Iron Man Returns

"Could that attacker also be one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s people?" Pierce furrowed his brows.

"According to our investigation, he should have no connection to S.H.I.E.L.D.," Sitwell replied.

"Are there any leads on the Ghost File now?" Pierce asked, his expression shifting uncertainly. "Who exactly stole our property? Find him for me. I want him to know the consequences of provoking Hydra!"

Sitwell slowly pulled a piece of paper from his coat. It was a charcoal sketch of a man with camouflage paint on his face, wearing a tactical vest and holding a standard M4 rifle.

"What is the meaning of this?" Although Pierce was a high-ranking boss of Hydra, he was middle-aged and inevitably suffered from some farsightedness. He put on his glasses, looked at it, and asked suspiciously, "Why is it just a drawing? Are there no photographs?"

"We didn't have the opportunity to capture any photos or video footage. We drew his portrait based on the descriptions provided by the survivors of the task force," Sitwell explained.

"With this drawing, you could find quite a few suspects," Pierce said suddenly after glancing at the sketch.

Sitwell was stunned for a moment, not understanding what he meant by that sudden remark.

Pierce's expression changed instantly. He picked up the cup on the table and hurled it forcefully at Sitwell. "You idiot! This drawing is useless! Almost every soldier has this kind of attire! Do you intend to investigate the entire military?"

"I'm sorry, sir." Sitwell couldn't dodge in time, and a bump formed on his bald head where the cup struck him. Seeing Pierce's anger, he immediately apologized, "I will work hard on the investigation. As long as he is still in the United States, I will definitely find him!"

"Forget it, stop looking for now." Pierce was nearly driven to madness. He suppressed the rage in his heart and said, "Nick Fury has likely already noticed us; otherwise, he wouldn't have sent Hawkeye to investigate the Skull Gang. From today on, no one is to act without my orders. We will wait until this storm passes before we think of a way forward!"

Sitwell looked up and smiled, "I think Nick Fury probably mistakes us for some other international terrorist organization. Although he suspects our true identity, he certainly wouldn't imagine that Hydra is hiding right under his nose."

"Caution is everything," Pierce said with a gloomy face. "After all, we haven't reached the point where we can completely break ties with S.H.I.E.L.D. yet!"

Tony Stark had been missing for three months. No one knew where he was or if he was even still alive.

Who could have imagined that this billionaire had been kidnapped by terrorists and imprisoned in a dark, sunless cave?

The Ten Rings had ambushed his convoy, killing the soldiers, and Tony had scrambled to escape the vehicle. He hurriedly pulled out his phone to call for help, but just then, a missile descended from the sky—a missile that bore the Stark Industries logo.

And so, Tony's misfortune began.

When he woke from his nightmare, he discovered a large hole in his chest with something strange embedded in it.

It turned out the missile explosion hadn't killed him instantly; tiny shrapnel was circulating in his bloodstream, threatening to drift toward his heart at any moment. The doctor who saved him used an electromagnet powered by a car battery to hold the shrapnel in place, preserving his life.

The Ten Rings' purpose in kidnapping Tony was simple: they wanted him to build the Jericho Missile. Once he succeeded, they would let him go.

To be honest, Tony's heart resisted. Although he was a playboy and an arrogant billionaire, he was not an unscrupulous merchant, let alone a bad person.

He pretended to agree on the surface, but in reality, he intended to use the materials provided by the Ten Rings to build an iron suit!

Time was tight. He only had one week. Working with the doctor, he labored in secret under the surveillance of the Ten Rings.

Finally, today, the members of the Ten Rings discovered their scheme. A fierce firefight broke out, and the unfortunate doctor was struck by bullets, falling to the ground. He spoke his final words to Tony:

"Don't waste your life."

Yes, life was so precious—something the old Tony had never realized. Born into a wealthy family, raised with a silver spoon in his mouth, he had spent his days in debauchery and never felt there was anything shameful about wasting his life.

But the moment the doctor closed his eyes, something seemed to awaken deep within his soul.

The guards of the Ten Rings now stood before the cave entrance with their weapons raised, feeling nervous, their palms sweating.

Just then, a white point of light appeared in the depths of the dark cave. A mysterious figure gradually emerged, walking forward step by step. With every footfall, the ground trembled.

"What the hell is that?" a Ten Rings guard widened his eyes, unable to help but lower his gun.

What came into view was a behemoth. The full-body steel armor shimmered under the sunlight. Although it looked a bit crude, its appearance was terrifying. Its arms featured flamethrowers, the base of the armor had jet boots, and the joints were connected by exposed cables, making it look rather clunky.

The steel helmet obscured Tony's face, revealing only two eyes burning like torches—the fire of vengeance!

"Destroy him!" a Ten Rings guard shouted. Everyone opened fire immediately, bullets clanging against the steel armor.

The Mark I Armor was composed of iron, copper, magnesium alloys, and some leather components. The equipment was quite rough; a stray bullet could easily strike a cable, rendering the armor's legs immobile.

Tony knew this. He immediately launched a counterattack, activating the two flamethrowers on his arms simultaneously. Blazing fire surged out, turning into two fire dragons that roared toward the enemy.

The flames scorched the heavens, turning the area into a sea of fire. Iron Man was born from the ashes!

Iron Man used the flamethrowers to incinerate the surrounding missiles and weapons, wanting to destroy everything there. The terrorists launched a fierce counterattack, and a bullet struck his leg, forcing him to his knees.

At that moment, the surrounding ammunition began to explode. He knew that if he didn't escape now, he never would.

"BOOM—"

Accompanied by a heaven-shaking explosion, Tony activated his jet boots. Iron Man shot into the sky, flying upward against the backdrop of a fiery mushroom cloud.

However, this crudely made iron suit only had limited flight capability. He had just been enjoying the joy of escape when the engine suddenly cut out.

"Whoa!" Tony screamed. It was simply too unlucky; he hadn't expected to fall to his death just after escaping.

Having lost his flight capability, Iron Man plummeted from the sky, falling toward the endless desert below!

Black Panther is in theaters today; remember to go support His Majesty~