"You're right, business first." Tony nodded. He raised his right arm, and the energy cannon in his palm began to gather a brilliant white light.
"Let me open the door for them, in a very Stark way."
He was about to fire, but Henry walked to the door first.
"Too slow," Henry said lightly. Then, to the dumbfounded stares of Tony and Ethan, he clenched his fist and swung a casual punch.
BOOM!!!
The massive iron door, welded from multiple steel plates and capable of withstanding small explosions, instantly bent inward, then twisted and deformed. It then exploded outwards, sending countless metal fragments flying!
Outside the door, a group of newly assembled terrorists, wielding various weapons, were so stunned by the sudden, violent breach that they momentarily forgot to open fire.
Dr. Ethan's mouth dropped open. He felt like his worldview had been crushed and remade several times in just a few minutes.
First, a man in black Armor descended from the sky. Now, this man punched a steel door into smithereens. Was this a scene he got to watch for free? Did he not need a VIP pass first?
Tony was also frozen. He slowly lowered his arm, and the energy light in his palm dissipated. This guy—how did he suddenly become so inhuman?
"Hey!" he complained angrily.
"That was supposed to be my highlight! You know you're stealing my scene, right? And couldn't you have done it with a bit more elegance? That's too violent, no finesse at all!"
"Come on, big brother. Time and energy efficiency is key," Henry shrugged, flashing a slight smile over his shoulder.
"Let me guess, are you jealous that I'm stronger than you?"
"Jealous of you, you brute who only knows how to use raw strength?" Tony scoffed.
"This is technology; this is art! Got it? Whatever, arguing with your muscle-brain will just fill my head with cheese sauce."
The terrorists outside finally snapped out of their shock. Their leader shouted frantically in Arabic, giving the order to fire.
DA-DA-DA-DA!
Instantly, countless tongues of fire erupted from the cave entrance. A rain of dense bullets poured towards the two inside the cave!
"Alright, warm-up's over," Henry twisted his neck and said to Tony.
"You handle the tanks and rocket launchers. The small fry are mine. Let's see who's faster?"
"Fine. That's a man's wager!" Tony didn't back down.
"The loser has to clean the lab for a month!"
Before his words finished, Henry's figure turned into a black bolt of lightning and instantly charged out of the cave, plunging headfirst into the enemy ranks, straight into the metal storm!
His speed was too fast—so fast that the terrorists' eyes couldn't even track him! They could only see a black blur darting through the crowd. Every flash was inevitably followed by the sound of breaking bones and agonized screams.
Bullets striking his body didn't even spark. They only made a clear clanging sound before deforming and falling to the ground.
He was like a prehistoric Tyrannosaurus charging into a flock of sheep. Every punch carried an irresistible, immense force. One terrorist was hit in the chest by his punch and flew backward like a cannonball, knocking over a row of his comrades.
He single-handedly grabbed the bumper of a pickup truck that was attempting to spray him with a heavy machine gun, effortlessly lifted it over his head, and then tossed it like a toy, smashing it into another fortified position!
His fighting style was pure, simple, and brutal beauty. No flashy techniques, no dazzling energy beams, just absolute strength, absolute speed, and absolute defence!
"My God!"
Tony watched the one-sided slaughter outside and couldn't help but complain over the comms channel, "You, you're a human Gundam! That's just unfair!"
"Now you know who the muscle-brain is, right?" Henry's easy voice came back. As he spoke, he casually grabbed an incoming RPG rocket, held it like a banana, and then tossed it back, causing a huge fireball to erupt on a distant hillside.
"Don't get cocky!" Tony didn't want to admit defeat, but his actions were swift. The thrusters on his feet roared with blazing fire, and he shot into the air, flying out of the cave.
"Hey, guys! Miss me?"
He hovered in mid-air, spreading his arms. The weapon bays on his shoulders and arms opened simultaneously. Dozens of micro-missiles, trailing white plumes of smoke, screamed out like a swarm of bees, precisely covering the tanks and armoured vehicles parked in the distance!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
A series of violent explosions rocked the entire valley!
"Now that's art!" Tony declared triumphantly.
"Your art is too loud; it almost deafened me," Henry's voice rejoined him.
The two brothers hovered side by side in the air, looking down at the devastated terrorist base. Tony outwardly showed no sign of worry, but inwardly, he was reflective. How long had it been since the two brothers were wiping out terrorists together?
"Let's wrap this up. I'm hungry. I want a cheeseburger," Henry said.
"Agreed, the air here is absolutely terrible," Tony nodded.
The next second, the two of them plunged back into the enemy ranks like two meteorites descending from the heavens. Henry was responsible for close-quarters assault. His figure left streaks across the battlefield.
Any enemy who tried to get close was torn apart by his sheer power. Tony provided ranged fire suppression. His palm repulsors and chest unibeam continuously fired, clearing out one fortified position after another.
Their coordination was flawless, as if they had practiced it a thousand times.
A terrorist leader, terrified by the sight of the two brothers descending like gods, threw his weapon and desperately tried to scramble into a jeep to escape. But just as he pulled the door open, a black armoured boot stomped down from the sky, crushing the entire car into a flat metal pancake.
Henry looked down at him, his eyes cold. "Where do you think you're going, friend?"
Meanwhile, Tony had finished off the last stubbornly resisting tank. He landed next to Henry, looked at the pile of unrecognizable scrap metal that was once a car, and frowned.
"Couldn't you be a little gentler? That was a limited-edition Jeep; what a waste to just step on it."
"Can't be helped. It was blocking my way," Henry shrugged.
The battle was over. They stood in the centre of the wreckage, surrounded by burning vehicles and the remains of their enemies.
"Alright, mission accomplished," Henry dusted off his hands. "Time to go home and eat."
"Agreed." Tony's faceplate slowly lifted, revealing a face full of fatigue but even more excitement.
"But you owe me a full explanation of what's going on with your superpowers. I want every single detail. Also, I won the bet. Heavy weaponry scores higher; that's common sense."