Tony Arrives

At this moment.

Killian had already arrived in Miami by private jet.

The Iron Patriot armor was locked into a device. Rhodey, inside, could not move at all. The only thing he could do was refuse to open the suit voluntarily.

AIM's researchers had no solution for the metal hulk before them.

It was not that they could not destroy it; they simply still needed to use the armor's identity to carry out their plans.

Killian walked in and looked at Seven nearby.

During their earlier call, he had already learned that Seven had failed this mission and had also lost an Extremis Soldier.

Tony Stark had not died. Worse, without even wearing armor, he had caused their mission to fail, and they had not retrieved the files.

Pepper was unharmed as well. An unbeatable bodyguard had appeared at her side, Maya had not been brought back, and Tony Stark was still alive.

They had made such a huge move this time, yet all they had accomplished was destroying Tony's mansion.

This irritated Killian greatly, especially when he arrived and saw the two men trying to saw through Iron Patriot's leg with a power saw.

However, Killian did not show his anger. Instead, he smiled at Rhodey.

"Hello, Colonel."

Killian walked over, drove the two men aside, and placed his right palm against the Iron Man suit's abdomen.

A reddish-orange glow gradually filled his palm. Within seconds, he had heated the armor's metal until it glowed red.

An image of abdominal damage immediately appeared on the display in front of Rhodey.

"We'll get you out. Don't worry."

Killian held the armor's abdomen and smiled at Rhodey.

Seven walked over and reminded him, "You'll damage the suit like that."

"Yes."

"But you can fix it, right?" Killian turned and said to Seven.

"I'll take a helicopter to the base later. Nothing can go wrong with this broadcast. There's a formidable person beside Pepper Potts, and he's extremely dangerous. Even Maya is in their hands now. Stay alert. This place isn't safe anymore!"

"I don't want to hear any more bad news."

Only a few minutes later, the armor around Iron Patriot's abdomen had begun to melt slightly.

Rhodey, inside the armor, was drenched in sweat. Even the internal air-conditioning system could not drive away the intense heat.

The system interface in front of him flickered nonstop, as though it could no longer hold out.

"Are you coming out?"

Killian asked softly, raising the temperature in his hand another notch.

"Don't open! Don't open!"

Rhodey stared anxiously at the flickering virtual display before him.

But with a soft beep, the emergency procedure in the system settings activated, forcing an ejection.

"Fine. Let's do this."

Rhodey could only face reality calmly.

The moment the armor opened, he sprang up and threw a powerful punch into Seven's face, then kicked him hard, knocking him down.

Then he tried to escape.

He had no intention of taking on Killian while he was glowing all over.

Before he had gone more than a few meters, a pillar of blazing high-temperature fire shot across in front of him.

It burst into flames against the wall nearby, instantly melting half of the metal stair frame beside it.

Rhodey took two steps back in lingering fear. "You can breathe fire? Okay."

Seven walked over, pressed his right hand onto Rhodey's shoulder, and shoved forward.

A tremendous force sent Rhodey rolling away. He slammed into the ground and was knocked unconscious.

The glow around Killian slowly receded. He raised both hands and declared grandly.

"The day of glory is almost here. By this time tomorrow, I'll have one hand controlling the most powerful man in the Western world, and the other controlling the most terrifying terrorist in the world."

"I'll lead the war on terror, create supply and demand, and bring our great plan to fruition."

Killian put on his suit and spoke encouragingly to Seven.

He looked at Rhodey lying on the ground, then turned and left.

Seeing the handprint on the armor's abdomen, Seven immediately called people over to begin repairs.

Maya devoured the food before her. Whether it was Custard Buns or rice noodle rolls, everything was delicious and suited her palate perfectly, though her table manners were rather unsightly.

Golden custard filling and rice noodle roll sauce were smeared all around her mouth.

It had to be said that the portions were quite generous. After finishing one serving of rice noodle rolls and three Custard Buns, Maya was already somewhat full.

Leo quietly ate the food before him, a faint, satisfied smile on his face.

Yu Lei pushed over the braised chicken feet and fish congee. "So? The taste is great, right? Try these chicken feet—they're even better."

Leo picked one up with his chopsticks and began eating.

Come to think of it, after arriving in this world, Leo seemed never to have eaten braised chicken feet before.

With one bite, he found the texture pleasantly chewy, the flavor rich, sweet and salty in perfect balance. The deep braised aroma paired wonderfully with the marvelous texture.

Especially alongside the fragrant, sweet fish congee.

Leo's mood instantly improved. Much of the negative air lingering in his mind dissipated, leaving him feeling extremely comfortable.

"It's really delicious. It's been a long time since I've had Chinese food this good."

"Of course. It's my favorite too."

Seeing the enjoyment on Leo's face made Yu Lei happy as well, and he replied with a smile.

Maya tried the chicken feet, but she did not seem to like them. After taking a few sips of congee, she set down her utensils.

Yu Lei noticed Maya's reaction too.

"Hey, these foreigners have weird tastes. They like sweet-and-sour flavors but don't like salty or spicy food. Then they complain that light dishes have no taste. They even put sugar in fried noodles."

"It's still better here. It's all Chinese Cuisine. If I had to eat in the school cafeteria every day, I'd go crazy, hehe."

Yu Lei said indignantly.

"You study here?"

"Yeah. I only come here to work part-time when I have spare time, and earn some living expenses on the side. My parents insisted on sending me here to study, but they won't give me any spending money either. Forget it, let's not talk about that."

Yu Lei waved his hand. "Can you still eat?"

Watching Leo rapidly finish the congee and chicken feet in front of him, he asked.

"No problem. Bring me the menu. I'll order some more."

A long-lost, genuine smile appeared on Leo's face.

Only good food and love must never be let down.

The sky had already brightened. One after another, some regular customers who had risen early began gradually filing in.

At the same time, two other servers came out from the kitchen into the dining area and started working.

Leo, meanwhile, continued enjoying the food.

Time slowly passed. No one knew how long it had been.

Maya's eyes grew wider and wider. Finally, she grabbed Leo's arm. "Leo, I think we might have to stay behind and wash dishes."

Tony sped along without stopping. Having gone more than thirty hours without sleep, he finally saw Miami's towering buildings.

He glanced at the location he had recorded earlier and pressed the accelerator harder.

Before long, he crossed the bridge and entered the city.

Leo, whose arm Maya had just grabbed, narrowed his eyes and suddenly looked toward a moving car.

He saw a familiar figure.