Expo Farce (Part 2)

Are you sure you sent them invitations?

Stark hesitated for a moment before saying, "... Pepper sent the invitation; I was busy setting up the exhibits at the time..."

After saying that, he took out his phone and called Pepper. Pepper was busy signing orders with some businessmen attending the expo. After receiving Stark's call, she said irritably, "Invitation from Hammer Industries? Of course I didn't send it! Didn't you complain last time that their technology was so bad it was like they were polluting your brain?"

After hanging up the phone, Stark rubbed his hands awkwardly and said, "Things have taken a little unexpected turn. Pepper didn't send an invitation to Hammer Industries..."

"They won't come if you don't send out invitations? That's so unprofessional!" Schiller exclaimed.

The two spoilers who knew the plot in advance could only stand there staring at each other. They never expected that Hammer Industries would actually be so disciplined and not show up without an invitation. Where is the professionalism of a villain?

"Even if Hammer Industries doesn't come, Ivan Vanko, who has a grudge against you, should..."

"Bang!!!"

The two turned to look at the glass curtain wall, where a huge mechanical whip crackling with electricity struck the glass, but... it didn't shatter.

"This is a new technology I've only recently developed," Stark explained. "The larger the area, the greater the strength."

"He doesn't seem to be able to get in." Schiller watched as the huge Whiplash lashed against the glass wall of the hall. The onlookers, thinking it was a performance by Stark, excitedly gathered around the glass and took out their phones to take pictures.

Stark took out his phone and said into the other end, "Someone's causing trouble. Evacuate the crowd first."

When security guards rushed in and shooed Stark Tower crowd out, most people were still confused about what was going on. Although they had been browsing for a long time, they clearly did not expect the expo to end in such an abrupt way.

Many people were unwilling to leave, but they were still driven out by security guards and evacuated through the emergency exits.

Stark tapped a few times on his phone, and then a window opened in the corner of the glass curtain wall. Stark and Schiller stood there, turning to look at the corner, but the villain they had been waiting for did not appear as expected. Schiller said somewhat helplessly, "Couldn't you make some noise to let him know the door is on this side?"

Stark covered his forehead, looking at the electric whip that was still lashing the side glass wall, and said, "Am I supposed to prepare an emergency exit sign for him?"

Stark, whose story was spoiled early on due to his high-dimensional perspective, knew that Hammer Industries and Ivan Vanko were up to no good, but he still held the Stark Expo as scheduled.

However, he wouldn't risk his life, so before the industrial expo, he gave Stark Tower a complete upgrade, including but not limited to improving the building's structural strength, installing new defense systems, using new technologies to manufacture new glass curtain walls, and preparing evacuation routes.

But the current situation is that the stage is set, the protagonist makes a dazzling appearance, but the villain is trapped outside because he can't open the upgraded glass curtain wall.

The protagonist had to open a door for him to enter the stage, but what was even more embarrassing was that the door was so high-tech that the villain didn't recognize it and therefore couldn't get in.

"Never mind, I'll go help him."

After Schiller finished speaking, he disappeared. He turned into gray mist and came to the outside of Stark Tower, where he saw Whiplash Ivan hanging on the wall below the 89th floor of Stark Tower, constantly striking the glass curtain wall of the 89th floor with his whip.

Schiller pondered for a moment in mid-air, feeling that no matter how he made his entrance, it seemed a bit off. So he manipulated the Gray Mist in the air to transform into a few words: "The door is over there!"

He was stunned when he saw the Whiplash so clearly.

Seeing that the Whiplash didn't respond, the words merged into one, turning into a giant arrow, and even produced an animation of pointing to the side. This could be described as foolproof guidance, but the Whiplash still didn't move.

Natasha stood beside Stark, watching as a whip and a cloud of Gray Mist battled outside the window. She said, "So, the situation is that your enemy can't find the way in?"

"Ivan Vanko? He must be Russia, right?" Natasha said. "I suggest you just throw two grenades and blow him over here."

Stark sighed and said, "I think I'll just fly out."

After saying that, the mech armor was put on him, and he flew out through the exit in the corner of the glass curtain wall. Then he saw the Whiplash hanging on the wall. At this moment, a familiar figure swung over from the other side of the wall. The red and blue Spider-Man poked his head out from the side of the wall and asked with great confusion, "What's going on? Are you guys going to fight?"

But neither Whiplash nor Iron Man moved, leaving Spider-Man even more confused. He asked, "If you're not fighting, then why are you evacuating the crowd?"

The situation on the field has become very awkward. First of all, Ivan Vanko cannot fly, or rather, cannot fly for a long time. He does not have the financial backing of Stark. The materials used in the Jaeger are of very poor quality, and the output of the chest reactor is not enough. He cannot take off rashly.

Now, to his left is Spider-Man, who is effortlessly stuck to the wall, and to his right is Iron Man, who is flying in mid-air with his arms crossed and staring at him, with a gray arrow that appears out of nowhere above his head.

In Ivan's own vision, he is a vengeful hero who risks his life to expose Stark's evil secrets, while Stark uses his sinful assets to build layers of defense, and due to the equipment gap, he is unable to break into the enemy's lair.

Meanwhile, the evil capitalist Iron Man also summoned his allies, trapping himself in a web of traps that left him with virtually no escape.

But in reality, from the perspective of a military helicopter not far away, the scene was quite comical.

Iron Man, clad in a suit of armor, hovered motionless in mid-air. Spider-Man, in his red and blue bodysuit, was also unsure of the situation and remained still. The arrow, composed of a mass of gray mist that was unclear whether it was human or not, was equally motionless. The Whiplash, which believed it was trapped and dared not reveal any weakness, also remained still.

These four oddly shaped objects remained frozen in place on the glass curtain wall of the Stark Tower.

Suddenly, the gray arrow at the top moved. It turned back into a cloud of gray mist, and then with a "bang," it became a question mark, seemingly puzzled by the situation on the field.

Spider-Man was drawn to his transformation. The instant he looked up, a whip crackling with electricity came hurtling toward him. Spider-Man's Spider-Sense had anticipated this, and he nimbly leaped to the side, dodging the whip. Stark immediately reached out and fired a palm cannon at Bystander. In an instant, the three of them were locked in a fierce battle.

The gray mist then turned into an exclamation mark with a "bang," seemingly shocked by the rapidly changing situation on the field.

Whether Whiplash can actually defeat the combined might of the evolved Iron Man and Spider-Man is unknown, but the military certainly believes he can't, so they've already prepared to side with him.

Just as the three military helicopters flew over, they suddenly saw the gray mist turn into an ellipsis with three dots with a "bang".

The armed helicopter pilot asked, utterly bewildered, "I've been wanting to ask this for ages, what the hell is that thing???"

Just as they approached Stark Tower, the three dots in the ellipsis flew toward three armed helicopters, instantly obscuring their entire view.

Without a view of the surroundings, the armed helicopters began to wander aimlessly like headless flies.

"... You're asking me about the situation here?" Rhodey, who was negotiating with the military, glanced out the window while holding his phone and said, "I'm not really able to describe it to you."

On the French windows, first a crackling electric whip lashed out, followed by a Silk sticking to the wall, a red and blue figure swiftly swung past, then a mecha flashing with light glided past with a whoosh, and finally a helicopter with its nose full of gray mist spun and crashed down.

"In short, the battle is fierce... You ask me which side has the advantage?"

A shadow fell over Rhodey' head. He turned his head and saw a huge parachute drifting down outside the window. The helicopter pilot below was floating and cursing on the phone. Then Rhodey asked the phone dock, "... Do you know what the opposite of 'evenly matched' is?"

At this moment, Whiplash finally realized that he could not fight Spider-Man and Iron Man in the air, so he jumped down and landed on the rooftop terrace of the building on the west side of Stark Tower, where Stark landed opposite him.

Whiplash glared at him fiercely. Stark's visor rose, and he looked at Whiplash, saying, "Although I know you won't listen to my explanation, and if it were the old me, I wouldn't have explained to you at all..."

"Shut your mouth! You are just as despicable as your father. You are both thieves, a bunch of filthy and vile rats..."

"It's obvious you can't beat me right now. That reactor in your chest is too outdated and doesn't output enough power. If you don't adjust the power, you won't even be able to fly for long periods of time..."

Stark's tone was not sarcastic; he was simply stating a fact calmly. But Ivan was thoroughly enraged by him.

In his view, the Stark family were all thieves who stole his father's achievements to acquire their current wealth, and then used that wealth to create better reactors, while he himself, because he had no money, could only submit to Justin Hammer, listen to his stupid ideas, and build Jaegers for him.

This anger had been building up in his chest for a long time, and he didn't want to hear Stark say another word. He lashed out with a whip, and Stark dodged, seemingly wanting to say something more, but just then, several mechs flew in from the horizon.

Whiplash back, gritting his teeth, and said, "Justin Hammer! You idiot, you promised me you wouldn't interfere..."

Justin Hammer's voice came from the lead mech. "I'm here to help you. You don't really think you can beat Stark and his army of mechs by yourself, do you?"

As the mech landed, Justin said to Stark, "It's time to expose your lies, Stark! The Arc Reactor wasn't your or your father's invention, nor was it your sole invention. Your technology isn't anything special..."

"Yeah?"

Stark had his back to another building of Stark Tower. Before he could speak, Rhodey piloted his Jaeger, leading the group of Jaegers that had appeared at the Industrial Exposition, and flew to Stark's side and landed.

"Do you think you're the only one with a mech army?" Justin said. Justin, who had received support from the military, was obviously very arrogant, but he had his reasons for it.

The mechs behind him were no longer modified and developed by Hammer Industries alone. Ivan provided the core energy for these mechs, and the military also participated in the modification, even using some of the Life Foundation's technology. At least from the outside, they were no different from the Stark mechs led by Rhodey, and there were even more of them.

Stark replied, "That was in the previous version."

Before Justin and Ivan could react to what he meant, Stark flew into the air again, stretched out his hand, and said, "Jarvis, activate the defense protocol."

The moment his outstretched hands clenched, the thousands of gun emplacements on the Stark Tower behind him gleamed brilliantly.

The client is too difficult to deal with, sorry for the lateness.