Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1064 The Second Battle of New York (Part 2)

Friday immediately raised his left arm, locked onto the target, and fired a recoil particle beam. However, Supilulius blocked the attack with his thick shoulder armor and quickly closed in. A halberd crackling with electricity swung upwards, accurately striking the mechanical structure connecting the Hulkbuster armor's right arm to its torso. The Asgardian disintegration field on the halberd's blade sliced ​​through the high-strength metal drive shaft at the atomic level, much like a hot knife through butter. The subsequent heavy high-explosive armor-piercing round shattered the electrical wires and other electronic components, interrupting Friday's attempt to throw a punch with his right arm.

Thanks to a drive mode completely different from that of genetically modified warriors, the heavy power armor did not hinder Superuliumas's agility at all. While pulling the trigger to fire the large-caliber bomb at close range and destroy the mechanical transmission structure, he changed his grip, sidestepped to Tony Stark's left side, and dodged under Friday's left arm as he attempted to throw a punch, thus avoiding the incoming heavy punch.

The monarch spoke to the Royal Guard about Tony Stark, stating bluntly that while the powered armor was ingeniously designed and seemingly comprehensive, it couldn't truly excel in any one area. Although it employed a hybrid system of force feedback and artificial intelligence, Tony Stark's armor was completely unsuitable for high-speed combat due to the limitations of ordinary human nerve reaction speed, muscle contraction and relaxation speed, and joint angles. To achieve long-range firepower using recoil particle beams from the palm and micro-missiles, it was inevitably constrained by the destructive power limitations brought about by weapon miniaturization. To accommodate the thrusters, it was necessary to find ways to compress the space inside the powered armor to install other necessary equipment, and no matter how powerful the thrusters were or how perfect the aerodynamic design was, the acceleration had to be reduced to a level that ordinary people could tolerate. To achieve optimal flexibility and easy deployment, the mechanical structure developed many unnecessary weaknesses, which were quite fatal to professional combatants. But the biggest problem was Tony Stark himself; no matter how intelligent he was, he was still a physically weak mortal.

Superulius was faster than the genetically modified warriors. Friday maneuvered the Hulkbuster armor, turning and swinging his arm in a swift motion, attempting to injure him with the high-voltage stun gun beneath the left arm's protective plate. However, the Imperial Guard dodged the attack. Although the Hulkbuster armor was mechanical, it was still designed as a jointed humanoid form to accommodate Tony Stark. For the Imperial Guard, who were familiar with all the world's martial arts techniques, ergonomics was a must. Friday's moves were too rigid and predictable for Superulius. Even though Friday's database contained many close-combat skills, this low-level intelligence completely lacked understanding of psychological tactics in close combat. Superulius deliberately made many feints to test Friday's protection of different body parts, thereby figuring out the Hulkbuster armor's weaknesses.

For others, this was akin to dancing on a knife's edge, but for the Imperial Guard, the Hulkbuster armor wasn't considered too dangerous. Having obtained the intelligence he wanted, Superuliumas, while feinting to lure Friday into throwing a punch, skillfully sliced ​​through the Hulkbuster armor's back and leg plates with his halberd, systematically damaging the thrusters and severing the energy lines of its distributed reactor, guiding Tony Stark toward his inevitable death—a frenzied dance filled with the noise of rubbing metal, sparks, oil, and sweat. He didn't even need to expend much effort to gain an opportunity to disarm the Hulkbuster armor in the same way, crippling its weapon systems. The calming gas released by Friday during his death throes was completely ineffective.

Upon detecting the damage to the aircraft, the hovering support and supply platform immediately launched two replacement armor plates. However, the assault transport boats controlling the nearby airspace shot them down with missiles. Realizing the hovering platform's role, the drones and assault transport boats immediately changed targets, abandoning their engagement with the Steel Legion and instead opening fire on the hovering platform equipped with armor modules.

In the five seconds that Friday managed to engage the Royal Guard with its twisted, sparking mechanical arm, the hover platform was shot down by overwhelming firepower. Friday's logic seemed to have finally realized that a target unit's combat capability couldn't be judged by its armor's functionality, so it chose to immediately distance itself from the Royal Guard, intending to use long-range firepower to wear them down. However, it had barely activated its thrusters and hadn't even reached the height of a single floor when Superuliumas, sensing its intention, suddenly leaped up using the combined power of its muscles and machinery, jumping higher than the Hulkbuster armor in the blink of an eye. Its halberd, now powered off, cleaved into the Hulkbuster armor's wide helmet and fired several shots.

On Friday, Tony Stark took it upon himself to close the Iron Man suit's visor, which had been open, as its mission was to protect its master to the best of its ability. Stark stared in shock at the blade piercing his helmet. The high-caliber explosives firing at close range unleashed a raw, visceral violence that shattered the Hulkbuster's helmet. Shrapnel and jets of metal rained down on the Iron Man suit's visor, the thunderous gunfire and white-hot muzzle flashes striking his face. The feeling of being face-to-face with death left him momentarily speechless and unable to make a decision.

Friday immediately adjusted the power of the two thrusters, and before the bomb could completely destroy the Iron Man suit helmet, it spun at high speed and used centrifugal force to throw Superiorus out. However, Tony Stark did not see Superiorus being smashed into the United Nations headquarters building, smashing through the concrete between the floors, and falling from a height of twenty stories. Instead, Friday's rapid ascent and spinning made him, who was already suffering from a concussion, feel even worse, and he finally couldn't help but vomit inside the Iron Man suit.

"Sir?" Friday, after detecting Tony Stark's condition, immediately took off, attempting to escape the combat zone. It could now only communicate with Tony Stark through the HUD on the Iron Man suit, and administer the necessary medication when its master couldn't make a decision. "Are you alright?" Tony Stark, looking at his Hulkbuster armor with his head and arms destroyed, was dizzy and disoriented, unsure of what he was thinking. "You need immediate medical attention."

On Friday, it calmly made the decision to change direction and fly towards the hospital. It also contacted its bodyguards, Happy Hogan and Pepper Potts, to prepare anything that might be needed. With the withdrawal of the Hulkbuster armor, the nearly destroyed Iron Legion (many of which had their main bodies damaged during the Immortal City's resistance, leaving only a few still-flying armor parts) broke away from the few remaining suicide drone swarms in the Immortal City. The assault transport ship also retreated to the United Nations headquarters after pursuing half of the city to continue its mission.

News reporters, who had been observing from a distance aboard a news helicopter, were like sharks smelling blood, demanding that the pilot track the Hulkbuster armor's flight path. Ten minutes later, news of Iron Man Tony Stark's serious injuries and hospitalization topped the headlines online. Whether there was a pre-written template or the reporters were still diligently writing their stories on the helicopter, the news, half speculative and half observational, was released at lightning speed. Social media was filled with photos of doctors and firefighters carrying Tony Stark out of the Hulkbuster armor lying on the ground. Some highly resourceful reporters attempted to bribe doctors to obtain detailed information about Tony Stark, while others even planned to bypass Happy Hogan's security by climbing through windows or disguising themselves as medical personnel to sneak into the ward and photograph the critically injured Tony Stark directly.

"We see the renowned neurosurgeon Stephen Strange enter the operating room. Dr. Strange, could you tell us about Tony Stark's condition? Is he in any danger?"

"Strange, I heard you once performed a secret surgery on Tony Stark..."

"Ms. Potts, do you wish for Tony Stark to recover? I mean, although you're not married yet, you seem to be the biggest beneficiary in Tony Stark's will..."

Happy Hogan angrily shoved away the reporter who had asked the impolite question, preventing those annoying flies from shoving microphones into Pepper Potts' mouth as she got out of the car. Pepper Potts, looking anxious, hurried into the hospital with her bag in hand, and, guided by Happy, waited outside the intensive care unit. "He's still in critical condition," Happy said dejectedly. "He has many injuries."

Pepper Potts nearly fainted when she saw those pages of medical records. She couldn't bear the feeling of cold hands and feet, numbness in her nose, and constant anxiety. While many might envy having a superhero as a partner, Pepper Potts didn't yearn for that kind of dramatic life. Tony Stark had promised her a peaceful place, away from his dangerous work. Before she entered, her mind was filled with the image of Tony Stark lying in the hospital bed, various machines and tubes attached to him, the air thick with the smell of disinfectant, the piercing beeps of the life-monitoring equipment filling her brain, making it hard to breathe. "What on earth happened?" she clenched her cold hands, crumpling the medical records. "How did he get into a fight with the military?"

Happy took a deep breath and recounted the events in the shortest possible language. Pepper Potts looked at NYPD Commissioner George Stacy on the bench outside the ward with an unfriendly expression. The NYPD Commissioner had greeted her awkwardly earlier, but she had been preoccupied with Tony Stark and hadn't paid any attention to Stacy's greeting.

"Hurry up and check the news?" Happy suddenly said.

"What's wrong?"

"That giant robot is coming this way!"

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(End of this chapter)