Steve: I want one too! Rhodes: I'm not the worst off!

"Henshin!"

Those S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were like children who had just received a new toy.

They gathered in small groups, dressed in the armor of ant soldiers or Leo cavalry, and practiced their famous fist and foot techniques.

Some people even tried to cut the Kobe beef with their machine gun blades, causing a commotion.

The excitement was theirs; Colonel Rhodes got nothing.

He held the exquisite crystal glass in his hand, the bubbles inside mirroring his mood, rising and falling silently.

He stood by the floor-to-ceiling window without glass, still wearing his casual clothes.

In a corner not far away, there was a war machine that had been modified by the military industry and repaired by Tony.

Originally, that was his proud partner, his ticket to becoming a superhero.

But now, looking at the energy shimmering on those mass-produced knight belts, and then at his own bullet-riddled metal rig, Rhode felt an unprecedented sense of alienation.

"Are even the logistics staff at S.H.I.E.L.D. better than me?"

Rod chuckled self-deprecatingly, tilted his head back, and downed the drink in one gulp.

If he used to be Iron Man's wingman, in today's battle of gods, he feels like a cleaner.

Even Patton, who wields a bow and arrow, could shoot down a Zeta Swiss soldier with a single arrow, so what about him?

Shoulder-mounted heavy weapons are a joke!

"Hey! Rod! What are you doing hiding here drinking alone?"

A vibrant voice interrupted Rod's self-pity.

Tony Stark walked over with a cocktail in his hand, his flamboyant suit making it hard to look away.

"Did you see that black hole nuclear explosion kick just now?"

"Jarvis said that the peak energy output at that moment reached the critical point for a nuclear explosion!"

Tony was still in a state of extreme excitement and completely oblivious to his friend's tense mood.

"I just had a new idea, about combining black hole gravity with an anti-gravity engine..."

"Listen, Tony, your black hole form is cool," Rhodes interrupted the genius's rambling, "Really. But I might need to take a vacation."

"A vacation?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "Why would we need a vacation? We just saved the world!"

"And I'm preparing to give your war machine a major upgrade, adding a few microreactors and two shoulder-fired laser cannons!"

"And we could go for a cooler color, maybe a bright pink?"

"It's not a paint job issue, Tony." Rhodey's voice deepened, his eyes revealing weariness.

"In this world full of aliens, mutants, and sorcerers, I was wearing that tin can, like riding an old horse into an F1 racetrack."

"No matter how well you improve it, it's still just an accessory to Iron Man."

Rhodes's words were very serious.

Tony's smile froze. He opened his mouth, wanting to defuse the awkwardness with a witty remark, but found himself unable to find the right words.

As a genius, he was used to leading the way, but he ignored the inadequacy of his followers.

"That's very insightful, Colonel. I can't help but applaud you."

The abrupt sound broke the tense atmosphere.

Li Ang appeared behind Rod, twirling a POS machine in his hand.

He leaned against a marble pillar, looking Rhodes up and down with a playful expression.

"Equipment without a soul is like a sheep's head without soul juice; it may fill your stomach, but it's utterly unpleasant."

Li Ang pointed to the war machine in the corner.

"That's Stark's tech tree, not yours."

"If you wear it, you'll always just be the second Iron Man, and a low-end version at that."

The shame and anger of having his sore spot touched made Rod clench his fists.

"Don't misunderstand, I'm here to give you dignity." Li Ang straightened up, a shrewd businessman's smile appearing on his face. "As long as you can afford the price."

"I'm not as rich as Tony," Rod said through gritted teeth.

"Money is just a number; what I value is the desire to become stronger."

Li Ang handed the POS machine to Rod, "Ten thousand US dollars, wanna gamble?"

The noise in the hall had stopped at some point.

The agents, as well as Captain America and Natasha over there, all turned their attention to this spot.

Rod looked at the POS machine.

One hundred thousand US dollars—that was his savings accumulated over several years.

But when he recalled the feeling of powerless spectatorship on the battlefield, and the bitterness he felt watching the agents transform...

"To hell with reason!"

Rod pulled a badly worn pay card from his wallet, his eyes filled with determination, as if he were about to make a move.

drop!

Transaction successful.

"Bright and spacious!" Li Ang snapped his fingers.

Rod pressed the button for the ten-pull gacha machine, clenching his teeth nervously.

As gashapon capsules appeared, he unleashed his full power with an arrogant burst of energy.

Rays of light quickly took shape, with one huge orb of light standing out prominently.

Boom! ! !

The entire top floor of Stark Tower trembled.

The smoke and dust cleared.

Standing before everyone was a dark green rectangular metal box.

The sides of the box are painted with yellow warning stripes.

An overwhelming aura of grimness and iron-bloodedness overwhelmed the previous flashy feel of the belts worn by the knights and soldiers.

"What is this? A man-portable nuclear missile silo?"

Tony squinted, instinctively wanting Jarvis to scan him.

Rhodes, however, seemed to be summoned by some kind of call.

He stepped out of the crowd and walked step by step toward the box.

The moment his fingers touched the metal surface, the chamber emitted a hissing sound as hydraulic pressure was released.

laugh!

The boxes unfolded in all directions.

The contents inside were revealed.

That wasn't a piece of clothing, but an exoskeleton.

No, to be more precise, it was a mobile fortress for a single soldier.

It features a matte dark green paint job, without any unnecessary streamlined decorations, and each armor plate is ridiculously thick.

[Thor's Hammer Powered Assault Armor (Improved Version)]

A line of text appeared before Li Ang's eyes, and he subconsciously read it aloud.

"puff!"

Thor, who was drinking heavily not far away, sprayed a mouthful of beer onto the back of the Shiba Inu Thor.

"What the hell?!"

Thor's eyes widened, and he nearly dropped Mjolnir from his hand.

"Thor's hammer? That's copyright infringement! I'm going to hire a lawyer and sue them!"

"Shut up, Thor. That name is way more imposing than your Meowth Hammer." Natasha rolled her eyes.

At this point, Rhodes no longer cared about the name.

The robotic arm operated automatically, covering his body with the heavy components one by one.

Click!Click!

That was the sound of heavy metal meshing, which sounded even more pleasant than music.

As the final golden helmet closed, a deep hum sounded as the system activated.

"Thor's Hammer System is now online."

The person standing there was no longer Colonel Rhodes, but a steel giant over two meters tall.

Compared to the Stark armor's refined supercar feel, this Thor's Hammer armor is more like a heavy main battle tank.

Rough, savage, and absolutely violent aesthetics.

"This feeling..."

Rod's voice came through an external speaker, carrying a slightly distorted, electrical quality.

He looked down at his hands, which were covered by heavy armor.

It wasn't as bulky as I had imagined.

The technology, called the spinal cord nerve interface, made this half-ton armor his external body.

He casually grabbed a solid steel beam from the side.

There was no sound of hydraulic power being stored; it was just a simple mechanical transmission.

quack!

The steel beam was like a crisp biscuit, which he easily snapped in half with one hand.

"This is what a man should wear!"

Rhodes let out an excited growl as the tactical interface unfolded before his eyes.

There's no nanny-like voice like Jarvis's; instead, there's only a cold, efficient tactical AI constantly updating the data.

Shield fully charged, motion sensors activated, target locked...

"So handsome..."

Steve walked over.

The eyes of this World War II veteran were filled with undisguised envy.

He reached out and tapped his knuckles lightly on Rhodes' thick breastplate, producing a dull thud.

"This is what a soldier's armor should look like."

Steve exclaimed, a hint of fervor in his voice.

"No fancy transformations, no messy lighting effects, it's designed purely for survival and killing."

"Rhodes, this thing looks more reassuring than all of Tony's toys."

"Hey! Old popsicle, you're putting me down!" Tony was annoyed. He came over and circled around Rhodes several times.

"Jarvis, scan the structure."

"Sir, the scan cannot penetrate. This armor is covered with a high-density refractive shield, and..."

"Its power source is not a reactor, but a miniature fusion battery."

Tony's expression shifted from defiance to seriousness, and finally to undisguised curiosity and fervor.

He reached out and touched the dark green armor.

"This energy shield technology... is definitely an alien invention, and it's clearly superior to that of the Chitauri."

Tony looked up at the golden mask, his eyes gleaming with a thirst for knowledge.

"Rhodes, buddy, let's talk about something. Can I borrow your car to take apart tomorrow?"

"Oh no, how about I borrow it for a couple of days to study it? I can trade you my anti-Thor armor blueprints!"

"Don't even think about it, Tony."

Through the golden mask, Rhodes watched his genius friend's humiliated expression, a smile as hard to suppress as an AK.

He straightened his back, and the metal joints made a crisp sound.

"That's a man's romance, something a playboy like you wouldn't understand."

Rhodes turned around and gave Li Ang an extremely hardcore thumbs up.

"This is what I want."

Li Ang leaned against a pillar, shook the cola in his hand, and smiled meaningfully.

"Don't thank me yet, Colonel."

"This suit of armor is just the beginning; there are other rewards here, including a beam rifle, a high-frequency vibration blade..."

"And this suit of armor doesn't seem to allow you to fly."

Rhodes turned to look at Tony: "..."

Tony patted his chest, already having figured out how to open it.

Just then, a white streak of light flashed across the sky.

A figure appeared atop Stark Tower, also clad in battle armor.