Marvel: Umbrella Corporation

At Hammer Industries' backstage area, Ivan watched the screen, where Justin was on stage, acting like a clown. A mocking smile crept onto Ivan's face.

However, he soon bit down on a toothpick, casually played with his beloved parrot, and then started typing lines of code on his computer.

As he entered command after command, the robots on both the main stage and backstage lit up with ominous red lights and raised their heads.

Meanwhile, on the stage, Justin immediately noticed the unusual behavior of the robots.

"Obadiah, what's going on? Why are the robots out of control?"

Obadiah, the robot sales manager, quickly pieced things together. His expression darkened as he grabbed his phone and called Ivan.

But Ivan, having decided to burn all bridges tonight, had already turned off his phone.

Hearing nothing but a busy signal, Obadiah looked up to see the robots swiveling their gun barrels toward the VIP section.

*Bzzzzzz...*

A barrage of gunfire erupted, leaving a trail of casualties in its wake.

The crowd froze for a second before breaking into panicked screams and running in all directions.

"Ahhh!" "Help!"

"They're killing people!"

Justin, meanwhile, had already left the scene under the protection of his bodyguards. Before leaving, he threw the entire mess onto Obadiah, asking him to "handle the situation."

Obadiah's face twisted with anger and indecision. Justin could flee, but as the primary person in charge, Obadiah had no escape.

Gritting his teeth, he turned to his two most trusted bodyguards.

"We're going in!"

These two bodyguards were former Stark Industries employees Obadiah had brought over. Back when he made a deal with Umbrella Corporation, he obtained three doses of T-virus enhancement serum.

He injected one himself and gave the remaining two to these trusted subordinates.

Normally, the two served as his personal guards, but with the chaos unfolding, Obadiah decided he had to act to save his reputation—at least to minimize casualties.

The two enhanced guards charged at one of the robots.

*Bzzzzzz...*

The Gatling gun activated, turning both guards into riddled corpses within seconds.

Seeing this, Obadiah shrank back and fled.

"Forget it—someone else can deal with this mess. My life is more important."

In the audience, Pepper found herself pushed to the ground amid the stampede. Surrounded by bodies and choking on the metallic scent of blood, she felt despair creeping in.

But her strong-willed nature drove her to crawl toward the exit, pulling out her phone to call Tony.

........

At Tony Stark's seaside mansion, he was in the middle of researching a new element when his phone started ringing.

Initially reluctant to answer during such a critical moment, he changed his mind upon seeing Pepper's name.

"Hello, sweetheart. How's the event? Enjoying yourself?"

*Rat-a-tat-tat... Boom!*

Gunshots and explosions echoed through the call. Tony frowned, "Wow, Hammer really went all out on this one, huh?"

"Tony, help me! The robots are out of control—they're killing people!"

Hearing this, Tony's face turned grim.

"Jarvis, pull up the Hammer Industries event livestream."

"Yes, sir."

Within seconds, footage of the carnage appeared before Tony's eyes. Bodies littered the floor as robots ran amok.

Tony wasted no time, heading straight for his Mark VII armor.

At that moment, Bruce Banner, who had been nearby working on zombie virus and insectoid gene research, walked over after hearing the commotion.

"What's going on?"

"Hammer Industries event. The robots are rampaging."

Tony didn't have time to elaborate. He installed his arc reactor, rushed to the Mark VII, and began suiting up with the help of robotic arms.

"Jarvis, get me in touch with Adam from Umbrella."

Even flying at full speed, it would take Tony about ten minutes to reach New York. During that time, he needed someone else to ensure Pepper's safety.

The call connected surprisingly quickly.

"Mr. Adam, please... I beg you, protect Pepper for me."

For the first time, Tony Stark pleaded with a stranger, even using the word "beg."

On the other end, Adam's lips curved into a faint smile.

"Since Mr. Stark is asking so sincerely, I'll ensure her safety. Remember, you owe me a favor."

"Thank you."

As the call ended, Tony's helmet locked into place. Blue light emitted from his boots and shoulders, propelling him into the sky.

Behind him, Banner let out a roar, his body swelling as he transformed into the Hulk.

"HULK... SMASH!"

.......

Ten minutes later, Tony and the Hulk arrived at the event site, now a scene of utter devastation. Corpses and flames were everywhere.

Tony quickly spotted Pepper and Luna surrounded by robots and dove in to help. His repulsor beam took down two robots.

"Are you two alright?"

Before they could answer, Tony noticed the armored fighters flanking Luna and realized his concern was unnecessary.

Luna nodded at Tony. "Now that you're here, Pepper is in your hands."

"Wait—actually, can you keep her safe a little longer?"

Tony's gaze shifted to the robots around them, which had ceased their slaughter and turned their attention toward him.

"Who are you? Why are you doing this?"

The robots remained still, surrounding Tony and the Hulk.

Luna gestured for her team to escort Pepper to safety.

As Tony's words hung in the air, a towering black steel suit descended from the sky. The two-meter-tall figure landed heavily, its faceplate sliding open to reveal Ivan's smug expression.

"Tony, I told you I'd make you pay."

Before Tony could respond, Pepper called again, "Tony, the internet is flooded with scandals about your father!"

"I don't care about that right now. Are you safe?"

"Don't worry; I'm with Secratary Luna in a secure location."

"Good."

Ending the call, Tony ignored Ivan's gloating speech and raised his hand, palm glowing faintly.

"Enough talk—let's settle this."

Beside him, the Hulk cracked his knuckles and roared.

"HULK SMASH!"

_______________________

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