Chapter: 79
"Mr. Tony Stark, please pay attention to what I'm saying!"
In the courtroom of the Parliamentary Military Committee, Senator Stern loudly addressed Tony, who was exchanging glances with Pepper in the audience.
"Well, Senator," Tony turned around and replied dismissively.
"Do you possess a special weapon?" Stern bluntly asked.
In the audience, Mark, sitting to Pepper's left, leaned closer to her and said, "See, just as I guessed, the Military Committee is envious or perhaps fearful of Tony's Iron Man armor. They are reluctant to leave such powerful capabilities in the hands of an individual, especially one who is a wealthy genius."
"But don't worry, I've reminded Tony early on, and he should be prepared for this," Mark assured.
"Hmm," Pepper absentmindedly nodded in agreement, but her attention was fully focused on the hearing. It was evident that she hadn't truly let her guard down.
"No," Tony directly denied in response to Stern's question.
"No?" Stern questioned.
Tony affirmed, "That's right. It depends on how you define a weapon. What do you consider a weapon?"
"Iron Man is a weapon," Stern pointed directly at the core of the issue.
"No, no, no. My invention is not a weapon," Tony insisted on his viewpoint.
"Then what do you consider it to be?" Stern pressed Tony.
"It is what it is, Senator. It's a highly advanced prosthesis. That's the best description I can think of. You know, after the collaboration between Stark Industries and the Mark Research Center, we've become the world's largest producer of medical robots. Iron Man is just a medical product. It's just that I believe its high price would affect its market performance, so I haven't put it on the market for sale. Are you satisfied with this explanation, Senator?" Tony rhetorically asked.
Tony's sophistry caused a burst of laughter from the audience in the courtroom. Clearly, everyone was amused by Tony's shamelessness and wit.
Seeing that Tony was uncooperative, Senator Stern decided not to beat around the bush anymore. "It is a weapon, and for the sake of the nation's well-being, you should hand it over to us!"
"Impossible! Forget about it! Iron Man is me, and I am Iron Man. Surrendering Iron Man would mean surrendering myself, which would be tantamount to servitude or slavery. It's illegal, so the answer is no," Tony firmly stated.
"Listen, I'm not an expert—"
"Of course, you're not an expert. You're a senator," Tony directly interrupted Senator Stern, making a quip.
Tony's witty response once again elicited laughter from the entire audience, and this time, the laughter was even louder.
Senator Stern loosened his tie and vented his frustration. He decided to reveal his trump card clearly. "I'm not an expert! But we have brought in a weapons expert. I will summon Justin Hammer—the current primary arms dealer for the Department of Defense!"
"Mr. Senator, please pardon my bluntness, but I only see Mr. Hammer walking in. I don't see any weapons expert. If we talk about knowledge and understanding of weapons, I think my soon-to-be fifteen-year-old son is more suitable for the title of a weapons expert than Mr. Hammer," Tony sarcastically remarked.
Faced with Tony's mockery, Hammer didn't back down. He picked up the microphone, stood up, and said, "That's right, I'm not a weapons expert. Tony, you are a genius. But Stark Industries, which made its fortune in the arms business, has now created a sharp sword in the form of Ironman, but you insist it's merely a shield. You want us to believe in you and hide behind you."
"I truly wish that would make me feel safe, but unfortunately, we live in a world full of dangers, and Mr. Stark cannot predict every danger that occurs every moment and be there to protect us. That's my viewpoint. Thank you, everyone."
Stern: "Thank you, Mr. Hammer. Next, I would like to invite Colonel James Rhodes to attend the hearing."
"Rhodes!?" Tony turned his head in surprise, not expecting Rhodes to appear at his hearing.
Media journalists who were familiar with the relationship between Rhodes and Tony frantically snapped photos, hoping to capture the dramatic scene of their falling out for tomorrow's front-page headline.
Stern: "Colonel Rhodes, please read the fourth paragraph on page fifty-seven."
"Do you want me to read a specific paragraph? I thought I was here today to give a comprehensive report and not to focus on specific content that may not clearly represent my thoughts," Rhodes expressed his objection.
"Please read it!" Stern commanded firmly.
"Fine..." Rhodes reluctantly read, "As he does not operate within any definable branch of government. Iron man presents a potential threat to the security of both the nation and to her interests. But the benefits of Iron man far outweigh the liabilities..."
"That's enough. Next, I want to play the clips from your report because your words alone cannot vividly represent its content," Stern interrupted Rhodes, denying him the opportunity to continue speaking, and aimed to present a series of evidence portraying Iron Man as a threat, putting pressure on Tony.
Helpless, Rhodes could only nod in agreement. In the audience section, seeing the sudden change in the situation and the development turning against Tony, Pepper anxiously clenched her hands.
"Don't worry," Mark, sitting beside her, reached out and placed his hand reassuringly on Pepper's shoulder. "I'll help Dad. They won't succeed."
"Baymax..." Mark quietly called out, lighting up the screen of his smartwatch, "When they're ready to play the video, release what I prepared."
On the watch screen, the electronic Baymax made a winking expression (≥─●), indicating that it had received the command.
At that moment, the prepared footage on the TV screen of the hearing suddenly changed. Instead of the military satellite footage, it displayed a large Baymax electronic expression (●─●), followed by experimental footage of a massive Iron Man-like robot marked with the Hammer Industries logo going out of control, causing severe casualties among the on-site personnel. And similar clips followed.
"Turn it off, quickly!" Senator Stern nervously shouted, and Justin Hammer hurriedly rushed forward, using his body to block the video footage and swiftly cutting off the TV's power supply.
"Now the facts speak for themselves. Only one person is needed to protect world peace. I will be the most powerful deterrent. As for other jesters, it would take them twenty years."
Tony's words earned him a standing ovation from everyone in the audience section, and Pepper also smiled happily, Mark gave a thumbs-up.
However, what Tony didn't know was that in a desolate wasteland in Siberia, someone was watching his every move in the hearing through a live television broadcast, and their gaze was filled with icy killing intent.
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