In the Marvel universe, you start with a colored Hextech item.

Chapter 114 Rhodes - Dead!

The White House is now a shocking ruin.

From a high altitude, this symbol of power, which stands at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington and has a history of more than two hundred years, has long lost its former solemnity.

The main building and the east and west wings collapsed completely, with layers of broken walls and rubble piled up. The rising gray-white dust blotted out the sun. Along with the spiritual totem of America for a century, Lynn crushed it with his own hands, turning it into a complete joke in the eyes of the world.

It survived the gunfire of the War of Independence and the air raids of World War II, and was repaired several times without collapsing. But today, it was completely reduced to rubble by a man all by himself.

As the smoke and dust slowly dissipated and the rubble stopped rolling, everyone's gaze was fixed on the tall figure in the very center of the ruins.

Lynn stood with one foot on the tattered war machine armor, his berserker axe hanging limply in his hand. Bloodstains on the axe blade dripped down the sharp edge onto the gravel, spreading into dazzling blood flowers.

Surrounding him was an impenetrable net.

The innermost layer consisted of Tony, Rogers, Natasha, Barton, Banner, and Bronsky, along with dozens of Iron Legion mechs that had taken to the air. They formed a tight encirclement from all directions, with each person's eyes filled with extreme vigilance and anger.

Fury stood at the back of the group, his eyes fixed on Lynn in the center of the ruins, his fingers gripping the communicator tightly. He knew better than anyone that there was no turning back in this battle.

The president was still inside the encirclement, and he dared not order indiscriminate firing.

But if Lynn really kills Rhodes, the Avengers will completely lose control, and the situation will only spiral into an even more irreversible abyss.

Further out, the entire Pennsylvania Avenue was completely blocked by riot control vehicles, armored vehicles, and main battle tanks. The dark muzzles of cannons were all aimed at Lynn in the center of the ruins. The cannons were already fully charged, just waiting for the order to level the entire ruins.

In the surrounding high-rise buildings, countless large-caliber anti-materiel sniper rifles were already set up, and the snipers' crosshairs were constantly locked on Lynn's head, heart, and other vital positions.

Looking up, the armed helicopters hovering at low altitudes, the fighter jets cruising at medium and high altitudes, and even the strategic bombers faintly visible in the distant clouds, are like a pack of wolves, waiting for the opportunity to strike and kill the enemy at any moment.

If you look further ahead, you can see that the plazas and open-air venues around Washington have long been designated as military restricted areas by the military.

Rows of multiple rocket launchers have been erected, and the launch parameters have been calibrated. They are just waiting for the order to unleash saturation firepower on this land.

From the inside out, from the ground to the air, the entire national machinery of the United States was at work at this moment, with only one goal: to kill Lynn.

The Avengers at the innermost edge of the encirclement had only one thought in their minds at that moment.

But no one dared to make the first move.

"Lin—Lin En!!"

"Put down the axe! Release Rhodes!"

Tony's eyes were bloodshot with rage. The Mark armor, suspended in mid-air, trembled slightly. The mask had already been lifted, revealing a pale, bloodshot face.

He stared intently at the armor beneath Lynn's feet, and at Rhodes, who was coughing up blood and barely alive in the cockpit. He felt utterly devastated, and his voice was filled with undisguised fear and a deep-seated helplessness.

He couldn't bear to watch his best brother, his comrade-in-arms who had risked his life, beheaded by Lynn with an axe right before his eyes.

He couldn't forget the last time, when General Ross was beheaded by Lynn in full view of everyone, his head and body separated.

He simply couldn't accept that Rod would suffer the same fate.

But now, he has no way to solve it.

Even if all the mechs swarmed forward to attract Lynn's attention, could the mechs be faster than the axe falling from Lynn's hand?

Any rash action could instantly kill Rhodes.

For a moment, the entire place fell silent; no one dared to make a move.

Barton and Natasha leaned against the broken wall, their faces ashen. As Level 9 agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., they had long since become indifferent to life and death, having teetered on the brink of it countless times. But now that they had truly reached this point, watching their comrades-in-arms of many years about to perish on the spot, they still could not remain indifferent.

The hands of both men holding their weapons were trembling slightly, uncontrollably.

Rogers' shock and anger were clearly written on his face. His azure pupils suddenly dilated, and his fingers gripping the vibranium shield trembled slightly from the excessive force.

From World War II to the present, he has experienced this scenario far too many times. His comrades have left him one by one. Many times, the missions are successfully completed, but the only survivor is himself—he even lost Bucky, the most important friend in his life.

What Rogers found most unacceptable was the scene of watching his comrades die while he was powerless to stop it.

Perhaps from the very beginning, when he heard about Lynn's confrontation with the president, he already understood that all Lynn wanted was a fair explanation, an account of the framing and encirclement.

But now, none of that matters anymore.

All he wanted was to stop Lynn, save Rod, and get this out-of-control farce back on track.

Of everyone present, only Hulk's eyes showed no sadness or hesitation, only pure, extreme anger.

Banner desperately suppressed Hulk's rage deep in his mind. He knew very well that once Hulk completely lost control, it would only cause greater chaos, and Lynn might even use him against him.

The more he suppressed it, the more raging Hulk's anger became. His green skin turned slightly red from the rage, his fists clenched tightly together, his knuckles cracking, and low growls constantly emanating from his throat. He just wanted to rush up and smash the man in front of him to pieces, to unleash all his anger, and to end it all.

In stark contrast to Hulk's radicalism is the hatred of Bronsky.

He was silently retreating step by step, his eyes filled with a deep-seated fear.

Whenever his gaze swept over the axe gleaming in Lynn's hand, he felt as if ants were crawling all over his body, and a piercing, phantom pain shot through his right arm, which Lynn had broken off with his bare hands.

It felt as if his arm would be severed again in the next second, and he would be like a lamb to the slaughter, at Lynn's mercy, with no room for resistance whatsoever.

"Lynn!!"

Rogers and Tony both let out a deafening roar, and just as they were about to say something more, something unexpected happened!

With a loud "boom," a violent explosion suddenly came from the pile of rubble behind Lynn!

The rubble and broken walls were instantly blasted apart, and three heavy, blast-proof steel mechs pushed through layers of concrete walls and rushed out of the ruins.

Under the heavy protection of the three mechs were the president, who had been trapped by Lynn's arcane barrier, and the core members of the cabinet.

Clearly, this was Jarvis's doing.

Just as everyone's attention was completely drawn to Rhodes at Lynn's feet, Jarvis instantly calculated the optimal solution.

Simultaneously, the remaining dozen or so mechs bombarded the remaining main structure of the White House. Taking advantage of the chaos and smoke from the collapsing building, they used the explosions to distract Lynn while accurately locating the group and forcibly rescuing the president and cabinet members.

The first thing these top leaders of the United States did upon seeing the light of day was to look around in panic. But when they saw Lynn surrounded and trapped in a desperate situation, the fear that had been ingrained in their bones vanished instantly.

Instead, there was a furious madness and an arrogant, domineering attitude.

The cabinet members who had previously been so terrified that they collapsed to the floor in their offices and didn't even dare to cry out for help have now regained their former haughty demeanor, yelling wildly into their communicators.

"What are you waiting for?! Attack! Fire!"

"I hereby formally authorize, in the name of Congress, the use of any weapon and any means! That damned demon must be killed on the spot!"

"Have the Pentagon move all available troops and heavy weaponry to Washington! Congress will cover all the losses!"

"First, send the mechs to safely transport the president and us to Air Force One! As long as we're safe, we don't care if the entire White House is blown up! We don't care if civilians are affected!"

"The government will issue a statement afterwards, and all consequences will be blamed on Lynn! The top priority is to kill the target! Hurry!"

""

The vengeful roars echoed through the mechs' loudspeakers, reaching the ruins and the ears of every viewer across America via the still-functioning live stream cameras.

The already heated live stream chat exploded instantly. Viewers who were previously debating whether Lynn's actions were right or wrong completely reversed their opinions after hearing the politician's outburst that "it doesn't matter if it affects ordinary people." Countless comments supporting Lynn and condemning the government's hypocrisy instantly filled the entire screen.

Listening to these hysterical shouts, Lynn couldn't help but chuckle and slowly shook his head.

As expected, he overestimated these politicians.

Even now, what they care about is never the safety of the people or the dignity of the country; they only care about their own lives and their positions.

In order to kill him, he was even willing to say things like he would shift all the consequences onto the civilians.

He had to admit, he was genuinely a little envious of Tony.

Jarvis, this AI, is truly human-like, with its own judgment and thoughts. It can even tear open a gap in such a desperate situation and complete an almost impossible rescue. It is much better than Friday, who can only rigidly execute instructions.

However, the fact that the president and cabinet members were rescued was of no concern to him at all, and was even exactly what he wanted.

Lynn looked down and glanced at Rhodes, who was barely alive in the armor at his feet, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

The only purpose of this bunch of useless people has always been to lure the Avengers to the White House.

Now that everyone has arrived, the bait has naturally lost its purpose, and it makes no difference whether they are rescued or not.

Moreover, he had already anticipated the situation after the president was rescued. Without the hostages to worry about, those lunatics in Congress would definitely order indiscriminate firepower to completely flatten this ruin.

However—the Rhodes he now holds in his hands is the best spark to ignite this final, desperate battle.

Killing him would cause the Avengers to completely lose their minds, and the anger of the military and S.H.I.E.L.D. would reach its peak, leaving no room for maneuver.

And he could completely break free from all constraints, act as he pleased, and wipe out the group of people who were pointing guns at him.

otherwise----

What if this group of people doesn't fight him? What if they're only focused on stalling for time? So he has to ignite the "anger" in the hearts of these people!

Where there is anger, there will be people—who will die!

Just then, a noise came from the nearby pile of rubble. Frank, covered in dust and grime, jumped out of the pile of stones. His face was still covered in undried blood, one leg was slightly lame, and he looked disheveled. His eyes were full of self-reproach for not completing the mission.

He had been following Lynn's instructions to hold back the outer forces, but he was entangled by Jarvis's mech army and couldn't spare the time, so the enemy was able to complete the rescue.

"Sorry, Tony still managed to rescue them."

Frank limped over to Lynn, gripped his shotgun, and swept his bloodshot eyes across the Avengers opposite him, ready to fight side by side.

"What should I do next?"

"Even if it costs me my life, I will protect you from their counterattack."

Seeing this, Lynn chuckled and looked him up and down. Seeing that he only had superficial injuries and was not seriously hurt, she felt a little relieved.

He then waved to Frank, dismissing him.

The upcoming battle will be his final showdown with the Avengers and the entire American national machine.

The devastation was far beyond what Frank could handle; he had no reason to let his only partner die here in vain.

"Need not."

Lynn's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable power.

"You should keep an eye on the heavy artillery positions of the outer troops. If they dare to use artillery, you should take out their artillery positions."

"Play however you want, do whatever you want."

"But remember, only fight guerrilla warfare, don't engage in direct combat, just stay alive. You can't get involved in the fighting here yet."

, 7

Frank's expression visibly froze, and his hand gripping the shotgun tightened sharply, trembling slightly.

If the people of S.H.I.E.L.D. are united in their hatred of the enemy, they have their own pursuits and goals.

Lynn and Frank also had their own beliefs and totems.

He opened his mouth, wanting to say that he could stay and fight alongside her, but looking at Lynn's unyielding gaze, he swallowed his words and nodded heavily.

As Frank turned to leave, his bloodshot eyes swept over the distant military positions, and he gripped his shotgun even tighter.

He couldn't help with the core battlefield, but at least he had to help Lynn defend his rear and prevent the outer artillery fire from interfering with the fierce battle inside.

Our attention returned to the main battlefield.

Tony watched as the president and his entourage were protected by mechs and retreated towards the outer safe zone. His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, eased a little. He immediately stepped forward and spoke to Lynn, his tone almost pleading, hoping that there was still room for maneuver.

"Lynn! The president has been rescued! You have no leverage left! Your plan has been foiled! Release Rhodes! Everything is negotiable!"

"The explanation you want, the justice you desire—we can sit down and talk now! There's no need to drag Rod's life into this! He was never your true enemy!"

However, Lynn did not answer him. Instead, he smiled politely at everyone in S.H.I.E.L.D., raised his hand and waved it from side to side, using his gesture to tell him that he was wrong.

"The only purpose of that bunch of useless people was to lure you all to the White House—now that you're here, they're no longer of any use to you, so whether they're rescued or not makes no difference."

Lynn's voice slowly rang out, clearly reaching everyone's ears and spreading to every corner of the live broadcast.

"And my second purpose in storming the White House today is to wage a life-or-death battle with you right here."

"To avoid any unforeseen circumstances, or if you shirk your duties and keep trying to delay—I will definitely ignite this fuse, Rhodes."

"Either I get killed here by all of you working together, then you'll be done with it once and for all and never have to worry about me, this unstable factor again."

"or----"

Lynn's smile vanished abruptly, a chilling killing intent flashing in his eyes. His grip on the Berserker's Axe tightened slightly, and crimson blood rage patterns instantly covered his entire body, causing his aura to surge dramatically!

"I'll kill every single one of you here!"

The moment the words fell, everyone present saw a fleeting, icy arc of light reflected from the axe blade as it sliced ​​through the air!

Rhodes, lying on the ground, watched the axe fall brutally towards his cockpit. As if finally accepting his inevitable fate, he mustered his last ounce of strength and let out a resolute roar: "Lynn! You will lose!!"

"This battle will definitely end in your defeat! They'll make you pay for it!"

The moment the words fell—

It was also the instant the axe blade fell.

A piercing metallic tearing sound rang out!

The Berserker's Axe easily cleaved through the high-strength alloy shell of the War Machine armor, carrying unparalleled Noxian power, and completely penetrated the cockpit.

With a final muffled groan, Rhodes' eyes were filled with deep resentment, and his body struggled with the last vestiges of his will. After the axe fell, everything came to an abrupt end, and he fell completely silent.

Rod — dead!

Lynn cut him in half at the waist in front of everyone, under the gaze of the entire nation!

next second.

A heart-wrenching roar suddenly erupted from the ruins, shaking even the surrounding skyscrapers!

"No!!!"

Tony's armor instantly unleashed its maximum power, the cluster laser on his chest blasting towards Lynn without reservation. His eyes were filled with nothing but rage and madness at the loss of his brother, and he charged towards Lynn without regard for anything else.

Fury watched this scene, a look of utter despair flashing in his eyes. He knew that there was no turning back now in this battle.

Rhodes is dead, the president is safe, and the politicians in Congress could order indiscriminate firing at any time. They have no way out.

He slowly raised his sidearm, aimed it at Lynn, and gave the final, all-or-nothing order to everyone on the communicator.

"Everyone, prepare for battle! Kill the target at all costs!"

The moment the command was given, Barton's armor-piercing arrows, Natasha's armor-piercing bullets, Rogers' vibranium shield, and Hulk's furious charge all swept towards Lynn at the same time!

The tank guns on the perimeter and the airborne missiles in the air also completed their final lock-on!

Lynn, however, was like an elegant stage actor, bowing slightly for the first act of this grand performance that swept across America.

He casually flicked the blood off the axe blade. The power of blood rage around him was completely stacked up from the kill, and the scarlet lines throbbed wildly under his skin. Only pure fighting spirit and killing intent remained in his eyes.

Will he lose?

Who knows?

At least for today, on these ruins of the White House, he wants all those who point their guns at him to offer their blood as the grandest sacrifice for this final, desperate battle.

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