With MUSIC to break into Marvel

The sudden turn of events shocked everyone present. Tony, completely baffled, looked at Hank Pym for an explanation.

Hank Pym merely smiled and said, "As far as I know, the military has issued a secret order to help you win this war, but they demanded that Clark and Captain America be captured alive."

"Keeping those people around will only hinder you and prevent Howard's vengeance from being fulfilled!"

"Tony, it's time to act! We have no room to retreat."

Having Hydra individuals possess Iron Man suits was already enough; as for the U.S. military... Hank Pym thought their role was done.

Afterwards, by pinning all the blame on Clark and Crossbones and making Crossbones disappear from everyone's sight, he could easily clear his own name.

Even Tony wasn't safe from his plans, but it wasn't yet time to act.

As Hank Pym was making his calculations and Tony was caught in a dilemma, Clark's voice rang out again: "So, the old fox finally shows up?"

With that statement, Clark's pale complexion instantly regained its color, and his previously subdued aura surged to its peak.

"Now that you're here, why don't you stay forever?"

With a shout, Clark charged at Hank Pym, his left hand ready to unleash a shockwave. Clark's previous portrayal of a hero at his end was all an act.

His physique was more than capable of withstanding a punch from Tony.

Moreover, while he was influenced by Captain America's charisma and considered him a friend, their relationship wasn't to the extent that Clark would willingly die for him.

The whole act was designed to lure out the true mastermind behind the scenes.

It was a gamble, but worth trying. And Hank Pym, fooled by Clark's convincing performance, had taken the bait.

Unexpectedly, Hank Pym, usually cautious, made such a decisive move by eliminating two military Iron Men and cornering Tony, forcing Tony to follow a path that would lead to vengeance. This tactic was formidable indeed.

Yet, he underestimated Clark's strength!

Now that Crossbones had made his move, there was no reason to hesitate. Kill them outright!

Clark's resolved to kill unleashed a terrifying level of combat power.

Abomination was the first to come at him and was sent flying with a punch.

Crossbones tried to intervene but only managed to slightly delay Clark, also ending up spitting blood and flying back.

Clark's momentum was unstoppable.

As Hank Pym was within reach, Clark suddenly felt a strong premonition of danger.

Tony launched an energy beam at him, which Clark deflected with a shield, reflecting it back at Tony, where it was absorbed by the Infinite Armor's energy shield.

While blocking Tony's attack, Clark said, "Tony, I know I can't break through your current shell, but you can't stop me from killing the others."

"Can't stop you?"

"That's not for you to decide." Tony, while holding off Clark, told Hank Pym, "I'm going all out now. You and your men fly far away; I don't want to hurt innocents."

"Alright!"

Hank Pym agreed, then flew up high with the other Hydra agents in their Iron Man suits, ready to watch Tony's performance from above.

Tony confidently told Clark, "You think you can kill Pierce? Let me tell you, you definitely can't do it today!"

"Not just today, you'll never be able to do it."

"Oh?" Clark asked, puzzled, "Where does your confidence come from?"

"This!"

While maintaining a standoff with Clark, Tony stopped being mysterious and, imitating Clark's habit, snapped his fingers with his left hand.

"Snap!"

Following the snap, the Iron Man suits carrying Hank Pym and three Hydra agents self-destructed almost simultaneously, turning into a beautiful fireworks display, dyeing the sky red. Hank Pym, the Hydra operative within S.H.I.E.L.D., was no more.

As everyone watched in stunned silence, Tony stopped the energy beam, waved at Clark, and said, "See? When I say you'll never kill him, you really won't. If you don't believe me, try to kill him, I won't stop you."

Clark was left speechless, as the target was already dead.

"Stark, you bastard, what have you done!?"

Crossbones quickly realized what had happened and, roaring with anger, charged at Tony.

Anticipating Crossbones' reaction, Tony fired two pulse energy cannons at him. Crossbones barely managed to raise his arms to block the attack, entering a deadlock with Tony.

At that moment, Clark appeared above Crossbones and landed a shockwave punch directly on his head.

"Boom!"

The powerful shockwave knocked Crossbones to the ground, creating a huge semi-circular crater in the concrete.

Of course, most of the credit went to Clark.

The shockwave was powerful but difficult to focus on a single point, causing significant collateral damage.

"Hmph!" Tony looked down disdainfully at Crossbones and coldly said, "Did you really think I'd be foolish enough not to be prepared for Pierce, the man behind my father's death?"

"Ridiculous!"

At that moment, Clark snapped his fingers and spoke into his communicator, "It's time to wrap this up."

After sending the signal to secure the victory, Clark looked oddly at Tony: "I thought you wouldn't see the message I left you."

It turns out, during their estrangement, Clark had tried to contact Tony, who had blocked him, leaving messaging as the only option, with Eris reminding Tony to check it.

Clark's message to Tony was twofold.

The first part mentioned that Captain America had been subjected to a Hydra brainwashing attempt during his captivity. Although unsuccessful, it left a psychological trigger to attack Pepper Potts at a specific time and place, threatening Tony to abandon his quest for revenge against Bucky.

The second part detailed the true mastermind behind Howard Stark's murder, suggesting that Bucky, while the direct perpetrator, was brainwashed at the time. It urged Tony to consider who had ordered Bucky to kill Howard Stark and how someone unrelated to S.H.I.E.L.D. knew the exact route Howard would take with the newly developed Super Soldier Serum on December 16, 1991.

This high-level secret was likely unknown to many within S.H.I.E.L.D. itself, raising the question of who leaked the information, leading to Howard's death and the loss of the serum.

Tony's realization that Howard was carrying the Super Soldier Serum at the time of his death was new information to him, as the video footage he had didn't show the serum.

However, this wasn't an unsolvable problem for Tony. After hacking into S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database with Eris's help, he quickly found related information, confirming Clark's claims.

The newly developed Super Soldier Serum had indeed been in Howard's car, disappearing after the accident, indicating a traitor within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ranks.

Upon confirming this and receiving the "internal" tip about Captain America's potential attack on Pepper from Hank Pym, Tony had no doubts about the real mastermind: the seemingly benevolent Uncle Pierce.

Having confirmed this, Tony also came to believe in Bucky's brainwashing by Hydra, linking the controlled assassin and the ultimate villain.

Tony decided not to choose between them, aiming to eliminate both Pierce and Bucky.

Unaware of Tony's knowledge, Hank Pym confidently appeared in the Mark VI armor provided by Tony, only for Tony to demonstrate another powerful feature of the Iron Man suit to everyone.

A perfect tool for home travel, killing, setting off fireworks, and impressing women—the self-destruct function!

Farewell, Hank Pym!

___________________

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