~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
read 20 advanced chapter visit my patreon:
patreon.com/fatimasoomro123
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
U.S. Military Base
"General, I'm sorry, but Iron Man's Mark IV armor is simply too perfect. It is nearly unbeatable in aerial combat, long-range engagements, and close-quarters fighting. Even the strongest soldier equipped with the latest exoskeleton and the most advanced infantry weapons would stand no chance against Iron Man. No individual participant could realistically defeat him."
"To beat Iron Man, you would need at least an entire company equipped with heavy weaponry."
A scientist in a white lab coat spoke with a trembling voice. Behind him stood a row of equally dejected researchers.
All of them had their heads lowered like defeated roosters.
Using an entire military unit to defeat Iron Man clearly violated the rules of the tournament.
In truth, the scientist had left one thing unsaid.
Even a full company would probably serve only as target practice for Iron Man.
After all, Iron Man was not some stationary target that would stand there and take hits without fighting back.
The officer listening to the report was General Chris Lennox.
Not long ago, General Ross had been impeached and forced to resign because of the Abomination incident.
Lennox was one of the military's rising stars. Having benefited greatly from Ross's previous promotions, he had now inherited significant authority.
Like many ambitious officers, he was eager to make a name for himself.
When Tony Stark announced his martial arts tournament—with Stark Industries' newest Mark armor as the grand prize—Lennox became extremely excited.
It felt as though opportunity had fallen directly into his lap.
He immediately assembled a massive team of specialists:
Weapons experts Tactical analysts Materials scientists Mechanical engineers Power systems researchers
For nearly half a month, they studied every scrap of information available.
Unfortunately, reality proved far less accommodating than their ambitions.
The results felt like a bucket of ice water poured over his head.
Lennox's expression darkened.
"All available information on the Mark series is right here. We even have battle footage of the Mark armors fighting Iron Overlord."
"I'm not asking you to invent a suit from scratch. I've already removed the most difficult problem—the power source. All I asked was for a countermeasure capable of defeating Iron Man based on Mark IV's specifications."
"That's it!"
"You have hundreds of experts covering every advanced field imaginable. Are you seriously telling me that all of you together can't outperform Tony Stark?"
"And what about the Silver-Armored War God? Tony did it. The Silver War God did it. No matter how difficult humanoid mech technology is, shouldn't it only be one generation ahead of current technology?"
The lead scientist raised his head.
"General, with all due respect, not every scientist is Tony Stark."
"And I believe you have a fundamental misunderstanding regarding the Silver-Armored War God."
"Tony's technology can still be explained through modern science."
"But many of the Silver War God's technologies cannot."
"We can at least understand the principles behind Stark's inventions."
"With the Silver War God's armor, we don't even know where to begin."
"..."
Lennox slammed the door and stormed out.
He was furious.
But deep down, he knew the scientist was right.
Everyone had fallen into Tony Stark's trap.
Humanoid armor technology had advanced to such an absurd level that the idea of an ordinary soldier defeating it seemed laughable.
Perhaps the media had been correct all along.
Tony Stark had never truly considered the military a serious threat.
His only real opponent was the Silver-Armored War God and Fengshen.
The so-called World's Greatest Martial Arts Tournament was nothing more than Iron Man's challenge to the Silver-Armored War God.
At that moment, a lieutenant colonel approached General Lennox.
"General," he said quietly, "I think you may be looking at this the wrong way."
Lennox frowned.
"What do you mean?"
The colonel smiled.
"General, once Tony Stark takes off the armor, he's still just an ordinary man."
"Perhaps you should pay a visit to Alcatraz."
Alcatraz
Lennox narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
Of course he knew about Alcatraz.
The prison housed some of the most dangerous criminals imaginable.
And not all of them were human.
Moscow
Using Tony Stark's Arc Reactor design and the research notes left behind by his father, Anton Vanko, Ivan Vanko had finally succeeded.
He created his own version of an Arc Reactor.
He had also completed two powerful electric whips.
His equipment was nearly ready.
Unlike the original timeline, he didn't need to sneak through the black market to obtain visas or transportation.
Whenever he wished, he could challenge Tony Stark directly.
But that wasn't all.
Ivan also possessed designs for a fully enclosed heavy combat exoskeleton.
Among the blueprints inherited from his father was a project titled:
Crimson Armor
Tony Stark had publicly announced a tournament.
Ivan intended to publicly challenge him in return.
He would prove to the world that Tony Stark was nothing more than a clown.
And that Howard Stark had been nothing but a shameless thief.
He would reclaim everything that had been stolen from his family.
Hydra's Secret Meeting
Under the leadership of Alexander Pierce, several senior Hydra members gathered in secret once again.
Everyone stared at the ruby resting inside an armored case.
No one dared breathe too loudly.
The gemstone was famous.
Legend claimed that anyone capable of wielding it would gain nearly limitless power.
Yet it remained one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s greatest mysteries.
Scientists had spent years studying it without obtaining any meaningful results.
No one understood how it granted power.
No one even understood how to activate it.
Most people who touched it experienced absolutely nothing.
Had classified records not identified it as the source of the original Juggernaut's power, many researchers would have dismissed the entire story as fiction.
But everyone knew the records were genuine.
The universe was vast and filled with mysteries beyond human comprehension.
Pierce knew S.H.I.E.L.D. possessed hundreds of strange artifacts.
For example:
The Cosmic Cube The mysterious Obelisk Countless unexplained relics
The Cosmic Cube had once allowed the Red Skull to create unprecedented energy weapons that nearly conquered Europe.
Had Captain America and the Howling Commandos not intervened, history itself might have unfolded differently.
The Obelisk was even stranger.
It appeared seamless and indestructible.
It could disable electronic devices.
It could even turn people into stone.
No one truly understood it.
Pierce finally spoke.
"The Ruby has been secured."
"Your mission is simple."
"Find someone capable of activating its power."
"I don't care what methods you use."
"Find that person."
"Then defeat Tony Stark."
"And bring back Mark V."
"Yes, sir."
"Hail Hydra."
"Hail Hydra."
The prize of Mark V had become irresistible bait.
The scent of opportunity attracted every predator.
Not only the military and Hydra, but even ordinary criminal organizations had become interested.
Among them was New York's Russian mob.
And unlike many others, they decided to take action.
One of their enforcers was a man named Aleksei Mikhailovich Sytsevich.
After being tempted by promises of wealth and power, he agreed to undergo an extremely dangerous chemical radiation experiment.
Against all odds—
He survived.
After being bonded with a layer of ultra-durable polymer armor, Sytsevich became vastly stronger.
He gained:
Bulletproof skin Resistance to extreme heat Resistance to extreme cold Tremendous physical strength
During one test, he charged headfirst into a building and smashed straight through it.
From that day onward, Aleksei Sytsevich gained a new nickname:
The Rhino.