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Chapter 51: Ironclad Ambitions (2)

Several days later, Pepper came to pick up the injured Stark from the hospital. The driver, with Pepper and Stark on board, left the Presbyterian Hospital and drove onto the main road.

Not long after they set off, a loud explosion erupted from the rear of a car ahead, followed by the sound of someone throwing smoke grenades. Threads of white mist quickly engulfed everything within sight.

Stark hastily pushed Pepper down, bullets whizzed by, striking the bulletproof glass and causing the entire car to shake.

Cursing under his breath, Stark reached for his mobile phone to call for his Mech armor, but Pepper interrupted him, saying, "Damn it, your injury hasn't fully healed. Call Rhodes to pilot a mech first!"

Before Stark could respond, Pepper snatched the mobile phone away and took cover below the car's seats, dialing Rhodes and urgently saying, "Tony and I are under attack on the road after leaving the hospital! Quickly, get someone to help us!"

As she finished speaking, a tremendous vibration shook the ground, and the sound of heavy objects falling resonated with mechanical clanking all around. Stark turned to look out of the car window and saw several colossal robots surrounding them.

The driver in the front seat had already been shot, leaving Stark with no choice but to crawl into the driver's seat himself. Pepper adjusted her hair and said, "Turn right toward the square; that's where we can get backup!"

Fortunately, Stark's armored car was of good quality. He ignited the engine and accelerated, beginning a desperate escape.

He thumped the steering wheel and said, "Thank goodness we're leaving the hospital at night!"

He then turned to see five or six large robots closing in on their tail. Stark said, "I have to get out and engage them. If they plan to self-destruct here, it will be disastrous!"

"This is the city center, and we're not far from the Presbyterian Hospital. If this many robots self-destruct here, the entire hospital will likely be leveled!" Pepper added.

As the car's speed increased, Stark struggled to maintain control, executing a sharp drift that left dark skid marks on the road, accompanied by the screeching of brakes.

Seeing one of the robots about to leap onto their car, Stark heard a loud thud. A figure soaring in mid-air kicked the robot's head, sending it flying.

Peter landed on the car's roof with a thud and leaned into the driver's seat, saying, "Did I arrive just in time?"

Then, he looked ahead and said quickly, "Hey! Listen up! Don't go straight; turn left! There's a traffic jam up ahead! If those big guys get through, they'll crush all the cars!"

After saying this, he shot another web, attaching it swiftly to the wall of a building, and began moving across, aggravating the robots until they became enraged.

One of the robots raised its arm and fired a rocket at him, causing an explosion. Spider-Man emerged unscathed, but a shop's door was blown off, injuring the store clerk. Spider-Man rushed inside to rescue him.

"It seems that the Spider kid is busy too," Stark remarked. "These guys are causing too much commotion; someone has to go help the civilians."

Pepper said, "Rhodes must have called Steve and Schiller. Let's focus on our own safety for now!"

Stark's wounds still throbbed, and a few days of recovery were not enough for him. He glanced up, and the shadow of a helicopter loomed over the car. Rhodes hung from the helicopter's door, shouting, "Head south! Quickly! We can't engage them here! Many people will die!"

Gritting his teeth, Stark forcefully turned the steering wheel, causing the car to swerve to the left, making a sharp turn and scraping against two road bollards before crashing at a street corner.

Stark opened the damaged car door, and Pepper, feeling a bit dizzy from the ordeal, climbed out with Stark's assistance.

Spider-Man directly snapped two large lampposts using his web and swung one to create trouble for the robots. Stark shouted, "JARVIS! Arm up!"

Soon, a red and gold Mech armor flew over. After Iron Man armed up, he carried Pepper to the rooftop, placing her in a safe spot. Rhodes also donned his Mech armor.

They were at a small factory producing mechanical parts, and luckily, most of the workers had already left due to the late hour. The security guards who had heard the commotion had also fled. When the robots arrived, Iron Man and Rhodes were eagerly waiting for them.

Spider-Man, although lacking advanced combat skills, possessed immense strength, speed, and agility, confusing the robotic foes and creating an optimal environment for Iron Man.

Sparks flew from Repulsor Rays, causing small explosions. Iron Man navigated swiftly among the giant robots, and Rhodes took down two of them. Rhodes shouted, "This won't work! If they self-destruct together, we won't be able to escape!"

"This doesn't make sense, something's off," Stark realized only now. "These robots are definitely not Obadiah's doing. Even if he stole the core energy, he couldn't have made so many robots in such a short time. This requires an entire military-industrial complex. Pepper controls Stark's military production line; Obadiah couldn't have done this without her knowing."

As he spoke, one of the robots hit by his Repulsor Ray charged toward him. Spider-Man yelled from the other side, "Get out of the way! It's dangerous!"

Iron Man maxed out the power of his armor and rapidly ascended, causing a massive explosion on the ground. "Thank goodness I upgraded the jet propulsion; otherwise, I couldn't withstand such an impact."

He then dove down and quickly grabbed one robot, flinging it away. This time, Iron Man was smarter; after throwing the robot, he immediately turned back. As expected, another intense explosion followed.

Stark reacted swiftly, but Steve behind him wasn't as fortunate. He shielded himself against the blast's shockwave, but he still stumbled.

"Damn it! What are these things?" Stark exclaimed.

Floating in mid-air, Iron Man surveyed the charred debris on the ground and said, "I recognize those parts; they're from the pre-upgraded Mark VII, the version I provided to the military."

He glanced back at Rhodes, still fighting the robots, raised his Mech armor, and went to deal with another enemy.

Explosions continued one after another, and more robots joined the battle. The area was quickly turning into a wasteland.

It had to be admitted that this tactic was highly effective. The constant explosions created a powerful impact that kept everyone busy. Moreover, whenever a robot attempted to escape the battle zone, the superheroes had to chase them down to prevent potential civilian casualties.

Although Iron Man gradually discerned a pattern, the time between the two attacks was too short. He didn't have time to modify his armor to counter these suicide troops. Two consecutive explosions sent Iron Man flying, and his armor emitted a series of sparks.

Seeing him falter, several robots, now surrounding him, had a single goal: to use explosions to defeat him.

Just as the first robot displayed a red light on its chest, the ground shook again. A thunderous roar filled the air as a colossal arm grabbed the robot and hurled it away, causing it to crash into a wall and explode.

A steel monster twice the size of the self-destructive robots appeared. Iron Man got up from the ground and flew into the air. "Damn it, what's this now? Where did they get so many robots?!"

The steel monster tore one of the robots in half and extracted the bomb from its chest. Rhodes was bewildered, saying, "What's going on? Why are they fighting each other?"

"Don't you see it now? They're not all on the same side!" Captain America shouted.

The situation on the battlefield had become incredibly complex. The superheroes had to deal with the self-destructing robots to prevent them from escaping and exploding in residential areas, while the steel monster seemed determined to shred these robots to pieces.

Iron Man didn't know who to target at the moment, while Spider-Man seemed to pay no heed to anyone. Enemies surrounded them from all sides. Spider-Man used his spider web to trip the self-destructing robots and even managed to land a punch on that steel monster.

In no time, the self-destructing robots were being dealt with, either being thrown away and detonated or having their bombs disarmed.

Just as they breathed a sigh of relief, they saw another colossal figure appear on the opposite rooftop. An enlarged version of the self-destructing robot leaped down, similarly clad in black and gold, but its size dwarfed even Iron Man's Mech armor, causing a deafening crash as it landed.

"Oh my god, what is this now? I've never seen so many robots in my life!" Peter exclaimed. "Could they be a family of three or something?"

Captain America walked over, carrying his shield. "If that's the case, just by looking at their sizes, you can tell who the son is."

"You didn't uphold our agreement!" the robot that had just landed shouted.

"You played me..." the steel monster also said. It was evident that both of these robots had human pilots.

Stark's expression turned to shock as he and Rhodes almost simultaneously exclaimed, "Uncle Obadiah!" and "General Johnson!"

But before they could figure out what was happening, the two gigantic steel robots had already engaged in combat.

It was clear that, although these two robots were powerful, their pilots were inexperienced in combat, resorting to brawling tactics. Punch for punch.

Iron Man remained suspended in the air, unsure of whom to assist. JARVIS had just performed a voice analysis, confirming that it was indeed Obadiah speaking, but what was going on? Were these self-destructing robots not created by Obadiah after all? And who was General Johnson? Were they originally planning to unite against him but had now turned on each other?

Iron Man felt that he couldn't make the right choice at this moment, so he could only watch the spectacle unfold from above.

The steel monster's punch struck General Johnson's Mech armor, resulting in a loud crash as the cockpit's panel shattered. General Johnson took a step back and waved his arms, saying, "Howard's lackey! Now you want to step in and protect his son? How ridiculous! When he wanted to shut down Stark's military department, he never asked for his dear uncle's opinion!"

"He never cared about your hard work, and now you want to be his security guard? Old Andrew was right from the beginning. Howard, that rotten man, only did one thing right in his life – he hired you as his watchdog!"

The opposing steel monster remained silent. General Johnson took another step back, addressing Rhodes on the other side, "Look at this, your future! You all love following Stark around, being at his beck and call, friends? Ha, if he truly considered you friends, he wouldn't give you outdated technology materials!"

"Our friend across the way has been Howard's watchdog his whole life! What has he gained? He doesn't even dare to rebel!"

Rhodes and Stark were about to respond when JARVIS issued a severe warning: "High-energy response detected! Evade immediately! Evade immediately! 3! 2..."

In a moment, another intense mushroom cloud rose, and the colossal robot controlled by General Johnson exploded with a deafening roar. A massive pit, several hundred meters wide, was left in the ground, and half of the factory was reduced to rubble.

No one had anticipated his decisiveness. Iron Man couldn't evade in time, and his Mech armor was nearly obliterated. Rhodes' suit was even more severely damaged. The steel monster, while still standing, seemed to be struggling.

Perhaps General Johnson had prepared in advance. Despite being at the center of the explosion, he survived, emerging from a safe compartment holding a remote control.

"You might think it's over, but quite the opposite, this is just the beginning!" General Johnson declared.

Stark, bleeding from his head, wiped his eyes and helped Rhodes out of his Mech armor. "Your boss has quite a temper."

"Tell me about it. That's why I had no choice but to leave." Rhodes replied with a touch of self-mockery.

"You still haven't learned, Colonel Rhodes. Howard made promises to Obadiah, none of which he fulfilled. He still only cares about his son, Tony Stark Jr. He can shut down the most important military systems with a word, destroying the hard work of generations. How ridiculous!"

"For him, you repeatedly denied my requests, only providing me with outdated military technology materials. But what did that achieve? You were just a supporting act for Iron Man. He basks in the limelight while you remain in the shadows, just like Howard and Obadiah..."

"...the barking of a failure," a voice came from the still-grounded steel monster.

"When we chose old Andrew, it was because you were too foolish. Decades later, you're still unchanged, so I still have no choice but to dismiss you, fool."

Obadiah's tone was slow and light, completely out of place for a battlefield, which only infuriated Johnson further.

Gritting his teeth, Johnson pressed the remote control, summoning dozens of smaller robots, smaller in size than the self-destructing ones but looking more advanced.

"Now, you're without Mech armor, while I have them. Just like old Stark did to me years ago, it's my turn now!"

"Cough... after all these years, you still haven't figured one thing out," Obadiah's voice came through. "A suit of iron doesn't make much difference."

Hearing this, Stark let out a sigh, relaxing his shoulder muscles. Compared to those massive robots, they seemed small and powerless. He muttered to himself, "Maybe he's right. They're all right. Just having an iron suit doesn't really make me any better off."

Rhodes stared ahead, the towering robots making them appear even more diminutive without their suits. "Enough with the contemplation, don't you think we should come up with a plan now?"

Stark looked up at the swarm of robots closing in, then turned to Rhodes. "Do you think we're like them?"

"No, you're even more rotten than your father."

On the scorched wasteland, Stark touched his chest and, in contrast to the towering robots surrounding them, they appeared feeble. Stark's tone relaxed, as if he were chatting with an old friend.

Then, in the pitch-black night, only the faint glow of the robots' eyes blinked like distant stars. Stark turned his head towards Rhodes and asked, "Care for a smoke?"