I Became Spider-Man's Cousin in Anime Crossover

Chapter 510 [3 Chapters Combined] Military Pressure? A Modern-Day Jia Xu Takes Action

After the impassioned speech, the conference room fell silent.

All eyes were on the Minister of Defense, waiting quietly for what would happen next.

"Based on the intelligence we've gathered," the Secretary of Defense began slowly, "the two suits of armor that Stark displayed in New York Square far surpass any of our existing weapon systems! If we can acquire them and reverse engineer them, we can possess our own invincible steel legion!"

"That sounds nice, but the problem is, that guy definitely won't give it to me."

No sooner had the Minister of Defense finished speaking than the Air Force Lieutenant General shrugged and stated the core issue that everyone already knew.

"He withdrew from the arms market because he didn't want to be a supplier to the military anymore. How could he possibly hand over the core technology? Besides, you said it yourself, the armor he developed is very powerful, and he's incredibly arrogant... If you push him too far, who knows what he might do! He might even imitate Spider-Man and go on a killing spree! At that point, who can stop him?"

"So we can't just take a hard line; we have to find another way to handle him."

But the defense minister had clearly planned ahead, and responded to the air force lieutenant general's questioning without hesitation.

Their gazes naturally fell on Rhodes, who was shrinking his neck and trying to minimize his presence.

In that instant, everyone's gaze, along with that of the Minister of Defense, focused on Rhodes, causing Rhodes to shudder and sense an impending doom.

He had a vague idea of ​​why he had been called to attend this level of meeting.

"Colonel James Rhodes, I've heard you have a good relationship with the Starks, is that right?"

"Minister, my interactions with him were simply due to our collaborative relationship..."

"Colonel, you only need to answer yes or no."

"...Yes, sir. But, I...!"

"I know this is difficult for you."

Unfortunately, the Secretary of Defense, who had already made his decision, did not give Rhodes a chance to refuse from the very beginning.

Before Rhodes could refuse or say anything in Tony's defense, the Secretary of Defense raised his hand to stop him and continued in a firm tone.

"But this is an order, for the sake of national security! We need a suit of armor, a complete, working suit of armor. So that if Tony Stark suddenly goes berserk, no one can stop him! So, I don't care how you do it—borrow, buy, or even… whatever you do, you have to get your hands on it."

Although the Secretary of Defense didn't finish his sentence, Rhodes could tell that the Secretary of Defense wanted to use Rhodes' friendship with Tony to instigate Rhodes to approach Tony and find an opportunity to steal an Iron Man suit.

This plunged Rhodes into a deathly silence.

All eyes in the conference room were on him, like mountains.

Rod opened his mouth, as if to say something, but found his throat too dry to make a sound.

He picked up the cup in front of him and took a sip of coffee. Although the temperature was just right, Rod felt a chill creeping over him.

"Colonel Rhodes."

Seeing that Rhodes had fallen silent, the Minister of Defense softened his tone slightly and continued to speak persuasively.

"I know you and Tony are good friends, so you don't want to do anything to hurt your friend. But that's precisely why you're the most suitable candidate. After all, ever since he returned from the Middle East, he's been highly wary and averse to contact with strangers. Even if a well-trained S.H.I.E.L.D. agent were to approach him in disguise, it would immediately raise his suspicions."

Upon hearing this, Rhodes looked up at the Minister of Defense's serious face. After a moment of hesitation, he finally mustered his courage and responded tremblingly.

"Mr. Minister, what if... what if I said I really couldn't do it?"

As Rod finished speaking, the atmosphere in the conference room instantly became deathly silent.

The defense minister stared at him for a few seconds, then slowly spoke.

However, compared to before, his tone changed drastically, becoming commanding.

"Mr. James Rhodes, let me remind you that you are now a soldier. You should understand that a soldier's duty and personal feelings sometimes conflict... If you refuse to carry out this mission, then I can only conclude that you are unable to make the right choice between personal feelings and national interests. In that case, I will reassess whether you are suitable to continue in your current position."

The meaning the defense minister wanted to convey was quite simple.

If Rhodes refuses this mission, even if he stays in the army afterward, his career advancement will be effectively blocked.

The existing military ranks will also be "reasonably reassigned".

They even tried every means to kick Rhodes, this "troublemaker," out of the army.

For this reason, Rhodes fell silent again.

He knew the defense minister wasn't joking.

He knew the military's practices perfectly well.

To put it nicely...

Obeying orders is a soldier's duty.

The soldiers only needed to obey orders and faithfully carry out their missions.

Those who hold high positions and wield actual power have many more things to consider.

To put it bluntly...

Soldiers who have no use will be ruthlessly discarded by these hypocritical old men.

At this moment, Rod recalled his many years of military service—graduating from West Point, enlisting in the army, climbing step by step from the lowest-ranking private to the position of colonel—only he knew best how much sweat and effort he had put in along the way.

This is precisely why people like Rod, who have dedicated most of their lives to the military and are severely out of touch with modern society, are destined to either become homeless people teetering on the edge of death due to their inability to adapt to the environment, or take up arms and become violent thugs who kill and rob.

This is also why the Secretary of Defense dared to publicly force Rhodes to comply in front of so many people.

Because the army can do without one James Rhodes.

But Rhodes could no longer leave the army.

However, if I accept this task in order to stay...

Rod remembered Tony's face.

That arrogant, cocky, and incredibly intelligent guy, but most of the time, he just makes you want to punch him.

They are friends, friends who have no vested interests and whom you can completely entrust your life to.

Before Tony was kidnapped, they often drank together and complained about those annoying politicians.

Even after Tony was kidnapped, Rhodey refused to give up and continued to search for Tony's whereabouts.

But now, this group of self-proclaimed righteous bastards not only forced Rhodey to refuse when Tony came to him for help last time, but now they're going even further, forcing him to steal from his friend!

It's alright if the operation fails; it only damages the friendship between the two parties...

But if it succeeds...

God knows what those old geezers will do with this suit of armor, or whether it will pose a threat to Tony!

"Colonel Rhodes," the Air Force Lieutenant General spoke, his tone slightly milder than the Secretary of Defense's, "We don't want you to harm him. We just want to acquire a suit of armor for research. If his technology is truly that advanced, equipping our military with it would be good for national security. And if we encounter any major trouble in the future, we can be of assistance, can't we?"

These words sounded grand and dignified, but Rhodes could tell that the core meaning was still the same.

These people don't care about Tony's feelings or national security at all.

There is only one thing they care about—power.

Now, Tony holds power that they cannot control.

Therefore, they must find ways to seize that power into their own hands.

As for whether Tony will be hurt by this, or whether Rhodey will lose his friends?

None of that matters; it's an "acceptable" and "necessary cost."

"..."

Rhodes remained silent for a long time.

During this time, no one spoke in the meeting room; everyone waited quietly for his answer.

Finally, Rhodes slowly stood up.

His movements were slow, as if he were carrying a heavy burden.

"I'm sorry, sir..." His voice was terribly hoarse, but he tried his best to maintain a soldier's demeanor. "I need some time to think about it."

The Minister of Defense looked at him, nodded, and softened his tone somewhat, adhering to the principle of giving a stern warning followed by a gentle one.

"I'm giving you twenty-four hours. You can go back and rest now, and you don't need to participate in today's training. But I want to hear your answer by this time tomorrow."

Rhodes nodded silently, saluted the Secretary of Defense, and turned to leave the conference room.

His back looked tired, his shoulders were slightly drooping, and his steps were no longer so steady.

As the door closed behind him, blocking all those malicious glances, Rhodes leaned against the door, closed his eyes, and let out a long breath.

He stood there for a long time, then took out his phone and looked at that familiar name in his contacts.

Tony Stark.

Rhodes stared at the name for a long time, his finger hovering over the screen.

But in the end, he didn't press it.

Instead, he put away his phone and strode towards the elevator.

……

On the other side of the story, at Stark Industries, the Stark Industrial Building...

……

"What?! You're going to give the Mark II directly to Rhodes?!"

After Riley hung up on General Ross and relayed the military's decision to Tony, Tony pondered for a moment before giving this reply.

This caused Little Chili's voice to rise a few decibels, which was unusual for her.

She put down her coffee cup and looked Tony up and down with a "Are you out of your mind?" look.

"To be precise, it was the prototype of the Mark II, with only the most basic flight capabilities, lacking even an anti-freeze system. Anyway, I'm almost finished developing the third-generation Iron Man suit. Using the technologically outdated Mark II to shut up those guys in the military is a pretty good deal."

Tony spread his hands, looking completely at ease.

"Besides, I can't really let that kid Rhodes run to Stark Tower to steal this suit, can I? I know Rhodes' personality. That guy has probably never even stolen a candy in his life. Asking him to betray his friend and steal his friend's property is worse than killing him. It's better for me to just give it to him and let him take it to get by. Everyone's happy."

"That sounds pretty good, but have you thought about what will happen after you hand over the suit?"

Seeing that Tony was determined, Pepper knew that no amount of talking would change his mind, so she could only turn to Riley and give him a pleading look.

Riley stood up at the opportune moment, walked up to Tony, put his arm around Tony's shoulder, and casually reminded him.

"So? Of course, Rhodes will complete his mission and continue being his colonel, while I'll continue being the world's richest man. Any problems?"

"Tony, you underestimate those old foxes."

"...What do you mean?"

"Don't forget, the military used to go along with your temper because they needed your help and hoped you would continue to provide them with high-quality weapons... But things are different now. You have closed the weapons department, which means you have completely severed all ties with the military."

At first, Tony didn't take Riley's warning seriously. It wasn't until Riley's tone became more serious that Tony restrained himself and asked curiously.

Riley didn't hold back either. He glanced at the Mark III suit that Tony had shown earlier, which had shrunk into the shape of a handbag, and continued.

"In this situation, think about it... what would the military think if you just casually gave Rhodes a suit of armor?"

Tony understood now: Riley believed the military would renege on their promises. He opened his mouth, instinctively wanting to refute Riley, arguing that given his father's achievements and the years of cooperation they had built, the military couldn't possibly be so heartless.

After all, before Tony was kidnapped to the Middle East and completely changed his gender, he was a true capitalist.

Not to mention the countless crimes committed.

However, those who abuse their power and status to act recklessly will inevitably accumulate a lot of dark history.

If the military really wanted to do this, why bother going through all that trouble and having Rhodes steal the suit?

Just like how District 13 arrested the energy tycoons, gather evidence against Tony, then directly use force to forcibly confiscate Stark Industries and force Tony to restart the weapons division, wouldn't that be better?

But soon, Tony stopped again.

Clearly, Tony, who knew the true nature of those old foxes all too well, had already realized it...

They had considered doing it.

It's because Tony has now joined District 13, and Spider-Man is backing him.

"It seems you've figured it out... Well then, let's continue this topic. Let me guess what the consequences will be if you directly give the Mark 2 to Rhodes."

Riley watched Tony's expression change from nonchalant to thoughtful, and then to furrowed brows, and knew that he had begun to seriously consider the problem.

He released his hand from Tony's shoulder and, as he spoke, began to raise his fingers in sequence.

"First, from the military's perspective, since Tony Stark is so generous to Rhodes, giving him the high-tech Iron Man suit so readily, it means that Rhodes is very important to him. This will make them realize that Rhodes is your weakness. As long as Rhodes is still in the military and in their hands, they can use him to threaten you at any time. At that time, Rhodes will not only be unable to get away, but will be even more tightly bound, becoming a tool for them to manipulate."

As he spoke, Riley held up a second finger.

"Secondly, based on their understanding of you, they can easily guess that the reason you were so willing to hand over a suit of Iron Man so readily is that you have even better ones. So they will want more—a second suit, a third suit, or even a mass production line for Iron Man suits—until they have completely squeezed your technology dry."

After Riley finished speaking, Tony fell silent.

He had to admit that Riley was right.

"Then what do you suggest we do?" He scratched his hair in frustration. "We can't really let Rhodes steal it, can we? That guy must be in a terrible predicament right now, torn between military orders and friendship. If I were in his shoes, I'd break down too."

"So we have to help him put on a show."

"acting?"

"Yes, you're right. Rhodes must be feeling terrible right now. In a moment of impulse, he might even confront the military for your sake, putting himself in a disadvantageous position... To avoid this worst-case scenario, we need to find a way to 'force' him to complete the mission."

Riley paused slightly, glanced at the deep blue holographic projection representing Jarvis in the center of the office, and continued meaningfully.

"For example, the previous Iron Monger malfunction proved that your Iron Man suit is capable of remote control, right?"

Tony's eyes lit up.

"You mean... let Jarvis take control of the armor and forcibly take Rhodes away?"

"It's not just about taking him away; it's about making him 'accidentally' put on the armor and then 'uncontrollably' fly away."

Seeing that the conversation was gradually getting on track, Riley stopped pretending. He smiled and revealed the signature smile of a modern-day Jia Xu, and his speech speed increased involuntarily as he began to speak eloquently.

"Sounds good, but how exactly does it work?"

Tony nodded thoughtfully.

"It's simple. Haven't you been busy promoting clean energy lately? I heard from Pepper that other cities besides New York City are gradually introducing this system, and your face is all over the front pages of the newspapers... With such a huge achievement, given your personality, it's only natural to throw a big celebration party, right?"

Since Riley made this suggestion, he must have already prepared a corresponding plan.

Therefore, as soon as Tony finished speaking, Riley naturally took over the conversation and continued to offer Tony advice.

"Then you can take the initiative to invite Rod to the event, as a friend, and be a little enthusiastic. The more upset he is right now, the more he needs a party and a celebration to numb himself, so there's a 98% chance he won't refuse your invitation."

"When the banquet is almost over and the guests have left, leaving only the two of you, pretend to be drunk and drag him to see your 'new toy'—the Mark II prototype."

"Then, you 'accidentally' fall, bumping him into the control platform where he's wearing the suit. Jarvis will immediately take over the program, forcibly put the suit on him, and fly him directly out of Stark Tower along a preset flight path. Of course, Jarvis will 'thoughtfully' provide him with an operating manual so that after he gets used to operating the suit, he can fly directly to the Pentagon to report."

"Of course, before the Iron Man suit is 'stolen,' you can add a real-time tracking and listening function to the suit... Since the military wants to play dirty tricks on you, then don't blame us for playing along and taking this opportunity to plant spies in the army."

"In this way, Rod can comfort himself that it was just an 'accident,' that he didn't steal your things intentionally, thus preserving his dignity and the friendship between you."

"Once the military obtained the Mark 2 prototype, the mission objective was considered complete, and there was no reason for them to continue to make things difficult for Rhodes."

"You can also throw a tantrum and say that your armor was stolen and that you've entrusted District 13 to investigate. This will make the military realize they're in the wrong, offer you some compensation, and prevent them from causing you any more trouble in the short term."

"Since they value your Iron Man suit so much, once they obtain the Mark 2 prototype, they will definitely begin modifying it and deploying it in various classified operations. At that time, the tracking, positioning, and listening systems you installed in advance will come in handy. While obtaining information in real time, you can turn the tables and seize control of their lifeline when the military tries to repeat its old tricks."

"Hiss... My God, losing a Mark 2 prototype gathering dust in the warehouse has brought at least four benefits... Riley, are you really not considering going into business? I feel like you'd be perfect for it!"

After a rapid-fire speech, Tony was secretly astonished. Responding half-jokingly and half-seriously, he suddenly felt a pang of sympathy for his friend, who was deeply troubled by his conscience, unaware that Riley had unwittingly arranged a close friend for him.

After a brief silence, Tony couldn't help but reach out and pat Riley on the shoulder, continuing to sigh with mixed feelings.

"Riley, sometimes I really wonder if you're some kind of ancient monster who's lived for hundreds of years. Your mind is as dense as a honeycomb."

Riley grinned and shrugged slightly.

"That's called outsmarting him, baby."

He mimicked Nick Wilde from Zootopia, spreading his arms wide with an innocent expression. Tony chuckled, but quickly composed himself and fell into deep thought.

"But speaking of which..." Tony walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the brightly lit Manhattan in the distance, "As for Rhodes, are we really going to keep him in the dark as well? Seeing him so upset makes me feel bad too."

Riley walked over to him and stood beside him.

"It's precisely because he's genuinely suffering that this performance feels real. If he knew the truth, he'd be more likely to slip up. The military is incredibly shrewd; if Rhodes shows even the slightest sign of unease, they'll become suspicious. In that case, not only will Rhodes become a tool, constantly forced by the military to do things he doesn't want to do, but our entire plan will also fall apart, and changing Rhodes' situation will become even more complicated."

Tony paused for a few seconds, then slowly nodded.

"You're right. Then... let's keep it from him for now."

"That's right. Sometimes, knowing too much isn't necessarily a good thing."

Riley turned his head and looked at Tony's profile.

"Of course, after you've resolved this trouble, you can find a time you deem appropriate to explain things to him. Given Rhodes' personality, I think he'll understand... well, at most he'll be angry that you've made a fool of him and might beat you up?"

"Anyway, you won't be the one in pain, right? And you were the one who arranged all these plans, so how did it become me playing him!"

Tony complained irritably, but his mood had clearly improved a lot.

"That's settled then. Let's prepare a 'surprise gift package' for those old foxes in the military!"