Chapter 174: George, Nemesis of Technology

War Machine was a suit Tony originally gifted, even though it had been heavily modified by Hammer Industries and its system manipulated by Ivan Vanko. Given time, Tony could fix it.

"Jarvis, begin system override!"

"Initiating override… Override in progress… Override complete."

Within ten seconds of Jarvis hacking into War Machine's system, it was freed from Ivan Vanko's remote control and returned to normal.

"Why on Earth did you put the backdoor right there? It's so awkward!"

Rhodey, regaining control of War Machine, couldn't help but complain.

Tony shrugged, withdrawing his finger helplessly.

"Well, it's called a 'backdoor' for a reason. Where else would it be? I didn't anticipate anyone would be inside the suit while I was fixing it."

The design was originally intended for system optimization during lab work when the suit was off, connected via a cable—similar to plugging a cord into the back of a computer.

He hadn't foreseen today's situation, where he'd have to use his finger as a connector to manually access the backdoor and fix the system.

"Next time, I'll move it to the front… though that might be worse. Maybe the back would still be best."

"What's the plan now? Are we going after this Ivan Vanko guy?"

George glanced at the two as they bantered.

Rhodey looked curiously at the wings on George's back before shrugging.

"The issue is, we don't know where Ivan Vanko is hiding. We might need to question Hammer first."

"No need. George is an expert at finding people."

Tony turned to George, knowing about his tracking abilities. If George wanted to find someone, no one could remain hidden.

Just as George nodded, he suddenly turned, gazing into the distant sky with a smirk.

"Looks like we don't need to search—he's coming to us."

"Sir, an object with an extremely high energy signature is approaching rapidly," Jarvis alerted Tony.

Moments later, a humanoid machine, larger than both Tony and War Machine, descended before the trio.

It was Ivan Vanko himself, donned in his Whiplash suit. Seeing his robot soldiers destroyed and losing control of War Machine, Vanko decided to handle matters personally.

The enemy who destroyed his machines was formidable, but Vanko had confidence in his Whiplash suit. Besides, he came prepared to die, aiming to take Tony Stark down with him.

If a god bleeds, people will stop fearing and revering them. Blood in the water draws sharks.

Vanko's goal was to show the world that Iron Man wasn't invincible. If people dared, they could claim his technology and dismantle Stark Industries.

Whether or not Tony Stark died was secondary.

"Don't move. I'll blast this guy apart with my 'ex-wife'!"

Recognizing Vanko after he lifted his faceplate, Rhodey flew in front of Tony and George. From his shoulder, a special launcher emerged.

Having been controlled by Vanko earlier, Rhodey was fuming. The "ex-wife" he mentioned was the strongest weapon Hammer had installed during the modifications: a miniaturized Rattlesnake missile capable of leveling a bunker.

"Ex-wife? What are you talking about?"

Tony didn't quite catch what Rhodey meant.

"Boom!"

The "ex-wife" launched from War Machine's shoulder, hurtling toward Vanko's Whiplash suit… only to harmlessly hit it and fall to the ground without exploding.

"Did Hammer not tell you that it needs enough acceleration and distance to detonate? Otherwise, it's a dud," Vanko mocked, lowering his faceplate.

With a flick of his wrists, two titanium electro-whips charged with high-voltage electricity shot out.

"Typical Hammer—junk tech," Tony quipped from behind.

"Come on, let the world see how fragile you really are."

Vanko accelerated, his electrified whips sweeping toward the trio.

Tony and War Machine quickly activated their weapon systems, launching attacks, but none could penetrate the thick armor of the Whiplash suit.

However, just as the whips closed in, they froze mid-air, immobilized like the earlier robot soldiers—courtesy of George.

"What is this, a lightning whip performance?" George remarked casually.

"This again? My Whiplash suit is leagues beyond those robots," Vanko sneered.

Channeling maximum energy into his reactor, Vanko forced his suit to break free from George's magnetic grip and charged forward again.

From earlier, he noticed George could restrict machines but couldn't completely immobilize them, especially ones as powerful as his suit.

"So long as I maintain enough momentum, he can't stop me," Vanko thought confidently.

"I don't have time for this. Let's wrap it up," George said calmly.

As Vanko closed in, George raised a hand.
"Disarm!"

With a simple gesture, the electrified whips flew out of Vanko's hands.

Before Vanko could process what had just happened, George's palm landed on his armor.
"Mimetic transformation!"

A spell from the apprentice sorcerer's repertoire activated, transforming the advanced Whiplash suit into a rusty, decrepit scrap heap.

Mimetic transformation allowed objects to change form: old cars could become luxury vehicles, taxis could turn into tanks—or, in this case, state-of-the-art armor could be reduced to junk.

Although George couldn't yet create intricate items like tanks or complex armor, breaking them down was much easier.

Advanced technology stood no chance against him.

Tony and Rhodey watched in stunned silence, involuntarily stepping back, fearing George might accidentally touch their suits next.

While Transfiguration could achieve similar effects, it was far more complex. Transforming intricate technology required incredible skill, far beyond what most wizards could achieve. Even Professor McGonagall, a master of Transfiguration, couldn't conjure planes or artillery.

However, Transfiguration could affect living beings—something mimetic transformation couldn't do.

For now, George was the undisputed nemesis of high-tech gear.