Chapter 52: The Era of Superheroes
A truly earth-shattering battle.
Tony's armor had only 20% of its energy remaining, and facing the likes of the Iron Monger, a brute force type, his sleek and delicate Mark III suit was at a disadvantage.
After being pummeled by Obadiah, Tony finally remembered his plan to lure him into the sky and freeze him with high-altitude icing to try and kill him.
However, the Iron Monger was indeed sturdy. After taking a bear-like paw strike from Oaks that could rival the Hulk's strength, he was still able to bounce back. Falling from the stratosphere only left him dizzy for a moment.
Tony had just stumbled and landed on the rooftop of a building when Obadiah came chasing after him again.
And now, Tony was truly at his wit's end. He couldn't even fly anymore.
"Hey, buddy, Pepper has run far away. Do you need support?"
When Tony was tightly restrained by Obadiah, a hawk with a green glow landed on top of the Iron Monger's head.
"Of course! If you haven't come soon, I would have considered blowing up the reactor!"
Tony burst into laughter, but then he saw the hawk on the other side tilt its head. Green light surrounded its sharp claws as it directly tore out the mess of cables behind the Iron Monger's head!
"What the hell is this bird?!"
Ignoring Obadiah's roar, Oaks grabbed the Mark III suit and dragged it to the side.
"The reactor is too expensive to blow up. If you want a new one, give me this old one."
"...No problem!"
Tony opened his helmet, looking at Oaks, who was standing on his left shoulder, with a strange expression.
"Why do I feel like I'm hunting right now?"
"You're overthinking it, Batman!"
"Hey, you just severed the connections to his helmet. Now he can't aim and can't see the outside..."
Before Tony finished speaking, Obadiah had already opened the cockpit, unaffected by the loss of vision.
Unlike the Mark series, the Iron Monger wasn't designed to have a person's limbs inserted into it. Instead, it was more like a Gundam, with the person sitting inside the cockpit while the limbs of the suit were mechanically controlled.
Therefore, strictly speaking, the Iron Monger should be called a mecha, and it could even be made larger.
This limb control technology was obtained by Obadiah from the wreckage of Mark I, the foundation of the muscle coordination control technology that Dr. Yinsen used to create mechanical prosthetics.
Hence, even though Obadiah had opened the cockpit, it didn't hinder him from using weapons.
He raised the rocket launcher in his left hand, intending to aim visually:
"It's ironic, Tony! You wanted to rid the world of weapons but invented the best weapon yourself! Now I'm going to use it to kill you and that bird... Huh?!"
Obadiah stared in astonishment as the "bird" in front of him simply disappeared.
"Hahaha! Holographic projection? Tony, your ideas are always unique... Your father would be proud of you!"
"Now, die... Mmmph!"
Before he could finish his sentence, Obadiah threw down the controllers, clutching his neck.
A sharp... claw covered in emerald green light?!
Well, a cheetah slowly materialized before Obadiah's eyes, seemingly appearing out of thin air.
"This contraption of yours prevents me from stabbing you. Otherwise, I could've clawed your head off."
Oaks smirked, revealing a set of menacing, dagger-like teeth.
"Daring to hire someone to attack my turf. It's truly seeking death."
"You..."
Obadiah realized it. This cheetah was that red-haired kid!
The bird from earlier was too!
And the one who sent him flying before was also him!
But at most, he would just be captured!
And how did he know it was the person he sent...
"these crimes shouldn't be punished by death? Don't joke with me...
I don't care about the government's nonsense. Just go in peace. Thanks for securing a clean energy source for me~"
Only Obadiah could hear Oaks's voice.
Then he choked on his own blood and died.
"He... is dead?"
Tony looked uncertainly at Oaks as he retracted his claws, swallowing hard.
He had witnessed the power of those claws, cutting through furniture like butter.
Would Obadiah be softer than a sofa when he foolishly opened the suit of armor?
"Don't worry, I didn't cut him open."
Oaks's figure disappeared once again into thin air. Since Pepper left, he hadn't appeared in human form.
"You should think about how to handle the aftermath."
His voice sounded beside Tony, who was still gasping for breath. A small acorn necklace appeared in front of him.
"Here, put this on. I'll be going now. Get ready to deal with the media, great hero~"
"Huh?"
Tony raised his head and saw a helicopter approaching with a searchlight on...
It had to be said, the media's reaction was much faster than the police!
As for Coulson and his agents who were probably still trapped underground...
"Hey, gentlemen, need any help?"
A familiar voice echoed in Coulson's blurry consciousness. Then he felt a cool sensation, quickly regaining clarity.
"I thought I woke up to water being splashed on me."
He looked at the sneering Oaks and chuckled bitterly.
"I was too careless. Thank you for your help, Mr. Consultant. But how did you end up here... Sorry, I overstepped."
Coulson promptly halted his curiosity and turned to look at his four subordinates.
All five of them had been knocked unconscious by Obadiah, and one unlucky guy seemed to have suffered a broken bone.
Oh, and there was another guy who had been shot, but it was a bullet that bounced off the Iron Monger and hit him. Thankfully, it wasn't a vital area, but he had lost a lot of blood.
"I've healed them, but I didn't wake them up. You know why, Agent Coulson."
"Phew... That's good. Thank you again, Mr. Consultant."
Coulson understood that these subordinates didn't have sufficient clearance, and knowing about Oaks would only lead to trouble.
"How's that big guy doing?"
"It's over. Tony Stark, the original inventor of the suit, arrived just in time and defeated the crazed Obadiah. However, the battle reached a level where it could have blown up half the street, so Obadiah is dead."
Oaks calmly gave a brief summary of the battle without changing his expression.
"It seems like you guys have a lot to do. But let's make it clear: I haven't appeared at all, understood?"
"Understood, Mr. Consultant... However, I need to report this to the Director. Your secrecy level is now Level 9, and no one else will know about it."
Keeping it a secret from Coulson was obviously impossible, but Level 9 confidentiality was no different from a gag order. On the other hand, dealing with Tony's situation would require significant resources from S.H.I.E.L.D.
"Level 9, huh... Alright then, I'll take my leave."
Oaks nodded, feeling somewhat concerned. His original Level 7 clearance wasn't much, but now with Level 9, it could attract unnecessary attention from certain individuals.
However, Tony could probably help divert a significant portion of the attention. Yes, he still had an Arc Reactor to collect...
This wave was a gain!
"Oh, by the way, I'll give you a warning in advance... Be prepared for both sides."
Oaks turned to leave but suddenly remembered something, shaking his head and smiling.
"Remember, Tony is someone who doesn't follow plans anymore."
Coulson: "?"
Ignoring him, Oaks planned to take advantage of the press conference and cash in on the stock market using the funds he had accumulated during this time.
And a few days later, Coulson understood the meaning behind Oaks's words.
"I am Iron Man!"
--------------------------------
🙏🙏Please consider supporting this translation project by becoming a P@treon member, if possible!
Your support is greatly appreciated!
Available on my P@treon page for just $4!!
Early access to the following translations:-
⭐MCU: Druid's Adventures (MCUDA) - +41 advance chapters
⭐Famous Police Detective in Detective World (FPDDW)- +132 advance chapters & 2 Chapters/Day
⭐Marvel: Little Genius (MLG) (⭐COMPLETE⭐) - Total Chapter 450
p@treon.com/Lightreaper457
--------------------------------