CHAPTER 435: CHAPTER 435: A METEOR

As a billionaire, philanthropist, genius, and superhero, Tony was someone who loved nothing more than having all eyes on him, feeling utterly uncomfortable if he was not showing off.

During his time with Ethan, having to constantly watch Ethan steal the spotlight was an agonizing experience for him.

Tony simply could not bear it any longer.

He knew Ethan was incredibly powerful, and perhaps many of Ethan’s actions were genuinely effortless and not intended as displays of power, although, deep down, he harbored serious doubts about that last part.

But Tony simply could not hold back any longer.

It had to be his turn now.

Tony’s eyes were practically spitting fire. Ethan, sitting calmly in his seat, made a "please, be my guest" gesture, which finally earned him a satisfied look from Tony.

Secretary of Defense John Keller and Senator Kevin Smith turned their heads to look at Tony, extremely curious about how this man who called himself Iron Man intended to handle the Raptor fighter jet in the sky.

That was not an ordinary F-22 Raptor fighter jet. It was a Raptor fighter jet transformed by a Decepticon. Beyond its parameters far exceeding the original Raptor, its most formidable asset was its terrifying maneuverability. The physical strength of a Transformer was far beyond that of a standard fighter jet, and it did not need to worry about its body being unable to withstand extreme maneuvers.

To put it simply, up in the sky, this guy could fly however he pleased. Suddenly transforming and shifting sideways during a linear acceleration was well within its capabilities.

If an ordinary Earth pilot tried flying like that...

Transformers held an absolute advantage in maneuverability, which was also the fundamental reason why Starscream, a single Decepticon, could wipe out a squadron of Raptor fighter jets in the original film.

Watching Tony don the Iron Man armor, leave the command vehicle, and rocket into the sky, Ethan, concerned that the people in front of him would not be able to clearly see the battle unfolding above, used magic to give them a live broadcast.

As Ethan lightly spread his hand, an incredibly clear image appeared among the group. Everyone was only surprised for a brief moment before quickly returning to normal.

After all, Ethan was a "god" with miraculous abilities, so it was not strange for him to possess even more miraculous methods. However, Kevin Smith, seeing the scene before him that displayed almost all the surrounding situation, realized that Ethan possessed extremely powerful reconnaissance capabilities.

Whether it was his personal ability or some technological means Earth had not yet mastered, Ethan, possessing this capability, could perfectly grasp all situations within a certain range around himself.

Under Ethan’s control, the "camera" gradually zoomed in on Tony, who was rapidly flying through the sky. Only then did everyone finally get a clear view of the Iron Man armor on Tony’s body.

Just moments ago, as soon as Tony’s armor was fully donned, he had already rocketed into the sky. Everyone, except for Ethan, who possessed extremely sharp eyesight and reflexes, had not managed to get a clear look at the details of the Iron Man armor.

What they had not expected was to get such a perfectly clear view of it through this spell of Ethan’s.

Although there were some differences compared to the armor in the comics, this Tony Stark truly lived up to being an Iron Man fanatic. No matter how you looked at it, his armor was extremely similar to the one in the comics, and his flying posture was practically identical.

As Tony caught up to Starscream, everyone began to focus on the air battle.

Starscream, transformed into a Raptor fighter jet, could easily break the sound barrier. Even without considering the inherent ability enhancements of a Transformer, the prototype F-22 Raptor fighter jet itself had a maximum speed of 2.25 Mach (2.25 times the speed of sound).

All of Tony’s subsequent Mark series armors, except for the prototype hammered out in the cave, were capable of supersonic flight.

If not for Ethan’s interference, in the original third movie’s plot, Tony had manufactured a whole batch of armors as if producing them wholesale, including the Mark 40, which was specifically focused on increasing speed and could reach 5 Mach.

As for the subsequently developed nano-armor, although no specific data was ever given, Tony used this armor to chase a spaceship leaving Earth. The armor’s thrust was terrifying, especially its instant acceleration capability, which was practically cheating.

Now, Tony’s nano-armor was no worse than the one in the original movie, and was even stronger in many aspects. This meant that in terms of speed, Tony would absolutely not be at a disadvantage.

And as for flexibility, the Transformer’s biggest advantage, it was also significantly offset when facing Tony in his armor. Tony’s armor had always been known for its excellent maneuverability. As single-person equipment, his early armors were not made too thick and lacked energy defense layers, so he could only focus on flexibility.

One more point: compared to Starscream’s size, Tony was simply too small.

To Starscream, Tony was like a flexible and irritating little bug, constantly circling him and launching attacks that were giving him a headache.

Do not be fooled by the small size of Tony’s armor; its weapons were incredibly powerful. If Starscream took a few consecutive hits, he would not fare well.

What’s more, Tony was also a mage.

The period of aerial dogfighting had not managed to shoot down Starscream, which likely made Tony feel a bit embarrassed. He had come out full of confidence, but after fighting for so long, he still had not taken down a single Decepticon. His "show" was not landing right.

Actually, he was overthinking it. The soldiers below were already stunned. Even if they could not, like Ethan, John Keller, and Kevin Smith, sit in the command vehicle and freely zoom in and out to see all the battle details clearly, they could still see the battle unfolding in the sky from the ground.

Two shadows, one large and one small, were constantly chasing and grappling in the air. Even from a great distance, the continuous sounds of explosions were enough to make these soldiers understand how intense the battle was.

Furthermore, this time the enemy was a Decepticon, an alien invader, so Tony’s Iron Man appearance naturally had a higher degree of acceptance.

"Yeah! That’s the way, kill that damned alien jet."

As someone who had fought directly with the Decepticons and seen many comrades tragically killed by them, Robert Epps firmly supported Tony. Although Tony was also an alien, an alien who liked Earth comic book heroes was far more likable than ones who started a massacre the moment they arrived.

Just at this moment, Starscream, who had been engaged in a mobile battle for a while, realized the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable. The injuries on his body were mounting, yet that little figure had been fighting for so long without even a scratch on its paint. His own attacks were almost impossible to land, and even when he finally managed a hit, it would only cause a ripple on the opponent’s body. It was clear the opponent possessed an energy defense layer he could not penetrate.

Starscream realized that if this continued, he would simply be worn down and killed by the opponent. As the most cunning among the Decepticons, he had already begun contemplating his escape route.

He performed three consecutive maneuvers in the air, and after shaking off Tony’s lock, transformed into a jet and fled straight into the distance. He was confident that if he focused solely on escaping, no one would be able to catch him.

Unfortunately, this time he had run into Tony. Tony was currently brewing a big move, preparing to deliver a devastating blow.

Constantly dogfighting could also kill this Decepticon, but that would damage his image. If he did not unleash a big move to blast the Decepticon into scrap metal, where would the cheers come from when he returned?

Unexpectedly, his big move had only just begun brewing when the guy turned tail and ran.

Seeing that the Decepticon had actually run, the soldiers in the convoy watching the battle let out a cheer. Although it was a bit regrettable that the Decepticon had not been directly killed, as long as this annoying fly’s harassment was gone, they no longer faced a threat from the air, and the subsequent battles would be much easier.

But how could Tony possibly let his prey just run away like that?

The nano-armor underwent a series of transformations, and many changes appeared in its appearance.

The soldiers could not see it, but the few people sitting in the command vehicle could see these changes very clearly.

Kevin Smith, seeing that Tony was not pursuing immediately, felt a bit of regret. If that Decepticon could be killed and its body brought back, he would have achieved a great accomplishment on this trip.

The instant acceleration and maneuverability possessed by that Decepticon, transformed into a Raptor fighter jet, had left a very deep impression on him.

If they could obtain the body of this Decepticon, perhaps they could research and develop more advanced fighter jets from it.

Just at this moment, the armor on Tony’s body continuously transformed. Several propulsion units appeared behind him, looking like wings or antennas. Then, they suddenly erupted with even more powerful thrust, sending Tony shooting out instantly.

What surprised the few people most was that while Tony was flying at such super high speed, the armor on his body was still constantly changing, with many new devices continuously appearing on it.

As these devices burst out with blue-white light, gradually enveloping the entire armor, Tony completely transformed into a massive blue-white ball of light. Then, dragging a long light trail, he continuously accelerated, instantly catching up to Starscream, who had already flown a great distance away.

Whoosh!

Boom!

They could not tell which sound reached their ears first. Even with Ethan’s "broadcast", the few people, including the Secretary of Defense, did not fully understand what had just happened.

They only saw Tony suddenly turn into a ball of light, then flash across the sky like a rapidly flying meteor. This meteor passed directly through Starscream’s body. Starscream did not even have time to react before he was pierced by the meteor, turning into a pile of scrap metal and plummeting from the sky.

The blue-white meteor that had killed Starscream, dragging a long tail, drew a beautiful arc in the air. Then, as its speed gradually decreased, it re-emerged in its original form.

The Iron Man armor had also returned to its initial appearance. All the previously unknown-purpose equipment had completely vanished. The gold and red armor swept over the convoy at a very low altitude, basking in the soldiers’ cheers, then landed next to the command vehicle, which had already parked and was waiting for his return.

When Tony landed, the Iron Man armor made a "hiss" sound as it stepped onto the gravel road. Ethan immediately stopped John Keller and Kevin Smith, who were about to step forward.

"He’s extremely hot right now. It’s probably best if we don’t get too close."

Tony, who had removed his helmet but not the entire suit of armor, revealed a slightly awkward smile. "My apologies, I can’t enjoy your enthusiastic embraces just yet. I need to spend some time ’cooling down’."

(To be continued.)