Chapter 528

The media had descended on Tony Stark’s mansion like vultures.

Iron Man fighting terrorists was the kind of headline that practically printed money, and after Tony had publicly challenged the Mandarin and announced his home address to the entire world, his mansion had become a permanent target for every major news network.

Several helicopters hovered around the property at all times, their cameras trained on the mansion.

But shortly after Maya Hansen arrived, three of those helicopters suddenly dropped altitude.

They leveled out and flew directly toward the house.

When they reached a certain distance, doors on both sides of each helicopter slid open.

Weapons emerged.

These weren’t news helicopters anymore.

They had been modified for combat, and their crews had simply been waiting for the right moment to strike.

The pilot of one of them was none other than Savin, Aldrich Killian’s bodyguard.

Savin wore sunglasses and casually chewed gum as he pressed a button.

A missile launched from beneath his helicopter.

It streaked straight toward Tony’s mansion.

The nearby news crews immediately realized something was wrong.

Their cameras captured everything.

And the footage was broadcast live.

"Move!"

Evenson reacted first.

He shouted and sprinted toward the window.

Tony, jolted into action by the warning, pointed toward Pepper.

The Iron Man armor scattered from where it had been standing in the living room. Pieces flew through the air and locked themselves around Pepper, forming a protective shell around her.

Then the missile hit.

Fire engulfed the window.

The explosion thundered through the mansion.

Everyone instinctively ducked, covering their heads.

But the massive shockwave they expected never came.

Slowly, people began lifting their heads.

Evenson was already standing at the window.

He had raised both hands beside his head, and a translucent blue barrier stood between him and the outside world, covering the entire floor-to-ceiling window.

The missile had slammed directly into that barrier.

Evenson glanced back at the others.

"Interesting. I’ve been shot by alien laser weapons before, but this is my first time getting blown up by a missile made on Earth."

The others finally relaxed.

Pepper’s armor opened around her face. She walked over to Tony and helped him to his feet.

"You protected me first?" she demanded. "Did you even consider what might happen to you?"

Under normal circumstances, that would have been the perfect moment for Tony to gaze lovingly into Pepper’s eyes and deliver some grand romantic speech.

Instead, he stubbornly straightened himself and pulled away from her support.

"I wasn’t in any danger. The moment I saw the missile, I calculated its impact point and blast radius. The position I was standing in wouldn’t have taken much damage."

Pepper sighed.

She shook her head.

"You’re unbelievable, Tony."

"Guys, I really hate to interrupt this touching moment, but could everyone take a look at what’s happening right now?"

Evenson turned his head while maintaining the barrier.

His expression was one of profound exasperation.

They were under attack.

Actual helicopters were firing missiles at the house.

And these two were somehow still having a relationship moment.

"Get out of here!"

Holmes was the first to recover.

He shouted toward the entrance, grabbed Watson by the arm, and ran.

Everyone else followed immediately.

Once they had put some distance between themselves and the mansion, the armor covering Pepper detached piece by piece and flew back toward Tony.

With Evenson’s barrier protecting the house, their immediate evacuation was relatively safe.

That left only one problem.

The annoying flies outside.

The attack continued.

Unfortunately for Savin and his men, their helicopters had originally been news aircraft. Even after modification, they could carry only a limited supply of missiles.

They quickly exhausted their ammunition.

So they switched to their Gatling guns.

Thousands of rounds hammered into Evenson’s barrier, producing a constant metallic roar.

Evenson watched the bullets bounce harmlessly away.

"Hmm."

He looked toward Tony, who was now fully armored.

"You look awfully serious."

As he spoke, the Corruptor’s Regalia materialized around his body.

Maya happened to glance back just as the transformation finished.

Her eyes widened.

Another Avenger?

Tony gave Evenson an incredulous look.

"And what exactly are you planning to do?"

Evenson smiled.

"Me? I’m going to show you what real art looks like."

He raised both hands, fingers curling like claws.

Then he thrust them toward the helicopters and clenched his fists.

"Art is explosion!"

His voice thundered across the room.

"Burn!"

The two helicopters flanking Savin’s craft exploded simultaneously.

The blasts were spectacular.

They made the missile strike look tame.

From the beginning of the attack, Evenson had sensed something unusual aboard all three helicopters.

Each one contained an extremely dangerous, highly combustible presence.

It wasn’t their ammunition.

It was alive.

A person.

One of Killian’s little experiments.

His Extremis subjects.

This time, Evenson didn’t have to hold back.

He had cast Immolate on two of them.

As expected, the energy inside those so-called ultimate lifeforms immediately exceeded its critical threshold.

They detonated in spectacular fashion.

Evenson deliberately left the center helicopter alone.

Not because he was merciful.

There was no need.

Imagine discovering a three-thousand-degree explosion had suddenly erupted beside you.

Now imagine another three-thousand-degree explosion erupting on your other side.

Savin had been unfortunate enough to be caught directly between the two.

His fate was obvious.

"Heroic Strike!"

Evenson dismissed the barrier and was just about to enjoy the results when the ground beneath his feet suddenly shook.

Dust sifted from the ceiling.

Evenson looked up.

Then he turned toward Tony.

"Hey, buddy. Any regrets about building your house on the edge of a cliff?"

Tony stared at him.

The answer became obvious almost immediately.

The foundation was collapsing.

The missiles hadn’t all struck Evenson’s barrier. Several had hit the support structures beneath the mansion.

At least half the building was now sliding toward the cliff.

Tony rubbed his forehead.

"Next time, I’m building on flat ground."

Then he shouted:

"JARVIS! Get me out of here!"

The Iron Man armor propelled him straight through the mansion and into the sky.

Evenson watched him disappear.

"Just like that?"

He shook his head.

Then he activated Fel Rush and shot out of the collapsing mansion.

Pepper was waiting outside.

The moment she saw Evenson emerge alone, her expression tightened.

"Where’s Tony?"

"He should be heading to Tennessee," Evenson replied. "That’s the last flight plan he programmed. JARVIS probably took him there."

Pepper exhaled in relief.

"Thank God."

Then she looked at Evenson.

Before she could say anything, he raised a hand.

"I know. I’m going to save my paycheck."

Evenson turned and walked away.

At the same time, he sent a message through the mental link.

Black Widow, Umbrella operative. Assemble suitable personnel and proceed to Tennessee immediately. Bring the necessary equipment.

Operation code name: Venice.