"Ivan, stop."
Ivan was shocked. "You?!"
He hurriedly diverted some of the unmanned machines to block Apocalypse.
The instant the Steel Soldiers blocked Apocalypse's view, Ivan turned and ran.
Apocalypse ripping out his heart in prison had already left an indelible impression on him.
On top of that, Apocalypse's display in the sky just now—tearing apart Steel Soldiers as if they were paper—had deeply shaken him.
He could still fight Iron Man and War Machine, and might even have a chance of winning, but against a monster like this, he did not have even a one-in-ten-thousand chance.
He was not afraid of death, but that did not mean he would mindlessly fight to the death.
Apocalypse was speechless. This was completely at odds with Ivan's fierce appearance and demeanor. What happened to refusing to yield even in death?
Apocalypse smashed apart the Steel Soldiers blocking his path. With a sonic boom, he was already standing in Ivan's way.
Ivan was terrified. The two Electric Whips in his hands crackled with blinding electricity as he lashed them at Apocalypse. The surrounding grass and trees were sliced in half by the whips.
At the same time, every weapon system on his armor activated. Countless bullets, lasers, and miniature missiles rained down on Apocalypse.
Apocalypse neither dodged nor evaded. He grabbed an Electric Whip in each hand, yanked Ivan closer, and took the remaining weapons head-on.
Amid a barrage of "Boom, boom, boom..." countless flames erupted where Apocalypse stood. The explosions formed a massive fireball, and the shockwave even blasted open the botanical garden's dome.
When the fireball dispersed, Apocalypse slowly emerged.
Those weapons could not harm him, but the Iron Man armor had been damaged.
It seemed Ivan's technical abilities at this stage were not much worse than Iron Man's.
Apocalypse removed the damaged armor. The hard superalloy crumpled to pieces with a squeeze of his hand.
"Ivan, let this end here," Apocalypse said. "The grudge between your father and Tony's father was caused by the collision of two superpowers. There was no real right or wrong."
When great powers clashed, many ordinary people were swept along. It was the tragedy of an era, and individual strength seemed insignificant before the tide of the times.
Iron Man's father had been in the victorious United States, so he naturally rose to prominence and became immensely wealthy.
Ivan's father, meanwhile, had watched his empire collapse and its economy fall apart. In the end, he was powerless to turn things around and died in despair.
"Hmph! Since I failed today, I never planned to leave the United States alive," Ivan said.
Apocalypse looked at him with amusement. "Is that so? Then why were you running just now?"
Ivan was helpless. He could not beat this monster, could not escape him, and could not even argue with any confidence. He could only say, "What exactly do you want? Are you trying to settle the grudge between Stark Industries and me?"
"No. Your grudge with Tony is insignificant. Greater changes lie ahead, and humanity needs top scientists like you to protect it."
Hearing this, Ivan lowered his guard slightly.
When Apocalypse had visited him in prison, he had ripped out his heart, then restored him completely with a bottle of miraculous potion.
Such a shocking method had already shaken Ivan's understanding of the world.
And now Apocalypse said this. Did humanity truly face some great crisis?
War Machine, Iron Man, Ivan, and the others were all elites among elites. They possessed the necessary perspective.
Before a crisis threatening humanity, their petty grudges truly meant nothing, especially since this had never been some irreconcilable blood feud.
After all this turmoil, Hammer had vented most of the resentment in his heart.
Other than dragging down Hammer Industries, not many people had been hurt.
"Tang, does humanity really face a major crisis? Nuclear war?" Iron Man asked.
War Machine shook his head. "I serve in the military. At the moment, the major nuclear powers are all showing restraint toward one another. Nuclear war is unlikely."
"Enough guessing. I won't tell you, but soon enough, you'll notice all kinds of clues."
Apocalypse turned to Ivan again. "Because we stopped you today, no real casualties were caused. You can still turn back."
Ivan fell silent. Though he admitted defeat, he still could not bring himself to immediately join his opponent's side.
Seeing this, Apocalypse added fuel to the fire. "If you refuse, I'll threaten you."
Iron Man froze. Was Apocalypse going to torture Ivan? That did not seem like him.
Whenever disaster struck, Apocalypse was always among the most proactive in saving people. He did not seem like someone who would use bloody methods.
Ivan was equally stunned. "I'm not even afraid of death. What can you threaten me with?"
"If you die or run away, I'll roast your bird and eat it."
"How do you know I have a bird?"
After his father died, Ivan's only attachment in the world was the pet bird he had raised.
When Hammer Industries brought him in, he repeatedly asked Hammer to help him bring the bird over.
But Hammer did not take it seriously. He carelessly bought a replacement from the market and treated Ivan like an idiot, telling him, "This is your bird."
This greatly enraged Ivan and made him dislike Hammer Industries even more.
Hammer did not know that he had missed the only chance to make Ivan submit. If he had treated Ivan's request seriously and shown him proper respect, things might not have turned out this way today.
"I not only know about it, I already have it," Apocalypse said. "I just haven't had the chance to find out what it tastes like."
"You dare!" Ivan shouted furiously. "It's highly intelligent. You can actually bring yourself to eat an animal like that? Do you have any humanity left?!"
Apocalypse shrugged. "It isn't my bird. I have no feelings for it. To me, it's no different from ordinary poultry. If nobody wants it, I'll roast it and eat it."
After a brief silence, Ivan asked, "Where is my bird?"
Ivan knew that since the other party knew about his bird, he must have prepared for this long ago.
Apocalypse looked around and called out, "Yinsen, are you there?"
Yinsen slowly emerged from behind a huge boulder in the distance, carrying a birdcage. Hearing Apocalypse call him, he hurried over. "Mr. Tang, the bird is here. Tony, long time no see."
Iron Man stepped forward and gave him a firm hug. "Long time no see, Yinsen."
Although Iron Man could not conveniently arrange a position for Yinsen in his company, they had kept in close contact these past days.
The laboratory where they were staying was not kept secret from Iron Man. Apocalypse actually hoped Dr. Sterns and Yinsen could gain some inspiration from Iron Man.
"After news of your arrest reached Siberia, the neighbor you entrusted to care for it had long since stopped looking after your bird," Apocalypse said. "If my people hadn't arrived in time, it might have starved to death already."
At first, War Machine was completely confused. What were these two talking about?
Bird this, bird that. Anyone who did not know better would think these two grown men were discussing some private matter.
Only when Yinsen came out carrying the birdcage did War Machine confirm that the two grown men really were talking about a pet bird.
But using a bird to threaten Ivan into surrendering? That was ridiculous, wasn't it?
Yet Ivan's next words made his jaw drop.
Ivan removed his armor, walked over, and took the birdcage. Lowering his head slightly, he said, "Thank you. You saved it. I'm willing to work for you, but I won't join forces with the Stark family."
A hundred thousand alpacas stampeded through War Machine's mind. If it had been this easy, what had they been fighting and risking their lives for?
Why not just bring it out earlier?
He was with the military, and his main responsibility this time had been liaising with Hammer Industries to discuss weapons procurement. The Steel Soldiers had been designed and manufactured according to military requirements.
After such a major incident, the destroyed public property alone was impossible to count. He would definitely get chewed out when he returned.
He did not even know how to write this report. Was he really supposed to say that the big villain had ultimately been defeated by a bird?
"Don't worry. Tony and I are only friends; we aren't part of the same organization. But if humanity faces a major crisis in the future, we will need to work together."
"What does humanity's crisis have to do with my bird! I agreed to work for you only to prove that I, Ivan, won't lose to the Stark family."
Just like that, Apocalypse brought a genius scientist who could rival Iron Man in his early days under his command.
As for this farce, everyone tacitly placed all the blame on Hammer Industries.
Poor Hammer. After this incident, not only had he failed to bring his company any benefits, he had angered a large number of powerful figures. Now he was facing prison time, and no one was willing to speak for him.
After everything was over, Iron Man's reputation reached a new peak.
At the press conference, the powerful figures and reporters Apocalypse had saved while wearing the sky-blue armor all credited Iron Man. Naturally, media outlets everywhere lavishly praised Iron Man.
For a time, newspapers and media outlets around the world were filled with articles and videos praising Iron Man.
Iron Man originally wanted to hold a press conference to clarify the matter, but Apocalypse stopped him.
Apocalypse did not need this reputation, but Iron Man did.
The future Avengers needed someone with prestige to lead them, and Iron Man was naturally the central figure.
Iron Man and War Machine did not know Apocalypse's plans. Seeing how indifferent he was to fame and profit, their trust in him rose by several more points.
Apocalypse took stock of his gains. He had saved quite a few people this time, gaining several hundred more Recovery Potions. That made up for what he had previously used on Iron Man.
The plot of Iron Man 2 had already ended. Apocalypse felt it was time to set off.
New Mexico, a small desert town.
Wearing his armor, Apocalypse flew to the edge of town and landed quietly.
If the original plot had not changed, Thor should already be in town by now.
The reason Thor came to Earth was a long story.
Before you continue