Fireworks

With a roar, the outer skeleton of Stark Tower unfolded, the mesh structure supporting the triangular tower retracted, the columnar metal skeleton shell opened, the main supporting structure popped out from the inside, the gun barrels were fitted and embedded, and the outer shell unfolded layer by layer, arming it.

Countless identical processes were repeated endlessly. The metallic gleam was like sunlight floating on the sea, and the exquisite steel skeleton was like a fish emerging from the sea. In just a few seconds, the entire Stark Tower unfolded and evolved from top to bottom, with countless turrets and weapons surging out.

After all the small turrets on the top layer were deployed, a row of firing devices rose between the two metal pillars at the very top of the triangular turret, then turned with a hum, aiming at the two sides that were locked in a stalemate.

"Defense protocol activated, standard defense measures deployed, locking... Locking complete... Preparing..."

Passing through layers of hard metal and perfectly fitting inner structures, the levers tilt, the gears turn, energy is conducted along the circuit, preheating, the firing pin vibrates, and light descends upon the muzzle, which blooms like a flower bud, from the first-stage and second-stage cannon barrels.

As a rain of fire poured down, the Stark Jaeger force led by War Machine Rhodey took off, withdrew, and provided cross-cover in an orderly manner, while the Hammer mecha force led by Justin Hammer fully demonstrated what it means to be "headless flies".

The instant he was about to take off, half of the hundreds of mechs were shattered by the raging rain of light and fire.

The smoldering fragments fell to the ground, rolled a few times, swayed twice in place, and then completely turned into powder.

Everyone brought to the secure floor of Stark Tower witnessed a missile whistling through the air as it caught up with a mech, followed by a violent explosion and a shower of debris.

Then hundreds of missiles trailing smoke streaked across the sky, their shrill cries like the howling of demons in the night. Everyone behind the glass curtain wall was silhouetted against the intense light of the explosions. They looked up and saw the fireworks that lit up the sky above New York.

Justin Hammer thought today's show would be a robot war, but it turns out that surface-to-air missiles and comprehensive surface-to-air firepower are the best weapons against these mechs.

Having experienced the arrival of the Machine Overlord, Stark no longer wanted to engage in close-quarters combat with any enemy.

The current Iron Man believes that such methods of combat are an insult to machinery. In the torrent of steel, every enemy should have the most suitable way to die, just like the ultimate goal pursued by industry and machinery: calm, precise, and full of firepower.

The real Iron Man has thousands of ways to destroy his enemies, to dismantle them, to smash them, to explode them into fireworks, to burn them to ashes, but none of these methods should ever include charging in in his mech and punching them.

Obadiah stood behind the glass wall of his office, looking out. Stark floated in the air, and with a wave of his arm, missiles swept like a swarm of sharks chasing their prey. Justin's Jaeger unit was being chased and forced to flee for their lives. Under the intense firepower, Justin and Whiplash couldn't even find a chance to get close to Stark.

He recalled Stark's battle with General Johnson's Jaeger, where Stark was forced into a very difficult situation and even seriously injured. Now, the supporting structures on both sides of the glass curtain wall were filled with layers of turrets, and the flashes of bullets made it difficult for Obadiah to see the outside situation clearly.

Obadiah lowered his head, lit a cigarette, then picked up his phone. Before the call connected, he muttered to himself, "Looks like your son has finally come to his senses..."

When Stark unleashed his astonishing firepower, the military helicopters arrived, but they dared not approach the area of fire. Even Justin's advanced mech crumbled under such fierce firepower; the armed helicopters could not withstand such an offensive.

However, the problem they faced was that after the entire Stark Tower was converted into a cluster of artillery emplacements, the area covered by the firepower was too large. They couldn't even talk to Stark face to face and could only call him from a distance.

Obadiah's voice came first from Stark's Jaeger. He heard his uncle say calmly, "Soon, the military will connect you. Those benefits you gave away must be reclaimed. Do as I say..."

Two minutes later, Rhodey's voice came from Stark's mech. "The military requests negotiations. Shall we re-establish the connection?"

"Deny the connection. You take the mech Armament Department and take out the few that escaped the initial attack, ensuring that they have no other armed forces besides Justin's and Ivan Vanko's mechs."

"Received, buzz..."

Two minutes later, Jarvis's voice rang out. "Scan results confirmed... Threat completely eliminated, fire coverage area shrinking, military communications restored..."

Before the other person could speak, Stark said, "Send a helicopter over, let's talk face to face."

Looking at the numerous gun emplacements still mounted on Stark Tower, the military liaison said, "We can't go over there. Please leave your firing range, and then..."

"Get out of my line of fire?" Stark's tone was somewhat sarcastic. "Do you guys have any new moon landing plans lately?"

"Beep—beep—" A busy tone came from the military's communications. Soon, Stark heard a more aged voice. "Ten minutes from now, we will send someone to Stark Tower for negotiations..."

Under the watchful eyes of military helicopters, Stark landed slowly, retracted the armor covering his body, and then walked back into the building.

Soon, the gun emplacements on the Stark Tower gradually retracted, and the flow of people released from the safety floor surged out of the narrow doors like a flood.

As darkness fell, the massive school of fish gradually dispersed, returning to where they belonged, and lights lit up one after another between the buildings.

New York is ablaze with lights tonight, and it's a sleepless night.

In the buildings of major newspapers such as the Global Times, the Daily Bugle, and the New York Daily News, looking through the windows, countless people are engrossed in their work, photos are being sent into printers, and newspapers are flying out of the printing plants, fluttering like butterflies in the New York sky, tracing smooth arcs.

The newspaper staff, who had worked overtime all night, watched as the amber-colored coffee dripped into their cups, splashing up ripples and creating shimmering foam.

After the foam subsided, Schiller put down his cup, took off his glasses, rubbed his temples, closed the newspaper in his hand, and asked Rhodey beside him, "So, the military negotiated with Stark?"

"We'll have to talk about this sooner or later." Rhodey's tone was relaxed. After returning from his vacation, the seriousness of his military bearing had been somewhat softened. Rhodey took a sip of coffee and then said, "However, the military has made a mistake."

"What?"

Rhodey smiled, recalling the scene after the battle yesterday.

The sound of hurried, rapid footsteps echoed in the lobby of Stark Tower. The elevator doors opened, and several pairs of boots stepped inside. The generals' serious expressions were hidden by the slowly closing elevator doors.

With a "ding," the elevator arrived. Following the light, they pushed open the door to a conference room, but the person who appeared in the conference room was not Tony Stark as expected, but someone else, someone they least wanted to see.

The leading Admiral's expression twitched, and he uttered a name in a low voice. "... Obadiah Stane."

Schiller took a sip of coffee, turned to the next page of the newspaper in his hand, and said as he read, "I can already imagine their miserable state."

"It might be a little worse than you think." Rhodey's tone carried a hint of schadenfreude. "Since I left the military and started looking at these things from an outsider's perspective, I've realized how foolish it was for me to stand in these people's shoes and demand that everyone contribute to the country."

"So you're not planning to go back?"

Rhodey shook his head and said, "It's hard for me to completely break away from this system; I've gone too far down this path."

"I am waiting for the right opportunity, when I have the ability to change it, even if it is only a part of it."

"After all, I can't be employed by Tony and work entirely for him, because then I wouldn't have the right to punch him when he acts up."

"I can tell you really want to punch him."

"Like I said, I'm waiting for the right time," Rhodey said with a shrug and a smile.

"Let's talk about the negotiations. Justin Hammer and Ivan Vanko should have been involved too, right?"

"Yes, their part was the most exciting."

After the generals entered, following behind them were Justin Hammer and Ivan Vanko, both ragged and smoking.

Rhodey and several other mechs escorted them over. Obadiah sat at the conference table, not even glancing at Justin Hammer, but instead focusing his gaze on Ivan's face.

When Stark entered, he was wearing a suit, spotless from head to toe. Upon seeing Justin's mech, he walked up to it with a smile and slapped the mech's shoulder hard. With a "crack," the shoulder armor fell off, sparks flew from the internal wiring, and with a "bang," the arm armor exploded.

Stark chuckled and said, "What did you call this thing again? Ex-wife? Is this all a married man can do? Hahahaha!"

Ivan was standing nearby, tried to throw a punch, but Rhodey stopped him. Whiplash's two electric whips had already been disarmed, and the room was full of Stark's armored vehicles, so he had no choice but to surrender.

Obadiah continued to look at Ivan. He tapped the table, signaling everyone to take their seats. Tony and Rhodey sat on the left, the military, Justin Hammer, and Ivan sat on the right, and Obadiah sat in the middle.

He first looked at the military and said calmly, "I understand you intend to knock on the door, but your actions are as rough as ever."

He glanced at Justin Hammer and said, "The Gauntlet you found are nowhere near as good as his father's, and the knocking wasn't pleasant either."

With Obadiah around, Stark drifted into a daze again. He didn't try to understand what Obadiah was referring to, nor did he bother to think about the current situation. Aside from these actions, all he could do was stare at Ivan.

Skipping the lengthy stages of mutual probing, pleasantries, and reminiscing, then moving on to debates about right and wrong, morality, and finally, after more than an hour, the matter finally got down to business.