."
"Think about it, six people died, but there were only five shadows."
Harry nodded. "Yes."
"People say these shadows are the marks of souls entering heaven."
"Then poor Bomb Bro, he fell into Hell, so his shadow went in with him."
That's why there are only five shadows.
Tony asked, "Do you believe it?"
Harry didn't say he believed it, but instead said, "That's what everyone says."
Tony shook his head, clearly not believing the reason; after all, he was a man who had witnessed the Demon of Hell.
Looking at the deep crater left by the bomb explosion, Harry said, "Do you know what this crater reminds me of?"
"I don't know, and I don't care."
Harry smiled and gestured with his hands, "That giant wormhole in New York."
What does it remind you of?
Tony looked at Harry and said, "Trying to trick me into telling you? I don't want to."
Harry pressed on, "Aliens, will they come back?"
"Possibly."
Then Tony said, somewhat angrily, "Can you shut up?"
"Didn't I tell you I have anxiety?"
Harry asked, puzzled, "Is this topic... making you uneasy?"
"Yes, a little. Can I catch my breath now?"
Harry, however, kept talking and asked, "Are there bad people in Rose Hill?"
Seeing Tony struggling to breathe, Harry asked with concern, "Do you need a bag to help you breathe?"
Did you take your medicine?
"No."
Do you need to take medicine?
"Possibly."
Do you have post-traumatic stress disorder?
I don't think so.
"Will you... will you become mentally ill?"
"I can shut up, but do you want me to shut up?"
As Harry continued his incessant chatter, Tony finally snapped, "Didn't I tell you to shut up already?"
"I swear, you're driving me crazy."
After glancing at Harry, Tony couldn't sit still any longer. He immediately got up from the ground, turned around, and ran over, saying, "You brat, you've really driven me crazy! Are you happy now?"
Harry turned to Tony, puzzled, and asked, "What did I say?"
"Hey, wait for me."
Harry immediately got up and chased after Tony.
Tony had just reached the intersection when he collapsed to his knees, convulsing all over.
Harry chased after him, calling out, "Wait, wait!"
Harry finally reached Tony's side and asked, "What's wrong?"
Tony knelt on the ground, took off his hat, grabbed some snow, and covered his face to calm himself down.
Then he grabbed the snow off his face, threw it at Harry, and said:
"You made me have a seizure."
Harry wasn't angry when he got hit by snow; he even had a suppressed laugh on his face, clearly finding Tony's reaction amusing.
Tony had recovered by now, and after putting his hat back on, he spoke:
"Alright, let's get down to business."
Where were we?
"The man is dead. What about his family? Mother, Ms. Davis, where is she?"
After thinking for a moment, Harry said, "She's in a place, a pub."
Tony said to Harry, "See? That's where it comes in handy."
"Take me to that bar you mentioned."
Soon Harry led Tony to the vicinity of the bar. Tony looked at the bar across the street and said, "Harry, you wait here for me, don't go in."
Harry nodded, then Tony pulled down his hat brim and walked toward the bar across the street.
As Tony approached the bar across the street, he bumped into a woman and knocked one of her belongings to the ground.
"Sorry."
Tony turned around, picked up the things the other person had dropped, and handed them back to them.
"Madam, your things."
The other person turned around, looked at Tony, and then took the item from his hand.
"Thanks."
Just then, a gust of wind blew by, lifting the woman's red hair and revealing the scars on her face.
Tony glanced at the injury on the other person's face, paused for a moment, then changed the subject, saying, "Nice hair, it suits you."
The woman glanced at Tony's watch and said, "Your watch is very nice too."
Tony raised his arm, pointed to it, and said, "Yeah, it's a limited edition."
The woman smiled and said, "Of course."
Then he said to Tony, "Have you had fun tonight?"
Seeing the other person leave, Tony turned and walked into the bar.
After entering the bar, Tony looked around at everyone, then located Ms. Davis and walked over, saying, "Ms. Davis?"
Seeing that the other person was looking at him, and confirming that he hadn't gotten the wrong person, Tony asked, "May I sit down?"
Davis glanced at Tony and said calmly, "Man is born free."
Tony nodded and said, "That's true."
Tony then sat down, at which point Davis looked at him and said, "Okay, get to the point."
Upon hearing the other person's words, Tony said, "I want to say that I feel very sad for you losing your son in your later years."
"I want to know, what exactly happened?"
Davis glanced at Tony, then said, "I've brought you the information. Take it and leave."
"No matter what they say inside, it's not what he wants to do."
Tony looked at the document, which read, 'Secret Document, Operation Missing Personnel.'
Flipping through the documents, which contained photos and other information, Tony said as he looked through them, "Obviously, you're waiting for someone else, right?"
"Someone will be meeting you here, right?"
Davis nodded and said, "Yes."
Tony glanced at it briefly, then looked at the other person and said seriously, "Ms. Davis, your son did not commit suicide."
"I assure you, he did not hurt anyone."
"Someone took advantage of him."
Davis asked in confusion, "Why?"
Tony continued, "Someone is using him as a pawn."
Hearing Tony's words, Davis took the file back and put it under his arm again, then looked at the other man and said:
"You're not the person on the phone, are you?"
Just then, the woman who had bumped into Tony walked to the table, placed an item on it, and said, "Actually, I am!"
Tony looked at the woman, and the next second she grabbed Tony's arm, slammed him onto the table, and handcuffed Tony.