Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1060, Section 1056: An Unexpected Twist (Second Update)

Since the Battle of New York, Manhattan has been undergoing reconstruction. However, due to the danger posed by the alien artifacts and the extent of the damage to buildings, reconstruction has progressed slowly. Tony Stark formed a reconstruction task force with the Department of Defense, the FBI, the CDC, the Army Infectious Disease Research Center, several insurance companies, and top commercial law firms. This temporary, semi-official, semi-private committee is busy every day identifying newly unearthed alien artifacts, determining the transmission routes and scope of alien viruses, assessing damages, and negotiating compensation amounts. Even now, an area near Avengers Tower and Grand Central Station remains in ruins because the Supreme Court has not yet ruled on the responsibility of the Avengers and Tony Stark in the Battle of New York. As a result, numerous private and official lawsuits continue to this day.

Colonel Rhodes told him that the U.S. Air Force had driven NYPD and media helicopters away from the vicinity of the United Nations headquarters, and that Tony Stark could use any means he knew to rescue the hostages. Secretary of State General Ross, through Colonel Rhodes, told Tony Stark that this was a milestone in advancing the Sokovia Accords, and that if Tony Stark's mission that night succeeded, it would push the United States to bring a treaty similar to the Sokovia Accords to the forefront, formalizing the activities of power-enhancing entities on the international stage.

"The target isn't the representatives of the UN Security Council, but the members of the Foreign Relations Committee," Colonel Rhodes said irritably. "None of us know why people from JPMorgan Chase and Rockefeller happen to be at UN headquarters today. Let me see the list… and there's the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Center for International Governance Innovation, the Executive Fellow of International and National Security Law at the Council on Foreign Relations, the Global Issues Department of the German Institute for International and Security Affairs… Shit! How come all these rich people and bureaucrats have arranged to have dinner together at the UN today? Former UN Security Council member Gideon Malik is there too, and the Secretary of State has asked you to make sure his safety is secure! The President has also requested this; this guy has good relationships with the Vice President and the Republican candidate."

Tony Stark considered it for a moment, but ultimately decided not to tell Colonel Rhodes the truth. While his political acumen wasn't particularly sharp, he could still discern from the information given on Friday that there was a driving force behind the UN resolution. If he revealed the trigger for the war to Colonel Rhodes, it could potentially damage the confidence of the American soldier. In fact, Salomon's scathing rebuke at MIT had deeply shaken Tony Stark. He knew that his past actions of flying to Afghanistan to "punish evil and promote good" were merely addressing the surface problems; no matter how many jihadist terrorists he killed, it wouldn't solve the real issues. However, this didn't mean he approved of Salomon's methods.

He knew why Salomon wanted to do this, but he thought it was too radical, and he couldn't guarantee that Salomon, having tasted power, wouldn't relinquish it or maintain his noble ideals once the project was nearing completion. Or perhaps he simply couldn't understand the impact ideals had on a person, just as he didn't understand the consequences of shouldering the mission of "world security." Salomon had told him long ago that this wasn't a task a human soul could undertake; his powerful will to bear sin didn't mean Tony Stark did.

"Mr. Stark! Mr. Stark!"

"Friday……"

"No, sir, it's Peter Parker."

"Mr. Stark, need any help?" The boy, already dressed in his Spider-Man suit, waved and shouted into his phone from the rooftop of the Hilton Millennium Hotel. He was overjoyed to see Tony Stark again in such a short time. He had rushed over as soon as he saw the news, hoping to see his idol here. "Wow, those robots are so cool! But they seem pretty unfriendly! Mr. Stark, is that your robot?"

"I hear a child's voice! Tony, where are you?"

"Oh! I have to deal with this, I'm hanging up now!" Tony Stark blinked and ended the UN's internal speech about "the fate of humanity after a peace treaty cannot be signed, and Latovinia's willingness to kill anyone who tries to surrender to the aliens"—this speech had also been broadcast, and now the whole world knew the location of the alien fleet—and hung up the phone prematurely despite Colonel Rhodes's objections, intending to take action to stop the young man's foolish behavior. However, Peter Parker's actions were still detected by the suicide drones roaming nearby. After spotting the high-risk target, only the palm-sized, B-52 bomber-shaped black drones retracted their wings and silently swooped down towards Peter Parker under the cover of night.

The fuse and detection radar of the high-explosive armor-piercing warhead mounted on the drone's nose were retracting at an alarming rate, waiting to approach the target and detonate. Upon discovering this, Tony Stark did not hesitate to activate the miniature missile launchers hidden on his back. Several gleaming miniature missiles whistled and, guided by his Iron Man suit, flew precisely toward the diving miniature drone.

Several drones that were patrolling nearby also rushed over and collided with the intercepting micro-missiles.

At that moment, Peter Parker finally realized the consequences of his foolish actions. Instinctively, he used the ejected fibers to pull himself away, dodging the shrapnel from the explosion with a series of tense but fluid movements. Although the drone was intercepted and the deadly metal jet from the warhead explosion was still some distance away, the thousands of high-speed metal fragments flying aimlessly still caused considerable damage. No matter how quick Peter Parker's reaction was or how much his subconscious tried to minimize the damage, he was still cut through his skin and muscles by several high-speed fragments.

Just a second later, Tony Stark, who had rushed to the top floor of the Hilton Millennium Hotel, saw Peter Parker lying on the floor, covered in blood. He saw a piece of skin torn from the boy's thigh, tattered red and blue fabric mixed with the flowing blood, and a wound that snaked from the back of his left hand to his forearm, a small metal shard embedded at a ninety-degree angle in his limb. Peter Parker seemed oblivious to what had just happened, staring blankly at the spot where the explosion had occurred. He hadn't even felt pain; the shockwave had made him dizzy. Even when he saw his wounds, he still couldn't believe he had been injured.

Tony Stark panicked. He immediately lunged forward, spraying the wounds with the cold-water spray from his wrist. "Friday!" he yelled. There were many wounds, varying in depth, but a quick check revealed that Peter Parker's vital organs were unharmed. Tony Stark's emergency measures helped stop the bleeding from Peter Parker's deepest wounds, but many shrapnel fragments from the drones and micro-missiles were embedded in his flesh. This was because Peter Parker's subconscious, realizing he couldn't dodge, had used his limbs to block what would have been fatal attacks. "Check on him. Hey kid, where else are you hurt? It's okay, you won't die, I'm here, okay?"

"But May will find out..." Peter Parker gradually became incoherent, the pain in his body beginning to affect his consciousness.

"I'll make up an excuse for you, don't worry." Tony Stark didn't tell him about Peter Parker's massive blood loss, nor did he let the boy see the pool of blood at his feet. "You'll recover quickly, I promise."

"Rapid diagnostic results and estimates: flexor digitorum profundus, radial artery... sir!" Friday suddenly raised his voice, the AI ​​showing panic for the first time. "The other party's AI is exhibiting extremely strong hostility; they intend to attack!"

The explosion near the Hilton Millennium Hotel inevitably ignited an already tense situation. The war machine standing in the United Nations headquarters plaza, amidst a deafening roar, activated the massive cannon mounted on the right shoulder armor, swiftly aiming at the top floor of the Hilton Millennium Hotel to the upper right. Friday's warning had alerted Tony Stark. He quickly treated Peter Parker's wounds, helped him sit on the air conditioner unit, and immediately stood up, reaching the edge of the hotel's top floor. Tony Stark took a deep breath, removed his helmet, and placed it at his feet. He opened his arms and stepped out of his Iron Man suit.

"I surrender! Listen to me, you bastard, I surrender!" he yelled. The cold wind from the high-rise building chilled him to the bone, as he was only wearing a vest and shorts. "Let me take him to the hospital! If you stop me, you'll be held responsible! You hear me?"

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(End of this chapter)