Fierce Battle

Pepper Potts ran out of Stark Industries, her face pale with panic, and stood at the entrance gasping for air.

It had been far too close; she had nearly been snatched by that steel monster. Fortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D. had intervened, and perhaps they would be able to capture Obadiah Stane.

Just as this thought crossed her mind, her phone rang—it was Tony calling.

"Tony, thank God! You're alive!" Pepper exclaimed, her voice trembling. "Obadiah, that man Obadiah has gone insane!"

"I know," Tony replied, his tone as commanding as ever. "Listen to me, get out of there now! It's dangerous!"

Before Pepper could respond, she heard a strange sound beneath her feet. The earth began to tremble, and cracks appeared on the ground, spreading rapidly until a massive mechanical hand burst through the surface.

"Ob... Obadiah!" Pepper's expression turned to one of pure terror. As the ground collapsed, a colossal figure crawled out. Pepper stumbled back in fright, dropping her phone in the chaos.

The Iron Monger stood before her, and Obadiah said coldly, "I actually quite liked you once. You were clever, capable, and efficient. But now, you are of no use to me. You can die."

The Iron Monger raised its arm, and the barrels of its Gatling gun began to spin. Pepper screamed, and just as the bullets were about to fire, a high-pitched roar echoed through the air:

"Leave my assistant alone!"

Iron Man descended from the sky with a piercing whistle that tore through the air. The Iron Monger had barely looked up before Iron Man slammed into it. Tony roared, grabbing the Iron Monger's body and driving it violently into the ground.

The immense force shattered the pavement, sending them crashing into the Stark Industries building, then through the wall and back outside, finally smashing through the trailer of a semi-truck before rolling onto the road.

Piercing sirens immediately filled the air. This was a highway, and the traffic was moving at high speeds. The arrival of Iron Man and the Iron Monger threw the traffic into chaos, with vehicles swerving frantically to avoid the two massive metal titans.

People couldn't believe their eyes. What was happening? Was someone filming a movie?

Several cars collided in a chain reaction, turning the scene into a mess. An Audi Q7 nearly struck the Iron Monger as it climbed to its feet. The mother driving the car and her two children screamed in terror as the machine lifted the vehicle, intending to smash it down onto the fallen Iron Man.

"I love this armor!" The Iron Monger held the car high above its head, as if showing off its own strength.

"Put them down!" Iron Man said, struggling to his feet. "This is between us, leave them out of it!"

"You are always so naive."

Obadiah sneered, and the Iron Monger began to walk toward Iron Man, the car still held aloft. Seeing the mother and children screaming inside, Tony clenched his fists. He knew he couldn't let these innocent lives be sacrificed because of him.

From the moment he first donned the iron suit, he had decided to protect everything around him!

"BOOM!" Iron Man channeled all his power into the Arc Reactor on his chest. A dazzling Unibeam roared out, striking the Iron Monger square in the chest and sending it flying into a nearby car.

The car the Iron Monger had been holding was thrown aside, and as it tumbled toward the ground, Iron Man caught it.

Catching the vehicle was no simple feat; Tony exerted every ounce of his strength, feeling as though his lower back might snap.

Once he finally set the car down, the frantic mother slammed on the gas, and the vehicle sped away, dragging Iron Man along for a distance. Tony tapped on the windshield and said, "Easy there, ma'am! I'm not trying to stage a hit-and-run!"

While Iron Man and the Iron Monger were locked in a fierce battle, William and Coulson had just reached the roof of the Stark Industries building.

Coulson watched the duel between Tony and Obadiah with a tense expression. If these two kept going, they were going to tear the entire highway apart.

"Coulson, who do you think will win?" William asked curiously.

"In terms of size and power, Obadiah's armor has the advantage," Coulson said, looking worried. "And from what I understand, Stark left in such a hurry that his suit isn't even fully charged."

William frowned. "Well, that's a problem."

"Are you actually reliable or not?" Coulson rolled his eyes. "S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't paying you for nothing."

Hearing this, William smiled.

Regardless, he was working for S.H.I.E.L.D. now. When the Iron Monger first appeared, he had transformed into Soldier: 76 and engaged it. But against a heavy-duty suit like the Iron Monger, an assault hero like Soldier: 76 struggled; his weapons simply couldn't pierce that steel hide.

Thus, William's first skirmish with the Iron Monger had been a loss—perhaps not a disastrous one, but in Coulson's eyes, it was a defeat.

Standing on the roof, they could see the two combatants fighting on the highway in the distance. It was too far for his pulse rifle to be effective, and even if he could hit, Soldier: 76's damage output dropped significantly at long range.

William didn't have much time left. The Iron Monger was clearly stronger than Iron Man, and Tony's suit was low on power. If he couldn't help, Tony might be destroyed by Obadiah. Although that wasn't how the movie played out, who could guarantee what changes might occur in this dangerous Marvel world?

"Athena," William called out in his mind. "Is there any way for me to land a hit on the Iron Monger?"

"Have you forgotten the new hero you recently acquired?"

William suddenly remembered the new hero he had unlocked a few days ago—Hanzo.

Hanzo was a hero people both loved and hated. They loved him because his headshot damage was incredibly high, and the sound of a successful headshot was immensely satisfying.

They hated him because many novices loved to play Hanzo, essentially feeding the enemy kills. Yet, in the hands of a skilled player with the right resources, he could truly crush the opposition.

Soldier: 76's weapon range was limited, and his firepower dropped off at a distance. But Hanzo was different; his damage remained the same regardless of the range.

Of course, that was assuming one could aim accurately.

"Athena, I'm currently in the Soldier: 76 form. Can I still transform into Hanzo?"

"No problem. Within the time limit of the Overwatch System's transformation, you can switch heroes at will. However, once the transformation time ends, you will be unable to use any heroes for a short period."

William finally understood. As long as the transformation time hadn't expired, he could switch between any heroes he had unlocked. He had only unlocked Soldier: 76 and Hanzo so far, but once he had more heroes, the Overwatch System would undoubtedly be an incredibly powerful ability!

"Athena, prepare the Hanzo transformation!"

Amidst a brilliant flash of light, the form of Soldier: 76 began to shift:

His gray-white hair turned black and was tied back, with a lock of hair falling over his forehead. His combat uniform transformed into a traditional martial arts gi.

A quiver appeared on his back, a gourd hung from his waist, and his left chest was left bare, revealing a massive dragon tattoo that extended down his left arm.

"Hanzo transformation time remaining: 3:00"

Coulson raised his binoculars to watch the battle between Iron Man and Iron Monger, but just then, he sensed a bright light beside him.

He quickly lowered the binoculars, catching the exact moment William transformed from his Soldier: 76 form into Hanzo. His expression shifted instantly, as if he had seen a ghost.

If Soldier: 76 had looked like a futuristic soldier, then what the hell was this current form? A Japanese samurai? A yakuza boss?

"Just how many things are you keeping from us?" Coulson asked after a moment of silence.

William ignored Coulson entirely. A brilliant flash of white light streaked by, and a longbow appeared in his hand. He drew an arrow from the quiver on his back and prepared to draw the bowstring.

Seeing this, Coulson was stunned. What the hell, where did you pull that bow from? Are you Doraemon?

Good morning~