"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!"]
...
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