"Tony, you said you wouldn't make weapons anymore, yet you made the most powerful one of all."
Obadiah piloted the Iron Monger, holding up an Audi with women and children inside screaming.
"Haha." Obadiah laughed wildly. "I like this suit!"
"Put them down!" Tony Stark shouted angrily.
"Tony, they deserve it..."
Before he could finish, Obadiah suddenly felt his hand grow much lighter.
A red figure drifted in, sword flashing. The Audi's roof was sliced away, and the red figure grabbed a child in each hand before leaping high into the air.
In the blink of an eye, the red figure appeared by the distant roadside.
After setting the two children down, he rushed back to the car and did the same thing again.
"Damn woman, having four kids in one go." Adam Smith could not hide his distaste for beautiful women and could not help thinking, Hmph, they definitely aren't all her husband's!
After rescuing the four children, Adam Smith walked toward Obadiah, finally allowing him to see who had come.
"Bastard, how dare you ruin my plans."
Obadiah did not recognize him. On the day of the Red-Clad Murderer Incident, he had been worried about whether the kidnapping plan would succeed. Why would he have had the leisure to pay attention to a murder case on Wall Street?
In free America, didn't a few people die every day?
"Hey, friend!"
Tony Stark did not recognize Adam Smith either. By the time Adam had become famous in New York, Tony had already been blown away by one of his own bombs.
But seeing him save people now, Tony took him for an ally.
Although he was curious how such a slender body could unleash such astonishing speed and strength, now was not the time to think about that.
"Can you save the lady up there?" Tony asked. "Like you did just now."
Adam Smith could not be bothered with him. When it came to beautiful women, not killing them was already him considering the plan. And Tony expected him to save them?
The longsword left its sheath, and the sword light shot straight at the Iron Monger's right eye.
The polymer lens was pierced with ease.
Fortunately, Obadiah's armor was rather large, and the sword light grazed past his scalp.
Having cut down more than a hundred people and slashed countless times at human bodies, Adam was long familiar with the feel of cutting someone. The moment he pierced the lens, he realized that his target was positioned lower than expected.
Under attack, the Iron Monger instinctively retreated, and the Audi in Obadiah's hand slipped toward the right.
Tony hurried forward and caught the Audi.
The female driver was clearly dissatisfied with the panoramic sunroof and had been voicing her objections through continuous screams.
Her high-heeled foot was pressed hard against the accelerator, making all four wheels spin uselessly.
Once Tony slowly lowered the Audi, the driver rammed straight into his red-and-gold armor, sparks flying all the way.
This female driver was the first person ever to deliver a point-blank attack on Iron Man, though sadly, no one remembered her name.
When the deed was done, she brushed off her clothes and left, hiding her achievements and fame.
That was the true bearing of a hero.
Just as Tony Stark finally escaped the awkward predicament of being point-blank attacked by lifting the Audi's chassis, Adam Smith launched another assault on the Iron Monger.
His figure flashed like lightning, his sword light like thunder.
The longsword in his hand continuously carved away at the Iron Monger's heavy abdominal armor.
To be fair, big, dumb, thick, and black often meant sturdy and durable. A blade wrapped in Inner Force could cut through steel and iron with ease, but discussing toxicity without dosage was nonsense, just as discussing protection without thickness was.
The sword could cut iron, but this iron was simply too thick!
For the moment, Adam Smith could not break through the Iron Monger's armor.
Obadiah was not having a good time either. Though the enemy could not hurt him for now, he could not hit the agile Adam Smith either.
The Iron Monger was already cumbersome and relied on overwhelming force. Fighting Tony, who was slim and nimble, had always felt like using a cannon to kill a mosquito. Now, facing Adam, who was even faster and more responsive, Obadiah found himself unable to use his strength.
"Damn flea, do you only know how to run?" Obadiah roared in frustration.
Adam Smith grew angry at that.
He flipped into the air and landed on the Iron Monger's shoulder. His sword danced as he continuously carved at its oversized head.
The armor on top was relatively thin, and before long, its skullcap had been peeled open.
A gust of cold wind rushed in. Obadiah, inside the armor, happened to look up and saw Adam's cold, indifferent face.
"It's over!"
His seat was indeed some distance from the head, but not far enough to evade the sword in his enemy's hand.
As long as Adam thrust his sword down, the defenseless Obadiah would have his head split open.
The Iron Monger began shaking violently, trying to throw the enemy from its shoulder. But Adam Smith kept redirecting the force, clinging to it like a parasite on bone.
Pouring Inner Force into the longsword, Adam raised it and thrust downward.
Something unexpected happened. The sword in his hand could no longer endure it and shattered inch by inch.
It had only been an ordinary stainless steel sword. The Chinatown martial arts school had displayed it as a decorative piece, and Adam Smith had sharpened it afterward with a grinder.
After more than three months of use, cutting over a hundred people and then clashing head-on with armor, the blade had long been covered in cracks and chips.
Triggered by that final surge of Inner Force, it shattered in a way that was unexpected, yet entirely expected.
The shattered blade fragments shot toward Obadiah. Though they opened numerous wounds on his forehead and shoulders, they did not kill him in one blow.
"Ahhh!!!"
The bald man was covered in blood and let out a pained howl.
"Hey, friend!" Tony, who had finally returned to the battlefield, offended him the moment he opened his mouth. "Your weapon doesn't seem very durable."
The opening in the Iron Monger's head was too small. Without the longsword, Adam could still reach inside with his hand, but that would be far too undignified.
This was Adam Smith's debut. The reporters arranged by Hydra had already arrived above the battlefield in helicopters and were broadcasting live to the entire world.
Reaching in and pulling out a bloody hand would not only ruin his image, it would be disgusting.
With that in mind, Adam Smith drifted away and returned to the roadside to search for a suitable tool.
The Iron Monger resumed close-quarters combat with Tony, their battle erupting with firepower.
The helicopters in the sky aimed their cameras at the battlefield as famous commentators began their live broadcasts.
"Hello, everyone!"
"Big Mouth Henry is bringing you a live broadcast from above Manhattan. As we can see, two humanoid machines are fighting below..."
"Who are they? Why are they fighting? Henry will uncover the truth for you!"
The Hydra-controlled media, meanwhile, all turned their cameras toward Adam Smith and expressed their amazement in every exaggerated tone imaginable.
"Oh my god, can you guess who I just saw?"
"It's Adam Smith, the murderous maniac wanted by the New York police!"
"But I just saw him save four children who were in danger!"
"Why did he save them?"
"Is Adam Smith really a 'murderous maniac'?"
"Would a 'murderous maniac' risk his life to save children?"
"Could the New York police have made a mistake?"
With just a few words, these reporters successfully aroused the audience's curiosity about Adam Smith and their doubts about the Red-Clad Murderer Incident.
The power of the media was plain to see.
Adam Smith finally found a long, thin steel pipe by the roadside. Though it was not as handy as a longsword, he had to bring his debut to a perfect close.
He charged back into the battlefield. By then, Tony had blasted the Iron Monger away with an energy cannon from his chest. Adam seized the moment and flashed onto its head.
The steel pipe plunged in, completing the plan from before.
Obadiah collapsed instantly. The Iron Monger twitched twice on the ground, then fell silent.
Seeing that, Tony had no choice but to stop.
The helicopters in the sky immediately swooped down. While still a meter above the ground, the reporters impatiently jumped out one after another.
They surrounded Adam and Tony separately.
Tony had intended to leave, but then he heard Adam say something.
"Who am I?"
Facing the reporters' questions, Adam Smith announced the codename he had chosen for himself.
"I am the Red Swordsman!"
In an instant, camera flashes burst nonstop.
Tony, who was about to leave, was unhappy. When had anyone ever stolen his spotlight?
So he turned around, opened his faceplate, and revealed his true face.
"Oh my god, it's Tony Stark!"
The reporters who had just rushed toward Adam Smith ran back again, pointing their cameras and microphones at Tony.
"Mr. Stark, do you have a codename too?"
When had Tony Stark ever been a supporting character in his life?
After pondering for a moment, Tony spoke that iconic line with a hint of pride.
"I am Iron Man!"
Before you continue