Marvel: The Alchemist Just Wants a Peaceful Life

Surprisingly, after Sherlock's "thoughtful" face-to-face "warmth-giving" approach, Justin Hammer, who was originally like a colleague pressuring a client, actually became obedient.

Not only did they not make things difficult for the Stark Industries exhibition, but they even finalized the plan overnight, as if they were afraid that Sherlock would actually come knocking on their door to offer help.

This action truly impressed Sherlock, proving that the old saying was absolutely right.

Justin Hammer is just incredibly shameless and a real hothead, perfectly embodying the saying, "A sapling won't grow straight if it's not pruned, and a person won't grow up properly if they're not disciplined."

Without Justin Hammer's interference, the entire Stark Industries exhibition progressed at a breakneck pace, both in terms of engineering progress and the list of exhibitors.

In less than half a month, the opening date of the entire Stark Industrial Exhibition was set, and the entire park was set up. All that was left was to wait for the date to arrive.

When the industrial exhibition actually started, Sherlock, Pepper Potts, and Black Widow stood backstage and watched almost helplessly as Justin Hammer, that brilliant shrewd man, held a press conference for his unmanned mechanical soldiers on his own booth.

Well, Sherlock originally thought Justin Hammer was just a brilliant but unlucky guy, but after witnessing his press conference, he realized that Hammer was nothing more than a pitiful man driven mad by Sherlock himself.

The reason why Justin, this brilliant strategist, sees Tony as a thorn in his side is quite simple: the two are simply too compatible. Originally, they were both unscrupulous businessmen, so it was fine for him to be the boss and I to be the second-in-command. But then he transformed into a hero admired by everyone.

On what grounds? Just because of the armor you're wearing, which is made with technology far beyond what is currently available?

It's no exaggeration to say that this brilliant strategist is a pure businessman version of Tony.

So much so that Justin's so-called press conference actually exuded Tony Stark's style from beginning to end, extremely glamorous.

Justin, on stage, acted like a winner in life, fully displaying his performative personality and desire to show off, even belittling Tony's Iron Man armor to the point of being worthless.

However, there is always a reason why someone is pitiful. What Justin still doesn't understand is that Tony is recognized by the public because of the sense of responsibility hidden under his armor, not because of the armor itself.

Even without his armor, Tony is still Iron Man, something that Justin can't compare to by creating some kind of unmanned mechanical warrior.

Without that sense of responsibility, even if you, Justin, were to rise to the heavens and stand shoulder to shoulder with the sun, you would still be nothing more than a businessman.

That's why, when Tony, dressed in his armor, crashed through the stage roof and descended from the sky, Justin's popularity was almost instantly stolen by Tony's sudden appearance.

Even the Iron Patriot standing behind him, making his first appearance, couldn't salvage the attention that Tony had stolen.

All the boasts about how it completely surpassed Tony's armor turned into a resounding slap across Justin Hammer's face amidst the frenzied cheers of the crowd after Tony appeared.

So much so that when Justin, whose limelight had been stolen, looked at Tony's armored figure from behind, his expression began to twist.

What drove Justin even more infuriating was that shortly after Tony appeared, the land, sea, and air combat robots, originally intended to completely surpass Tony Stark Industries, were activated simultaneously, with almost all of their weapons aimed at Tony on the stage.

It wasn't just the Iron Soldiers; even the Iron Patriots they created immediately turned their weapons on Tony.

When the flashes of the mechanical soldiers' weapons illuminated Hammer's face, when Hammer despairingly discovered that the remote control in his hand could not control the riot on stage, when Hammer dialed Ivan Vanko's number only to be met with Ivan Vanko's mockery.

This pathetic 'imitator' who sees Tony as a thorn in his side knows that he and his Hammer Corporation are finished! Both the public and the military will regard this project, which he has spent a lot of effort and money to build and surpass Tony, as a ridiculous joke!

Chapter 157 The Right Nickname

Although Tony is currently fighting against multiple opponents and feels like he's being ganged up on, Sherlock is actually not worried about Tony's safety.

Tony's armor was several generations ahead of those so-called mechanical soldiers, and even the 'Iron Patriot' designed by Tony was more than a generation behind Tony. In addition, with Justin Hammer's deliberate neglect, Tony's side could at most be considered 'more dangerous than they appeared'.

Compared to Tony's side, Pepper's side is undoubtedly the most dangerous.

Putting aside the fact that Pepper Potts is Tony's safety valve, the fact that Pepper has no armor protection and that a single bullet could kill her is enough to make Sherlock dare not leave her side for even a moment.

Fortunately, Ivan Vanko seems to have forgotten or something, and the main focus of their hatred is on Tony. None of the Iron Soldiers are paying attention to Pepper.

But there's a reason why Pepper is called Pepper. When she was being "ganged up on" by Tony, Pepper was either worried about Tony or angry at Justin Hammer, that brilliant shrew, for ruining the industrial exhibition she had been preparing for so long.

Pepper Potts, under the protection of Dorothy, Black Widow, Sherlock, and Happy, managed to break through the Stark Industries backstage area and race towards the Hammer Industries backstage area through sheer willpower.

She was even wearing high heels that were extremely difficult to move in the entire process, and she was so fast that her four 'bodyguards' didn't even have time to react.

Once Sherlock and the others realized what was happening, they naturally wouldn't let Pepper Potts be exposed to danger, and they quickly chased after her towards the back of the Hammer Corporation.

However, once Sherlock and his companions entered the backstage area of ​​the Hammer Corporation, they were still stunned by Pepper Potts' ruthlessness and shrewishness.

Backstage at Hammer Corporation, Justin Hammer was yelling at two programmers operating computers.

"I don't care what method you use, I'll stop those damn robots! If that doesn't work, just blow those damn things up, as long as this damn riot ends!"

Faced with Justin Hammer's roar, the two programmers operating the computer were sweating profusely, their hands constantly typing on the keyboard.

But before Justin Hammer could finish speaking, Pepper rushed in. When Pepper heard that Justin Hammer wanted to make the robots self-destruct to solve the problem, her eyes were practically blazing with rage.

The sound of Chili's high heels as she burst in also caught Justin Hammer's attention, and he forced a smile through his flustered expression.

“Pepper, you’re here…”

Before Justin Hammer could finish speaking, Pepper Potts grabbed him by the collar and swung her other hand so wide it was like a giant electric cannon shot, hitting Justin Hammer directly in the eye.

Almost instantly, Justin Hammer's glasses flew off his face, his eyes turned bruised and purple, and he was even pulled backward a step by the immense force of Pepper Potts's fury.

Pepper Potts clearly wasn't going to let Justin Hammer off the hook. Seeing him stumble and lose his balance, Pepper Potts went up almost without hesitation and delivered a high-heeled kick to his heart.

With that kick, Justin Hammer almost couldn't catch his breath, as Pepper Potts kicked him to the ground.

However, before Justin Hammer could even get up, Pepper Potts lunged forward and stomped on his crotch with a War Stomp.

Click.

Just one centimeter, that one centimeter difference, and the US would have a new eunuch nearly a hundred years after the fall of the Qing Dynasty.

Almost instantly, Justin Hammer's clothes were soaked with cold sweat. No, not only Justin Hammer, the brilliant strategist, but even Sherlock and Happy, who arrived later, as well as the two programmers who witnessed the whole thing, were covered in goosebumps.

Almost all the men present subconsciously squeezed their legs together.

Chili ignored the fearful looks the men were giving her, staring intently at Justin Hammer, who was sitting on the ground covered in sweat, and asked him in a cold and murderous tone.

"Tell me how to stop those damn broken toys of yours."

"I...I...I've been trying my best. This isn't something I can just stop doing whenever I want. Give me some time, I need time!"

Startled by Chili Pepper's tone, Justin Hammer could only stammeringly reply to her question. Clearly, Chili Pepper was very dissatisfied with Justin Hammer's answer.

Pepper Potts' eyes turned colder than ever as she looked at Justin Hammer, who was still fantasizing about resolving the incident. She turned around and pulled a pistol from the waist of a security guard not far away.

It wasn't pointed at Justin Hammer's head, because Pepper knew she wouldn't dare kill anyone, and Justin Hammer knew Pepper really wouldn't shoot herself in the head.

So after Pepper got the pistol, she pointed it at Justin Hammer's crotch.

Almost instantly, Justin Hammer was terrified. After all, being hit in the head or body could really kill him, but being hit in the groin would at most turn him into a eunuch.

"Pepper... calm down, calm down! I... I'm really thinking of a solution! You... you... trust me!"

If Pepper Potts' previous war stomp was at most a deterrent to Justin Hammer, now Justin Hammer is truly afraid.

Bang!

As Justin Hammer finished speaking, Pepper Potts fired almost without hesitation. The bullet grazed the fabric of Justin Hammer's crotch, leaving a dark bullet hole in the floor.

When the gunshot rang out, Justin Hammer was unsurprisingly terrified and didn't dare to hide anything anymore. He immediately spilled all his secrets.

"I don't know! I don't know! It was Ivan Vanko who did it. I brought him back from the rabbits and perfected my Iron Soldier Project! All the programs were written by Ivan Vanko on the Hammer Corporation's servers. The best way for you to stop it is to go find Ivan Vanko! He's inside the Hammer Corporation building!"

Hearing Justin Hammer's rap-like speech, Pepper Potts looked at him with disdain, casually unloaded her gun and tossed it to the security guard, then spoke to Justin Hammer with the air of a queen.

"Pray that the shareholders behind you won't abandon your foolishness, and while you're at it, pray that the little money in your account is enough to compensate Stark Industries for its losses!"

After saying that, Chili Pepper walked towards Sherlock behind her.

Chapter 158 The Perks from Black Widow

Watching Pepper walk towards him, Sherlock silently gave her a thumbs up. It's true that there are no wrong nicknames, only wrong names.

To Sherlock's surprise, as soon as Pepper arrived, her queen-like expression vanished instantly, and she looked towards Sherlock with a pleading expression.

"Sherlock, you heard what Justin Hammer just said. What's the next step?"

Although Sherlock was somewhat surprised when Pepper asked him what to do next, he quickly understood the reason and provided a solution.

“It’s simple. Natasha and I will go to Hammer Corporation’s server room to shut down those steel soldiers. Happy, you protect Pepper. Doro will protect both of you.”

Since Pepper Potts wasn't a combatant, even though she had obtained crucial information, she still chose to consult Sherlock on professional matters.

However, Black Widow has a different opinion regarding Sherlock's statement. Her main objective is not to clean up the mess left by Justin Hammer, the brilliant strategist, but to protect Pepper Potts.

Furthermore, Black Widow really doesn't believe that Doro, this little cutie, has any fighting ability to protect Happy and Pepper.

After hearing Sherlock's words, Doro simply flicked the whisk he was holding, nodded at Sherlock with the air of a wise sage, and then did nothing more.

Seeing this, Black Widow became even more suspicious of whether Sherlock's plan was correct, and her eyes were filled with worry as she looked at Pepper.

However, aside from the issue of childcare, Chili had absolute trust in Sherlock, so she did not object to his arrangements.

Sherlock, of course, could see Black Widow's worry. He went over to take the Rolls-Royce keys from Happy and pulled Black Widow's arm to lead her outside.

“Natasha, don’t worry. Doro is now almost capable of taking on your entire S.H.I.E.L.D. team single-handedly. There’s no need to worry about his combat strength. And most importantly, if you don’t come with me, almost no one here will be able to crack the operating system of those Iron Soldiers.”

Hearing Sherlock's words, Black Widow, though still puzzled, did not argue and obediently allowed Sherlock to take her away.

The moment Sherlock left, Doro, who was sitting cross-legged on his little cloud, appeared in front of Pepper Potts and Happy.

This scene moved and saddened Little Chili, but she couldn't say much. She could only stay backstage under Happy's protection and wait for the storm to pass.

Compared to Pepper Potts' situation, Sherlock's is much more exciting.

It's unclear whether Ivan Vanko realized that these Iron Soldiers couldn't deal with Tony anytime soon, or for some other reason, but the Iron Soldiers, who were originally only targeting Tony, started attacking indiscriminately.

Fortunately, Tony had Jarvis break control of the Rhodes Armor, and the two of them were able to handle the situation by working together.

But it was unfortunate for others, such as Sherlock.

The parking lot, which should have taken only a few minutes to reach, took almost twice as long to get there due to the indiscriminate attacks of the steel soldiers.

Throughout the process, Sherlock dismantled countless steel soldiers. The danger itself wasn't real, but the trouble was genuine.

After getting into the driver's seat, Sherlock immediately turned on the navigation and started the car, speeding towards the Hammer Corporation.

It's worth noting that Happy is the director of the Iron Man series in the movies. In Iron Man 2, Happy even arranged an extremely glamorous scene of Black Widow changing clothes for himself.

Sherlock had completely forgotten about this incident, but when he was driving Pepper Potts' Rolls-Royce through the streets of Los Angeles to experience giving her real love, this steamy scene actually happened just like in the movie.

Well, although Sherlock doesn't really have any feelings for Black Widow, it doesn't stop him from having a secretive, lecherous personality that enjoys looking at beautiful women.

After all, Scarlett Johansson is really beautiful and looks really young now. At least her figure and face are much better than the Scarlett Johansson in the movies.

When Black Widow, dressed in her signature black bodysuit, saw Sherlock peeking at her while she was changing in the rearview mirror, she wasn't angry at all; instead, she burst out laughing.

The reason is simple: Scarlett Johansson has seen a lot in life.

But this was the first time her mother's widow had ever seen such a strange thing—her mother driving with one eye and peeking with the other!