"Energy remaining: 19%."
JARVIS's warning sounded in his ears, and Tony's heart sank as he crawled up.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents nearby escorted Pepper away, while the surrounding bystanders fell into despair.
Iron Monger strode over, his terrifying weight leaving sunken footprints in the ground with every step.
He stopped in front of Tony and raised the rotary cannon mounted on the side of his arm. As the barrels slowly began to spin, Obadiah's hands trembled with excitement!
Tony's armor couldn't withstand rounds of that caliber. He hurriedly redirected his energy and flew sideways!
At the same time, the cannon spat flames, its bullets chasing close behind Tony. He had accelerated forcibly without adjusting his position, so he flew out skimming the ground, trailing sparks!
The cars and guardrails behind him were torn apart under the barrage!
Only when the barrels overheated did Tony manage to adjust his movements and barely come to a stop. He rolled several times on the ground, then got up and raised both hands, his palm cannons ready to fire.
Vmmm-
Bang!
Two laser beams shot out. Iron Monger raised his arms to block, and the scattered beams carved thin furrows into the ground. Obadiah's voice came through the loudspeaker.
"Too weak. Far too weak!"
Tony had already cranked his output to maximum, but he still couldn't break through Iron Monger's defenses.
Just as his energy was about to run out, two laser beams from above joined the battle!
Iron Monger had been blocking effortlessly with his arms raised, but the moment the two beams touched him, he couldn't withstand them and began retreating!
"Shit! What the fuck is this?" Obadiah's expression changed drastically as he watched the warnings flashing red across his virtual display!
He had no choice but to raise both hands to block. Anchors extended from beneath his feet to steady him, but he was still pushed backward.
As the system warnings grew increasingly frequent, thrusters rose from Iron Monger's back once again. Flames erupted, and his backward slide finally stopped.
He straightened up and, forcing his way against the lasers, flew toward their source using the thrusters on his back!
With the thrusters boosting him, he drew closer and closer, until he saw the owner of those beams, dressed in a combat suit with a cape fluttering behind him.
Wasn't that Li Ang, who had saved Tony in the cave?
"You're ruining my plans again? Fine, I'll kill you too!"
Seeing that Obadiah could actually fly toward him against the lasers, Li Ang simply canceled his Heat Vision, clenched his right fist, and drew it back like a fully drawn bowstring!
Iron Monger raised both hands and prepared to slam into him. Everyone nearby had their hearts in their throats.
They had thought this would be a difficult contest of strength, but instead...
The instant Iron Monger flew within reach, Li Ang smashed a punch into him!
Boom!
The tremendous force even produced an airburst!
The deafening sonic boom shattered the surrounding glass. As for Iron Monger, however fast he had come, he flew back even faster!
Iron Monger was punched back to the ground and embedded straight into it!
"What..." Tony was dumbstruck!
He had spent all that effort without even breaking through his defenses, yet Li Ang had punched Obadiah so deep into the ground that he couldn't even be dug out?
It wasn't just him. Watching the surveillance feed, Nick Fury widened his single eye too, thankful that he had found Li Ang ahead of time.
"Too weak." Everyone heard Li Ang's voice, and the bystanders a short distance away recorded the entire scene.
[Earned bystanders' gratitude: +500 Presence] [Earned Nick Fury's shock: +3,000 Presence] [Earned Tony Stark's shock: +3,000 Presence]
On camera, Li Ang hovered in midair, his cape snapping in the night breeze, truly like a god descended to earth.
He charged over, came before Obadiah, and planted one foot on the armor's chest.
"You bald old bastard, I couldn't stand you from the start!" He pressed down with his foot, and Iron Monger's armor gave off a teeth-grating sound of bending metal.
"Don't! Stop pressing!" Obadiah's pained voice reached his ears, but it didn't stir the slightest pity in Li Ang.
"Then give me a reason." Li Ang's expression was ferocious. If not for the system's mission, he would have killed this white-skinned pig back when he stole Tony's reactor.
"I'll give you money! I'll give you shares in Stark!"
"Yes! As long as you help me kill Tony, I can give you lots of money!"
As though clutching his last lifeline, he desperately promised rewards. Li Ang narrowed his eyes, but wasn't considering any of that.
The main reason was the Conscientious Slot Machine.
That thing was definitely a system lottery item, something like a golden ten-pull that could yield cars, houses, money, or even a beautiful assistant.
There would also be plenty of wondrous tools he could use.
Of course he knew which mattered more.
Li Ang swept his gaze around and could see the anticipation in the survivors' eyes. That was hope.
Under everyone's gaze, Li Ang took a deep breath and rejected Iron Monger's terms. "Your proposal is very tempting, but... I refuse!"
With that, his eyes lit up, and Heat Vision struck Iron Monger's helmet directly!
Iron Monger still tried to struggle. The thrusters on his back began working furiously, their scorching energy even melting the asphalt.
But beneath Li Ang's foot, he seemed rooted in place, unable to get up at all.
Iron Monger's helmet reddened bit by bit, accompanied by white smoke and Obadiah's piglike squeals.
Crack...
Amid the cracking sounds, Heat Vision finally pierced Iron Monger's helmet, melting Obadiah's pig brain along with the steel!
Sparks erupted all over Iron Monger's body. The next second, boom!
Amid the violent explosion, Li Ang walked out of the heat wave without a scratch!
"My God..." Pepper and Tony watched from a distance, dumbstruck.
Inside S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury felt for the pager in his inner pocket. Li Ang's strength had exceeded his expectations, and he deeply disliked this feeling of things slipping beyond his control.
But so far, Li Ang hadn't shown any antisocial tendencies, and was even willing to shoulder responsibility. That was a good thing.
He wouldn't shortchange him on his payment, and the plan to recruit him into the Avengers wouldn't stop either.
He feared that if Li Ang were driven mad, who besides that woman could stop him?
On the screen, Li Ang walked toward Tony. After Li Ang pulled him up, Tony opened his faceplate and said incredulously, "I've weathered plenty of storms in my life, but what you just did really made me break out in a cold sweat."
If JARVIS hadn't recorded the whole thing, he would have wondered whether he was hallucinating before his death.
Li Ang exhaled, and the system's notification sounded in his mind.
[Mission three: War pig (completed)] [Mission reward: Conscientious Slot Machine. Additional reward: Gravity Capture Net. (Using this ability creates a gravity well 10 meters in diameter to suppress enemies. Enemies within it are subjected to adaptive gravity to ensure they are restrained without being injured. Duration: 10 seconds. Cooldown: 3 hours.)]
Gravity Capture Net? This is good stuff!
A flash of pleasant surprise crossed Li Ang's eyes. He looked Tony over, entertaining the idea of throwing one at him first to test it out.