Now that these fiery men had shown up, it wouldn’t be hard to track them!
For now, Luke had to dig a certain suicidal specialist out from under the wreckage.
The two androids dropped the heavy machine guns and took out two mechanical gloves from the backseat of the sports car.
The mechanical gloves quickly turned into huge palms that could move things. The two androids worked together to quickly clean up the rubble near the entrance.
According to Jarvis, the signal from Tony indicated that he was here.
The guy’s injuries weren’t light. He wouldn’t die for now, but they also couldn’t waste time.
After Jarvis tipped him off, Luke used the androids that he had stored in Los Angeles.
What was left of Jarvis’s surveillance showed that the attackers hadn’t left, but had instead gone ashore and entered the ruins of the villa to search for Tony’s body.
If Luke hadn’t hurried, Tony might have been dragged out like a dead dog.
Given the tycoon’s pride, this would definitely leave him with permanent psychological trauma.
There was no need for that.
An arrogant Tony was quite fun.
The two androids and the changeable mechanical gloves were much more useful than an excavator.
In less than two minutes, Tony was dug out.
In the end, Tony was an extraordinarily lucky guy, and had deliberately chosen the safest corner to hide in.
The collapsed pillars and other building debris formed a triangular support which prevented him and Dr. Hansen from sustaining more injuries, and prevented the attackers from digging him out.
Scanning their injuries, Luke quickly took a photo as a souvenir before he separated the couple.
Tony was unconscious, but Dr. Hansen was still conscious.
She wanted to say something, but was hit with a paralysis bullet and carried out.
One of the androids got Tony into the sports car, and the other drove Dr. Hansen’s car and quickly left with her and her son.
The video of the attack on Tony had already been played on TV. A large number of helicopters and cars were rushing over from Los Angeles to grab the headlines.
Luke didn’t want the paparazzi to film the androids from every angle.
Besides, Tony looked like he was on the verge of death; who knew how much noise that would cause if he was caught on camera – it was best to just slip away.
Half an hour later, Tony woke up in the safe house.
Looking at the android that was treating his chest with a Light of Light Dagger, Luke was relieved. “Bruce?”
Luke nodded. “You can be ‘discharged’ in half an hour at most.”
Tony rolled his eyes. “You’re not wearing a nurse’s uniform.”
Luke let it go. After all, he was dealing with a friend who had just been delivered an epic smackdown. “The clues you found are interesting. Three confirmed explosions happened in the last two years. The victims were soldiers who retired due to medical disabilities.
“Also, after they retired, they were hired elsewhere.” Tony’s face darkened. “The companies that hired them were all shell companies. Apart from some fake registration information, there’s nothing to them at all.”
Luke smiled. “There’s another piece of good news. Want to hear it?”
Tony said, “Just say it.”
Luke had the android project an image. “This Mandarin has a side gig.”
Looking at the old man who was wearing sunglasses and strutting around as the leader of the terrorists, Tony gritted his teeth. “I’ll catch him and beat the sh*t out of him.”
Luke chuckled and projected another image. “Chairman Stark beating up a part-time actor. That would definitely make the headlines.”
Tony’s eyes widened as he stared at the figure in the new image. He realized that apart from looking more than ten years younger, this person basically looked the same as the Mandarin.
He couldn’t help but read out the information on the screen. “Trevor Slattery, British, likes to act?”
Luke nodded and said, “So, the fact that he’s the Mandarin is most likely a lie. Also, the real point is this.”
A third image was projected, showing a man and a woman walking out of a restaurant.
Tony recognized the woman since he had seen her before the attack. “Maya Hansen?”
Then, he looked at the man next to her and asked in a bewildered tone, “Aldrich Killian?”
He also found the man familiar.
Two days earlier, he had quarreled with Pepper because of this guy.
Recalling Dr. Hansen’s warning before the attack, Tony sat up. “Where’s Maya Hansen?”
Luke reacted quickly and followed Tony as the latter sat up, still using the Light Dagger. “She’s in a car nearby. I was waiting for you to wake up before questioning her.”
Two minutes later, Tony was leaning against the couch with the Light Dagger strapped to his chest to preserve some of the treatment effect.
Looking at Dr. Hansen, who was frozen and had her eyes closed, Tony asked suspiciously, “Dead?”
Luke took out a syringe and gave Dr. Hansen a neutralizer. “It’s just a little paralytic toxin. She’ll come out of it soon.”
…
Ten minutes later, Dr. Hansen was feeling conflicted. She didn’t tell them anything, and they didn’t get any leads on Killian.
Luke propped Tony up and walked into the kitchen. He handed him a syringe and said in a low voice, “This is an inducer. Give her one so that we don’t waste time.”
Tony was stunned. “So ruthless? Wait, why me? Can’t you do it?”
It was because Dr. Hansen was a neutral yellow in the system. Luke snorted. “What, should we threaten her with her son?”
Tony immediately rejected the idea. “No.”
If it isn’t for the fact that this is an android, I wouldn’t need you to do something so tasteless! Luke muttered inwardly.
This is why I like bad guys the most. Luke sighed inwardly, but didn’t force the tycoon to take action.
Luke decisively tossed the responsibility to him. “She’s already hesitating. As long as you have something to break through her psychological barrier, she’ll tell you everything. Since you’re against giving her the inducer, do your best to convince her to talk as soon as possible.”
…
An hour ago, Killian received a call. “What? Someone caught up? You didn’t find Tony Stark’s body? Maya was there, too?”
Pondering for a moment, he then ordered, “Then don’t bother. Head straight back to New York.”
After hanging up, he dialed another number. “Send a team to catch Pepper Potts. Hm, the less noise you make, the better. It’s best if nobody knows about it.”
After giving the order, he tapped his forehead with his phone and murmured, “Tony Stark, if you’re not dead yet, let’s keep playing. I’ll make you experience everything you did to me.”
As he spoke, he walked to the basement. “Is it not done yet? I need this Iron Patriot to move someone.”
In the basement, a blue and red suit of armor stood motionless as two criminals used chainsaws on the joints, sending sparks flying.
Someone came up and replied, “Boss, there’s still someone inside.”
Killian raised an eyebrow and smiled. “Let me try.” Saying that, he pressed his hand to the Iron Patriot’s lower abdomen.