Chapter 53: Chapter Fifty-Two: Iron Man Never Retreats

Luo De said: “No, thanks, I don’t smoke…”

Immediately after, he saw Stark pull out a cigarette himself and toss it into the air—instantly, a thin, blue-and-silver armor clad his body. Luo De swallowed hard and said: “Give me one, thanks.”

On the other side, General Johnson had just climbed back into the cockpit of a giant robot, and what appeared in his field of vision was a fist the size of a sandbag.

Iron Man was about to join Luo De against Johnson, but was blocked by the risen Iron Monster—he heard Obadiah say: “Do you know? Most of what I told you about your father wasn’t true.”

“In reality, he smoked, drank, chased women, daydreamed all day, came up with wild ideas, messed up everything, and left others to clean up his messes.”

“All those heroic stories about him? I made them up. He was a complete bastard.”

“But do you know how I stopped him whenever he opened his mouth with another stupid idea?”

Iron Man had a bad feeling, but before he could answer, a fist the size of a sandbag filled his vision.

Watching Iron Man fly backward, Spider-Man rubbed his hands and said: “Alright, now the question is—who do we help?”

Captain America tapped his shield and said: “I think Obadiah has a point—he’s Stark’s elder, and has more right than I do to beat him up.”

“But just standing here watching doesn’t look right.”

“Then let’s not watch. Let’s go—we’ve got wounded to load onto the ambulance.”

On the other side, Iron Man groggily climbed out of a pile of rebar and said: “Wait! Uncle… okay, Howard was a jerk, and so am I! But I think there’s a better way to solve this—we can sit down and talk! Or call a board meeting—stop solving everything with fists…”

“You have even less right to say that.”

The Iron Monster roared, leaping high and landing before him, its shadow engulfing Iron Man’s armor. Obadiah said: “You’ll soon learn—your iron shell is useless, even if you change its appearance.”

Iron Man sighed, realizing Obadiah was determined to beat him senseless—his own temper flared. He said: “You’ll soon find out if it’s just a new appearance!”

As he spoke, he dodged the giant Iron Monster’s fist like a bird, instantly flying behind it and punching its back.

The Iron Monster swung back—Stark dodged again. His current armor, though thinner, had been modified for greater speed and agility.

He extended his palm—the nearby rubble’s rebar trembled slightly, then shot upward, pointing directly at the Iron Monster. JARVIS said: “Magnetic control system still upgrading—cannot engage high-frequency mode, energy nearly depleted…”

Stark clenched his fist—the rebar shot toward the Iron Monster.

Obadiah clearly hadn’t expected this—Iron Man had always been a brawler, relying mostly on repulsors and fists. But this blue-and-silver armor made him look more like a wizard.

As Stark swung his arms, the rebar shot rapidly at the Iron Monster. Obadiah barely managed to maneuver the armor to dodge most of the rebar on the left—but several bars struck his right arm.

But he was decisive—he used the impact to leap away, delivering an uppercut straight at the airborne Iron Man.

Iron Man’s armor sparked violently—he retaliated with a reverse dive, smashing a punch into the Iron Monster’s neck. The monster wobbled, grabbed Iron Man’s leg, and hurled him away.

Iron Man was dazed again—his landing spot happened to be the battlefield between Luo De and General Johnson. Luo De was also losing ground. Iron Man shouted: “Come on! Swap opponents—we’re starting the second half!”

It was the right call—Luo De’s armor had greater strength, but Johnson’s giant mech had eight tentacles; without speed, he’d be flung away. Stark’s more agile armor was better suited to handle it.

So Luo De stabilized himself, then launched upward before diving straight at Obadiah’s Iron Monster.

With the correct opponent chosen, the tide turned—Stark used his high mobility to dismantle most of Johnson’s back tentacles. Without them for mobility, Johnson’s mech became a literal iron can—Stark punched it repeatedly until it began sparking everywhere.

The robots he summoned were also swiftly neutralized by Stark’s speed.

On the other side, Luo De, though battered, had forced the Iron Monster into a stalemate—it had suffered leg damage in the earlier explosion, and after several rounds, it collapsed, unable to rise again.

Luo De walked over to Iron Man and said: “I once heard my former commander, General Andro, mention he knew your father when he was young—but I never knew the details.”

“That damn, treacherous bastard Howard! He used military contracts to lift up old Andro! I shouldn’t have been just a lowly Air Force brigadier general!”

“None of that matters now,” Stark said. “You probably won’t even keep your brigadier rank.”

“Everyone knows only Iron Man builds these armors—I used the tech you gave the military. As long as…”

“No, that’s not what I meant. I mean Howard may be a jerk, but he had qualities worth learning—like finding the right military partner. Of course, that wasn’t you…”

“Aren’t you shutting down Stark’s weapons division?”

“Where did you hear that rumor?”

Johnson turned to look at Obadiah’s mech.

“Did your uncle tell you?”

“Did he tell you every Stark is like this? We’re fickle. Just minutes ago, I changed my mind—I won’t shut down Stark’s weapons division. I plan to officially partner with the military. I’ve got ideas for powered exoskeletons and medical support systems…”

“No! You can’t do this! Damn it, I already promised Hammer Industries!”

“Fools always find another fool,” Obadiah’s voice echoed from afar.

Johnson’s mech erupted in a burst of sparks—he’d clearly smashed something inside.

“So these armors were made by Hammer Industries? Frankly, they’re outdated.”

“Yeah, you only gave Luo De outdated tech,” Johnson still couldn’t resist stirring the pot.

Luo De, arms crossed, said: “He just gave me a cigarette. A very stylish one.”

Stark didn’t waste words with Johnson. He walked to the fallen Iron Monster, opened the cockpit, and found Obadiah inside—his body showed no visible wounds, but his face was ashen, like he was dying.

“Doctor! I need a doctor!”

Sheer appeared on cue, shrugging: “I assume you don’t need a psychiatrist.”

“Of course not—no time for chatter, get him to the hospital!”

The symbiote whispered in Sheer’s mind: “His heart…”

Sheer checked Obadiah’s pulse—his heartbeat was dangerously irregular. Obadiah coughed and said: “The external power core can’t drive something this massive…”

“You operated on your own heart?” Sheer asked.

Stark frantically tore open Obadiah’s shirt—there, indeed, was a scar. He shouted anxiously: “Hurry! Take him back to my lab!… Damn it, the bio-mechanical path is impossible! It’s burning his life away!”

“You’re just as stubborn as your father—never listen to anyone…” Obadiah said. But seeing the blood dripping from Stark’s forehead, he said nothing more.

“Take him back first. I know a good neurosurgeon—you’ll meet him at Stark Tower soon.”

After Sheer and Stark left, only General Johnson and Luo De remained on the battlefield. Johnson screamed wildly: “You damn lunatic! Rhodes! Don’t you know a soldier’s duty is obedience? I’m your superior now! Old Andro retired years ago!”

“Yes, retired with honor as a lieutenant general, got a high-paying sinecure in Congress, collected a fat pension, spent two months in Hawaii last winter, and his granddaughter just got into Harvard…”

Johnson’s mech exploded again.

After a long pause, he said: “You’ll regret this, Rhodes. Stark is never trustworthy. You’ll regret being his friend.”

“They’re selfish, hypersensitive, paranoid—they’ll destroy everything. They have genius minds that save themselves, but they won’t save you. Not even a guard dog.”

Luo De removed his armor and stepped out, scanning the surroundings.

The area was now a complete ruin. Nearby, Spider-Man and Captain America were loading the wounded onto ambulances. Most had evacuated orderly, but many had been injured by blast waves during their escape and were just being rescued.

New York was vast—this battle’s aftermath only affected a few nearby streets. Farther down the highways, vehicles and pedestrians still bustled as usual.

Soon, a streak of purple-red dawn glowed on the horizon—the morning was coming.

“You’re right—Starks are all jerks. Impulsive, selfish, never thinking of consequences, leaving others to clean up their messes. But Iron Man is different…”

Luo De stared at the light on the horizon, reached up, removed his shoulder insignia, looked at it, pinched it between his fingers, then tossed it onto Johnson’s face.

“…Iron Man never retreats.”