[Marvel : Spoiling Spider-man] Chapter 221 - 225

Chapter 221: A Real Man Never Looks Back

"This is why peacekeeping forces exist," Nick Fury said calmly, addressing the group.

"Is it still this chaotic?" Steve Rogers frowned. "How is this any different from the war years?"

"Some countries are simply too weak," Hill explained matter-of-factly. "Without sufficient military or economic strength, they’re easily exploited."

"Is there no one to help them?" Steve Rogers asked, visibly troubled.

"There is," Hill nodded. "But how much does that really change? Even if someone helps them temporarily, it doesn’t last. Without strength, there’s no true stability."

"Tony may have solved this one crisis, but it’s only a temporary fix. The Ten Rings might be gone for now, but other warlords will rise. That’s just the reality," Nick Fury said, his voice as steady as ever.

Steve Rogers sighed heavily, realizing the cruel truth.

Meanwhile, former villagers of Gulmira, watching the tragic events unfold on The Sky Screen, burst into tears. The horrors they had escaped now played before their eyes once more.

And those who had perished in the war? They didn’t even have the chance to remember.

[Just as the family braced for the worst, a deafening roar echoed through the sky.]

[The sheer intensity of the sound froze everyone in place. Even the warlord, who had been about to leave, instinctively turned around and looked up.]

[Under the stunned gazes of everyone present, Tony Stark descended from the sky, clad in the Mark III armor.]

[The moment he landed, an armed militant opened fire—but Tony didn’t hesitate. He surged forward and delivered a devastating punch, sending the man crashing into a crumbling building.]

[Without missing a beat, Tony turned and fired a repulsor blast from his right hand, blasting another terrorist straight into a wall.]

[A quick left-hand blast sent another flying, and when yet another enemy took aim at him from behind, Tony spun and fired both hands, eliminating him instantly.]

[But just as he was about to continue, several militants suddenly grabbed nearby hostages and screamed threats.

["Don't move! Take one more step, and we kill them!!!"]

[Tony slowly lowered his hands. The glowing energy in his palms dimmed.]

[But in reality, his helmet was already scanning and locking onto targets.]

[The terrorists didn’t even have time to react before tiny shoulder-mounted missiles popped up from Tony’s suit.]

[Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!]

[With surgical precision, the hostage-takers were eliminated simultaneously. The hostages, momentarily frozen in shock, barely registered what had happened.]

[A little boy, breaking free from his mother’s grip, ran toward his father, shouting, "Dad!"]

[The man, still kneeling on the ground, pulled his son into his arms, tears streaming down his face. Tony walked past them, the child staring at Iron Man in awe.]

[The warlord, who had been hiding behind a house, attempted to flee. He pulled out a radio to call for reinforcements, but before he could—

[CRASH!]

[A metallic fist punched through the wall.]

[His eyes widened in pure terror as Tony yanked him through the crumbling bricks and slammed him into the ground.]

[Tony hovered above him, propelled by bursts from his repulsors. Looking down at the terrified man, he simply stated: "I leave the rest to you."]

[Then, without another word, Tony took off.]

[As soon as he left, the villagers all turned their attention to the warlord. A slow, chilling realization dawned on his face.

[He was completely surrounded.]

"Cool!!! That was so cool!" 2nd Gen Spider-Man shouted, pumping his fists. "Tony Stark is a total badass! Man, I wish I had his tech!"

"Yeah, good luck with that," 2nd Gen Harry chuckled. "That’s a little out of reach, don’t you think?"

"Oh, come on, I was just joking!" 2nd Gen Spider-Man grinned, waving it off.

Harry, however, simply smirked. "I'll have some of my people research it."

"Wait, what? Harry, no, don’t! Osborn Industries is already in enough trouble!" 2nd Gen Spider-Man quickly interjected.

Harry shrugged. "Just an idea."

Meanwhile, Tony turned to Rhodey with a smug expression. "Pretty badass, huh? The way I walked away without looking back? That’s called style."

Rhodey rolled his eyes. "Whatever, man."

Banner, on the other hand, just chuckled to himself.

[Tony continued his mission, moving toward another village. As he flew, the suit’s scanners detected an abnormality.]

[Zooming in, Tony’s HUD identified it—a Jericho missile.]

[Before he could react—BOOM!!!]

[A cannon shell struck Tony mid-flight, sending him crashing into the ground in a cloud of debris.]

[From within the impact crater, Tony slowly rose. The Mark III was damaged, scratches and scorch marks covering its surface.]

[Off in the distance, a tank prepared to fire again.]

[As a shell hurtled toward him, Tony calmly sidestepped. Then, without hesitation, he raised his hand.

[A miniature missile extended from his gauntlet.]

[With a sharp whir, he fired it directly at the tank.

Then—without even looking back—he turned and walked away.]

[BOOM!]

[Behind him, the tank erupted into flames.]

[Tony soared through the air, dodging relentless gunfire. Sparks flew as bullets ricocheted off his armor.]

[Rather than focusing on the enemies below, Tony targeted the Jericho missile instead.]

[With a charged palm blast, he detonated it mid-air.]

[The resulting explosion engulfed the entire area, consuming the terrorists in a fiery inferno.]

[From a distance, Raza sat inside a green pickup truck, watching the smoke rise into the sky. His expression darkened.]

[Back in California, at Edwards Air Force Base, a mysterious unidentified flying object had just been detected on radar.]

["What the hell is that? Can we get a visual?" an officer asked, baffled.]

["Negative, sir! It's moving too fast!"]

["Do we have clearance to engage?" another soldier asked.]

["No! Civilians are involved. We won’t get approval!"]

["Get me the Department of Defense on the line—NOW!"]

[Within seconds, the entire base was in chaos. The radar operator frantically checked for identification.]

["Is the CIA online?"]

["Sir, CIA Headquarters is on the call! They’re asking if it’s one of ours."]

["No! It's definitely not ours!"]

["Confirmed—not Navy!"]

["Not Marine Corps either!"]

["I need an answer!" the base commander snapped. "Get me an image of the target! And someone get Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes on the line—IMMEDIATELY!"]

Chapter 222: Aerial Chase

"Oh, shit! I’m in trouble now," Rhodes muttered, shooting Tony a resentful look. He still remembered the hell he went through explaining things to the media back then.

Now, thanks to The Sky Screen, the truth about the F-22 incident was bound to come out. And those relentless reporters? They’d definitely be coming for him again.

"Hey! I already paid for that F-22!" Tony immediately defended himself, knowing exactly what was going through Rhodes’ mind.

At the time, he hadn’t planned on revealing his identity, which was why he had asked Rhodes to help cover it up. But after all this time, The Sky Screen had gone and exposed it anyway.

"It’s not about the money, Tony!" Rhodes groaned, rubbing his temples. "I—ugh, forget it!"

That accident had made certain people in the Air Force the butt of jokes for months. Fortunately, Tony was both a billionaire and literally a world-saving superhero, so it hadn’t become too big of a scandal.

But now?

Now, he was the one about to be in trouble.

People watching The Sky Screen had already started guessing that the "UFO" detected by the Air Force was Tony. And sure enough, the next moments confirmed their suspicions.

[The "UFO" that had alarmed the Air Force base was none other than Tony, soaring through the sky at high speed in the Mark II.]

[Rhodes entered the command room, where the base supervisor took off his glasses, giving him a serious look.]

["We’ve confirmed the target," the supervisor reported. "We cross-checked every known database—nothing."]

[Rhodes turned to the sergeant. "Any aerial reconnaissance assets nearby?"]

["We have an airborne warning system and a Global Hawk drone available," the sergeant replied promptly.]

["Did this thing just appear out of nowhere? Why didn’t radar pick it up earlier?" Rhodes demanded.]

["Sir, its radar cross-section is extremely small," a soldier explained.]

["So, it’s stealth tech?" Rhodes asked. His gut told him otherwise, but he needed confirmation.]

["No, sir! Based on its size, we suspect it’s a drone."]

[The supervisor turned to Rhodes. "Lieutenant Colonel, how do you want to proceed?"]

[Rhodes hesitated for a moment before deciding to take the direct route. "Let me make a call."]

[Tony, still flying at high speed, answered his phone. "Hello?"]

["Tony! It’s Rhodes!"]

["Sorry, who is this?"] The wind was roaring in Tony’s ears, making it difficult to hear.

["I said, I’m Rhodes!"]

["Speak up!"]

[Rhodes frowned. "Why is there so much background noise?"]

["Oh! Yeah! I’m in a convertible!"] Tony blurted out the first excuse that came to mind.]

[Rhodes didn’t think much of it. "Alright, I need a favor."]

["Wow! Didn’t expect you to ask me for help," Tony teased.]

["Yeah, well, I didn’t expect it either," Rhodes admitted. "One of our weapons arsenals exploded—near where you were detained."]

[There wasn’t direct evidence linking Tony to it, but knowing him, Rhodes had his suspicions.]

["That place is a hot zone. Looks like someone’s helping you clear out your old stockpile," Tony quipped.]

["Why do you sound out of breath?" Rhodes suddenly noticed something off.]

["No reason! Just… jogging through a canyon!"] Tony quickly lied.]

["You just said you were driving!" Rhodes pointed out, instantly suspicious.]

["Yeah, I drove to the canyon first! Now I’m jogging in it!"] Tony covered up one lie with another.

[Rhodes narrowed his eyes. "Are you sure you don’t have some new tech you forgot to tell me about?"]

["Nope! Absolutely nothing!" Tony denied immediately. He really didn’t want to explain right now.]

[Before Rhodes could press further, a soldier shouted, "Sir, we found the target!"]

["Prepare Whiplash One for interception!" the supervisor ordered.]

[Rhodes sighed. "Well, we found a UFO… and we’re about to shoot it down."]

[Tony, still mid-flight, suddenly noticed two F-22 Raptors trailing behind him.]

["Uh-oh… I should probably get off this highway."] He immediately hung up on Rhodes and banked left.]

[The two jets locked onto him instantly.]

["Whiplash One, do you have visual confirmation?" Rhodes asked over the radio.]

["Not sure what it is, sir."]

["Have you attempted communication?" the base supervisor inquired.]

["No response, sir!"]

["Engage the target."]

[Tony, still unaware that he was on the Air Force’s kill list, was busy trying to shake off the jets.]

["Full power!" Tony shouted. The thrusters roared to life, and he immediately broke the sound barrier, pulling away at an insane speed.]

["The target is accelerating past Mach 1!"] a pilot reported. "Locking onto it now!"]

[A moment later, an air-to-air missile fired from the F-22’s belly, heading straight for Tony.]

["Missile inbound!" Jarvis warned.]

["Deploy countermeasures!"]

[The Mark II released flares, confusing the Sidewinder missile and causing it to detonate mid-air.]

[The explosion’s shockwave sent Tony tumbling downward. The pilot immediately reported, "Target deployed jammers!"]

[Still disoriented, Tony struggled to regain control, barely restarting his thrusters in time. But before he could escape—

BRRRTTTT!

An F-22’s machine gun fired a burst, and several bullets struck Tony’s armor!]

[Tony yanked his arms forward, activating an emergency brake in mid-air.

"WAIT! LOOK OVER THERE!" he suddenly shouted.]

[The two pilots, instinctively reacting, swerved away in evasive maneuvers. But when they looked back—

Tony was gone.]

["Sir, we’ve lost the target!"]

["Satellite imaging can’t find it either!"]

["This isn’t a drone!" a pilot said firmly. "No drone can move like that!"]

["What the hell was that?" the base supervisor muttered.]

["I don’t know, sir. But whatever it was… it’s gone."]

Chapter 223: Crashed Whip No. 1

"Where did he go? There’s nowhere to hide in the air!" 1st Gen Spider-Man muttered, scanning the footage for any sign of Tony.

"Maybe he dove below the clouds?" Gwen suggested.

"No! Radar would still pick him up!" 1st Gen Connors immediately dismissed the idea.

Turning to Otto, he asked, "What do you think?"

Otto smirked. "Oh, Peter… you’re wrong. There are places to hide in the air. Haven’t you considered that he might be hiding right next to the fighter jet?"

1st Gen Spider-Man’s eyes widened as realization dawned.

"That’s right!" Otto continued. "A fighter jet’s field of view is extremely limited. If Tony positioned himself beneath the aircraft or directly behind it, the pilot wouldn’t be able to see him."

"Exactly! And if he’s hugging the belly of the jet, that would explain why he disappeared from both radar and satellite imaging."

Otto glanced at 1st Gen Spider-Man approvingly. The kid was smart, but he still had more to learn.

"Yeah, that makes sense!" 1st Gen Spider-Man nodded. Then, suddenly, his curiosity shifted. "I wonder if Harry’s skateboard can go as fast as Tony Stark’s suit."

At that, 1st Gen Connors’ interest was piqued, and he immediately began discussing the pros and cons of Harry’s Goblin Glider compared to Tony’s Mark III armor.

Otto joined in, and soon they were immersed in a conversation about potential improvements and battle capabilities.

[After repeated scans failed to locate the target, the pilot of Whip-2 finally reported: "Sir, I believe the target has been neutralized."]

[Rhodes, however, had a bad feeling. Something told him Tony was not down. Before he could say anything, his phone rang.]

[Seeing Tony Stark’s name on the screen, Rhodes hesitated for two seconds before answering.]

["Hello?"]

["Hey, Rhodey! It’s me!"] Tony’s voice came through.

[Rhodes, unimpressed, threw Tony’s earlier words right back at him. "Who are you?"]

["I’m sorry! Look, it’s me! The one you really want to know about!"]Tony admitted, realizing he couldn’t keep up the act any longer. With two F-22s on his tail, secrecy was no longer an option.]

[Rhodes clenched his jaw, struggling to stay calm. "NO! Listen to me, Tony—this is not a game! You can’t just send civilian tech into an active military zone! Do you understand?!"]

["Rhodey, this isn’t just a suit! I’M IN IT! This is a suit! But that—that’s ME!" Tony shouted.]

[Hearing this, Rhodes stared at the radar screen in shock. The "UFO" was Tony Stark.]

[The base supervisor, who had been watching him closely, frowned. "Rhodes, what’s going on?"]

[Rhodes turned, suddenly at a loss for words. How was he supposed to explain this?]

[Meanwhile, back in the command room, the assumption was that the target had been destroyed.]

["Mark the location and return to base," the order was given.]

[Whip-2 turned sideways, preparing to return. But as he did, the pilot suddenly gasped—

"Wait! I see something! There’s a person stuck to the underside of your jet!"]

[The pilot of Whip-2 immediately rolled the aircraft. Tony, unable to hold on, was flung into the air.]

[Whip-1, which had been trailing behind at high speed, had no time to react. Tony slammed into the jet’s left wing—shattering it completely.]

[Smoke erupted from the aircraft as it began to plummet toward the ground.]

["I’M HIT! I’M HIT! WHIP-1 IS GOING DOWN!"]

[In the command room, everyone froze in horror. Rhodey’s eyes widened in panic.]

[The pilot of Whip-1 immediately ejected, his seat blasting into the sky just before the F-22 exploded mid-air.]

[The once $150 million fighter jet was now nothing more than debris, raining down in thick, black smoke.]

["Whip-2, do you have visual on the parachute?!" the supervisor demanded.]

["Negative! I don’t see the parachute!"]

[The atmosphere fell into tense silence as the realization hit—the pilot’s parachute was malfunctioning.]

["My—my parachute is stuck!!!"The pilot’s voice trembled with fear as he spiraled downward at terminal velocity.]

[Just when all seemed lost, a flaming streak of light shot down from the sky at high speed.]

["Sir! The target is back!" Whip-2 reported, spotting the glow.]

["Lock on! Take it down!" The base supervisor ordered. Losing an F-22 was already bad enough—letting the culprit escape was unacceptable.]

[Rhodes knew Tony was about to get shot down, but he couldn’t just reveal his identity outright. Instead, he subtly tried to intervene.]

["Sir, we don’t even know who it is. We should hold off—"]

["That thing shot down a military aircraft in a no-fly zone! I can’t let this slide!" the supervisor snapped. "Whip-2, engage immediately!"]

[Tony, still diving toward the falling pilot, ignored Jarvis’s warnings.]

["Sir! You are locked on again! Please take evasive action immediately!"]

["Not yet!" Tony growled, focused on one thing only—saving the pilot.]

[With incredible speed, Tony caught up to the pilot, grabbed the seat, and punched through the jammed parachute release mechanism.]

[WHOOSH! The parachute deployed instantly.]

["It’s open! It’s open!!!" the pilot shouted, relief flooding his voice.]

[A cheer erupted in the command room. Even the supervisor exhaled, tension finally easing.]

[Tony, on the other hand, wasn’t sticking around. As soon as he confirmed the pilot was safe, he blasted into the sky at supersonic speed, dodging Whip-2’s pursuit.]

"That was awesome!!!" 2nd Gen Spider-Man cheered. "Tony Stark knew he was a target, and he still went back to save that guy!"

"Yes… he really does have a sense of responsibility now," Gwen murmured in admiration.

The difference between Tony before and after his capture was undeniable. He had transformed from a reckless playboy into someone willing to put his life on the line for others.

"Yinsen played a huge role in shaping him," 2nd Gen Spider-Man said.

"Yeah. Yinsen’s death changed Tony, just like how Uncle Ben’s death changed Peter in The Sky Screen."

"Maybe we’re all the same," he added thoughtfully. "Sometimes, it takes pain to realize our true purpose. That’s how Spider-Man became who he is today."

Chapter 224: Obadiah's Methods

[Rhodes called Tony. "Tony! Are you still there?"]

["Hey! Thanks, Rhodey!"]

[Hearing Tony’s voice, Rhodes sighed in relief. "Oh my God! You lunatic! You owe me a plane, you know?"]

[Tony chuckled. "Yeah, actually, it kinda hit me. Now, do you really want to know what I was doing?"]

["NO! NO! NO! The less I know, the better! But how the hell am I supposed to explain this to the media?!" Rhodey groaned.]

["Just say it was a training accident! Isn’t that what you guys always say?" Tony suggested, smirking.]

["It’s not that simple!!!"]

[One second, Rhodes was insisting it wasn’t simple. The next second—he was already at a press conference, spinning the story.]

["An F-22 Raptor fighter crashed during a routine flight training exercise yesterday! Fortunately, our pilot is safe and sound!"]

["As for the incident in Gulmira, we are still investigating who was responsible and their motive."]

["But I can guarantee you—the government had nothing to do with it!"]

[Obadiah Stane, dressed in pajamas, sat in his dimly lit living room, narrowing his eyes as he watched Rhodes’ press conference on TV.]

[His mind was elsewhere, though—he had already received news that the Ten Rings had suffered a crippling blow.]

"Hahaha! Didn't you just say it wasn’t simple, Rhodes?" Otto laughed. "Looks real simple to me!"

"Yeah! Yeah! Yeah! The media eats up whatever you tell them! Humph! Isn’t this your usual style?" 1st Gen Connors added with a smirk.

Rhodes groaned and covered his face. He was so screwed.

He had just lied to the entire country, and now, thanks to The Sky Screen, everyone would eventually find out.

Tony, on the other hand, was grinning. He casually patted Rhodes on the back. "Relax! It’s not like this is your fault."

Then, before Rhodey could respond, Tony pulled out his phone and called Nick Fury—right in front of him.

"Hey, Fury! I need a favor."

Nick Fury let out a long sigh on the other end. He already knew what Tony was about to ask.

"Damn it, Stark..."

In the end, Fury handled the situation. Tony even sweetened the deal by donating a generous sum of money to S.H.I.E.L.D.

It wasn’t long before the media frenzy around the F-22 incident died down. The military released an official statement confirming that Tony had compensated for the lost aircraft.

And since the event had happened a while ago, no one wanted to dig too deep. If they did, they’d be dragging a lot of people into trouble.

[Pepper arrived in the basement of Tony’s Malibu villa. Before she even saw him, she heard his frustrated voice.]

["Ow! Damn it! Aaah!"]

["Sir! Please refrain from struggling. The harder you move, the more painful it will be," Jarvis advised calmly.]

["Jarvis, be gentle! This is my first time! And I remember designing an easier way to take this thing off, so... it should be possible!"] Tony muttered as he tried to remove the Mark III.

["Sir, please remain still."]

[Pepper walked in, arms crossed. "What’s going on?"]

[Tony, caught mid-struggle, froze for a second before sighing. "You really have a habit of walking in at the worst times."]

[Pepper’s eyes narrowed as she spotted the dents and bullet holes covering the Mark III. "Are those… bullet holes?"]

[Meanwhile, at a military encampment, a convoy of vehicles approached a waiting Raza.]

[Obadiah Stane stepped out of one of the trucks, glancing around with sharp eyes.]

[Raza, scarred and furious, smirked. "Welcome!"]

[He pointed to the burn wound on his face. "This is thanks to Tony Stark."]

[Obadiah gave him a grin. "If you’d killed Tony Stark earlier, you wouldn’t have to live with that scar."]

["That would have been too easy for you," Raza sneered.]

["Whatever. Let’s cut the crap. Show me what you found."] Obadiah’s patience was running thin.

[Raza nodded and gestured for his men to stand back. "Come! But your bodyguards stay outside."]

[Obadiah sighed but waved his hand, signaling his guards to wait. Then, he followed Raza inside the tent.]

[Inside, the wreckage of Mark I stood in the center.]

[Raza folded his arms. "His escape brought us something unexpected."]

[Obadiah stepped forward, studying the remains. "So this is what he used to escape."]

["It’s a primitive version!" Raza admitted. "But Stark has perfected the design. His new armor—that’s the real weapon. If I had a dozen of those, I could rule Asia!"]

[Then, Raza leaned in and tempted Obadiah. "You, too, can own Stark’s kingdom. We have a common enemy. If we keep working together, I’ll give you the blueprints."]

[Obadiah’s gaze darkened as he reached forward, touching the circular hole in the chest of Mark I.]

[In that moment, a realization clicked. He remembered the miniature Arc Reactor Tony had in his chest.]

["In return, I want an army !" Raza grinned, pouring Obadiah a cup of tea.]

[Obadiah smiled, walking over—then placed a hand on Raza’s shoulder.]

[With his other hand, he activated a small device.]

[A low-frequency infrasound pulse hummed through the air.]

[Suddenly—Raza’s body seized up. Blue veins bulged across his scarred skin.]

["T-this... what did you—?!"]

[Obadiah, completely unaffected, smirked and removed his earpiece.]

["This is my gift to you."]

[Then, he patted Raza’s head like a child—before walking out of the tent.]

[Outside, Obadiah’s men had already overpowered the rest of the Ten Rings. They were now kneeling, hands behind their heads.]

[Without even looking back, Obadiah gave his order. "Pack up the armor. Secure everything."]

[Then, in the next moment—gunfire erupted.]

[Obadiah stepped into his car, pulled out his phone, and calmly instructed:

"Set up Area 16 under the Arc Reactor Project. All information is classified."]

["Get me the best engineers available. I want a prototype—immediately."]

Chapter 225: Pepper Discovers the Secret

"He really was behind it all!"

Although many had suspected Obadiah Stane was the mastermind, seeing him in Gulmira erased any lingering doubt. Those who hadn’t yet guessed his role finally understood the truth.

Countless people cursed his name, especially in the main MCU universe. If Obadiah hadn’t been vaporized in the final battle, they swore they would have dug up his remains just to destroy them again.

After seeing Gulmira’s devastation, many curious viewers began researching the real-life conflicts in the Middle East. The public outcry grew louder, and the issue began to snowball.

Sympathy for war refugees exploded worldwide.

Even more unexpectedly, the growing pressure forced several major nations to intervene in these ongoing conflicts. With diplomatic influence mounting, many armed factions were forced to temporarily cease fire.

For the first time in a long time—there was a brief moment of peace.

[Pepper entered the basement, where Tony was hard at work on Mark IV.]

[The moment he saw her, he called out, "Are you free? I need your help."]

["With what?"]

["I need you to go to my office and hack into my computer."]

[Tony handed her a USB drive.]

["Pull all the recent shipping manifests. The files should be in the administrative folder. If not, check the hidden disk—look for the one with the smallest number."]

[Pepper blinked, surprised. "Why do you need to hack into your own system?"]

[She didn’t push the question too hard, though. Instead, she asked, "And what exactly are you planning to do with this data?"]

["Same as always!" Tony shrugged, still focused on his designs. "They’re making deals behind the scenes, and I’m going to stop them. I need to track down my weapons and destroy them."]

[Pepper’s expression hardened. She could see where this was going.]

["Tony, you know I’d do anything for you, but… if you keep pushing like this, I can’t be part of it."]

[Tony turned to face her. His expression was serious.]

["This is who I am now, Pepper. No more ribbon-cutting ceremonies, no more charity galas, no more signing contracts. This is my one and only mission. That’s all that matters."]

["Then I quit."]

[Pepper firmly set the USB drive on the table and turned to leave.]

["For years, I helped you profit from war," she said, her voice strained. "And now that you want to undo it, I’m suddenly supposed to follow you into madness?"]

[Tony stared at her. "You think this is madness? I should have been dead already! But I survived—for a reason."]

["Pepper, I finally understand what I was meant to do."]

["I have no other choice."]

[Pepper let out a deep sigh, then walked back, picked up the USB drive, and held it tight.]

["I have no choice but you."]

[Then she turned and walked away.]

"Pepper is incredible," 2nd Gen Spider-Man murmured.

Watching her risk everything for Tony reminded him of Gwen from The Sky Screen—how she had also risked everything for him.

“like you”

2nd Gen Gwen brushed her hair back, smiling softly. "Because you’re worth it. You’re always worth the risk."

2nd Gen Spider-Man took her hand, pressing it to his forehead. "Yeah… me too."

"Tony Stark is finally realizing his responsibilities," 1st Gen Uncle Ben said, watching Tony’s transformation. "Yinsen’s final words… they’ve driven him forward."

"He knows what he’s doing will put many people at risk—but he still chooses to do it," Aunt May agreed.

"He’s evolving," Uncle Ben added. "From an arms dealer to the hero who will one day save the world."

[At Stark Industries Tower, Pepper took the elevator to Tony’s office.]

[The room was empty. She quickly turned on his computer and inserted the USB drive.]

[Immediately, the security system was breached. She swiftly navigated to the hidden drive and uncovered a file labeled "Area 16."]

[Her eyes widened.]

["What are you up to, Obadiah…?"]

[She clicked on another file— and what appeared shocked her.]

[It was a video.]

[A video from the Ten Rings.]

[The moment it started playing, she gasped.]

[It was the ransom video Obadiah had received after Tony’s kidnapping.]

[Her breath caught in her throat. "Oh my God…"]

[She immediately began copying the files. But before she could finish, a voice spoke behind her.]

["So…"]

[Pepper froze.]

["How should we handle this situation?"]

[She turned her head slowly—Obadiah Stane was standing in the doorway.]

[Obadiah casually walked over to a side table, pouring himself a drink.]

["I know what you’re feeling right now, Pepper," he said, voice eerily calm.]

[Pepper’s heartbeat pounded. She glanced at the USB drive—the transfer wasn’t complete yet.]

[Obadiah sniffed his drink. "Tony always had a way of getting the best things, didn’t he?"]

[Forcing herself to stay calm, Pepper offered a nervous smile.]

[Meanwhile, she subtly slid a newspaper over the USB drive, hiding it from view.]

[Obadiah sat down next to her, watching the screen saver roll across the monitor.]

["When Tony first came back," he said, swirling his glass, "I was so happy."]

["It felt like light in the darkness."]

["But now… I realize Tony never really came back. Half of him stayed in that cave. And now—he’s breaking my heart."]

[Pepper forced a small laugh. "Tony’s just… adjusting. He’ll be fine."]

[Obadiah sighed, sipping his drink. "You’re a rare woman, Pepper. Tony doesn’t know how lucky he is."]

["T-thank you," Pepper stammered.]

[She casually grabbed the newspaper, taking the USB drive with it.]

["Well, I should go."]

[Just as she turned to leave, Obadiah suddenly looked out the window.]

[Then, in an offhand tone, he asked—

"Is that today’s newspaper, Pepper?"]

[Pepper froze mid-step.]