Chapter 242: The Incoming Nuke

Just as Gordon reached out to touch Tony, before he could activate his powers, Tony's Iron Man suit suddenly emitted a surge of electricity, shocking Gordon so violently that he shook like someone with Parkinson's before collapsing unconscious.

"You might not know this, but my suit comes with an automatic defense system!" Tony said smugly, looking at Gordon, who was now sprawled on the ground.

This was a newly added feature to his suit. Even if Tony were unconscious, the suit, under J.A.R.V.I.S.'s control, could assess threats and execute counterattacks.

So even though he hadn’t fully recovered from the earlier shockwave, his suit had managed to incapacitate the scheming Gordon.

"Gordon!"

Seeing Gordon knocked out, Daisy immediately ramped her shockwaves to maximum power. Tony was blasted backward, landing near Steve and Logan.

"This Daisy girl’s abilities are pretty impressive," George remarked from above as he observed Daisy’s interventions, which had repeatedly disrupted the enemy’s plans.

He remembered the Daisy from the TV series wasn’t this powerful. However, he’d heard that in the comics, Daisy had even defeated Magneto. He wondered if that was true.

"Hey, looks like the military is here—and being led by someone I know," George commented as he noticed a large group of soldiers, tanks, and military hardware arriving on the scene. Leading the charge was none other than General Ross, whom he had previously met briefly.

"Pierce, along with all Hydra operatives, surrender immediately! If you don’t, we’ll launch a full-scale assault!"

General Ross’s voice boomed from the loudspeakers on the command vehicle, issuing a stern warning to those inside the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

"These guys sure took their sweet time," Tony muttered as he got back on his feet. The earlier blast hadn’t injured him, just pushed him backward.

Due to Hydra’s infiltration of various agencies, both the World Security Council and the U.S. government had initially been skeptical of Nick Fury’s warnings and refrained from intervening in his standoff with Hydra.

However, the commotion this time was too big to ignore. With Fury dead and Tony Stark himself contacting the government’s top brass as a witness, the gravity of the situation finally hit home.

In response, the President issued an emergency order, dispatching General Ross and all available troops stationed near Washington to the Triskelion to stop Hydra’s helicarriers from launching.

As the army closed in, the remaining Hydra robots, soldiers, and enhanced individuals retreated to the building’s entrance, setting up their final line of defense.

"I advise you to stop your attack immediately. The agents who infiltrated here have all been captured, and we have numerous S.H.I.E.L.D. loyalists as hostages.

If you continue your assault, I’ll execute them all on the spot," Pierce threatened through the building’s loudspeakers.

With less than a minute left before the helicarriers launched, Pierce wasn’t banking on his threats stopping the military entirely. He just needed to buy enough time for the launch.

"Pierce, do you think your threats will work on me?"

General Ross sneered coldly from inside his command vehicle and issued an order:

"Launch a full-scale attack. Destroy the entire Triskelion and ensure those three helicarriers are completely obliterated—no matter the cost!"

This was a direct mandate from the government’s top officials. Stopping the helicarriers was the absolute priority, even if it meant sacrificing civilians in the surrounding area.

At Ross’s command, every weapon in the army’s arsenal turned toward the Triskelion. Tanks aimed their cannons, soldiers readied rocket launchers, and attack helicopters armed their missiles.

If everything was fired at once, the Triskelion would undoubtedly be reduced to rubble, and everyone inside—whether Hydra or S.H.I.E.L.D.—would be buried.

"Daisy, stop them!"

From the window of the director’s office, Pierce watched the military’s preparations. Though he wasn’t surprised by Ross’s decision, he wasn’t concerned either. He already had a plan.

Outside, Daisy heard his order. Placing her hands firmly on the ground, she unleashed her full power.

Her abilities, which her mother Jiaying had once claimed were the strongest in Inhuman history, weren’t limited to simply generating shockwaves.

"What’s happening?"

General Ross was startled as the ground beneath the military’s position began to tremble violently. Cracks spread rapidly, and massive fissures opened up.

Tanks, soldiers, and equipment fell into the crevices before they could fire a single shot.

Meanwhile, the large lake beside the Triskelion suddenly split apart, and three massive helicarriers slowly emerged from its depths.

"Target the helicarriers!"

Ross quickly ordered the remaining operational attack helicopters to redirect their missiles toward the helicarriers.

But before they could lock on, the helicarriers’ energy cannons activated. A barrage of concentrated energy blasts shot out, instantly destroying the helicopters and scattering the remaining ground forces.

"Tony, get us up there!"

Realizing the gravity of the situation, Steve turned to Tony.

From Pierce’s hostage threats to Ross’s ruthless refusal to negotiate, and now the military’s complete collapse, everything had escalated in mere minutes.

The trio—Steve, Tony, and Logan—hadn’t even decided whether to prioritize rescuing the hostages or stopping Ross. Steve wanted to save the hostages, unwilling to sacrifice a few for the greater good, especially since his old friend Bucky was among them.

Tony, torn between logic and emotion, felt that Ross’s approach was justified but couldn’t fully agree with it. Logan, meanwhile, was still struggling to process the rapid turn of events.

"Got it!"

Tony instantly understood Steve’s plan. Without further hesitation, he prepared to carry both Steve and Logan to the helicarriers. They would each take one and try to bring them down from the inside.

But before they could act, a voice interrupted them.

"No need. I’ll handle this."

Turning around, they saw George standing behind them, having arrived unnoticed.

"George, you’re here! That’s great!"

The trio’s eyes lit up at his appearance.

"I was worried you might not be able to manage, so I came to check things out. I didn’t expect it to escalate to this level," George said as he spread his wings, preparing to take down the helicarriers.

But just then, Tony’s face changed dramatically.

"Rhodey just reported—there’s a nuclear missile heading our way. The World Security Council has decided this situation is beyond control and ordered a nuclear strike!"