Tony had no idea how precarious his situation was.
He was exercising, picking up a plate of apples to supplement his nutrition.
Walking downstairs, he remembered to make a video call to Happy.
Happy's identity was quite unusual; he was not only Tony's former bodyguard but also his good friend.
Although Happy was no longer a bodyguard, he served as security director, protecting the woman Tony loved most.
After learning that his girlfriend was meeting with a handsome and brilliant scientist, Tony immediately pulled up Killian's information to view.
Over at Stark Industries, Killian was trying to get Pepper to have the company contribute to his Ultimate Creature project, but as soon as she heard it was similar to a super soldier, she decisively refused.
As the woman Tony loved most, Pepper knew clearly that what Tony least wanted to see was Stark Industries continuing to sell weapons as it did before.
Killian was handsome and rich now, but unfortunately, he wasn't Pepper's type.
Hearing her answer, Killian acted coolly.
"Well, I must say I'm disappointed."
Killian walked out of Stark Industries with Pepper, and he said, "I remember my Father often saying, failure is the mist on the road to success."
He exuded masculine charm. Pepper smiled without repulsion and said, "That's profound. I don't even understand what it means."
"I don't understand either. Maybe my Father was too foolish." Killian bid farewell to Pepper. "We will meet again, Pepper."
This sentence was like a prophecy; Killian wouldn't easily give up the chance to perfect the Ultimate Creature.
He bid farewell to Pepper ambiguously, which left her a little dazed.
The formerly unremarkable Killian now exuded charm like a male peacock.
Happy witnessed the whole thing and felt that his Boss might be facing a cuckold crisis.
As a thoughtful, good friend, Happy had a hunch that Killian was up to no good.
Taking out his phone to photograph Killian's license plate, Happy prepared to investigate.
Driving home, Pepper found the Christmas gift Tony had given her at the door.
A huge lop-eared rabbit plush toy.
***
Happy was indeed a very good friend.
He took action.
Through investigation and tracking, he followed a car to an Eastern Grand Theater.
Inside, a retired soldier fiddling with his dog tags waited anxiously.
Happy appeared here, pretending to be a customer buying sunglasses but actually watching the transaction through the reflection in the mirror.
Savin was killed by John; another Extremis Soldier came for the transaction.
When the retired soldier saw him, a trace of panic appeared in his eyes. "Who are you? Where's Savin?"
"Savin is gone," the soldier said coldly. "I'm here to give you the item for him."
He held the briefcase and said, "Are you sure you can handle it?"
"I'm sure." The retired soldier, who had received Extremis Virus treatment, didn't want to return to his former state.
Getting an affirmative answer, the cold Extremis Soldier didn't speak, put down the item, and turned to leave.
Happy witnessed all of this. Although he didn't know what it was, he was sure it was absolutely nothing good.
"Happy?" A surprised voice came, startling the focused Happy. He turned his head and saw Ferdinand with a lantern in his left hand and a Christmas hat in his right. "Why are you here? Buying something?"
"Shush!" Seeing the man's exaggerated body language, Happy reached out and pulled him over.
"What's wrong?" Ferdinand, as a former New York street hustler, wouldn't be idle with Christmas approaching.
His relationship with Happy was good, well, probably the love-hate kind.
Happy used his identity as security director to pressure Ferdinand, while Ferdinand used his identity from the recycling department to mock Happy.
As drivers, their bosses had this kind of relationship, and so did they.
"Quiet down!"
Happy's eyes were fixed on the transaction. He pushed Ferdinand's dark face away and warned, "Don't disturb me while I'm working."
The retired soldier over there had already opened the box and glanced at the Extremis Virus stored inside. He couldn't wait to leave.
Happy seized the opportunity and deliberately collided with the person, knocking the box over.
"Oh, sorry, let me help you pick it up." The Extremis Virus vials inside fell out, and Happy pretended to be kind as he helped tidy it up.
Hiding a vial of Extremis Virus in his palm, Happy looked up and saw a flash of orange-red light on the person's face.
He was stunned for a moment.
Ferdinand walked over and said unhappily, "You pushed me..."
He also saw the orange-red light, and bad memories flooded his mind.
A look of sheer terror washed over his face. "Shit!"
He had actually encountered one of these monsters here.
Ferdinand swallowed with difficulty, pretending to be calm. "The movie over there has started, let's go quickly."
Happy was also smart. He immediately nodded and said insincerely, "Sorry, I'm going to be late."
He quickly got up and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Ferdinand, as if afraid others wouldn't know how good their relationship was.
Happy glanced at the item hidden in his hand.
Ferdinand was sweating cold and whispered, "Before that monster notices, let's go quickly."
Seeing that Ferdinand seemed to recognize the man, Happy quickly pressed, "Monster? You know that guy?"
"The Boss and I encountered him last time. That monster couldn't be killed even by a car crash, and his hand would grow back after being cut off."
The still-scared Ferdinand urged Happy to quicken his pace.
The two walked with their heads down when a person in front blocked their path.
The person had a cold expression and looked at Happy. "Leave the item behind."
Happy and Ferdinand exchanged glances and both simultaneously punched the person in the face.
"Run!" Ferdinand roared.
He was grabbed by his clothes and thrown, hitting a Christmas tree, dragging the festive lights down with a crackle of sparks.
Happy punched the Extremis Soldier in the face again. He was a bodyguard not just because of Tony's friendship.
It was a pity that he encountered an Extremis Soldier.
Orange-red light appeared on the cold man's face, and with just one punch, he sent Happy to the same fate as Ferdinand.
His broken nose was quickly healed, and the cold man looked at the panicked crowd.
The retired soldier couldn't resist the temptation either. He opened the bottle of Extremis Virus and took a deep breath.
His body emitted a red light, and the retired soldier's face changed drastically; the Extremis Virus was rapidly heating his body.
"No!" His face contorted in agony as he felt Death approaching.
The cold man's expression changed, and he turned and ran.
Seeing this, Ferdinand got up, hesitated for a moment, then ran over and dragged Happy's body towards a pillar behind them.
Orange-red light covered the retired soldier's body, and Ferdinand roared, "Everyone, get down!"
As his voice fell, a huge explosion erupted from the man's body, quickly engulfing the people inside the grand theater.
Those who couldn't dodge were swallowed by the flames, turning into black silhouettes hanging on the walls.
This explosion attracted high attention.
Ferdinand and Happy escaped Death, but they couldn't avoid getting injured.
The two struggled to get up. Happy was not doing well at all because of that punch.
Ferdinand stared blankly at the scene of absolute devastation
When the female driver exploded before, he had fainted, so he had no idea how powerful it was.
Seeing this scene now, the entire grand theater had suffered heavy casualties.
He walked out, stood at the site of the explosion, and saw that only a string of dog tags was left of the retired soldier.
This was something soldiers wore to identify themselves.
He picked it up, looked back at Happy, and shouted, "There's something here."
Happy struggled to get up, stumbled over, and took the dog tags.
The two didn't notice that the cold man behind them was getting up, his body emitting white smoke.
One of his hands was blown off, but it was also recovering quickly.
When Ferdinand inadvertently looked back, the man came up behind the two, grabbed Ferdinand, and headbutted him, making him fall directly.
Happy's punch was blocked, and he was kicked flying, rolling out and hitting a pillar, his life unknown.
The cold man glanced at the two, then turned and left.
By the time the ambulance and fire department arrived, Happy had been sent to the hospital.
Ferdinand's head was bleeding. He was holding his phone and making a call.
"Boss, it's those guys from last time again." Ferdinand's eyes were blurred with blood, and he took a few deep breaths. "Is this considered a work-related injury?"
On the other end of the phone, John asked calmly, "Where?"
"Grand Theater..." Ferdinand finished speaking, he couldn't hold on anymore and was pulled into the ambulance by the paramedics, dropping the phone in his hand.
John listened to the noisy sounds and ambulance sirens on the phone, then hung up and looked at the man sitting opposite him.
"This play is starting to become annoying."
"Wenwu."
***********
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