Air Force One

Thankfully, Xia Yu wasn't here. If Xia Yu knew Killian's thoughts, he'd laugh himself to death. Didn't Xia Yu know that the Avengers had entered a glorious period of evolution after the Battle of New York of Battle of New York?

And someone like you, who could be taken down by a high-powered bomb, would be easily killed by a single assassination attempt by Hawkeye, believe it or not, once your position is exposed.

Putting aside others, Xia Yu during the Battle of New York and his current strength are worlds apart. Even disregarding Xia Yu's overpowered abilities, even Tony, given just a little time—definitely less than a week—has all sorts of new weapons to completely counter you.

All I can say is that Killian and his group have become arrogant, extremely arrogant.

However, due to the information asymmetry and Pepper Potts' capture in the early stages, Xia Yu was indeed caught off guard by the Avengers. Although Xia Yu knew a lot, he couldn't say anything. What would happen if he did? Everything was changing, and many things were different from before. Not to mention there was a mastermind behind the scenes whose purpose Xia Yu didn't yet know.

So when JARVIS cracked the address the next day and a group of people rushed to the Miami estate, they were disappointed to find it empty. Pepper Potts wasn't there at all, nor were Killian, Eric, or any of the other executives.

Rhodey's Armor had already been used by Eric Seven to take Air Force One to arrest the president.

It can't be said that they gained nothing at all; at least they rescued Rhodey, who had been captured.

And that imposter the Mandarin.

When Xia Yu and the others rushed into the room, the Mandarin was watching a football game while drinking beer with two women.

When he saw the Avengers come in, he raised the soda can in his hand and waved to them.

"Are you here to watch the game with me?" The Mandarin enthusiastically.

In his haste to rescue Pepper Potts, Tony kicked the sofa and stomped on the Mandarin's chest, aiming his laser cannon at the Mandarin's head; the laser's beam was already beginning to glow.

If the Mandarin shows even the slightest sign of non-cooperation, Tony will smash his head in the first place.

"I never knew anyone was hurt. They lied to me. I know nothing," the imposter quickly explained to himself.

"This is the Mandarin?" Tony looked back at everyone in confusion; this was so different from what he had imagined.

"The Mandarin is just a character, a character I created. My name is Trevor Slattery, and I'm an actor. Hello, Iron Man." This imposter not only introduced himself but also extended his right hand to Tony.

"Shut up!" Tony pressed harder on his foot.

"Okay, okay, I surrender, but I'm really just an actor. They gave me plastic surgery to play the Mandarin. If you're here to arrest me, could you let me make a phone call first? I promise it will only take a minute, very quickly..."

The imposter started chattering on and on.

Tony pressed down harder on his leg, interrupting him, and asked, "Tell me where Pepper is right now, or I'll kill you right now."

"I don't know who Pepper is?" the imposter said.

"Bang!"

Rhodey held the pistol close to the imposter's ear and fired a shot at the sofa, startling the imposter. Then Rhodey used the muzzle of the gun to burn the imposter's ear.

"Ah~!~!~!"

The imposter cried out in pain, "I really don't know who Pepper is, but I know their plan, ouch! It hurts!"

Treve Slattery touched his ear halfway through his sentence and even took a sip of beer.

"I know where they're going! It's a small harbor by the sea, and there's a big ship there. I can take you there! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh!"

He was halfway through his story when he suddenly screamed. It turned out his favorite team had scored a goal on TV, and he actually yelled and started singing.

Tony was so scared he almost killed him with a laser cannon.

Rhodey, standing next to him, accidentally fired his pistol, shattering a vase on the nearby table.

"I really want to shoot his face off," Rhodey said to everyone, pointing at Trevor Slattery.

"He's a smart man. He knows his place and what he needs very well," Xia Yu said.

"Never mind him, get what we need from him, and hand him over to the police," Natasha said.

After everyone asked what they needed, Hawkeye punched the 'The Mandarin' unconscious. They had no interest in dealing with this guy anymore; he was a complete scoundrel and drug addict.

From the moment he first realized he had been deceived by Killian, he gave up everything and indulged in the beautiful women, fine wines, and drugs they offered him. He figured he'd be caught sooner or later anyway; he was just an actor, so he might as well enjoy himself while they controlled him.

Therefore, Xia Yu said that this guy is definitely a smart person.

There are two things on our minds now: the president on Air Force One and rescuing Pepper.

Xia Yu's ability to open teleportation portals proved incredibly useful at this moment. What would have required splitting up the forces was now very simple, and the matter of Air Force One could be resolved effortlessly.

However, just to be on the safe side, Xia Yu decided to split the group into two. He opened a door and sent Natasha and Hawkeye to Pepper's side, while they kept watch from the outside. This was a way to set up an outpost first.

Thor went along to be their bodyguard, so they could contact each other anytime if anything happened.

Xia Yu, Tony, and Rhodey, who are officially recognized, go together to rescue the president.

When the three men arrived, Air Force One was already under the control of Eric Seven alone.

He swaggered in wearing Rhodey's Armor, and at an altitude of 10,000 meters behind the plane, easily killed the president's bodyguards and took control of the aircraft.

At an altitude of 10,000 meters, it would be far too easy for either the Armor or him, the Extremis Soldier, to capture the president.

When Xia Yu and his group arrived, Eric was taking off his Armor, intending to set up automatic flight so that the president could put it on.

This was an unreasonable demand from Killian; he wanted to combine the president and the Iron Patriot, two symbols of national security, into one, and then destroy them in front of the whole world.

First, it was to instill a deep sense of panic in the public, so that the next president under his control could gain more support when eliminating terrorists. Second, it was also for his own sense of ritual, which was very important to Killian, who had always lived in a state of inferiority, as it made him feel stronger and invincible.

Eric was extremely unlucky, because just as Xia Yu and his team pinpointed the location of Air Force One, Xia Yu opened the door and happened to be right next to them.

Amidst the bewildered stares of Eric and the President, Tony blasted Eric through the chest with a laser cannon, and Xia Yu and the other two strolled out nonchalantly.

"Remember, you owe me another favor," Xia Yu said to the president.

The president nodded without saying anything. Indeed, he was able to become president entirely thanks to the former president's idiocy and the strength of the Avengers, especially Xia Yu.

Xia Yu reached out and grabbed Eric by the neck, watching as Eric's entire body slowly turned orange-red, then into a lava-like liquid, and the hole in his chest was gradually filled with that liquid.

Eric Seven opened his eyes, having fully recovered from what could have been a fatal injury.

"Dragon Knight Xia Yu, I've long wanted to see just how powerful you so-called Avengers really are." Eric activated the virus within his body, his temperature rising higher and higher until his entire body had turned into magma, barely recognizable as human.

Xia Yu's right hand was still firmly gripping Eric's neck, the high temperature seemingly having no effect on his hand.

Eric didn't find it unbelievable. All his energy had been focused on repairing the wound on his chest, and now it was gathering in his right hand. The temperature on his neck wasn't high at all.

So he wasn't surprised that Xia Yu could still hold him by the neck without moving, but now his right hand was at an extreme temperature of three thousand degrees.

If you were to pierce Xia Yu's body and kill an Avengers, the feeling would surely be far more intense than that of an ordinary person. Why is it that we serve our country, only to be crippled and left to rot in a corner after being injured or disabled, while you can easily become the center of attention by defeating a few aliens? Why is that?

You have high-tech Armor and some special abilities, but we have all of those now, and we're even more powerful than you.

Eric roared out his last words, his right hand, burning with extreme heat and brimming with Eric's excitement, plunging fiercely into Xia Yu's heart.