Mark Takes Action

"Roar!"

Lucas let out a beast-like roar at Tony Stark and charged after him without hesitation.

Even though he had lost his mind, his hatred and jealousy toward Tony Stark had not diminished in the slightest.

"Stop him!"

The two bodyguards following behind Tony Stark saw Lucas charging toward them, and their expressions immediately changed as they hurried forward to block him.

When they entered the hotel, they had handed their firearms over to the security guards at the entrance. Now, they could only fight barehanded.

Although the strength Lucas had displayed earlier was terrifying, the two bodyguards were retired Navy SEALs. They believed they could hold him off for a while and buy Tony Stark enough time to retreat.

The two worked together seamlessly, flanking the charging Lucas from both sides.

One threw a punch at his throat, while the other struck at the back of his head.

"Bang! Bang!"

Lucas did not even know to dodge and took both blows head-on.

An ordinary person struck in such vital areas would have collapsed unconscious immediately, even if they had not died on the spot.

Yet Lucas acted as though nothing had happened. He lowered his head and slammed into the chest of the bodyguard on his left.

"Bang!"

The bodyguard was like someone hit by a charging bull. His sternum shattered instantly, and his body flew through the air before crashing down more than ten meters away.

Lucas then threw another punch, sending the other bodyguard flying several meters away as well. He fell to the floor and did not move again.

Lucas barely paused and continued chasing Tony Stark.

"Ah!"

Adela, who had looked back and witnessed the scene, let out a piercing scream in terror.

"This guy actually has his sights set on Tony Stark!"

Mark, watching from outside, could not help frowning as well.

Today was the first time he had met Tony Stark. Naturally, he felt no father-son affection toward this biological father.

However, when Mark had been kidnapped by mutants in New York, Tony Stark had ordered JARVIS to rescue him. Mark had to acknowledge that favor.

Whether out of gratitude or principle, Mark could not simply stand by and watch Tony Stark fall into danger.

He turned to look at the two security guards standing near the hotel entrance behind him.

Both guards were carrying guns, which should have posed a threat to Lucas.

But if they rushed into the hotel lobby to save him, it would clearly already be too late.

"Looks like I'll have to handle this myself!"

Mark quickly made his decision.

He was not a reckless person.

From what he had observed just now, Mark could tell that Lucas was far weaker than he was.

Moreover, Mark's Super Physique enhanced every aspect of his body—skin, bones, muscles, internal organs... There was not a single weakness anywhere in his body. Lucas could not compare to him at all.

Mark chose to act only because he was certain of victory.

His figure flashed as he charged rapidly toward the hotel lobby.

"Alice, infiltrate the Intercontinental Hotel's power control system and cut off all electricity."

Mark gave Alice the order through the concealed microphone beneath his bow tie.

Saving someone was one thing, but he had no intention of exposing his abilities in front of everyone.

"I have infiltrated the Hollywood InterContinental Hotel, taken control of the power system, and cut off all main circuits and emergency lighting circuits."

As Alice's voice fell, every light in the Intercontinental Hotel, including its backup emergency lights, went out at once.

"Ah, damn it! Why did the power suddenly go out?"

"Help!"

"..."

The hotel lobby fell into darkness, making the people fleeing for their lives even more panicked.

Mark's eyes instantly adapted to the darkness inside the lobby.

Everything in the lobby was clearly visible to his eyes, which had continuously strengthened alongside his upgraded Super Physique.

He saw many people spinning around the lobby like headless flies.

He saw Lucas pause only briefly before twitching his nose and continuing to charge in Tony Stark's direction.

Lucas's sense of smell had clearly been enhanced. The darkness did not hinder him much.

"Bang!"

Adela, who had been following behind Tony Stark, was casually swept aside by Lucas and sent flying seven or eight meters. She crashed into a round pillar in the lobby, let out a scream, and did not move again.

Lucas then extended his veiny right hand toward Tony Stark ahead of him.

By then, Tony Stark had been completely swallowed by darkness. He could only rely on his memory from before the blackout as he ran toward the lobby exit.

Then he felt a massive hand, like a pair of iron pincers, clamp down hard on his shoulder.

"Hiss!"

An incomparably intense pain surged into Tony Stark's brain.

At that critical moment, Mark finally arrived.

He stepped forward, grabbed Lucas's right wrist, and unleashed all of his immense strength!

"Crack!"

Lucas's wrist was nearly crushed in an instant, forcing him to release Tony Stark's shoulder.

"Aaargh!"

Lucas let out a pained roar and strained his arm, trying to break free.

But against Mark's overwhelming strength, Lucas could not pull his arm free from Mark's grip even with all his might.

Mark immediately swung his other fist and smashed it fiercely toward Lucas's head.

The force behind Mark's punch was about five times his own pulling strength.

"Bang!"

Lucas's head was like it had been struck by a moving car, and he instantly fell into a dazed state.

If his body had not somehow been strengthened, his head might have burst like a watermelon from that blow.

"Bang, bang, bang..."

Mark hammered Lucas's head with punch after punch.

Lucas instinctively raised his other arm over his head to shield himself.

But under the bombardment of Mark's tremendous strength, Lucas gradually lost consciousness, and his arm slowly drooped down limply.

"Hmm? Something's wrong!"

Just as Mark was preparing to finish Lucas off completely, he suddenly sensed the other man's body temperature rising rapidly, quickly exceeding the limit a human body could reach.

Mark grabbed Lucas's body and, without the slightest hesitation, hurled him toward an empty area more than twenty meters away.

"Boom!"

Before Lucas's body even hit the ground, it exploded like a bomb.

His blood and fragments of his body splattered across the entire lobby.

"Ah! What is this stuff?"

Some unlucky people nearby were covered in blood and body fragments, and they could not help letting out shrill screams.

Mark ignored the panicked crowd. His figure retreated rapidly, and he soon returned to Rosalie's side at the entrance.

"Whoosh!"

At Mark's command, Alice restored power to the hotel, and the lights in the lobby came back on.

"Mark, did you... did you leave just now?" Rosalie asked hesitantly as she looked at Mark beside her.