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Black Sky No. 16, No. 18, No. 22
Killian's ruthless words sent a cold sweat down Vice President Rodriguez's back.
Killian's exposure had sent him into a panic. He had planned to use Killian to cure his daughter and secure the presidency. But now, everything was about to go up in smoke.
In that moment, he lost control of his emotions, forgetting one crucial thing—Killian was not someone to be messed with.
A gust of wind sent a chill down his spine.
Taking a deep breath, he lowered his voice.
"Killian, I'm sorry. But I need to remind you—if you plan to go after Tony Stark, you'd better do it fast."
"Otherwise, you won't just be dealing with Iron Man; you'll have to face the entire Avengers team."
Do it fast?
Damn it!
Easier said than done, as if Iron Man was some weakling.
But Killian caught onto something.
"Did you get new intel?"
Rodriguez responded in a deep voice.
"S.H.I.E.L.D. has already alerted the other Avengers. Right now, they're all occupied with missions and can't return immediately. But give it a few more days, and that might change."
"Also, Nick Fury has requested Abomination from Ross. Clearly, it's to back up Tony Stark."
"If that happens, you'll be facing Captain America, two Hulks, and the entire Avengers team."
"Oh, and Tony's brother, Ron Stark—he's not just an ordinary guy either. But for now, he's missing."
With each sentence Rodriguez spoke, Killian's expression darkened further, and his confidence in killing Tony Stark dwindled.
Then, when he heard that Ron was an enhanced being, his pupils shrank.
Pepper had been delaying things again and again. Originally, he had planned to go after Ron first.
If Ron hadn't disappeared without a trace, they would have already made a move—and gotten exposed in the process.
Move fast?
Like hell he didn't want to!
Killian's face twisted with frustration.
"Malibu is a rich man's paradise. I can't just waltz in unnoticed."
"I can help you with that."
Rodriguez's voice carried a slight shift, almost as if he was enjoying the fact that he had the upper hand over Killian.
"I'll temporarily disable Malibu's surveillance system."
"I'll also delay S.H.I.E.L.D. from acquiring Abomination for as long as possible."
"And, I'll provide you with a fleet of armed helicopters."
"You and your men can launch a direct assault from the ocean. Once you succeed, you retreat the same way."
Killian remained silent, carefully analyzing the feasibility of Rodriguez's plan.
He didn't doubt that Rodriguez was serious. Right now, they were in this together—if one went down, so did the other.
If they had only conspired against President Ellis, that would be one thing.
But targeting Tony Stark?
That was a whole different level of trouble.
If they failed, Rodriguez and his entire family would be dead.
That was just how America worked.
Tony's wealth aside—
At the end of Iron Man 3, he had dozens of Iron Man suits just for fireworks displays.
Each suit alone had to be worth at least a hundred million dollars.
Meaning he casually blew up billions like it was nothing.
Not to mention, after his Malibu mansion was destroyed—
The mansion itself, his luxury cars, all the high-tech equipment—
The total value had to be over a billion.
And he didn't even flinch.
If that wasn't proof of how insanely rich Stark was, nothing was.
And in this world, money meant power.
That was why, despite having an army of Extremis soldiers, Killian still had to work with Rodriguez.
"Fine. We'll do it your way."
Rodriguez responded, "We start in six hours. I'll have everything arranged."
A Hidden Room
Rodriguez hung up the phone and tossed it aside with disdain.
"Trash. Useless! If I had to rely on you alone, nothing would ever get done!"
He spat out a curse, then walked back to his seat and sat down.
Folding his hands, he looked at the middle-aged man across from him.
"Colonel Stryker, I hope you have good news for me."
Stryker remained unfazed.
Rodriguez's insults were meant for Killian, but in reality, they were also directed at him.
That was how things worked—
If you were useful, you were at the forefront.
If not, you were discarded.
Slow things down?
You're lucky if you don't get killed.
Stryker didn't care about Rodriguez's shifting attitude.
He nodded slightly. "I've already found our target."
"I captured the Red Devil from the Brotherhood of Mutants."
"From him, I learned he has a son—Kurt Wagner."
"I tracked him down."
A sly smile crept onto Stryker's face.
"Fortunately, he inherited his father's abilities."
"I'll use a hypnotic serum to control him and make him assassinate the president."
"There will be no mistakes."
Kurt Wagner—
The future Nightcrawler.
Also known as the Blue Devil.
The hypnotic serum was developed from a substance extracted from Stryker's own son's brain.
Stryker's son was also a mutant—
One so powerful he could even hypnotize Charles Xavier.
Hearing this, Rodriguez's lips curled into a satisfied smile.
The name Red Devil was well known among America's elite.
His teleportation ability was borderline broken—
It didn't matter if he could see his destination or not. As long as he had been there before, he could teleport instantly.
He was practically born to be an assassin.
Even though his son wasn't as strong, he was still more than capable of eliminating an ordinary human target.
"....."