He was selling gashapon toys in Marvel Studios, and at the beginning, Tony turned into Kuuga.

Zizizi!

Golden lightning patterns suddenly converged wildly on the red leg armor.

That is the embodiment of the energy sealed within the Amadam Spirit Stone.

"Haaah!!"

Tony roared and jumped up, completing a backflip in mid-air.

His right foot, glowing with a red aura, slammed into the woman's chest.

Bang! ! !

There was no earth-shattering explosion.

There was only one muffled thud.

Golden sealing energy flowed into every cell of the woman's body, and the originally violent and restless extinction virus factors were instantly suppressed and extinguished in the face of this domineering ancient power.

The woman landed heavily on the ground.

She wanted to stand up, wanted to heal again.

But next second.

Click.

A crack appeared on her chest, followed by her neck and face.

The intense red light completely died out, replaced by a black aura of death.

"How can this be...?"

Before she could finish speaking, she disintegrated like shattered porcelain, turning into a pile of black ash in the aftershocks of the sealed energy.

call!

A gentle breeze blew by, and the ashes dissipated.

……

A hundred meters away, on top of an abandoned water tower.

A man chewing gum slowly lowered his binoculars.

Eric Seven.

His fingers were originally on the detonator, ready to take advantage of the stalemate.

But now, his fingers are frozen.

"What the hell is this thing?"

Seven spat out the tasteless chewing gum, a hint of apprehension flashing in his eyes.

No armor, no missiles.

Pure physical strength, combined with some incomprehensible energy attack.

Even the regenerative ability that the Extremis virus was so proud of was wiped out.

"The intelligence is incorrect."

Seven pressed the headset button, his voice low and urgent.

"Boss, Stark is a monster even without his armor. Ordinary assassins are no match for him. We need more firepower..."

"Or it could be that little madman's new technology."

……

Meanwhile, over a sea area in the Middle East.

A steel armored vehicle painted in the colors of the Stars and Stripes roared past.

"This is the war machine... no, the steel patriots."

Colonel Rhodes' voice was weary. "Target location confirmed. It's an abandoned sweatshop."

As the face of the military, he wasn't as lucky as Tony to have free access to alien technology.

Thor's Hammer armor is still in the laboratory testing flight modules, so he can only go out to perform missions wearing this old suit.

Rhode controlled the armor to land in the open space of the factory.

It's so quiet here.

It was as quiet as a tomb with its mouth agape.

Is anyone there?

Rhodes raised his palm cannon and scanned his surroundings.

Drop drop!

The radar suddenly alarmed.

Several ragged civilians rushed out of the shadows.

They were sweating profusely, but not from the heat; rather, it was because the extremist virus in their bodies was overloaded.

"For my master!"

Rhodes was not given any time to react.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Several human bombs, comparable to C4 explosives, detonated simultaneously around Rhodes.

The heatwave and shockwaves crippled the war machine's operating systems.

"System offline! Power lost!"

Rhodes felt dizzy and was blasted away, crashing heavily into the wall.

Before he could even restart the system, several pairs of hot, large hands landed on his legs.

Rhodes was dragged out like a dead dog.

……

Miami, a luxurious seaside mansion.

Standing in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling window, Killian swirled a glass of red wine, admiring the scene of Rhodes being captured on the holographic screen.

On the sofa behind him, Pepper Potts was unconscious.

From the shadows came a series of heavy footsteps.

A young Black girl with hair as messy as a bird's nest came out.

Lily.

She toyed with an orange-red Extremis virus syringe in her hand, her gaze fixed on the unconscious Pepper.

"Is this the woman Stark cherishes most?"

Lily curled her lip, her eyes filled with jealousy and twisted pleasure.

"It doesn't look anything special, except that her skin is a bit fair."

"Don't underestimate her; she's Stark's weakness," Killian said, turning around. "She's also our best bait."

"Barefoot?" Lily sneered. "I don't need a bait. Give me enough resources, and my Iron Heart can turn that washed-up playboy into mincemeat."

"Be patient, little genius."

Killian walked up to Lily and pointed to the destroyed war machine on the screen.

"You see, simple machines are too cumbersome, and simple living things are too unstable."

"But I saw your blueprints." Killian's eyes were filled with fervor. "Injecting the Extremis virus into the human body, then using heat to extend bio-armor..."

"That's how you build a true war machine."

Lily stared at the syringe in her hand, the orange-red liquid reflecting on her crazed face.

"Just you wait, Stark."

"I will use my skills to make you kneel down and beg me, to make you admit with your own mouth who the real genius is."

……

Tennessee.

The garage was even colder after the battle.

Tony deactivated his transformation and led Harry toward the garage.

"That move you just made was so cool! What's it called?"

Harry's face flushed with excitement. "A knight's flying kick? A nuclear-powered kick?"

"I might need some food."

Tony, pale-faced, slumped down on the only broken sofa.

He hadn't eaten for two days, and he was both cold and hungry; it felt like there was a block of ice in his stomach.

At times like this, even giving him a hundred billion dollars is not as practical as giving him a bowl of hot soup.

"It smells so good... Tony, can you smell it?"

Harry suddenly sniffed. "It smells like...popcorn? And boiled radishes?"

Tony was stunned.

In this dilapidated garage in the middle of nowhere, besides the smell of gasoline and mold, where did the popcorn smell come from?

But he did smell it.

Moreover, with this smell, the originally cold and damp air actually became warm.

Tony looked up and glanced at the corner of the garage.

There used to be a pile of tires and gearboxes there.

But at the moment.

A gashapon machine flashing with colorful neon lights stood quietly there.

Next to the gashapon machine, there was a folding table.

The Asian man, who always wore that smug, punchable smile, was sitting there with his legs crossed.

In front of him was a small, steaming pot filled with radishes, fish balls, and seaweed knots.

"Yo, Stark."

Li Ang held a skewer of freshly cooked oden in his hand and waved to Tony.

"Looks like you had a pretty exciting winter break."

Li Ang took a bite of the juicy radish and breathed out a satisfied puff of hot air.

"It's quite cold outside. I see your forehead is dark and you're shivering."

"Want to try your luck with a gashapon machine? Or... how about a bowl of oden to warm you up first? I'm honest and fair."

Tony looked at that familiar figure, and his taut nerves snapped completely at that moment.

He gave a smile that looked more like a grimace.

"Give me a bowl...with extra soup."