All the way there, Tony Stark was consumed by anxiety. The Joint Command Task Force following behind the convoy, along with Ross, made him feel like he had thorns in his back. Even after arriving at the underground facility, the shadow of terror still lingered in his heart. He had fully grasped Secretary of State Thaddeus E. Ross's determination, and why Secretary of State Ross was nicknamed "Thunderbolt."
Even after leaving the military for politics, Ross had not changed his reckless, consequences-be-damned way of doing things. Led by several people whose identities he could not tell—agents or embassy staff—Tony Stark met his old friend. Ross strode arrogantly alongside them, followed by a large group of heavily armed task force members under his command.
The task force escorted him and Tony Stark upstairs, crossing a pedestrian bridge to reach their destination.
Thanks to the connections he had cultivated over years in the military, the Ministry of Defence had specially granted him the title of deputy commander for this operation, allowing him to temporarily mobilize armed forces from NATO military bases in Germany. Since the last Latverian Expansion War had directly attacked a NATO military base in Poland, many U.S. military forces that had escaped unscathed had withdrawn into Germany. Secretary of State Ross now had the authority to mobilize the largest number of U.S. military personnel in Germany since World War II. How many he could actually command remained unknown, since U.S. forces stationed in Europe were notoriously ineffective, but at the very least, he nominally had the authority to make decisions regarding NATO military forces.
"Let me talk to him first." Tony Stark stopped outside the conference room and straightened his collar. "I think I can persuade him."
Secretary of State Ross pushed open the conference room door without hesitation