The Background Faction Called [Anti-Entropy]

"And we're facing the largest number here, a full 20 vehicles, which is more than the other three convoys combined. What does that mean?"

Ada tapped her fingers lightly on the table, lost in thought.

"Either we possess something they covet, or they have some understanding of our capabilities..."

Tony stroked his mustache, his brow furrowing slightly.

"Or... both..."

Kevin nodded slightly. Talking to smart people is easy; they understand everything immediately.

If it's the former, then Tony's concept design for "Ultron" would be worth the risk of exposing and going to great lengths to achieve it.

If it's the latter, then it's more troublesome, indicating that they probably already knew about 2B's existence and therefore sent more people.

"Regardless, they failed..."

Tony downed his coffee in one gulp, then put down the cup, looking at the Terminator Series Robots with disdain.

Given a little time, creating a targeted weapon would be a piece of cake.

"On the contrary, I think this is a much bigger problem!"

Kevin's brow furrowed; the bitter caffeine made his mind even clearer.

"Both the T-1000 and TX models of liquid metal humans possess perfect replication and mimicry capabilities, allowing them to disguise themselves as any human..."

"The four convoys were attacked because their defenses were relatively tight, making infiltration difficult..."

"On the contrary, the group that passed through the previous section of road safely is more suspicious..."

"Perhaps many people have been scammed!"

Tony was startled at first, then instinctively denied it.

"Could you be overthinking it?"

His inner pride made it difficult for him to relinquish his superior attitude as the creator, even after suffering losses at the hands of the Terminator.

But in an instant, Tony frowned slightly, debunking his own doubts.

"Okay, what you said... isn't impossible..."

"Some of their technologies are beyond our comprehension. Theoretically, it's possible to infiltrate with liquid metal and disguise oneself as other attendees..."

"I'll go modify a batch of metal detectors right away, so everyone can easily identify the Terminator robots lurking around us."

He's learning to listen to different opinions... Kevin is somewhat satisfied with Tony's progress.

However, the commander, who always liked to consider the worst-case scenario, continued to pour cold water on the idea in order to patch up the flaws in Tony's plan.

"The latest TX Model Terminator possesses Electronic Virus capable of interfering with and manipulating intelligent systems, so if you want a metal detector to work, it's best to go with the basics and eliminate any intelligent components."

Although Kevin's repeated denials were somewhat unpleasant, Tony's meticulousness as a scientist outweighed his playboy's arrogant temper.

"Don't worry, I'm a professional..."

"Also, little girl, take this knife with you. I need its components; I need to find a way to counter the Liquid Terminator as soon as possible..."

Tony rolled his eyes and responded irritably, while demanding 2B's sword.

With Kevin nodding in acknowledgment, 2B deactivated the magnetic levitation field behind her and handed over the weapon.

Just as Tony, the tech-savvy guy, was excitedly preparing to dive into the lab and tackle the technical challenges that were getting him all worked up, his personal assistant Pepper, brought in an uninvited guest with brown hair and brown eyes.

"I don't recall you making an appointment."

Tony was not welcoming of Black Widow Natalia's arrival; he had always been at odds with spies and the national intelligence agencies.

Moreover, before joining S.H.I.E.L.D.., this woman had worked for the Soviet intelligence organization "Red Room".

Stark Industries has been a military-industrial complex relied upon by the US government since World War II. Therefore, starting with Tony's father, Natalia has frequently tried to steal their family's technical data.

Come to think of it, this tanned beauty with long, reddish-brown hair is quite similar to the "ageless beauties" of her generation.

Moreover, she has a rich romantic history; the Winter Soldier, test pilot Alexei Shostakov, Hawkeye, and the future Hulk were all her "captives."

Although everyone was now somewhat on the same side, the government's underhanded tactics of secretly acquiring Stark Industries' shares disgusted him.

It would be strange if this seemingly carefree but actually shrewd and short-tempered playboy gave Natalia a pleasant look at this time.

"The attack on you is very strange. According to the video footage from the scene, their technology seems to have surpassed our current level..."

"What's more troublesome is that nobody knows exactly how many there are..."

"Tony, now is not the time to throw a tantrum. The current situation cannot be resolved by one or two people..."

"At the very least, you need the power of the state to screen suspicious individuals..."

"Furthermore, all departments have ceased all infiltration activities targeting Stark Industries..."

"I think we need to have an open and honest discussion and share intelligence resources..."

Natalia's statement was clear, logical, and quite sincere.

However, the arrogant Tony seemed unmoved, coldly pointing to the door and gesturing for Natalia to leave.

Natalia shrugged helplessly, pressed her temples, and sat down, feeling a headache coming on. She inwardly resented Nick for assigning her this dreadful task.

"Tony, it's time. You need to drink this..."

But before Tony could even yell at them and kick them out, his personal assistant, Pepper, brought over a large glass of viscous green liquid.

"Pepper, are you sure? Isn't this cup a bit too big?"

Pepper took a deep breath, opened her handheld computer, and responded irritably.

"Your blood palladium level is currently 28%. To suppress the toxic side effects, you should drink at least 60 ounces of chlorophyll daily, so I've switched to a larger 30-ounce cup..."

The peculiar sour smell, combined with the bubbling bubbles on the surface, made everyone present feel nauseous.

"Oh, damn it!"

Tony picked up the glass, pinched his nose, frowned, tilted his head back, and gulped it down.

P. S.: Black Widow, I feel like she'd have a hard time falling in love again. Women like her have been through too much; their hearts are already dead.

However, it's also quite pitiful that none of her marriages or relationships have been very happy.

Section 245, Chapter 231, Background Panel Titled [Anti-Entropy]

"Moreover, this can only continue if you stop using the Iron Man Armor..."

"Tony, to be honest, I think you should take a good rest for a while..."

Because of her constant travels with Tony during this period, the observant Pepper naturally noticed that her boss was suffering from palladium poisoning and even personally replaced his chip.

Therefore, Tony's medication and recuperation were almost entirely handled by her.

Unfortunately, Tony didn't heed Pepper's words of concern. He immediately changed the subject, asking his dutiful personal assistant about things he was more interested in.

"By the way, how are your preparations for my themed expo next week going?"

Pepper took a deep breath, picked up the tablet, and responded methodically.

"We've already invited 88% of the people on the list. The venue and setup in New York are almost complete in three days..."

Without waiting for Pepper to bring up the past, Tony pulled out a gold and red Iron Man print from the shelf and showed it to everyone.

"Isn't this thing nice? Where do you think it should be hung?"

"The exhibition hall?"

"Great idea!"

Kevin's flamboyant suggestion resonated with Tony's mindset; the Iron Man was now finding someone increasingly pleasing to the eye.

This guy's palladium poisoning is getting worse because of the reactor in his chest...

Even on their deathbeds, they were still thinking about showing off; Kevin was truly speechless...

With prints hanging in the center of the venue, and invitations to guests, if they were to dress more formally as usual, this would resemble a funeral parlor more than a glamorous expo...

The cunning commander naturally wouldn't say it outright, and before he could offer any advice, Pepper, who had complicated feelings for Tony, grabbed the print and angrily lashed out at her boss.

"Tony! The Los Angeles expo has gone awry. For your own safety, I think you should gather all the information, hand the mess over to the government, and withdraw immediately!"

But Pepper clearly didn't understand that the identity of Iron Man gave Tony an extraordinary meaning; he would rather die shining brightly than abandon his brilliance and live a life of obscurity.

Despite Tony's continued indifference, Pepper stared intently at her boss, who was trying to change the subject, her emerald eyes slightly reddening.

She didn't want to lose her composure in front of others, but Tony's careless attitude of not valuing his own life was unacceptable to Pepper, and this meeting indirectly became the fuse.

At this moment, Tony racked his brains for words, while Pepper's emotions were on the verge of exploding.

However, Natalia, who was sitting on the sofa, shook her head slightly, then suddenly stood up, pulled out the injection gun from her waist, and quickly stepped forward, injecting it into Tony's neck.

Tony stumbled and fell into Pepper's arms, turning back to stare at Natalia with anger at first, then shock.

Because he could clearly sense that the nerve paralysis and dizziness caused by palladium poisoning were subsiding, and his limbs seemed to feel lighter.

"This injection is a gift from Nick to you, but it can only cure this instance of palladium poisoning..."

"Furthermore, if we want to truly cure this, perhaps there are clues among your father's belongings..."

Black Widow then handed Tony her briefcase, and the words "Howard Stark's Property" on it confirmed the truth of Natalia's statement.

"Your father was one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D.., and we hope you will carry on his legacy..."

"Tony, you don't need the Iron Man Armor to prove anything. Your mind is the most powerful weapon in the world, and I believe your father thinks so too..."

It must be said that Natalia, as an excellent agent, possesses impeccable insight and persuasiveness.

This perceptive woman pinpointed the reason for Tony's obsession with the "Iron Man" identity, helping him overcome his inner turmoil sooner.

"Our collaboration is a one-time event..."

The Iron Man, unable to refuse, hummed as he got up from Pepper's arms, but his feigned modesty clearly showed that he was all talk and no action.

"Due to the attack on the convoy, Cyberdyne Systems's expo will be postponed by one day, and we have received reliable information that the exhibition, originally scheduled for the 7th, is expected to be shortened to 3 days..."

"So, we can take this time to clarify the situation and make arrangements..."

Natalia's frank and straightforward words were enough to express her sincerity.

Tony tacitly accepted Black Widow's addition, but in order to maintain control, he still couldn't help but give the female agent a warning.

"I heard that the military has not only invested heavily in Skynet Project, but is also hedging its bets by approving Hammer Industries' project to replicate Iron Man Armor?"

"Ivan Vanko? Your fellow countryman? I wonder just how capable this talent Justin Hammer personally recruited from Russia really is..."

"Since someone wants to copy my Iron Man Armor, let them try. These hyenas who only know how to steal bones will never get to eat fresh meat!"

At this point, Tony's face was full of arrogance and disdain. Those blockheads in the military were only fit to deal with what he had already learned.

"I'll be using the lab here for the next couple of days to fine-tune some shortcomings of the MK4 and MK5..."

"Let my good friend Kevin talk to you about the attack on the convoy..."

"Oh, by the way, feel free to ask me anything..."

"Anyway, this guy's always been tight-lipped. How much he can pull out depends on your own abilities, товарищ (comrade)..."

Then, Tony first cast an encouraging look at Natalia, not only uttering a sentence in Moscow- accented Russian, but also giving Kevin, who had been keeping a low profile and silently watching the show, a strange smile.

Watching the bastard who betrayed him walk away with a nonchalant wave, Kevin felt a headache coming on.

Good friends? When did we become so close? You're so petty and vindictive; you're clearly trying to drag me down with you.

When Pepper tactfully left, only Natalia and Kevin's group remained in the empty drawing room.

"How should I address you two... colleagues?"

At this moment, Natalia extended her hand first, with a warm smile, but her words were a rude awakening.

Well, trying to hide one's identity on S.H.I.E.L.D.. territory is indeed not very realistic...

Kevin and Ada, who had anticipated this, exchanged a glance and simply gave a brief account of the attack on the convoy.

However, Kevin remained completely silent about the future background of the Terminator and the YoRHa Unit.

However, he was more than happy to drag the X-Men who were present at the scene into the mess.

"So, the question now is, this attack seems to have some connection to Cyberdyne Systems..."