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Chapter 52: Iron Man Never Retreats

Rhodes said, "No, thanks, I don't smoke..."

Next thing he knew, Stark nonchalantly produced a cigarette and tossed it into the air. In a moment, a slim Mech armor, adorned with shades of blue and silver, clad his body. Rhodes swallowed hard and said, "Actually, give me one, thanks."

On the other side, General Johnson had just climbed back into a massive robot's cockpit. What met his eyes was a fist the size of a sandbag.

Iron Man was intending to team up with Rhodes against Johnson, but he was intercepted by the resurrected steel monster. He heard Obadiah say, "You know, most of what I told you about your father, it wasn't the truth."

"In reality, he smoked cigarettes, drank heavily, mingled with women, daydreamed all day, and had a knack for coming up with crazy ideas that messed things up. After causing a lot of trouble, he would just let others clean up the mess."

"All those hero stories about him, I made them up. He was, in fact, a complete scoundrel."

"But do you know how I used to stop him when he was about to blurt out some foolish idea?"

Iron Man had a bad feeling, but before he could respond, a fist the size of a sandbag appeared in his field of view.

Watching Iron Man being sent flying, Spider-Man rubbed his hands and said, "Well, now the question is, who should we help?"

Captain America tapped his shield and said, "I think Obadiah has a point. After all, he is Stark's elder, and he has more reason than I do to give him a beating."

"But it doesn't look good if we just stand here, does it?"

"Then let's not watch. Let's go; there are wounded to be taken to the ambulance."

On the other side, Iron Man, feeling dizzy and disoriented, struggled to get up from a pile of steel bars. He said, "Wait! Uncle... Well, Howard was a rotten person, and so am I! But I think there's a better way to deal with this than using fists. We can sit down and talk or maybe convene a board of directors or something, rather than always resorting to violence to solve problems..."

"You're not in a position to say that."

With a deafening roar, the massive robot leaped and landed in front of him. A shadow enveloped Iron Man's armor as Obadiah said, "You'll soon realize that your iron shell is worthless, even if you change its appearance."

Iron Man sighed in frustration, but it seemed Obadiah was determined to beat him up. His anger flared as he said, "You'll soon find out whether it's just a change of appearance or not!"

With that, he agilely evaded the giant steel monster's punch, almost in an instant, he flew behind it and delivered a punch to its back.

The steel monster retaliated, but Stark, now in a more lightweight and agile Mech armor with upgraded propulsion systems, moved faster and more gracefully.

He extended his palm, and the steel bars from the nearby wreckage started to tremble. In a moment, they flew straight at the steel monster. JARVIS informed Stark, "The magnetic force control system is still undergoing upgrades, and high-frequency operation is not possible, and energy is about to run out..."

Stark clenched his fist, and the steel bars were launched at the steel monster.

Obadiah obviously didn't anticipate this move. Iron Man's style used to be more warrior-like, relying on fists in addition to the Repulsor Ray. However, now, in his silver and blue Mech armor, he resembled more of a sorcerer.

As Stark swung his arms, the steel bars rapidly shot toward the steel monster. Obadiah managed to dodge most of them on the left side, but a few struck his armor's right arm.

However, he swiftly responded, using the momentum to leap away, then threw a powerful uppercut at Iron Man in mid-air.

Sparks flew as Iron Man's Mech armor took a beating. However, he fought back with determination, executing a reverse dive and delivering a punch to the steel monster's neck. The steel monster wobbled slightly and caught one of Iron Man's legs, tossing him away.

Iron Man was sent tumbling, landing right in the midst of Rhodes and General Johnson's battle. Rhodes was also struggling a bit, and Iron Man shouted, "Come on! Let's switch opponents, and let the second half begin!"

This turned out to be the right decision. Rhodes had a more powerful Mech armor, but General Johnson's massive Mech armor had eight tentacles. Without enough speed, Rhodes would be easily grabbed. Stark's more agile Mech armor was better suited to deal with the situation.

So, Rhodes steadied himself, executed a rapid climb and dive, and flew straight toward Obadiah's steel monster.

Once they made the right choice of opponents, the battle became clearer. Stark used his high mobility to dismantle most of the tentacles on General Johnson's back. Without the tentacles for assistance, Johnson's Mech armor turned into a true tin can and became Iron Man's punching bag, quickly bursting into flames after a few blows.

Most of the robots Obadiah had summoned were swiftly dealt with by Stark's high-speed maneuvers.

On the other side, Rhodes faced off against the steel monster head-on. Though he took a beating, the steel monster's leg had already been damaged in the previous explosion. After a few rounds, the steel monster collapsed, seemingly unable to get back up.

Rhodes walked over to Iron Man and said, "My former boss, General Anderson, mentioned once that he knew your father when he was young, but I'm not sure what the story is."

"That damn Howard! He used military contracts to boost Anderson's career! Originally, I should have been nothing more than an Air Force brigadier general!"

"But that doesn't matter now," Stark said. "Now, you probably can't even become a brigadier general."

"Everyone knows that only Iron Man can create these Mech armors. I've been using the military technology you handed over, as long as..."

"No, that's not what I mean. What I mean is, Howard may have been a rotten person, but I do believe he had qualities worth learning from. For example, finding the right partner in the military. Of course, that's not you..."

"You're not planning to shut down Stark's weapon manufacturing department, are you?"

"Where did you hear that rumor?"

John looked over at Obadiah's Mech armor.

"Did my uncle tell you?"

"Did he also tell you that every Stark is like this? We're fickle. Just a few minutes ago, I changed my mind. Not only am I not closing down Stark's weapon manufacturing department, I'm planning to formalize our partnership with the military. I happen to have some ideas about exoskeletons for individual soldiers and medical support systems..."

"No! You can't do this! Damn it, I've already promised Hammer Industries..."

"Fools always find another fool," Obadiah's voice echoed from a distance.

Sparks flew from Johnson's Mech armor; clearly, he was hammering something inside.

"It seems these Mech armors were manufactured for you by Hammer Industries, but forgive me for saying, this technology is outdated."

"Yes, you only handed over outdated technology to Rhodes," Johnson couldn't resist sowing discord.

Rhodes, standing nearby, crossed his arms and said, "He just gave me a cigarette, a very fashionable one."

Stark didn't waste any more words on Johnson. He walked over to the fallen steel monster and opened the cockpit. Obadiah lay inside, looking relatively uninjured but with a pallor that made him appear near death.

"Doctor! I need a doctor!"

Schiller appeared in response, spreading his hands and saying, "I guess what you need isn't a psychologist."

"Of course, but enough talk. Get him to the hospital quickly."

Symbiote whispered to Schiller in his mind, "His heart..."

Schiller checked Obadiah's pulse and found his heart rate indeed irregular. Obadiah coughed and said, "The external power core isn't sufficient to operate such a massive machine..."

"Did you tamper with your own heart?" Schiller asked.

Stark anxiously ripped open Obadiah's shirt, revealing a scar on his chest. He said impatiently, "Hurry! Take him back to my laboratory! Damn it, the path of biomechanics is a dead end! It's draining life!"

"You're as impulsive as your father, never listening to others," Obadiah said, but seeing the blood running down Stark's forehead, he ultimately remained silent.

"Take him back for now. I happen to know a decent neurosurgeon; you'll meet him at Stark Tower later."

After Schiller and Stark left, the battlefield was left with only General Johnson and Rhodes. Johnson was ranting furiously, "You damn lunatic! Rhodes! Don't you know it's a soldier's duty to obey orders? I'm your superior now! That old Andelot retired a long time ago!"

"Indeed, retiring as a general is an honorable feat, getting a high-paying cushy job in Congress, collecting a hefty pension. Last winter, I spent two months in Hawaii, and my granddaughter just got accepted to Harvard..."

John's Mech armor exploded violently once again.

After a while, he said, "You'll regret this, Rhodes. Stark is never worth trusting. They're selfish, sensitive, and suspicious. Sooner or later, they'll ruin everything. They have a brilliant mind to save themselves, but they won't save you, or even a watchdog."

Rhodes took off his Mech armor and stepped out. He looked around.

The area had been completely reduced to rubble. Not far away, Spider-Man and Captain America were loading wounded soldiers onto ambulances. Most people had evacuated in an orderly manner, but some were injured by the shockwaves during the escape, and they were just being rescued.

New York was vast, and the aftermath of this battle only affected a few nearby streets. Further away, the city's traffic and pedestrians continued bustling as usual.

Soon, a purple-red dawn broke at the horizon; morning was approaching.

"You're right; Starks are a bunch of rotten people, impulsive, stubborn, and they never consider the consequences of their actions. They wait for someone else to clean up their rotten mess, but Iron Man is different..."

Rhodes looked at the light at the end of the sky, reached for his shoulder patch, looked at it, pinched it between his fingers, and then threw it at Johnson's face.

"...Iron Man never retreats."

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