I Am

After digging through the deep snow, the two found the Iron Monger frozen solid. This made Feeney unconsciously think of Captain America in a similar state in another place.

However, Obadiah hadn't been injected with the Super Soldier Serum like Captain America, so he couldn't survive in a frozen state.

After much effort, the two finally got the Iron Monger out of the ice. When Tony opened the battle armor's face mask and saw Obadiah with a "Sumire's Fried Chicken Roll" stuffed in his mouth, he was speechless.

"It's not a loss to eat such good food before dying."

Tony, unsure of what else to say, made this comment, then put the face mask back on and, along with Feeney, brought the Iron Monger back to the villa.

Seeing Obadiah die, Feeney felt a mix of emotions. This was the first person he had killed. Actually, Obadiah probably didn't even know Feeney's identity until the moment he died.

He probably died with his eyes wide open.

Feeney thought to himself, not dwelling on it too much. While there were many miraculous methods in Marvel, Obadiah's status meant he wouldn't have access to them. So, his death now was final.

After removing the Miniature Arc Reactor from the Iron Monger's body, Tony set it aside and asked Feeney, "An agent wanted to see you last night. Do you plan to meet him?"

"S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Feeney raised an eyebrow and asked.

"That's a good name, easy to remember." Tony nodded in agreement, then said, "Probably. It's some kind of strategic... homeland security bureau. Phil Coulson, was it!?"

"Phil Coulson!?"

Feeney shot Tony an exasperated look, then curiously asked, "He came to see you yesterday. What did he say?"

With his involvement this time, S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't contacted Tony much, and Feeney was somewhat concerned about how things would unfold.

"He asked about what happened yesterday!"

"You admitted it?"

Seeing Tony's expression, Feeney guessed that Tony had said something.

"We have to let the military know something," Tony shrugged, then said seriously, "What about you? Are you just going to keep going like this?"

"???"

Feeney looked bewildered. "Keep going like what?"

"Since you mages are protecting the world, why not go through a more formal channel?"

"Cough..."

Feeney almost spat out the tea he was drinking. Was Tony suggesting he debut publicly?

He looked at Tony speechlessly and explained, "You're used to living the life of a Rich Genius, accustomed to potential dangers in your life, and also accustomed to the world's attention.

"But I'm just an Ordinary Person, a little mage who gets flustered even standing on a school stage. Besides, our responsibilities are different. Things like Dimensional Invasion are things ordinary people can't detect. Why spread it and increase their panic?

"Also, you're practically alone, with only Miss Pepper to keep you company. I have many relatives, and my Master and Senior Brothers. If an enemy can't find me, what if they take revenge on them?

"So, stop messing around. The world needs heroes, but that person doesn't have to be me!"

Of course, Feeney knew these were just excuses. The main reason was his insufficient Strength. If he had the Strength to disregard all dangers and solve all problems, he wouldn't care about hiding his identity.

Tony fell silent. Yinsen's dying words echoed in his mind. His life perhaps didn't belong only to himself like Feeney's. Moreover, he had made too many mistakes that needed to be rectified.

"Alright, this matter is mostly resolved. I should be going!"

Seeing Tony deep in thought, Feeney stretched lazily. Then he suddenly remembered something. "Regarding the organization S.H.I.E.L.D., you can actually still interact with them to some extent. They have some connection to your future."

Because of him, Tony hadn't had much contact with S.H.I.E.L.D. yet. Feeney worried that Nick Fury might not be able to recruit Tony into the Avengers in the future. Before he was confident he could handle future dangers, he still hoped these superheroes would grow.

Their relationship was decent now, and he was also thinking of relying on Tony's Iron Armor to gain experience in the future. So, a little spoiler wouldn't hurt; it was also a way to get the plot back on track.

"My future!?"

Tony snapped back to attention, not quite understanding the meaning of the words. He frowned, "Are they going to steal technology too?"

"Uh..."

Feeney paused his steps, ready to leave. The downside of spoiling things was that the future could be changed beyond recognition. If he didn't explain, it might lead to Iron Man fighting S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra.

"Not exactly. Do you still remember being poisoned? I know some clues to solving it are with them."

Helplessly, Feeney had to reveal more.

Tony then remembered that he seemed to have one major problem yet to be solved. However, he didn't feel any urgency yet. Firstly, he hadn't tested the solution. Secondly, with Feeney as a backup, he felt somewhat relaxed.

"In short, you can interact with them, but never trust them too much."

Finally, Feeney cautiously reminded him. S.H.I.E.L.D. was heavily infiltrated by Hydra. The previous Director was a Hydra member, showing the extent of it.

Therefore, Feeney didn't want Tony to trust S.H.I.E.L.D. too much, as this would undoubtedly give Hydra an opportunity to grow.

"Adults handle their own affairs, children don't need to worry too much."

Seeing Feeney fussing and reminding him like an old mother, Tony couldn't help but retort sarcastically. Although Feeney's age was often overlooked when interacting with others, for some reason, it didn't seem to work on Tony.

Giving Tony the international gesture for "flipping off," Feeney opened a Portal and returned home. Iron Man had been born, and other future dangers were on their way.

Shortly after Feeney left, Pepper, who had been pestered by Coulson and reporters for a long time, finally buckled under the pressure and called Tony.

"Okay, then let's hold a press conference. I'll be there shortly."

"Listen to the question on the phone, Tony gave a clear answer."

Hanging up the phone, Tony looked at Mark II, covered in bullet-riddled wounds, and Iron Monger beside it. He let out a light sigh, changed into new clothes, found the bodyguards outside the door, and headed to the press conference.

Upon arriving at the press conference, Coulson immediately rushed over, handed Tony a piece of paper, and said, "You were on the yacht at the time, and there will be proof that you were drifting around Avalon Harbor all night, plus testimony from 50 guests."

Looking at the script in his hand, Tony twitched the corner of his mouth and replied, "Why not just say that only Pepper and I were on the island.

"We can't lie!"

Coulson played along with a joke, then instructed, "Just read what's written."

"Why isn't Obadiah mentioned?"

Tony scanned the script and found no information about Obadiah.

"We arranged for him to go on vacation," Coulson said with a slight smile. "You know how unreliable the safety of small aircraft has always been."

"But will they believe this, such a... flimsy explanation!? And the bodyguards!?"

Tony frowned as he continued to look at the script.

"Trust me, this isn't my first time doing this. Just read it," Coulson said confidently. "Everything will be fine."

And so, a few minutes later.

"I am Iron Man!"

Sigh... Begging for votes every day like this, you'll get tired of it too. What kind of new tricks should I use!?