Chapter 19: Dealing with Iron Monger

"Mr. Stark, I wanted to ask..."

"Just call me Tony, no need to be so formal," Tony interrupted Walter.

"Okay, Tony. JARVIS has the authority to access the computers of all Stark Industries employees, correct?"

"That's right. Why are you asking this?"

"The evidence you need is hidden on Obadiah's work computer. You can have JARVIS look into it."

"Are you sure? Would he really be stupid enough to store such important evidence on his work computer?" Tony asked, looking skeptical.

"You can have JARVIS check my statement. With its capabilities, it should only take a few seconds to verify what I'm saying."

Tony remained silent for a while, then took a deep breath and called his most trusted AI, "JARVIS."

[Yes, sir. Accessing now... Evidence found. Would you like to view it?]

Tony nodded, and a video popped up, showing Obadiah Stane's conversation with the Ten Rings members, discussing the capture of Tony Stark. After watching it, Tony widened his eyes.

"The commission is complete. Remember to transfer the payment," Walter said, noticing Tony's sour mood. Even though he didn't do anything, money is money.

"JARVIS, transfer one million dollars to their account."

[Transfer completed, sir.]

Receiving confirmation, Walter tossed the parchment scroll into the air before his points increased by about ten. He then left Tony's mansion.

Meanwhile, as Tony was contemplating how to deal with Obadiah Stane, Obadiah entered the mansion. Since Tony hadn't revoked Obadiah's access, everything seemed to fall back into place. In the end, Obadiah still managed to steal Tony's arc reactor.

Tony nearly died from losing the arc reactor, but the world's resilience allowed him to put on the old reactor and suit up for a showdown with Iron Monger.

Because Tony had hired Walter's team to gather evidence, Pepper wasn't put in immediate danger. However, she learned about Tony's peril through the news and urgently contacted Edward, requesting his help to defeat Iron Monger.

Since a signature was required, Pepper had to wait near the battle zone for Edward's arrival.

At first, Pepper managed to stay hidden, but the fight between Tony and Iron Monger soon reached her vicinity due to its wide-ranging impact. Seeing Pepper, Iron Monger let out a sinister laugh.

"Tony, you didn't expect your little lover to be so brainless as to come here looking for you, hahaha!" Iron Monger taunted as he advanced towards Pepper.

Seeing this, Tony immediately flew over, using his armor as a weapon to shove Iron Monger aside. However, Iron Monger was too heavy, and the old arc reactor didn't provide enough energy for Tony to fight for long. Moreover, his armor was far less durable than Iron Monger's, so it sustained significant damage.

Just as Iron Monger's hand was about to reach Pepper, a voice shouted, "Duck!"

Pepper instinctively crouched down before a figure streaked through the air, kicking Iron Monger back several steps. Taking advantage of the moment, the figure quickly moved to carry Pepper away.

"Ms. Pepper, quickly sign and stamp here. Remember, the commission's payment is five million dollars," Edward said as he threw the parchment scroll into Pepper's arms and immediately engaged in the battle.

"You don't really think two people can defeat me, do you? And one of you is just a regular person!" Iron Monger taunted from his position.

"Whether we can defeat you, we'll find out soon enough," Edward smirked as he took a stance.

Seeing Edward's smile, Iron Monger's anger flared. He raised his hand to strike Edward, but Edward aimed at the joint and fired. The bullets hit the critical area, causing Iron Monger's arm to momentarily freeze.

"This is impossible!"

"There's nothing impossible about it. Your Iron Monger is poorly constructed. Even critical joints are poorly protected. It's no wonder you're losing," Edward taunted.

"I won't lose! I won't!" Iron Monger roared, raising his other arm, with a machine gun aimed at Edward.

Edward rolled to dodge the gunfire, then aimed and shot, severing the ammunition chain and causing the gun to jam. Iron Monger was momentarily stunned, never having expected such a turn of events.

While Iron Monger was dazed, Tony charged from behind, pushing him forward, but Iron Monger braced himself and pushed back up to stand again.

Edward's attack followed closely, with twelve bullets landing precisely on the same spot, creating a crack in the heavy steel plating.

Inside Iron Monger, Obadiah Stane saw Edward through the crack. As Edward gave a slight smile, a gunshot rang out. Soon a fatal bullet pierced through the crack, hitting Obadiah Stane in the forehead.

"Dear, your enemy has been taken care of. Don't forget to transfer the payment to my account~,"

"Huh?! Taken care of?" Tony walked over to Edward, somewhat surprised. However, when he looked at the gaping hole on his uncle's forehead, he got the point.

"Yup, taken care of."

"I've already instructed JARVIS to transfer the payment."

"Thank you, client!" Edward said with a smile. As he left, he tossed the parchment scroll into the air. Watching it turn to ashes, Tony began contacting Happy to handle the cleanup.

"Tony, are you okay?" Pepper hurried over to Tony's side, concerned.

"I'm fine, thanks to you," Tony said, breathing heavily.

Without Pepper bringing Edward, Tony would likely have been killed by Iron Monger, so he was genuinely grateful.

"Reporters are on their way. Let's head back. We'll leave this to Happy," Pepper said, noting Happy's arrival and the approaching media helicopters.

Tony nodded in agreement, and the two drove back to Tony's seaside villa.

Meanwhile, Edward returned to the office to find a gift box on his desk.

"Looks like my guess was right. Only the commissions I complete personally come with rewards. Commissions done by other employees don't. Seems like my damn system is determined not to let me rest," Edward mused quietly.

Although he said that, he still went over and opened the box. Inside was a stack of cash. Edward couldn't help but roll his eyes at the sight, but such were the rewards—both good and bad. He simply tossed the stack of cash into a drawer.

Afterward, Edward locked the door and went upstairs to sleep. At the moment he ascended, a figure appeared at the door, lingering for about half a minute before leaving.