Tony moved swiftly. Just as John keller had predicted, through Stark Industries connections within the military, he sought to uncover the real situation of the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes.
However, with John keller and others deliberately withholding information, Stark Industries did not get the truth they sought. The unified response they received was that the Winter Soldier had died in prison.
Tony was expressionless. He naturally felt this was improbable.
The Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes, alive, would be more valuable than dead. As a former comrade of Captain America, if the brainwashed Bucky could be turned into an ally, not only would the military gain an extraordinary asset, but they could also use Bucky to re-establish ties with Captain America, who had grown distant over the past seventy years.
Given these circumstances and premises, the military would under no circumstances let Bucky die. So, through this probe of the military, Tony affirmed that the military had long known that his parents, the Howards, died in an incident related to the Winter Soldier. They simply chose, for their own interests, not to inform him and opted to keep it hidden.
"Interests above all..." Tony inhaled deeply, his bandaged hand clenched so tightly that the bandage soaked with blood, yet he ignored the pain. His eyes, fierce and filled with hatred, lost all sensation of pain, perhaps even seeking through the pain to gain clarity.
"Captain..." Tony thought of his current comrade, Captain America, Steve Rogers.
Rogers and Bucky were friends. That was an evident fact. Their relationship went beyond ordinary—they were childhood friends and comrades, supporting each other from youth until they were both hailed as heroes.
Although Steve Rogers, Captain America, had a more luminous presence than Bucky Barnes, the latter brilliance could not be overshadowed by the former.
Seventy years later, would Captain America conceal the truth from his current comrades for his former comrade?
Did Captain America know the truth about this matter?
Many thoughts flashed through Tony mind. At this moment, he was unwilling to trust anyone.
As he pondered, he finally looked at the table in front of him and slowly spoke.
"Jarvis, send a communication request to the Captain."
"Understood," Jarvis responded.
Shortly after, Captain America, Steve Rogers, received a call from Tony.
"Tony, what the matter?"
On the phone, Rogers spoke calmly, his tone tinged with a hint of confusion.
Tony squinted slightly.
After realizing the truth, he could discern some things more clearly.
From the captain tone, there didn't seem to be any barrier concerning him.
Could it really be that the captain knew nothing?
"Captain, do you know about the Winter Soldier?"
Tony thought for a moment, not intending to beat around the bush but to discuss things openly.
"Of course."
Rogers shook his head, "A Hydra assassin, a very capable guy. But, wasn't he defeated by the Avengers and taken prisoner by the military? Why do you bring him up?"
"It related to some matters."
Tony began slowly, holding back his emotions, "Besides, there another question, captain. Are you aware of Bucky Barnes?"
"Hmm?"
Rogers was surprised, frowning, "Tony, what exactly are you trying to say? Of course, I know Bucky."
"So, that my question. Is Bucky still alive?"
Tony pressed on.
Rogers fell silent for a moment, not answering but instead asked, "Tony, you seem off today."
"No need to say more."
Tony was disappointed, saying, "I already know the answer."
The call was abruptly cut off by Tony.
On the other end of the phone, in Washington, Captain America, Steve Rogers, clearly sensed that something was wrong.
Tony had made a voice call, and he couldn't see Tony expression.
But just from the tone of his voice, it was apparent that Tony emotions were unstable during the call, as if he was suppressing something.
Rogers vaguely guessed it was extreme anger.
Anger? Why was Tony angry?
"Bucky?"
Rogers furrowed his brows.
He glanced at the time, picked up his phone, and quickly rushed out of his apartment, heading to the headquarters building of the special forces, which was the former S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.
Tony focus in their conversation was on Bucky and the Winter Soldier.
With Rogers intelligence, he had pieced together these two identities after Tony hints.
He guessed that Bucky might indeed be the Winter Soldier.
The reason Bucky could live from the last century to today and still maintain a youthful appearance like himself was mostly related to Hydra.
But why Tony brought up Bucky and the Winter Soldier, Rogers still couldn't figure out.
However, since Tony wasn't willing to talk, he had to inquire with the other party involved in the matter.
Soon.
He entered the special forces headquarters building.
Meanwhile.
Far away in New York, Tony tracked Captain America movement.
Watching the holographic map small red dot remain at the special forces headquarters building, Tony immediately understood everything.
"The military has known the truth all along."
His gaze fixed on the red dot in front of him, he thought for a moment, and the nanotech armor implanted in his body instantly covered him completely.
The next moment, he burst out of the Stark Industries building, shooting up into the sky like a dazzling meteor, heading towards Washington.
This figure caught the attention of many.
As a city that never sleeps, New York at night was more enchanting and dangerous than during the day.
Some guys in certain alleys, seeing the movement in the sky, almost thought that Iron Man was about to step in, to support the weak and uphold justice.
Fortunately, the figure in the sky streaked across without looking back.
They then breathed a sigh of relief.
However, upon reflection, Tony Stark, who had not transformed into Iron Man for a long time, suddenly donned his armor and charged off to an unknown destination...
Could it be...
Had some new danger emerged?
This thought wasn't only surfacing in their minds.
It also crossed the minds of other New Yorkers who witnessed the scene.
After all, since the dissolution of the Avengers, Tony Stark had seemed to abandon his superhero identity and had not worn his armor again.
Now, in the public eye, the most familiar figure in armor was not Tony Stark, but War Machine, the military hero, Colonel James Rhodes.
Tony actions not only caught the attention of New Yorkers but also quickly reached various quarters.
People reacted differently.
Anton and others watched with glee, waiting to see how the situation would unfold.
The American military, however, was immediately thrown into a panic.
John keller, who had just formulated a strategy, instantly realized that Tony actions were not so simple.
And, analyzing his trajectory, Tony was heading straight for Washington.
Bucky was in Washington!
Could it be that Tony had already investigated Bucky true situation?
That shouldn't be.
From the time they formulated the strategy to the time Tony made his call, and through Stark Industries connections to investigate within the military, only a few short hours had passed.
Could Tony have discovered Bucky location in just these few short hours?
Shouldn't this information be extremely secret?
Was there a mole in the military?
If there was a spy in the military on Tony side, then John keller could only think of one person who might be suspected.
While pondering, he made a phone call.
"Mr. John keller, what up so late?"
A deep voice came from the other end of the phone.
"Rhodes, Tony out of control."
John keller was blunt, saying, "He on his way from New York to Washington, and I need to know if you told him anything."
"What did I say?"
Rhodes, completely baffled, responded in astonishment, "He did ask me about some things today, but I wasn't aware of them and answered truthfully...
I know it somewhat against the rules, but the information wasn't highly classified, I thought it wouldn't be a problem?"
"So, it wasn't you…"
John keller could distinguish between truth and lies.
Clearly, from Rhodes shocked tone, he wasn't lying.
"Alright."
John keller said, "You need to contact Tony Stark right now and keep him calm, I'll handle the rest."
"Wait..."
The call was already disconnected.
Rhodes was even more puzzled, completely unclear about what was happening.
Why had Tony lost control?
Rhodes thought about the things Tony had asked him today.
"The Winter Soldier..."
He looked puzzled, questions mounting, his forehead filling with question marks:
"Is it related to this Winter Soldier? But wasn't the Winter Soldier dead? Why would Tony be looking for trouble with a dead man?"
With that thought, he immediately called Tony.
"Sir, a call from Colonel Rhodes."
As Tony sped toward Washington, toward the location of the special forces headquarters, Jarvis alerted him.
After a few seconds of silence, Tony said, "Put him through."
Following that.
"Tony, what are you doing?"
On the phone, Rhodes was very surprised: "You've already triggered the military alert. Whatever you're planning, I think you could slow down for today."
"No."
Tony said, "Rhodes, the reason I took your call is because I feel I can trust you, not because of the military warning."
He paused, then added, "In fact, the military warning was sent to my number a minute ago, and since then, military personnel have been frantically calling me."
"What?!"
Rhodes widened his eyes, feeling increasingly that the situation was complicated: "What in the world has happened to make you this desperate?"
"If you knew that your parents death was not an accident, you would be as crazy as I am."
Tony responded.
Rhodes was suddenly at a loss for words, unable to speak.
At the same time, the shock inside him was more than evident.
"Your parents didn't die in a car accident, but were murdered?"
His question revealed his astonishment.
"Wait, were your parents killed by the Winter Soldier?"
"The Winter Soldier isn't dead?"
"No, but I distinctly found out that the Winter Soldier is dead! After his death, his identity was confirmed as Captain America former comrade, Bucky Barnes..."
Rhodes mind was in turmoil.
The flood of information that had just surged into his brain left him unable to discern truth from falsehood.
However, as Tony friend for many years, he knew Tony could be unreliable at times, but terrifyingly dependable at others.
Clearly, Tony would never joke about his parents issue.
"The records are fake."
Rhodes muttered to himself: "You're heading towards Washington now, which means the Winter Soldier is in Washington..."
Besides that, there was a more terrifying thought he didn't voice, yet he understood all too well.
Captain America, Steve Rogers, and the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes, were childhood friends and comrades from the last century...
And currently, Captain America was in Washington.
According to Rhodes, the military and Captain America had rapidly drawn closer recently.
Captain America even became a special forces instructor, sharing his battlefield experiences and essential combat skills.
He had always thought this was a result of the military showing sincerity.
Now, it seemed not out of sincerity, but because the military had pardoned the Winter Soldier, also known as the criminally notorious Bucky Barnes in Tony eyes.
"I'm glad."
Tony voice suddenly broke through, bringing Rhodes back from his astonishment.
"What are you glad about?"
Rhodes, frustrated: "How can you still be glad at a time like this?"
"At least I know you haven't deceived me."
Tony spoke, and before Rhodes could say anything more, he ended the call.
On the other end.
Rhodes looked troubled, understanding from Tony actions his determination.
This matter definitely couldn't end well.
Tony was clearly planning to resolve the issue through force, which would inevitably lead to a confrontation between Tony and the military.
If Tony became a public enemy, what should he do?
"Gulp!"
Rhodes swallowed hard, sensing that the situation was bad.
Immediately, he didn't waste a moment, called John keller to clarify the situation, and headed towards the special forces headquarters building, luckily his location was already in Washington, sparing him extra effort.
On the way, he first went to a nearby military base to pick up his suit.
War Machine.
Though originally built by Tony, it had since become his to use and had become part of his identity and honor.
Rhodes action was naturally to stop Tony.
Even though it seemed like he was holding Tony back, Rhodes knew it was to prevent Tony from falling into the abyss and becoming a true criminal.
While he was on his way.
A meteor-like figure broke into Washington airspace with unstoppable force, becoming the brightest star in Washington.
The sonic boom resonated.
Boom!
The sound drew considerable attention.
Under the watchful eyes of many, Washingtonians also noticed the fleeting figure breaking through the night clouds above them.
"Iron Man?"
"Why would Iron Man come to Washington? Did something happen?"