Pepper Potts Captured
With two world-class agents present, the analysis was much faster and more accurate than if Tony Stark had been doing it all by himself in the movies.
The holographic images on the ground became increasingly detailed, revealing not only Happy's virtual figure but also everything that had been on the ground after the explosion.
Videos and photos from various government departments were reconstructed using JARVIS's powerful computing capabilities.
In the virtual image, Happy, severely injured and lying on the ground, simultaneously points his gaze and finger at the same spot.
Noticing the direction everyone was looking, JARVIS thoughtfully conjured two virtual beams of light, following Happy's gaze and finger, and aimed them at a spot in front of Happy.
A U.S. Military. soldier's identification tag was placed on the ground.
Setting the soldier's identification tag aside, Tony then had JARVIS pull up satellite data showing the distribution of abnormal temperature increases across various locations over the past year.
After eliminating the known terrorist attacks by the Mandarin, the remaining cases were carefully examined one by one, and finally the Tennessee bombing from a year ago was selected. It was also caused by a retired soldier, and no bomb fragments could be found.
"Looks like this is where it all started, guys! JARVIS, create all the files related to this explosion. I need all the data to keep as backup. Tomorrow we'll go find Rhodey. The trap is set; we just need to see when the prey arrives. Hopefully, this will all be over before Christmas."
Tony touched the nanodevices on his chest, his tone laced with murderous intent.
The next day, the group split into two groups again.
Xia Yu, Tony, and Natasha went to Rhodey's military base, while Hawkeye and Thor went to Tennessee to begin their investigation.
Hawkeye originally planned to go alone, as it would be too easy for him. However, Xia Yu, who knew who the opponent was, was worried about Hawkeye's safety and asked Thor to come along.
"Rhodey, you've really gone too far with this evacuation!" Xia Yu said to the almost empty military base.
"As long as you guys are here, that's fine. Having too many ordinary soldiers will only hurt innocent bystanders." Rhodey revealed a victorious expression.
"From now on, terrorists could arrive at any moment. I've left a few communications soldiers here to watch the radar. I think we should be ready for battle at any time, Tony. We should put on our Armor and wait."
"I completely agree with you, Iron Patriot." Tony tapped the nanodevice on his chest twice.
The first time you see this Armor, it's absolutely breathtaking. Metal flows out of Tony's chest and limbs like water, quickly covering his entire body. The latest Iron Man Armor is now fully donned.
Colonel Rhodes' eyes widened, and his mouth opened wide enough to fit a Big Mac.
"For the first time, I feel like my Iron Patriot is just a pile of junk. Oh my god, Tony, what am I seeing? Is that liquid metal? Have you seen the Ultimate Nullifier movies lately?"
"This is the latest Nanotechnology, dear Rhodey. Tony has been researching it for a long time, and I also went to an alien planet recently and brought back some little toys. Hmm... you know, Tony is a genius in this area, so... but honestly, I think the name War Machine suits you better."
Xia Yu kindly explained to Rhodey. (Originally called War Machine, after the terrorist attacks, the government, in order to appease public panic, painted War Machine the colors of the national flag, changed its name, and had Rhodey appear on television wearing the Armor to show that the government could protect the people.)
"What? Xia, you went on a space trip? How many more good things do you have left?" Rhodey' eyes were practically red.
"I thought you knew. When you visited our base last time, didn't you see so many things that didn't look like they were from Earth?" Xia Yu asked curiously. It was obvious at a glance.
"Damn, I thought it was something left behind by the Chitauri from the Battle of New York. Tony, Xia, we're best friends." Rhodey looked at the two of them expectantly.
Xia Yu hugged Rhodey: "You really are our best friend, and we'd love to share with you, but I'm sorry, we can share with you, but not with the Iron Patriots, you understand?"
Rhodey understood Xia Yu's meaning, and for the first time, he had the idea of joining the Avengers. As a professional soldier, nothing was more attractive to him than powerful military technology. He originally thought that with a set of armor, he had already reached the pinnacle of the world in this field, but who knew that he had become a frog in a well.
But there's no use talking about this now; let's deal with the terrorists in front of us first.
They waited all day in vain; the terrorists didn't show up. Instead, they received a message from Hawkeye and Thor that evening.
Xia Yu opened a portal and brought them both back, without letting anyone else in the base see, though he didn't hide it from Colonel Rhodes.
"That veteran didn't commit suicide after all; he was indeed a suicide bomber, but this bomb is a bit unusual." Hawkeye took out a file folder and casually helped Rhodey reset his dislocated jaw, which had been thrown back into place due to his shock.
Rhodey stared at the slowly closing portal, speechless as he looked at Xia Yu.
If Tony weren't his best friend, and if Rhodey knew the Avengers well enough, Rhodey would have immediately written a case study analysis report on the situation and submitted it to his superiors. It's terrifying.
Hawkeye ignored Rhodey and continued speaking to the group, "The human bomb is named Chad, a disabled veteran. He participated in human experiments for a company called AIM. We met two people there who were probably modified superhumans; their bodies could melt magma, and their temperatures were extremely high, capable of instantly melting ordinary iron."
"Thank goodness Thor came with me. Damn it, they can breathe fire, and even if their limbs are severed, they can turn into lava and immediately regenerate. They're monsters. We killed one, and one escaped. Luckily, we got this file from Chad's mother."
"Wait... A.I.M., they were involved in this Iron Patriot upgrade. They're a Department of Department of Defense service provider. Damn it, the President and Department of Defense aren't in the United States right now. I need to find the Vice President. Tony, this is your responsibility."
Rhodey flew away in a hurry; this matter could be serious or minor, and needed to be dealt with immediately.
Tony glanced at the file in his hand and said, "Now it's clear. This company must have been using limb regeneration technology to lure disabled veterans into human experiments. This technology must not be stable enough, otherwise they wouldn't have exploded."
The signs of trouble have already appeared, so things will be much easier from now on.
But then, more bad news arrived: the terrorists didn't attack the military base today, and it seems they won't, because they attacked Stark Industries headquarters in Los Angeles and kidnapped Pepper Potts.