Who Wears a Mech Without a Helmet? (Revised)

Rumble—!

A terrifying explosion erupted suddenly, causing the ground to shake violently and crack apart!

Tony sprinted outward like a madman, shouting at Du Mu, who was also fleeing for his life: "Just how many bombs did you bury!?"

"Not many, just a hundred or so."

"???"

Tony was instantly struck by the feeling of being hunted by dead memories.

He recalled how he had run for his life just like this before the Mark III was even born.

Now that he had created the Mark III, life had finally improved—he could run while wearing the Mark III!

Fortunately, the power of this explosion was not as great as the last one, and it had occurred deep underground.

After the two of them sprinted over a hundred meters, the shockwave finally subsided.

Looking back, a giant crater with a diameter of several dozen meters had appeared on the ground!

Tony arrived at the edge of the crater, staring into the abyss filled with smoke and dust, his mouth twitching: "This time, he should be dead, right?"

Du Mu glanced at his mission panel: "No, not yet."

Thud!

Before the words had even faded, a tattered Steel Armor leaped violently from the bottom of the pit!

The state of the Iron Monger armor was abysmal at this moment.

Under the continuous bombardment of TNT, even its formidable defensive capabilities could not hold up; its entire body was covered in cracks, and even the central cockpit had been blown open, revealing the disheveled figure of Obadiah Stane inside.

"Didn't expect this, did you? I'm back!"

Obadiah Stane laughed maniacally, filled with the relief of having escaped death.

Tony was stunned.

He couldn't be killed even by this? Was it true that the bigger the mech, the stronger it was?

He instinctively raised his right arm to fire an energy cannon, but the display indicated insufficient energy.

Seeing this, Obadiah Stane wore a cruel smile: "Haha! Now you have no way to stop me, right? Now it's my turn to..."

Bang!

A crisp gunshot interrupted his declaration.

Obadiah Stane's smile froze instantly, and a clear bullet hole on his forehead began to slowly ooze blood.

Du Mu expressionlessly put away the Golden Desert Eagle in his hand and shook his head:

"Who pilots a mech without wearing a helmet?"

"..."

Tony was dumbfounded, unable to recover for a long time.

He never imagined that Obadiah Stane would meet his end in such a ridiculous way.

Du Mu ignored the bewildered Tony, his attention already drawn to the system information appearing in his mind.

[You have successfully defeated the BOSS "Iron Monger" Obadiah Stane!]

[Calculating damage rewards...]

[Rewards as follows: 10,000 EXP, 5 Free Attribute Points, Equipment "Life-Taking 3000", Item "Master Key", Item "Red Mushroom", Item "Blue Pill", Equipment "BT-7274 Vanguard-class Titan"]

[Equipment: Life-Taking 3000 (A super weapon that combines ten types of lethal weapons into one)]

[Item: Master Key (You can open any door, and you can also steal other people's WIFI)]

[Item: Red Mushroom (Eat it and you will grow bigger)]

[Item: Blue Pill (Eat it and you will grow bigger)]

Du Mu: "?"

Why does none of this feel like anything serious?

However, his gaze was quickly locked firmly onto the final item.

[Equipment: BT-7274 Vanguard-class Titan]

[Effect: Fourth-generation Vanguard-class Titan mech, equipped with high-level artificial intelligence, capable of coordinated combat with the pilot through neural linkage, equipped with various powerful weapon systems including high-speed cannons, missile launchers, and energy weapons, while possessing excellent mobility and defensive systems, capable of automatic repair and energy absorption]

[Comment: Protocol 3, Protect the Pilot]

"A mech!?"

Du Mu's eyes lit up, and a surge of immense surprise welled up in his heart.

The reward actually included a complete mech!

And judging by the description, its performance seemed in no way inferior to the Steel Armor of Tony and Obadiah Stane!

If Tony weren't standing right there staring at him, Du Mu would have wanted to summon it to study it right then and there.

BANG!

As Stane breathed his last, the Iron Monger armor, now devoid of control, crashed heavily to the ground.

Tony Stark finally snapped out of his daze, casting a complex look at Stane's corpse before saying in a low voice, "I truly once considered him family. I never expected it to end like this..."

Du Mu shrugged. "His daughter probably thought the same."

Tony Stark: "?"

Not long after, accompanied by the screech of tires, the S.H.I.E.L.D. team led by Coulson arrived at the scene.

Coulson looked at the two of them, speechless. "I have to say, your locations are always remarkably easy to find."

"Don't blame me for that."

Tony Stark feigned innocence; he was the victim every single time, after all!

After getting briefed on the situation, Coulson directed his team to clear the scene.

His gaze swept over the wreckage of the Iron Monger, and he asked in confusion, "There's an issue. Where did the reactor in the chest of this armor go?"

"Gone?"

Tony Stark froze, then immediately strode forward to inspect it.

Sure enough, the chest cavity of the Iron Monger armor was completely empty. The reactor Stane had stolen from him was missing, even though he had clearly seen it there just moments ago.

Tony Stark immediately turned his head to look at the most suspicious person on the field: Du Mu.

Feeling that scrutinizing gaze, Du Mu felt his pure dignity had been subjected to a great insult.

"Why are you looking at me? I didn't steal it!"

He really hadn't stolen it.

He had just forgotten to turn off his auto-loot function.

The next day, Stark Industries held a press conference.

"The truth is... I am Iron Man!"

With just one sentence, Tony Stark ignited a nationwide frenzy and forced every department of S.H.I.E.L.D. to work overtime to clean up the mess he left behind.

Even Nick Fury had developed dark circles under his eyes, though luckily for him, his skin was dark enough that it didn't show.

"Agent Du Mu, your surveillance mission ends here. From now on, Black Widow will be responsible for all follow-up contact and assessment regarding Tony Stark."

Nick Fury's voice came through the phone, raspy from lack of sleep.

The system's notification chime rang right on cue.

[Mission "Surveillance of Tony Stark" complete!]
[Rewards: EXP +1000, S.H.I.E.L.D. Reputation +30, Item "Hive Tech Smoke Bomb", Equipment "Loitering Munition"]
[Item: Hive Tech Smoke Bomb (Releases a large amount of smoke, convenient for escaping)]
[Equipment: Loitering Munition (Launches a controllable loitering munition that scatters four bombs upon detonation. Bridge camping? Need two more for a full squad)]

Good grief!

Shouldn't he head to an aerospace base to test out the effects?

Du Mu thought to himself.

Then he heard Nick Fury's voice again: "There is an urgent mission for you now."

"Over the past month, the Bronx have reported multiple missing persons cases, with the total number of missing individuals exceeding one hundred, including both local residents and tourists."

"Preliminary assessment suggests the incident may involve anomalous characteristics. I need you to go and investigate."

[NPC Nick Fury has issued a new mission to you]
[Mission: Investigate Missing Persons]
[Objective: Determine the cause of the disappearances]
[Rewards: 500 EXP, S.H.I.E.L.D. Reputation +10, Random Equipment *1]