Marvel: I am Iron Man

AIM's top executive is about to appear at this base.

This is the only way Tony has been able to access AIM's top leadership so far, and it's also his best chance to get rid of AIM once and for all.

No, if Tony's audacious idea comes true, and the plan is implemented in the most ideal way, it might not just solve this problem.

He might even be able to use AIM to his advantage.

This idea made Tony a little restless, but he knew he couldn't rush things. Things had to be done step by step, starting with what was happening now.

"Jarvis, check all the communications in this base for the past week," Tony said. "Everything that's been received and sent, all of it."

"Yes, sir."

Jarvis was very efficient, providing the results in just a few moments.

"There is no communication going in or out, sir," Jarvis said.

Tony turned to Caleb, who was standing obediently behind him, and asked again, "You guys didn't report the huge mess you've made to your superiors?"

Caleb grimaced. "You know, if this were reported, it would have a huge impact on my promotion within the organization. In fact... the higher-ups might judge me as lacking in research and development and management capabilities, and could even execute me outright. So I..."

Tony understood.

In short, it's about covering things up. This applies not only to organizations like AIM, but also to different political systems in different eras and regions.

A Western sage once accurately pointed out a four-step crisis response method: First, we pretend nothing happened; then we admit something happened but shouldn't have been done; next, we say we are powerless; and finally, we say maybe we could have done something, but now it's too late.

It seems that even though AIM members are terrorists, they are probably well-versed in the essence of the Western four-step governance method, as can be seen from the Kleb leader.

But his act of covering it up inadvertently made things convenient for Tony.

Because Caleb himself blocked all communication with his AIM branch, it meant that no one in the AIM organization's upper echelons knew what was happening there, nor could they know that the branch base had been captured by Iron Man.

In other words, as long as Tony maintains the information blockade around this base, the AIM leader's itinerary will not change. Nine days later, the unsuspecting Supreme Leader will arrive at the base as planned.

At that time, he will step into the trap without any precautions.

"Jarvis, I'm going to take complete control of this base for the next period of time," Tony said. "I'm going to monitor all the data and personnel coming and going, down to the smallest detail, even if a mosquito flies out."

After Tony finished speaking, the Iron Man armor turned around and faced the person in charge named Caleb again.

"You said you would fully comply with my instructions, right?" Tony asked.

Caleb nodded hastily, as if pounding garlic: "Yes, of course, without a second thought, sir."

Tony said, "I don't even need to say you're completely loyal; we all know your loyalty is weaker than a Wi-Fi signal in a remote mountain village."

Caleb gave an awkward laugh, not daring to speak or refute.

"But it doesn't matter, I don't need your loyalty. I just need you to remember the fear you're feeling right now. And you can also remember that I'm watching you, every single moment."

Tony spoke slowly and deliberately, his voice amplified through the mechanized processing of the armor, making it sound cold and terrifying.

"If you do anything that disobeys instructions, even if you just think about it... believe me, I'll know. And I'll come looking for you."

As he spoke, the right hand of the Iron Man armor was raised, and the cold light from the palm shone on Caleb's face, making him look deathly pale.

"I think I've made myself clear enough, haven't I?" Tony asked. "Do we have any more questions?"

Caleb shrank back: "N-no... no, sir."

This iron thing is serious, Caleb thought.

He didn't doubt the authenticity of the threat, nor did he dare to. The power of this armor exceeded his understanding of human technology, especially the image of it one-shotting everyone in a horde of gamma monsters, which dealt a devastating blow to his psyche.

He didn't know who was inside the armor, but he was certain that the person's skill level was at an alien level.

If the other party says they will settle accounts with you, then they will definitely find you. It won't matter which country or corner of the earth you hide in.

He will find himself, and use the deathly cold light on the metal glove to blast himself and his very bones into dust, saving him the trouble of cremation... And if that's the case, he'll even be considered lucky, because at least that way he'll die quickly and painlessly.

He can't escape, he can't hide.

As for reporting to AIM superiors and seeking organizational protection?

Forget it. Even if the organization finds out about the mess I've made, they might execute me first.

Secondly, even if the organization is willing to provide protection, does it really have the capability to do so?

Caleb didn't know which faction the red-gold armor came from, but he was certain that the current AIM absolutely did not have such incredible technological capabilities, not even close.

In other words, the opponent's strength far surpasses that of AIM.

So, having been targeted by a force with such incredible armor technology, AIM is already in dire straits, so what can it use to protect itself?

So although Caleb was fearful, his thinking was very clear.

He had no other option but to obey.

If you obediently follow the instructions of this armored man, and if you are lucky enough, you might still have a chance to survive.

Wanting to smooth things over, Caleb cautiously raised his head: "Then... is there anything I can do for you, sir?"

"Now? Keep your subordinates in check and wait for orders. If the AIM organization contacts you, I think you know how to handle it."

Tony turned and took two steps away, looking up at the sky, his armored legs together, his arms at his sides, and his palms pointing straight down.

"Then I'll contact you again."

After saying that, the Iron Man armor ignited. The thrusters in its arms and legs simultaneously emitted plumes of flame, and the armor shot into the sky, smashing through the ceiling with its outer shell before disappearing into the air.

Caleb stared at the hole the other man had smashed through with his body, and at the shooting star that had disappeared into the sky, speechless for a long time.

He knew that although the other party seemed to have left, this was just the beginning.

Regardless of who is under the armor, their fate is already in that person's hands.

...

...

At the same time.

Bruce Banner stood on the outer shell of the gamma radiation energy shield and took several deep breaths.

Agent Coulson's voice came through his headset: "You know, Dr. Banner. If you don't want to... we can still look for other options..."

"No, this is the best way," Banner sighed.

Bruce Banner knew what might await him inside.

The out-of-control gamma base is teeming with gamma monsters. If you collide with any one of them, it will smash you into a pulp. Then, after experiencing that near-death agony, the monster suppressed within you will awaken, devouring your sanity and taking over your body.

"If you go in, you might never come back," a voice in his head told him.

This is not speculation, but a feeling that is vaguely occurring based on Banner's experience of coexisting with the Hulk so far.

In the next transformation, Hulk's power might completely overwhelm Bruce Banner's fragile rationality. Perhaps Banner will be forever banished to the chaos of anger, leaving only Hulk, and forever only Hulk.

But he still wanted to go in.

Bruce Banner's gaze pierced through the dangerous green radiation shield, and he felt as if he could see the ever-expanding energy shield covering the entire world.

He thought of the various countries he had visited and the diverse people he had encountered during his escape around the world.

The shopkeeper who took care of him, the friendly neighbors, the children who showed him kindness on the street, the talkative old man selling hot dogs on the street...

Banner knew he might be the only person in the world who could stop this disaster. And if he didn't do something, all those people he knew, those completely innocent people who were just trying to live their lives, would have their skin ulcerated, their lives wither, and their hopes silently erased.

Thinking about all this, the fear in his mind seemed to become background noise, while his determination to act became the main theme.

Agent Coulson's voice came through the earpiece again, tinged with admiration: "You're a hero, Dr. Banner."

"No, I'm not," Banner said. "Just a poor guy who made the right choice."

He stepped into the gamma energy shield.

Just as Banner had expected, this level of radiation had little effect on him. Banner was already the world's most dangerous walking gamma reactor; the radiation level inside the energy shield was like a cool shower to him.

Banner took a resolute step toward the out-of-control base.

He came with the resolve to die, prepared to transform into the Hulk at any moment. He imagined the hellish scene he would witness in this base—hideous monsters roaming freely, gruesome human corpses, severed limbs, and blood everywhere.

But what Banner never expected was that while his guesses about the severed limbs and blood were correct, the monster part was completely unexpected.

This place is practically a slaughterhouse for gamma monsters.

Gamma monster corpses were everywhere, their mutated blood, now green and yellowish-brown, splattered all over the place. There were even viscous monster contents on the floor, enough to make one instinctively vomit.

Another gamma monster lay face down on the ground, less than five meters from the base gate.

Although it had already died, its final posture showed that it was trying its best to crawl towards the base's exit.

Perhaps in its final moments, all it could think about was "if I could get to that place," if it could touch that door, it would have a chance to escape.

Of course, it failed in the end. Something extremely terrifying caught up with it, blasted its entire head apart, and left a charred crater in the floor.

Banner was stunned by the sight.

He never expected that he would come in with the determination to die, thinking he would be the protagonist of the day, the hero who would sacrifice himself to save the world, only to find this scene.

To be honest, the first thing that came to his mind was a horror movie set.

A vengeful spirit enters a confined space, and the main characters of a horror movie are like sheep thrown into a slaughterhouse, struggling with all their might but still unable to escape their fate of being slaughtered.

One of the main characters almost escaped, but was caught by the vengeful ghost just a hair's breadth away from freedom, leaving behind a headless corpse that was cruelly executed to show outsiders the horror of that ghost.

However, in the current situation, the protagonist group being slaughtered are not helpless sheep, but gamma monsters that are invulnerable to swords and bullets and have immense strength.

Banner staggered a couple of steps, steadied himself against the wall, and scratched his somewhat confused head.

Let him sort out the situation.

Judging from the current situation, it seems that something has infiltrated the base without completely evading Aegis surveillance, annihilated all the gamma monsters inside as easily as cutting vegetables, and then left without anyone noticing.

He left without a trace, concealing his merit and fame. No one even knew who had done it.

But......

...Is there really anyone who can do such a thing?