The Destroyer's faceplate cracked open.
A pure energy, capable of reducing all things in the World to fundamental particles, began to gather.
William's brain held only a cold shiver originating from the depths of his soul.
Danger Prediction (Intermediate)!
A five-second early perception was not a leisurely reaction time at this moment, but an infinitely prolonged torture.
William felt every nerve ending immersed in liquid nitrogen.
An absolute concept named "Death" engulfed his consciousness like a tide.
He even "saw" his final outcome: being instantly vaporized by a beam of light, leaving not even a speck of dust.
No time to think, no room to choose.
Survival instinct took over everything.
In the second that the malicious intent locked onto him, William's body had already reacted.
He did not roll to the side; that was too slow.
The muscles in his legs tensed abruptly, augmented by Superhuman Strength.
His entire body, like a spring compressed to its limit, shot backward in an extremely clumsy yet efficient posture.
Boom—!
Almost the instant his feet left the ground.
A beam of destruction, over a meter in diameter, grazed the spot where he had just stood, plowing through the ground.
It instantly vaporized the hard rock and soil, leaving a terrifying gully with edges shimmering with a red molten glow.
A scorching heatwave, mixed with the smell of burnt earth, rushed at him, violently knocking William to the ground.
He felt as if his back had been hit by a high-speed truck.
The ability of Pain Suppression seemed so pale and powerless at this moment.
He didn't bother checking his injuries, scrambling to his feet with hands and feet, and glanced back at the smoking trench.
That gully cut precisely across the floor-to-ceiling window of his sea-view office.
So close.
Just that close.
His beloved viewing platform was about to say goodbye to this World.
"Damn it..."
William spat, anger overcoming his fear.
"This is targeting my fixed assets!"
The Destroyer clearly didn't give him time to mourn his property.
Its smooth metal head slowly rotated, and its empty faceplate locked onto William again.
Heavy footsteps sounded, like the drumbeats of the God of Death, one step at a time, treading on William's heart.
"Hey! Tin can! Your opponent is over here!"
Jessica Jones roared.
She grabbed a huge chunk of concrete that had been blown away and hurled it with all her might.
The concrete block drew a whistling arc in the air, but was shattered by a single punch half a meter from the Destroyer.
The Abomination also roared and charged again.
Its massive body, like an out-of-control tank, crashed into the Destroyer with terrifying momentum.
The Destroyer finally stopped ignoring them.
Its smooth metal head tilted slightly, and its left arm suddenly rose, blocking the Abomination's charge like a cast-iron city wall.
A dull thud, and the ground trembled.
The Abomination's fist struck the Destroyer's arm, but only left a shallow mark.
Not to be outdone, the Abomination roared, its muscles bulging.
Its other fist, with the power to split mountains, blasted out again, aiming directly for the Destroyer's faceplate.
The Destroyer merely sidestepped contemptuously, avoiding the blow.
At the same time, its right leg suddenly lifted, kicking the Abomination in the chest like a battering ram.
The Abomination's massive body uncontrollably staggered back a few steps; the Destroyer was growing impatient.
Its back armor split open, unleashing a powerful energy blast that once again sent the behemoth flying, crashing heavily dozens of meters away, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Tandy's light blades and Tyrone's Shadow also harassed it from the sides, but they were like stones sinking into the sea, unable to cause any substantial obstruction.
This Asgardian War Machine, after confirming the Commander's location, completely ignored the attacks of other "soldiers."
Its logic was simple: destroy the brain, and the limbs will naturally be paralyzed.
William instantly understood its intention.
Run!
He turned and ran, using all his might.
The physical enhancement brought by Superhuman Strength made him run faster than an Olympic champion.
But the unhurried yet inescapable metallic footsteps behind him, like a death-urging talisman, made his scalp tingle.
He dared not run in a straight line, only able to flee frantically like a headless fly within the Base he had personally planned and built.
He rushed through a freshly planted ornamental grove.
The Destroyer, hot on his heels, simply crashed through it, and those expensive, rare tree species snapped, wood chips flying.
William's heart bled.
"Those were baobab trees air-freighted from Madagascar!"
He circled an open-air swimming pool, and the Destroyer unhesitatingly stepped into it, splashing Water higher than a tsunami.
The expensive blue-and-white porcelain tiles at the bottom of the pool shattered inch by inch under its heavy feet, like biscuits.
"My constant temperature circulation filtration system!"
William limped as he ran, roaring internally.
He finally understood now.
Why Tony Stark always looked pained after every fight.
This feeling of watching his hard work being destroyed inch by inch was more painful than taking a direct punch.
The Destroyer seemed to have grown tired of the cat-and-mouse game.
It stopped, its faceplate cracked open again, and another energy beam shot out.
This time, William's "Danger Prediction" saved him again.
He almost reflexively dove to the ground.
The beam flew past his scalp, severing a distant communications tower in half.
The massive metal structure collapsed with a crash, smashing onto the roof of another warehouse, triggering a violent explosion.
The communication network instantly went down.
William lay on the ground, panting heavily, covered in dirt and grass clippings, his suit reduced to rags.
His strength and speed were utterly insignificant before this pure killing machine.
The Destroyer advanced slowly, its heavy footsteps approaching him.
Shadow completely enveloped him.
William looked up at the towering metal giant.
He knew he couldn't escape.
He struggled to stand up, but one leg was twisted in the fall, and the excruciating pain made him kneel again.
He watched the Destroyer's faceplate slowly crack open.
Inside it was the light of Death, enough to completely erase him from this World.
"Coulson..."
William gritted his teeth, squeezing out a few words, "You old bastard... I won't let you off even if I become a ghost..."
He selectively forgot that he had excitedly agreed to Coulson sending Thor.
Just at this critical moment.
A sharp, air-ripping whistle, from far to near, instantly drowned out all the explosions and roars!
Then a brilliant red and gold stream of light, like a meteorite from outer space, trailing a long White wake, swooped down from the clouds!
Boom!!!
A tremendous crash.
The stream of light, with a brutal yet precise posture, slammed heavily between William and the Destroyer.
The hard ground instantly cracked, and the powerful impact kicked up a sky-high cloud of dust, forming a circular barrier.
From within the dust, a metallic figure slowly stood upright.
Red and gold streamlined armor, a circular reactor on his chest emitting a soft blue light, and that posture, always full of confidence and flamboyance.
Iron Man, Tony Stark.
He didn't even look back at the disheveled William behind him.
He simply raised his arm, his palm repulsor aimed at the Destroyer before him, and his unique, slightly metallic, teasing voice came from the suit's built-in loudspeaker.
"Hey, big guy."
"My friend said you were a collectible figure?"
Tony tilted his head, his eyes beneath the faceplate seemingly scanning every detail of the Destroyer, his tone filled with undisguised excitement and curiosity.
"Looks... a bit bigger than he described. But that's okay, I like challenging toys."
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