Having uncovered the whole story, Tony Stark didn't hesitate to mobilize his influence and connections to begin resolving this matter.
Being good friends with Shi Xiaolei and unable to stand by and do nothing was just one aspect.
There were several other more important reasons that also served as motivating factors.
"Jarvis, suit me up and while you're at it, call Rhodes for me."
Standing on the circular platform specially designed for donning the Iron Man armor, Stark spread his arms and legs while giving his orders.
His nemesis Whiplash—Ivan Vanko—hadn't appeared yet and Thor hadn't been exiled to Earth by his father either.
Since becoming Iron Man, Stark had only experienced two high-intensity battles in total.
One was against Iron Monger and the other opponent was the Hulk.
The former was a purely technological creation.
Anyone could figure out that with Stark capabilities in scientific research, Iron Monger was just a slightly larger toy and absolutely couldn't leave any psychological trauma or instill any sense of awe in him.
The latter had decent potential.
However, because it was the first transformation, he wasn't familiar enough with the sudden changes and Bruce Banner personality hidden within the green body kept wanting to escape.
So in battle, the strength the Hulk could actually display was just so-so.
If forced to compare, he was even less impressive than Iron Monger from the previous encounter.
Neither of these formidable enemies had made Stark feel real pressure or develop the crisis awareness that "the current Iron Man armor definitely won't be enough to handle this."
Without sufficient motivation and since his main project recently had been "surgery and physical recovery" until today, Stark research progress on the Iron Man armor had only advanced to Mark 5.
The various subsequent models designed to handle different situations hadn't been invented yet.
Mark 5 was the portable armor.
During the previous road trip, what was loaded in that modified van was this model.
But now...
The destination was a military base, which housed various heavy weapons.
Although he didn't think the situation would take a sudden turn for the worse and escalate to an all-out fight, what if it did?
To be safe, Stark felt it was better to choose Mark 3 which had higher defensive capabilities.
Under Jarvis control, an opening appeared in the floor revealing two steel "soles."
He stepped onto them, and several mechanical arms began working simultaneously.
Piece by piece, the components were assembled and in the blink of an eye, the lower body armor was completely installed.
At the same time, Stark upper body was surrounded by mechanical arms extending from the ceiling.
Assembling parts, tightening screws—with the subtle metallic sounds of modular assembly and the hissing sounds of pressure release from the drive shafts and shock absorbers during test runs, Tony Stark had transformed into the metallic-gleaming Iron Man.
Though it sounds lengthy to describe, the whole process took only about ten seconds.
Just as the armor was fitted, the call to Rhodes connected.
"Hey, Tony. Why are you calling me at this hour? Don't tell me your body recovered and you want to go out partying again?"
Getting a call around ten at night, given Rhodes familiarity with Stark it was natural for him to think this way.
"Listen."
Without his usual casual attitude, Stark tone was very serious: "Rhodes, I need your help with something. Silvia called me and said Rock was taken away by your Air Force people. I just had Jarvis check—the action squad came from the XXX Laboratory. The director of that place is an Air Force Lieutenant General named Thaddeus Ross. Do you know him?"
"...Are you kidding me?"
"I'm completely serious."
Not wanting to waste time, Stark reiterated his attitude: "I've already looked at the research materials in the laboratory. Their research focus is 'super soldiers.' Remember those pharmaceuticals you bought back? They used them in experiments. Based on my judgment, part of the reason they suddenly moved to take Rock must be because of those pharmaceuticals."
It was precisely to handle procurement requirements from large official institutions like the military that Stark had suggested Shi Xiaolei also entrust the sales of legitimate pharmaceuticals to the newly established pharmaceutical company.
But people living in this world can never escape personal relationships.
It's not that being affiliated with a company name would completely straighten out attitudes and treat all customers equally.
Shi Xiaolei couldn't do it, and neither could Stark.
Because of his friendship with Stark, Rhodes had become the procurement representative sent by the Air Force.
"I understand."
If he hadn't obtained extra pharmaceuticals for himself, the laboratory might not have had the opportunity to use them for research.
Figuring out the cause-and-effect relationship, Rhodes felt he bore some responsibility in this matter.
As an upright military man, Rhodes was never someone who avoided responsibility.
The guilt of having to bear responsibility and his apology to his friend Rock made Rhodes serious as well: "Tony, don't worry. I'm heading out now to the laboratory. I'll call you back after I get there and assess the specific situation."
"Help me stall for a while first—I'll be there soon."
Tony said while activating the armor's jet engines.
With long tail flames beneath his feet, he took off from his Malibu beachfront mansion and in the blink of an eye Iron Man had disappeared into the star-filled night sky.
"Aren't you in Los Angeles?"
The armor soundproofing was excellent, and the built-in communication device didn't pick up the roaring sound from the tail flame jets.
Not knowing Stark had already taken off, Rhodes was still trying to dissuade him: "Your body hasn't fully recovered yet, right? Why don't you wait a bit? Let me figure out the situation first, and if..."
"I'm already on my way."
Stark chuckled lightly: "At current speed, I'll reach New York in an hour and a half. Rhodes, don't worry about me—you hurry up and get to that laboratory to keep an eye on things for me. Listen buddy, in the entire Air Force department, you're the only friend I know who has any real influence. I'm counting on you—you must help me stall them and absolutely don't let them do anything reckless."
"I'll do my best."
"Not 'do your best'—you must succeed."
Stark emphasized his tone: "I didn't think it was necessary before, so there are some things I never told you. Remember that green giant that appeared in the city center last time..."
After hearing Stark account and recalling his own impressions from his interactions with Shi Xiaolei, Rhodes couldn't help but widen his eyes: "Are you serious?"
"Absolutely serious."
Stark said: "That's why I'm telling you to hurry because if a real fight breaks out, your side will definitely be the one that suffers. Trust me, you absolutely don't want to see that happen."