Tony's Misery

Whoosh!!!

Heisenberg hurled the phone straight downstairs, where it smashed a crater roughly half a meter wide and twenty centimeters deep near the intersection.

The flying rubble made more than a dozen protesters nearby howl in pain, but instead of stopping the march, those bastards shouted even more enthusiastically!

"Look at this! This is how arrogant he is!"

"He thinks he's a god!"

"He won't let us do drugs!!!"

"Only gun stores under his name are allowed to sell guns!"

"He's as evil as Hitler!"

"An alien Hitler!!!"

"We need a Savior!"

"The United States doesn't need alien ideology!!!"

Listening to those sons of bitches chanting their slogans, Heisenberg gradually calmed down after fuming for a while longer.

There was no doubt that these bastards were trying to provoke him, make him lose his mind, and force him to commit violence against them in front of countless people!

Then they would use that violence to attack him relentlessly.

If that happened, Heisenberg might truly go from the Hulk's nemesis and New York's guardian, as endlessly promoted by the media—

To an alien murderer and a cosmic Hitler!

But so what!!!

Heisenberg would never swallow his anger, nor would he ever accept even the slightest loss.

Even if you are trying to provoke me, I'll make sure you suffer enough pain while your plan succeeds!

He used the same trick again, blowing a gust of icy breath directly at the Swimming Pool.

The enormous frozen pool instantly crashed viciously toward the spot below where the crowd was thickest.

Swimming Pool: "You always manage to leave me without water..."

Whoosh!!!

This time, Heisenberg did not use Heat Vision to shatter the ice.

If that massive slab of ice fell into the crowd, more than fifty people would probably be turned into pulp in an instant.

The protesters were not idiots from television, of course.

The moment they saw the ice falling from the sky, the protesters at the center of the crowd immediately panicked.

They wanted to scatter and flee, but they were surrounded by packed crowds on all sides.

Pushing and trampling immediately broke out, while even more people fell to the ground and waited for death.

In mere moments, despair had descended upon them.

Unfortunately...

Dozens of streaks of light flashed past in an instant. At a height of roughly sixty meters above the ground, the thick ice sheet was accurately struck by dozens of incoming micro-missiles.

As the missiles exploded, the crowd collapsed to the ground in unison.

The violent sound waves made many people's eardrums ache, but no one complained about the bombs.

Because the ice sheet that could have brought them death had now shattered into countless tiny fragments.

Still, they did not get off easy. First, the violent shockwave slammed them to the ground, then the falling shards of ice mercilessly battered them.

By the time those people struggled back to their feet, nearly every one of them had blood on their faces.

As for any thoughts of ending their protest...

They only became more determined!

Because Iron Man had saved them!

Even though Iron Man had only acted to save lives, his rescue of those protesters had already boosted their morale.

And when Iron Man and Heisenberg came into conflict, one of them was bound to be in the wrong.

If New York's citizens did not think Iron Man was wrong, then everyone would know that Heisenberg was the one at fault!

On the rooftop, Heisenberg frowned at the streak of light flashing through the air.

After hurriedly firing the missiles, Iron Man himself raced after them at top speed.

The reason he had arrived so promptly was because J.A.R.V.I.S. had informed him when this protest was still in its early stages of gathering.

As for where J.A.R.V.I.S. got that information...

Don't ask. Artificial intelligence was just that damn amazing.

Anyway, I, Tony Stark, definitely did not hack into New York's municipal surveillance system.

What did anything J.A.R.V.I.S. did have to do with me, Tony Stark?

Normally, Heisenberg would not have minded something like Tony once again saving "New York citizens."

After all, he had a fairly favorable opinion of Stark as a person...

Especially the Stark who snapped his fingers...

If Heisenberg had been in that situation, he absolutely would not have snapped... Ahem, he would not even have rushed out to fight Thanos.

After all, he had a wife and daughter. As for those poor people who vanished beneath the snap, Heisenberg would only hold his wife and child and mourn for them.

It was precisely because he could not do it that he maintained a certain degree of respect for those who could.

But today...

"Tony Stark..."

Heisenberg muttered.

"You really are a pain in the ass!"

Boom!!!

Heisenberg instantly broke the sound barrier. Under the upturned gazes of countless people, he grabbed Tony Stark by the armored throat.

Neither Iron Man nor J.A.R.V.I.S. could even observe Heisenberg's movement trajectory.

At Earth's current technological level, there was no analytical device capable of recording speeds of over ten thousand Mach at close range.

As for Iron Man's later, near-miraculous suits, while they were indeed the finest proof of Tony's personal brilliance, it had to be admitted that he had gained far too much from the Chitauri invasion.

Without that alien technology broadening his horizons, he might still have developed those later suits.

But he would definitely have taken much longer than he did in the original story.

In short, no matter how much the current Iron Man upgraded his armor, he could not withstand even one punch from the current Heisenberg!

To withstand a few punches and kicks from Heisenberg, he would need at least the nanotech armor he used against Thanos.

So...

After Heisenberg seized him by the throat of fate, Tony immediately rolled his eyes beneath his helmet.

"Hello, Heisen... Urgh~~, you're squeezing too hard. Are you really trying to crush me to death?!!"

It turned out that Heisenberg had ignored his greeting completely and simply tightened his right hand, crushing in the neck section of Iron Man's armor.

The suffocating pressure around his throat steadily intensified. Tony instantly tasted fear, but the reason he was a hero was precisely because...

"Stop!!! Agh, I can't breathe! I just want to say there's no need for a massacre. There are plenty of ways to make them leave..."

"You talk too much, Tony!"

Heisenberg cut Tony off and dragged him in front of himself.

He stretched his free left hand toward Tony's faceplate.

He pinched it and pulled.

Tony's face was immediately exposed.

And the faceplate worth tens of millions, used to control the entire suit and J.A.R.V.I.S., was tossed into the distance by Heisenberg.

Looking at the struggling man before him, Heisenberg gave a disdainful snort.

"Tony Stark, you arrogant playboy. Do you think that just because you really are some domineering president, you can do whatever you think is right?"

Smack!

With a vicious slap, Heisenberg cleanly shattered his armor.

He even activated his Biological Field for that slap, causing Iron Man's armor to turn entirely into fragments and fall away from Tony's body.

Completely stripped of his armor's protection, Tony was nothing more than a pitiful man whose throat was trapped in Heisenberg's grip.

He struggled desperately, his legs flailing back and forth in the air like a fish thrashing about.

And Heisenberg continued speaking.

"You think you saved them, but I guarantee that every person you saved is a criminal lurking in Hell's Kitchen and constantly stirring up trouble.

"You should know what I've been doing lately. They are protesting because my demand for peace has destroyed their space to survive!

"Yes, you saved a few lives, dozens of lives, perhaps even more.

"But you have created the strongest possible shield for those damned demons. You will make them think their actions work!

"Look at us, you and me. We are like baboons being watched as we perform before them!

"Do you think they will pity your failure?

"They will only regret your death. They will regret that a superhero like you failed to stop me, then they will go looking for the next you.

"If the people standing beneath my building were a group of five- or six-year-old children—

"Then of course I would not hurt them. I would only kill every bastard organizing them.

"But the people beneath my building are not children. They are a pack of scum unworthy of your sacrifice!

"You like being a superhero. I understand that, but I must also advise you: do not give yourself for people who are not worth it, and don't fucking sacrifice yourself for people who do not deserve it!

"Get lost!!!"

As Heisenberg roared those final words, he gripped the neck in his hand and flew forward with Tony pressed ahead of him.

They smashed through more than thirteen buildings before Heisenberg finally pressed Tony against the wall of one building.

Throughout the process, Heisenberg used his Biological Field to protect Tony. Otherwise, Tony would have been obliterated long ago.

As for why he did not kill Iron Man.

There was no reason. He simply did not want to.

Heisenberg was not a true devil. He had his own likes and dislikes.

He only did what he wanted to do, and he did not want to kill Tony Stark. It was that simple.

But even if he did not kill him, he would not let Tony have an easy time!

"Aaaaaaah!!!"

The instant Heisenberg stopped with Tony pinned against the wall, an incredibly piercing scream rang out beside them.

The sound felt especially familiar to Tony, and when he struggled to turn toward its source—

The one screaming was Little Pepper, Pepper Potts!

After screaming briefly in fright, Pepper quickly understood the situation.

So she abruptly choked off her scream and rushed toward Heisenberg and the Tony he was holding as fast as she could.

"Oh my God, why is this happening? Mr. Heisenberg, what exactly happened between you? Please let him go first, please, I'm begging you, sob..."

In moments, Pepper had already rushed to Heisenberg's side. Crying, she desperately tugged at the right arm Heisenberg was using to grip Tony's throat.

Seeing this, Heisenberg boredly released his hand, and Tony immediately slid down the wall.

As Heisenberg stepped back, Pepper hurriedly wrapped Tony in a tight embrace.

At the same time, she turned back in tears and carefully asked Heisenberg.

"Mr. Heisenberg, I am willing to pay any price for him. What do we have to do to satisfy you?"

"Satisfy me?!!"

Pepper's question made Heisenberg purse his lips in frustration.

He looked around irritably, then walked to the refrigerator and took out a bottle of whiskey and three glasses.

He then strode over to the reception sofa in Pepper's office. After setting the glasses on the coffee table, he opened the whiskey and filled all three.

Before the flustered pair could come over and sit down, Heisenberg lifted his own glass and took a sip.

Setting down the glass, he spoke softly to Pepper.

"Am I really that frightening to you? So frightening that you think I need to demand a price from you?"

After speaking, Heisenberg beckoned to the two of them.

"Stop hugging and crying over there like you're putting on a show of affection. Your Tony hasn't even lost a scrap of skin. I was protecting him with my field the whole time!"

"Is... is that so...?"

Hearing that, Pepper finally relaxed somewhat.

She quickly checked Tony over. Once she confirmed he was completely unharmed, she finally felt much more at ease.

At that moment, Heisenberg continued speaking to them.

"Come over and sit down once you've calmed down. Have some alcohol to settle your nerves.

"I'm not angry at you two. I'm angry at those protesters and the people directing them from behind the scenes. I know what matters!"