Tony used the Machine Memory to transform into a gigantic mechanical warrior, charging straight into the Hydra squad's firepower and launching a frontal assault.
The Hydra agents, to their credit, displayed a very high level of combat discipline. Even when facing the overwhelmingly oppressive mechanical giant Tony had assembled, they showed no sign of panic, calmly and methodically attacking him with their weapons.
However, no matter how hard they struggled, it was all in vain. Rifle bullets were completely ineffective against the massive mechanical giant. Grenades and explosives could damage the materials that made up its body, but under the effects of the Mechanical Memory, any damage the giant suffered was instantly repaired.
Tony laughed loudly. "Looks like this is all you've got. Now it's my turn."
He manipulated the mechanical giant's components, reshaping them into humanoid restraint devices that shot out and tightly bound the Hydra agents they hit, leaving them completely immobilized.
Seeing his men trapped, the Hydra senior agent leading the team, Gerard Dugert, wore an ugly expression. "Damn it… Stark, that bastard."
"Abort the operation. Everyone, withdraw." After realizing the vast gap in strength between both sides, Gerard Dugert understood that his elite squad was no match for Tony and decisively chose to abandon the mission.
After issuing the retreat order, and in order to ensure a successful withdrawal, Gerard Dugert directly ordered his subordinates to open fire on the severely battered S.H.I.E.L.D. agents and the captured Hydra operatives.
First, this was to carry out the objective of silencing witnesses as much as possible; second, it was to pin down Tony's movements. Otherwise, trying to escape in front of Tony—wearing the Iron Man armor and wielding the Mechanical Memory—was virtually impossible.
Seeing the incoming fire, Tony frowned slightly but immediately manipulated the mechanical components to intercept the Hydra agents' attacks.
"You're only thinking about running now? Isn't it a bit too late?" Tony sneered. "You really think you can escape from me with tricks like this? That's seriously overestimating yourselves.
"Or rather, from the moment I arrived, your only possible outcome was getting captured."
Under the power of the Mechanical Memory, the mechanical giant's structure transformed again, forming a honeycomb-shaped missile launcher. It unleashed a dense barrage toward the retreating Hydra agents.
Of course, these were not explosive missiles, and their power wasn't particularly great. Tony intended to capture these unidentified armed personnel alive.
Although the ammunition wasn't very powerful, each projectile carried a weak electric current. Upon hitting a target, it discharged electricity, causing paralysis.
Most importantly, there were a lot of them. They were created directly using the Mechanical Memory's power—so long as there were enough materials, he could make as many as he wanted. Unlike the Iron Man armor's physical ammunition, which was powerful but limited in quantity.
Tony vaguely sensed that as he continued to further develop the Mechanical Memory's abilities, he might eventually be able to absorb surrounding matter and convert it freely, manufacturing any mechanical structure he needed at will—including armor missiles.
The electrically charged paralysis rounds fell like a torrential downpour, leaving the Hydra agents nowhere to dodge.
Even though many shots missed, nearly every Hydra agent was still struck by at least one paralysis round. Their bodies convulsed violently as they collapsed.
"It seems I still have to step in myself. Fortunately, I didn't place all my hopes on you lot and came to take a look in person. Otherwise, this operation wouldn't just have failed completely—you'd have all been wiped out as well."
A figure descended from the sky amid roaring wind and crackling thunder—the Weather Dopant, Pierce—speaking to the utterly miserable Hydra squad.
"You're the one pulling the strings behind all this?" Tony asked, staring at the imposing Pierce with guarded caution. "What exactly are you plotting by investigating the Bugster Virus?"
Pierce neither confirmed nor denied it. He turned his head toward Tony, his tone tinged with resignation. "Tony Stark, this matter had nothing to do with you to begin with. Why did you insist on sticking your nose into it?"
Tony snorted coldly. "People like you, skulking in the shadows and plotting behind the scenes, definitely have some shady agenda.
"Since Mr. Stark has run into you, of course I'm going to expose your true colors."
Tony knew very well that the Bugster Virus possessed terrifyingly powerful potential and could cause catastrophic destruction. It absolutely could not be allowed to fall into the hands of malicious forces.
Pierce, standing before him, clearly appeared to be using the power of a Gaia Memory. He might be connected to the mysterious organization distributing those Memories.
Tony felt that if he could capture this man, he might obtain some crucial intelligence.
Pierce shook his head lightly. "Who we are is none of your concern. I'm here only to take my people and leave."
"With me here, you can forget about taking anyone," Tony replied bluntly. "You might as well surrender now and save yourself a lot of pain later."
Pierce shook his head again and laughed scornfully. "You really are arrogantly self-confident. It seems I'll have to defeat you first before I can take them away."
"Then let's try it!" Tony snorted, striking first.
The massive mechanical giant swung its arm down at Pierce. The enormous mechanical palm—several times larger than a human—was more than enough to easily seize him.
Pierce looked at the massive hand descending toward him and smiled indifferently. He slowly raised his right hand and unleashed an intensely scorching flame that burned into the mechanical palm.
Feeling the mechanical components of the giant's hand melt under the terrifying heat, Tony snorted and willed the giant's shoulder to open up, revealing missile launch ports that fired directly at Pierce.
These missiles were not the paralysis rounds used against the Hydra agents earlier. They were Iron Man's micro high-explosive missiles, equipped with devastating destructive power.
Yet Pierce simply exhaled a frigid cloud of mist toward the incoming missiles. They were instantly frozen solid, lost all propulsion, and fell straight to the ground, shattering into fragments.
"Sir, the internal structures and systems of the Mark I missiles were completely destroyed by the extreme low temperature they encountered. They are entirely nonfunctional," JARVIS reported after scanning the wreckage.
"What?!" Tony exclaimed in shock. "What kind of ability does this guy's Gaia Memory have? He can use both fire and freezing powers at the same time?"
"It's not over yet," Pierce said, apparently noticing Tony's astonishment. He raised his hand again, summoning a cloud mass charged with high-voltage lightning and launching it toward Tony.
(End of Chapter)