Marvel: I am Iron Man

The Mark VI armored vehicle streaked across the sky like a burning meteor, plunging downwards and tearing the air into fine vortices.

Tony's four thrusters pushed back simultaneously, bringing the Iron Man armor to a stop in mid-air.

Right below the flames propelling his jet boots was the AIM outpost he had tracked and locked onto—the base that monitored the gamma reactor.

However, when he arrived at the base in person, the scene before him was slightly beyond his expectations.

Tony had expected to find yet another heavily armed military fortress waiting for him here. Fighter jets, anti-aircraft guns, crisscrossing missiles, and AIM soldiers in ridiculous, mangy-yellow uniforms...

Tony had to admit that he had considered the possibility that the other party would be well-prepared to fight him, and that they might be caught off guard without even realizing his arrival.

But this scene before him... he really hadn't expected it.

He saw an entire base that had been deactivated by AIM.

That's right, Iron Man hadn't even landed yet, and the AIM base below, which should have been ablaze with flames and sirens blaring, was now as quiet as a classroom where the homeroom teacher had suddenly pushed open the door.

The base gates were wide open, and all the anti-aircraft guns drooped their heads as if in a trance, completely unresponsive.

The AIM soldiers in their saffron-colored uniforms were all kneeling on the ground with their hands behind their heads, their weapons neatly piled up a short distance away.

This situation left Tony somewhat bewildered.

"What's going on, Jarvis?" Tony asked. "What's this all about? 'French Express 1940'?"

"It seems they've decided to surrender outright, sir," Jarvis said. "I appreciate your sense of humor, but I doubt the French would enjoy this joke."

Tony said, "Yeah, that seems a bit unfair. At least the French fought for a few days back then, while these guys didn't even have time for my thrusters to warm up."

After muttering something to Jarvis, Tony landed on the plaza amidst a group of AIM warriors, propelled by flames.

The armor's loudspeaker amplified his voice: "Alright, since you're so sensible, it saves us a lot of trouble. I'll get straight to the point: who's in charge here?"

"It's me! It's me, sir!"

Caleb Warlock, who was kneeling among the AIMs, hurriedly stood up, not even bothering to brush the dust off his trousers, and rushed over with a fawning smile that was somewhat annoying.

Tony asked, "What's your name?"

"Calib, Caleb Warlock, sir." Caleb grinned, revealing a set of black and yellow teeth.

Some of the AIM soldiers kneeling around couldn't help but secretly raise their heads and cast disdainful glances at their superiors.

Not long ago, when this guy said with a resolute expression that he was going to pull out his trump card, many people were actually intimidated. They genuinely believed that their commander had hidden some incredible weapon in this base.

Some people have even automatically imagined a setting where it is "an ultimate weapon that is too powerful to be sealed away and can only be used in desperate situations".

However, they probably never imagined that the "trump card" their superior was referring to was actually the French military salute.

What's even more ridiculous is that the commander ordered them to hang a white flag on the base's watchtower—of course, there were no white flags originally in the base, so they temporarily used the flag representing their AIM organization and painted it white.

After such a series of humiliating and disgraceful actions, this guy still has the audacity to grovel before the other side, acting as if "AIM's master will soon arrive at his loyal base."

This immediately makes one wonder: does one have to have a skin as thick as a city wall to be qualified for a senior management position?

Although the unfolding events and the enemy's attitude surprised Tony, his mission remained unchanged.

He wanted all the data, research materials, AIM organization secrets, personnel information, and more from this base.

Unlike previous raids on terrorist strongholds, this time he didn't need to force his way through firewalls or bypass security protocols. This was because the other side was exceptionally cooperative.

This is good news for Tony. Although his technology is advanced, a forced breakthrough will more or less inevitably involve risks such as data corruption and loss.

But since the other party has so voluntarily granted him full access, he doesn't need to force his way in, and what he can get is naturally better.

However, this Caleb was supposed to be a high-ranking AIM official, yet he showed absolutely no remorse for betraying the organization and leaking secrets.

That fawning attitude even gave Tony the illusion several times that the other person was about to ask, "If you're satisfied with the service, remember to give us a five-star review." The way he could betray his teammates so naturally was, undeniably, a talent.

Having obtained the password and full access to the base, Tony connected the armor to the server and began reviewing the data.

Caleb stood with his arms crossed in front of him, head bowed, like a professional waiter, as if he were waiting to be called upon at any moment.

Tony: "Download all the gamma research data; we might need it."

“It’s already in progress, sir,” Jarvis said. “Also, while I was downloading, I glanced through the base’s logs and found some things that might interest you, sir.”

Tony: "Tell me about it."

Jarvis said, "A log entry mentions 'leader.' I cross-referenced it with other AIM logs and related texts that we have obtained, and I am 92.3% certain that 'leader' here may refer to the pinnacle of power in the AIM organization, the organization's supreme leader."

As Jarvis spoke, he retrieved the log message he had found and projected the text onto Tony's HUD screen.

Tony quickly read the log message.

"Code: AIM-001-EXEC"

Classification: Top Secret (Access Restricted to Sub-base Head Only)

Recorder: Technical Director Kovalevsky

Subject: The Supreme Leader's Inspection Schedule and Security Arrangements

As instructed by the Supreme Leader, he will personally visit this base on the third Friday of next month to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the progress of the gamma-ray strategic project. This inspection is crucial to the organization's future direction, and all members must strictly adhere to the following directives.

The following details the specific time, itinerary, and key points of the leader's inspection tour.

Tony's interest was piqued: "Supreme Leader? Does that mean the highest-ranking official in AIM will be coming to this base?"

"Yes, sir. The log says 'the third Friday of next month,' and considering the log's publication date, it looks like that's still twenty days away," Jarvis said.

Tony's mind quickly started racing.

AIM was considered a significant threat on his to-do list, and it would remain a worry until it was eliminated.

Moreover, AIM is known as "pioneering technology." Although Tony felt that the organization's overall technical level was still inferior to his own, it was still a large organization with involvement in various fields, including biology, medicine, mutation, and mechanics. Many of its imaginative ideas were still worth learning from.

If we could seize this opportunity to capture and take down the organization's mysterious leader...

A bold idea suddenly popped into Tony's mind.