Ivan Vanko

Murals, candlesticks, chandeliers, maidservants—a perfect aristocratic dining hall. Yet the old butler could not help sighing as he watched the "Bear Man" wolfing down food. Why was the new master entertaining such a barbarian?

The man the old butler called the "Bear Man" was a long-haired Russian with a scarred face and an extremely muscular build. He shoveled steak directly into his mouth with knife and fork, then drank red wine straight from the bottle. He could not have looked any wilder!

"Limited-edition Kobe steak flown in by air, along with a bottle of wine worth over ten thousand dollars... What a waste!"

The old butler's blood pressure was a little high. Compared to him, the other two people at the table were not exactly elegant either, but they were at least barely acceptable!

One of them was Blade. Other than eating a little too quickly, he was fine. The other was Blood Clan Chief Wang Bert, whose steak was rather unusual—it was covered in chili peppers!

Though he's a little strange, he's still better than that barbarian!

The old butler had always wanted to mold Wang Bert into an aristocrat like the old master, but Wang Bert had no interest whatsoever. I'm this rich. Can't I live however the hell I want?

At that moment, the Russian, Ivan Vanko, shouted at the butler, "Bring me a few more! This beef tastes good! I want it one percent cooked!"

Helplessly, the butler had the maidservants clear the plates, then brought Ivan another fresh steak. Wang Bert laughed. "If it's not enough, keep ordering. In Eastern etiquette, guests must be well fed and well drunk!"

Ivan let out a wine-scented burp. "I won't stand on ceremony with you. You vampires are decent. When other people eat with me, they say nice things, but their eyes are full of contempt and disdain. They treat me like an idiot!"

"Someone as rich as me doesn't need to wear a mask around others!"

Wang Bert burst into laughter. He swallowed a steak that melted in his mouth and burned with spice, then asked Blade, "Do you know the greatest benefit of becoming the Blood God?"

Blade, who still wore sunglasses even while eating, coolly replied, "Being able to freely control your body?"

"That's one. The other is that I can eat whatever I want without worrying about it affecting my body."

Wang Bert grinned. "For example, I can eat spicy food every day without worrying about bleeding from my ass tomorrow."

Ivan loudly said, "Eating whatever you want? That sounds great. When I was little, I had a dream—not to eat, just drink vodka!"

Wang Bert asked, "Drinking vodka when you were that young? Your dad didn't beat you?"

"Of course not. He was delighted and said I had finally grown up! Then he locked all the vodka in the house in a box. Only if I got good grades would he let me have a few sips!"

Ivan shrugged. Wang Bert and Blade were speechless. Using vodka to entice a child into studying hard? That was far too fitting for a fighting nation! Wang Bert thought of something and said, "Once you start working for me, you can't drink alcohol!"

Ivan asked, "How am I supposed to work without drinking? But can you really save my father?"

"We'll discuss it after dinner!"

Wang Bert said. Soon, the three finished their meal. Wang Bert gestured for the butler to have everything cleared away, then had James from next door wheel over Anton Vanko, who was receiving an IV.

"Ivan, there are two ways to save your father!"

Wang Bert said, "The first is to turn him into a Vampire. That way, he can recover his health and live forever!"

Before Ivan could speak, Anton weakly said, "I have no interest in becoming a Vampire!"

Wang Bert did not care. He continued, "The second is to send him to the most expensive hospital and find the best doctors to treat him. That could extend his life by a few years. Technology is advancing every day—perhaps a miracle drug will be developed before long!"

Ivan asked, "There's no such thing as a free lunch. What do you want me to do?"

"Use your intelligence to develop all sorts of things I want!"

Wang Bert said, "For example, a Miniature Arc Reactor!"

"That thing can't be miniaturized."

Anton said with absolute certainty. Ivan also said, "No one can do that."

At that, Wang Bert nodded to James. James picked up the remote and turned on the television. On-screen was footage of Mark I battling Terrorists.

Wang Bert said flatly, "What you say is impossible, Tony Stark accomplished in a cave with scraps!"

"That's impossible!"

Both Anton and Ivan were stunned. They stared fixedly at the television, and once they confirmed that Tony had truly miniaturized the Arc Reactor, they both began cursing furiously. "The Stark Family is nothing but a bunch of thieves!"

"That's right! They're butchers and liars too! They have no honor at all!"

Blade stared at the two of them in silence. No matter how he heard it, it sounded like the wailing of defeated dogs! But who exactly were these two? Why did they hate the Stark Family so deeply?

Ivan shouted, "It's just miniaturizing the Arc Reactor! Give me some time, and I can do it too!"

"If Tony Stark can do it, then my son can definitely do it too! He's the best!"

Anton, who was nearly dead from illness, flushed red and roared, "Ivan, once you finish it, make yourself a suit of Power Armor and kill Tony Stark for me!"

Ivan shouted, "Father, I'll kill him and avenge the Vanko Family!"

"What a fighting nation indeed!"

Wang Bert had a headache. He gestured for James to turn off the television, then said, "Building armor requires a lot of money. Ivan, you don't have any. Even if you complete the Miniature Arc Reactor, all you can make are weapons like a pair of Electric Whips to attack Tony!"

Ivan burst into laughter. "Electric Whips? Great idea. I'll use Electric Whips! I'll whip Tony Stark into two halves!"

"Good idea. If you ambush Tony, you have a high chance of success. Even if you fail, once people know you miniaturized the Arc Reactor, some sucker will come looking to work with you."

Wang Bert said, "Then you can use his money and resources to build yourself a real suit of armor, and wear it to fight Tony to the death.

"By the way, remember to add an explosive device to the armor. If you can't beat him, die together with Tony. In short, even if it costs you your life, kill Tony!"

"Great idea! We absolutely have to add the explosive device!"

Ivan and Anton excitedly clapped again and again. Blade stared at Wang Bert speechlessly. What was he trying to do? Train Terrorists?

After the two finished getting excited, Wang Bert said to Anton, "Mr. Vanko, it does sound satisfying, but is this really what you want? Your son dies as a Terrorist, the Vanko Family is completely wiped out, and its name stinks for all eternity!"

Ivan said disdainfully, "If I'm dead, why should I care about that?"

Anton, however, fell silent. As a father, he did not want his son to die at all, let alone see the Vanko Family become completely extinct!

"I can offer you another path!"

Wang Bert said, "I'll help you become shareholders in a listed company. Then you can use your intelligence to defeat Tony Stark and let everyone know that you are more capable than the Stark Family!"

"You just want us to work for you."

Ivan sneered. "That's how women take revenge, not me!"

Wang Bert smiled. "If you choose this path, you'll become respectable billionaires, and the Vanko Family will draw the attention and respect of the entire world. And when you have children in the future, they'll be proud of the Vanko Family. They'll see it as an honor!"

Ivan curled his lip, completely uninterested. A man like him would hardly care about children he did not even know he would have! But Anton was somewhat moved, because he felt incomparably guilty for failing to give Ivan a good life and even dragging him into becoming a criminal.

Anton took a deep breath and asked, "Would you really be so kind as to make us shareholders? I've met many people like you. Once you're done using us, you'll throw us away!"

"You underestimate your own intelligence. Talents like you are humanity's treasures. Only fools discard people once they've used them up!"

Wang Bert said, "I don't just want you to help me miniaturize the Arc Reactor. I want you to continue researching all kinds of technology, even help us migrate to other planets!"

Ivan sneered. "Migrate to other planets? You're thinking far ahead. That can't be done in less than a few hundred years!"

Wang Bert smiled. "So what if it takes a few hundred years? I'm immortal!"

Ivan was speechless. This guy really could wait a few hundred years!

Anton took a deep breath and said, "I'll seriously consider your proposal. Also, please prepare the ritual for me to become a Vampire!"

Ivan froze, then urgently shouted, "Father!"

"Ivan, the person I've wronged most in my life is you. Please let me make it up to you!"

Anton looked at Ivan and spoke guiltily—he wanted to become a Vampire so he could serve as a hostage. Only then would the Vampires truly trust Ivan! Ivan knelt before Anton and said, "Father, I don't need a respectable life. I only want you to live healthily."

Anton patted Ivan's hand and said, "You need it. The Vanko Family needs it. Your children will need it even more!"

Ivan fell silent. He could not bear to disappoint his father.

Wang Bert silently watched everything and nodded inwardly. Ivan was a lone wolf, and his hatred for the Stark Family ran bone-deep. If he had been alone, Wang Bert would not have used him, because this man would never obediently pledge loyalty to him. Wang Bert had no desire to become a fool like Hammer and get screwed into prison!

But with Anton, everything was different. In this world, only love could overcome hatred!

A father's love for his son and a son's love for his father could both transcend hatred!

"Mr. Vanko, Ivan, you can take your time considering it. Please believe in my promise, and believe in your own intelligence!"

Wang Bert gestured for James to send them back to rest. After they left, Blade, who had watched the entire performance, asked, "Are those two worth putting so much effort into recruiting?"

"A genius second only to Tony is naturally worth it!"

Wang Bert said, "In truth, Ivan may not be less intelligent than Tony. But he did not receive as good an education, and his understanding of various cutting-edge technologies is inferior to Tony's. That's why, overall, he's a level below Tony!"

"The gap between families!"

Blade asked again, "Do you want to take the Blood Clan and migrate to another planet?"

"We'll see. If humanity can tolerate the Blood Clan, then naturally I won't leave. If they can't, I'll take the entire Blood Clan to another planet. That would benefit both humanity and the Blood Clan!"

Wang Bert said, "But the prerequisite is developing Artificial Blood. If that problem isn't solved, the Blood Clan will never break free from humanity and will forever remain in the evil camp!"

"You've really thought this through!"

"For the Blood Clan, and for humanity!"

Wang Bert clinked glasses with Blade. Then he asked, "Why haven't you gone home lately? You work overtime at the police station every day. A lot of people have complained that you're exploiting them!"

Blade sighed, looking utterly depressed. "Whistler got together with my mom!"

Wang Bert nearly sprayed out his wine. He asked in shock, "How is that possible? Weren't you complaining not long ago that they fought every day? And doesn't that old man Whistler hate Vampires the most?"

"How would I know? They fought and fought, then somehow ended up together. It's driving me crazy!"

Blade said irritably. I consider you a friend, yet you want to become my dad?

"I never expected that old Whistler still had it in him!"

Wang Bert laughed gleefully a few times. Before Blade could blow up, he said, "How about this? Take a day off, and do something for me while you're at it!"

Blade asked, "What is it?"

"I invited a blood expert named Jane Lane. Go receive her for me, and tell her a little about Vampires while you're at it!"

Wang Bert smiled. "Blade, she's a real beauty. Don't miss your chance!"

Blade gave a disdainful sneer. Was Blade the sort of vulgar man whose heart was moved by women? The next day, Blade met Jane Lane, and his heart pounded more violently than ever before. Only two words remained in his mind: So beautiful!

"Tony, Stark Industries has already dropped more than fifty points! Are you sure you still want to stay in the basement and never come out?"

Little Pepper asked helplessly. Tony ate pizza as he replied, "It's no big deal. It'll rise again. I'm Tony Stark!"

Tony truly was confident. As long as he unveiled the Arc Reactor, the stock price would definitely soar!

But now was not the time. Recently, he and Yinsen had been designing Mark Two. The previous Mark I was too ugly. He had to create a perfect suit of Iron Armor!

At that moment, Obadiah arrived with bad news. "Ever since your accident, someone has been Short Selling Stark Industries on a massive scale!"

"Who?"

Tony and Little Pepper immediately became alert. It sounded exactly like the work of a Behind-the-Scenes Manipulator!

Obadiah said, "According to my investigation, it's the Blood God Group! Also, they seem to be buying Stark Industries shares in bulk!"

"The Blood God Group!"

Tony and Little Pepper were both stunned. It was Bert Wang? How was that possible? Tony and Yinsen had escaped thanks in no small part to his help! "That's right, the Blood God Group!"

Obadiah misunderstood Tony and Little Pepper's surprise. He said, "It's normal that you haven't heard of it. This is a group the Vampires established only recently. Some time ago, they acquired Rand Corporation's Medical Department at an extremely low price, directly cutting Rand Corporation's market value in half."

Tony asked in astonishment, "Vampires? Obie, are you using that as an adjective?"

"No, the owners of the Blood God Group are Vampires!"

Obadiah said, "Vampires really exist. Many people at the top know about them. They used to keep a low profile, but ever since that mysterious Blood God took power, they've been making more and more moves!"