"At that time, my chest cluster cannon was in an overload state, and the energy cannon fired hit the Mark2 chest boat reactor you were wearing, and the energy synergy produced an exponential explosion impact......"

"Alright, Tony, don't go on—"

"This force pushes you into the wall behind you with extremely high acceleration, and according to my calculations, the impact is equivalent to a direct freefall from a height of more than a thousand meters......"

"Listen, Tony, it's not your fault-"

"And I should have known that the Mark2's armor material is faulty, it will fail and be uncontrollable in extreme environments, and I acquiesced to your use of my armor......"

"Tony!!"

Rod yelled with all his might, and now the Marine Colonel was completely unconscious from the waist down.

"I've said it a million times, Tony, and you can't be blamed for that at all. I put on your armor on my own initiative, and as a soldier, it's normal to get injured in battle, and I've been mentally prepared for it. ”

But even so, Tony's eyes, which were always cynical and cunning and intelligent, still looked very dull and depressed.

"Listen to me, Rod, it's my fault. If I hadn't been drunk, if I had caught the intruder earlier, if I hadn't...... If you are so impulsive and reckless, I have hurt you, Rod. ”

"Don't say that, Tony, it's not for you."

Rod smiled optimistically and patted Tony on the shoulder.

"Anyway, it's the best thing for me to see you intact. If you really can't let go, hurry back and cheer up and find the two guys who attacked us, our country needs Iron Man's protection - that's what you said. ”

Tony took Rod's hand hard and looked into his best friend's eyes full of strength and unyieldingness.

"I promise you, even if I exhaust the rest of my life, I will find a cure for you; I'm going to find out more, and make you like this, and make them responsible for that......"

"Whatever it takes!"

——

In the Stark family's mansion, in Iron Man's laboratory.

"Thank you, Red, if it weren't for your help......"

"Don't worry, Pepper. It's my business - watch out! ”

"What—ahh

Suddenly, right above Pepper's head, a large chunk of concrete fell from the already crumbling ceiling, and Red quickly reached out and pulled Pepper's arm into his arms.

Rumble!

If Pepper was still in place, he would have been smashed on the head and bleeding. Frightened, she instinctively shrank into Red's arms, and only after confirming that the danger was over did she breathe a long sigh of relief on her rising and falling chest.

"Thank you, Red, for saving me again......"

But just then, a hoarse, deep voice came from the hollow in the ceiling.

"Can you explain what happened to me and me with the other men in my private lab, Pepper?"

Hearing this voice, Pepper quickly walked away from Red like an electric shock, and said with a little crampedness in surprise.

"To, Tony? You're awake, I don't even know...... Wait, it's so messy, why did you run out of the hospital by yourself? ”

"If Harpy hadn't told me that you and another man came to my house, I would have surprised you in the hospital."

I saw that Tony, who had a gloomy face, first hung down from the hole in the ceiling, and then jumped down directly, only to stumble and fall to the ground without standing firmly.

"Tony, what happened just now was just a misunderstanding......"

Misunderstand? It's not a misunderstanding. In fact, Red sensed the approach of an angry Tony Stark five minutes ago, and he deliberately used the red light energy to move the crack in the ceiling to create this "accidental" scene.

As for the reason why he did this, it was simple, Red touched the things in his pocket and then took the initiative to step forward.

"Mr. Stark, I'm here as Pepper's assistant to help salvage the items in your lab before they cause further damage due to the collapse of the house or the rain and flooding."

Hearing Red's words, Tony's face became even more ugly.

"Get out, or I'll call the police and trespass."

After seeing Pepper's pleading eyes, Red shrugged his shoulders and turned away with a helpless expression, but at that moment, Tony's eyes flashed, as if he sensed something, and he let out a loud cry.

"Stop!"

I saw Tony limping around to Red, reaching out and taking off Red's sunglasses. Then he stared into Red's red eyes and said in a grim voice.

"What's going on with your eyes? Why are the whites of your eyes and pupils blood-red, do you have any connection with Ivan Vanko and the Canned Man that night......"

"That's enough, Tony!"

But at this moment, Pepper stepped forward and pushed Red and Tony away, and then stopped in front of Red and said to Tony solemnly.

"Not only did Red save me that day, but he dug you and Rod out of the rubble. I understand you're in a bad mood right now, but that's no excuse to get angry with someone. ”

Then Pepper turned to look at Red with a grateful gaze and said softly.

"You'll leave work early today, Red, and I'll see you tomorrow."

Tony looked at Pepper's stern eyes and stopped talking, and when Red completely disappeared from his vision, he sighed and sat down on top of a pile of rubble.

"Do you believe him like that, Pepper? And let him be your personal assistant, hehe......"

Pepper pursed her lips, and her gaze at Tony softened.

"I'm just giving him a chance, and if he can't do it or has other agendas, I'll fire him right away - but you, Tony. I know you're having a hard time right now, but if you want to, you can tell me what's on your mind, and if you're going through a difficult situation, I'd like to fight with you. ”

Tony seemed to want to say something at first, but when he heard the words "fight side by side" in the back, the scene of himself attacking Rhodes suddenly flashed in his mind.

"No, it's nothing, can you leave me alone for a while, Pepper."

——

"Hahaha...... I can imagine Tony Stark's expression as if he had eaten a fly...... It's a pity I wasn't able to be there. ”

Seeing Ivan on the couch holding a toothpick and smiling backwards, Red, who was petting the cat, pouted, he didn't deliberately provoke Tony Stark just to help Ivan get angry.

And he's a warrior of pure love, not a minotaur.

"Tony's instincts are quite sharp, and if I hadn't provoked the anger of him and Pepper, maybe he would have come back to his senses and let Jarvis search me."

Anger and jealousy can make people have a lower IQ and make a mistake in judgment, Red knows that he is not a smart person, but he can reduce the intelligence of others by triggering anger, pulling him to the same level as himself and then defeating him with rich experience.

It's also a battle of wit.

Red took a blue rectangular chip the size of chewing gum out of his pocket and tossed it to Ivan. The latter took the chip and stared at the words Friday.

"Well done, Red, the last piece of the puzzle is now complete."

——

Late at night, Tony Stark was still sitting in his underground lab, and as Pepper feared, it was raining so hard tonight that the improvised planks couldn't completely block the rain.

But Tony still didn't move, and this loneliness was his punishment for himself.

Bang!

After a thunderbolt, under the reflection of electric light, Tony suddenly saw a figure reflected in the stagnant water on the ground.

"Who is it?!"

Tony looked up vigilantly, now he was weaker than anyone else unarmed, but luckily, the other party didn't seem to have malicious intentions towards him, but reached out in a friendly way.

"My name is Eric Cummongo."

A black man looked at Tony Stark and smiled meaningfully.

"I think you need an ally."