Whiplash Ivan

A burst of commotion suddenly erupted from the live television broadcast.

A large crowd of reporters holding microphones and cameras, along with many female fans, poured out from the competitors' entrance, surrounding Tony as he emerged.

Dressed in a dark blue racing suit, Tony climbed over the wall onto the track and entered the preparation area.

One of the live cameras was also trained on Tony.

"The purpose of owning a race car is to race it. Otherwise, what's the point of having one?"

Pepper also noticed the familiar figure on the television, looking somewhat anxious. "Natalie, Natalie!"

Natasha walked over. "Miss Potts?"

"Did you know he was going to race?"

"I only just found out myself. How can I help?"

"Where's Happy?"

"He's outside."

"Go find him. I need Happy." Pepper stared anxiously at the television.

Natasha turned and headed out, carrying out her duties with utmost diligence.

Leo saw the scene as well. He walked out through the gate and headed toward the side of the track.

Amid the crowd, Leo slipped through like a little fish, weaving smoothly between people.

At the same time, he continuously searched for Ivan's location.

Looking down the track, he spotted Ivan not far away, his clothing unnaturally bulging.

Ivan was roughly a thousand meters from Leo, but now that Leo had found him, things would be easy.

Ivan was about to enter the track and had just taken off his helmet.

He had not even walked a few meters when Leo raised a hand, and Ivan became completely unable to move.

Ivan's entire upper body was fitted with an Exoskeleton painstakingly handmade and polished from start to finish. Some of its load-bearing connectors were made from low-end civilian products.

Likewise, the crude Exoskeleton had no leg supports or waist and abdominal assist components.

Its main components were the ring-shaped assist mechanisms on both arms, which could increase arm strength.

Overall, it was extremely crude. Even the two Plasma Whips placed high demands on the user's motor control; one careless mistake could easily result in self-injury.

But there was no denying that the current running through the whips could interfere with armor.

They could also effortlessly slice through the body of a Formula race car, possessing tremendous destructive power.

But now, the Exoskeleton around his entire upper body had been locked in midair. No matter how hard Ivan struggled, he could not break free.

In that instant, Ivan felt unprecedented fear. He even thought Tony Stark had anticipated his arrival long ago and prepared for it.

So he remained standing at the edge of the track, unable to move. He could even lift both feet off the ground and let the armor on his upper body support his weight of well over a hundred pounds.

Leo continued calmly toward the track while race cars sped past Ivan one after another.

Ivan's conspicuous presence by the roadside also drew the attention of the live broadcast cameras.

'A staff member standing by the track—why isn't he moving? What is he doing?'

Ivan saw Tony's blue-and-white race car and could no longer endure it. He pressed both hands down, and the two whips extended through the rotating mechanisms on his back, activating the charging switch at the same time.

The powerful electrical current instantly burned away his work uniform, revealing the reactor at the center of his chest.

That reactor alone made Tony, who had just sped past Ivan, slam on the brakes and stop more than ten meters away.

Pepper also saw Ivan and realized something was wrong. Happy had already reached the doorway.

"Happy, Tony may be in danger. We need to get there right away. Where's the briefcase?"

Pepper looked at Happy's empty hands. The briefcase he was always carrying was gone, and she asked in panic.

"Leo snatched it away. He said he'd take it to Tony." Happy replied anxiously as well.

"What? Leo took it? When?"

"Five minutes ago."

No matter what, the two of them hurried toward the finish line.

Justin Hammer, who had been in the hotel lobby all along, saw the scene as well. As he looked at the reactor on Ivan's chest, a gleam flashed in his eyes.

Leo covered his face. 'How boring. I wanted to see what place Tony could finish in.'

Then he looked at Tony, who had gotten out of the car and was watching Ivan from afar.

'Should I just kill Ivan outright?' Leo wondered.

At that moment, several more cars came racing down the track behind them, staring at the two figures ahead.

One of them made a sharp turn and stopped sideways across the road, while the two cars behind it were about to crash straight into it.

Leo waved a hand, forcibly steering the two race cars behind him aside and even lifting them over the first car before gently bringing them to a stop.

He then moved to the very edge of the track so Tony could see him.

Tony spotted the briefcase in Leo's hand, and his eyes lit up. He shouted, "Give me the briefcase!"

Leo casually tossed it over. "Need help?"

"Leo, get out of here. I'll handle this myself."

Tony triggered the switch, and the Mark V Briefcase transformed.

He lifted it with both hands and snapped it onto his chest. Spreading his arms, the remaining external armor extended and locked into place one piece after another like a shrimp shell.

The external components around his legs did the same, extending and merging together. Its defensive power had been greatly reduced, but it had to be said—it looked cool as hell.

In less than twenty seconds, the Mark V was fully equipped.

"Waaah!!!"

The crowd instantly erupted into cheers. This was the first time the spectators had seen Tony Stark transform into Iron Man.

At the same time, countless cameras focused on the steel figure at the center. Iron Man had once again appeared live before viewers across the nation.

Leo also released his control over Ivan. Since Tony had told him to leave, he might as well make the scene a little bigger.

After thinking it over for a long time, Leo decided this battle was necessary. Ever since Tony Stark had put on the Iron Man suit, his temperament had changed drastically.

Without ever suffering a setback, would he still become the Iron Man from Leo's past life?

Tony was now enjoying the title of Iron Man. Countless praises and honors had gone to his head, on top of the threat of death from palladium poisoning and the possibility that the Arc Reactor might leak.

All of this combined would become the fiercest inner turmoil and struggle Tony had ever faced—and it would forge a transformed Tony Stark.

Leo was also happy to enjoy something he had never been able to witness in his past life: watching Whiplash 1.0 battle the Mark V, whose defense was at its weakest.

Ivan felt that he could move again, and he showed no fear toward Tony. Holding his two whips, he strode forward.

The Assist Boosters on his arms generated tremendous momentum as he lashed the Mark V, leaving a deep, charred mark across its armor.

The electric shock running through the whip caused the Pulse Cannons in Tony's hands to fizzle out at their muzzles. At the same time, the other plasma whip coiled around him.

With the Assist Device, Ivan directly swung Tony through the air and smashed him onto a race car, leaving a huge crater in it.

With the whips wrapped around him, Tony couldn't use his Pulse Cannons. He could only fight at close range.

Using the advantages of his full-body armor and the immense strength provided by mechanical assistance, he traded the Mark V's damage rate for an opportunity to engage in close combat.

With just one move, he brought down the completely unprotected Ivan. The overwhelming force left him lying on the ground, coughing up blood.

The Arc Reactor in his chest was pulled out, and the powerless Ivan was dragged away by security. Yet he was still laughing maniacally and shouting, "You lost! You lost, Stark!"

Through the Mark V's faceplate, Leo could see Tony's tightly furrowed brow and worried eyes.

Pepper and Happy arrived with the ambulance. Fortunately, thanks to Leo, no civilians had been injured, none of the racers had come to harm, and aside from Tony's car, every other race car was completely intact.

Watching this scene, Justin Hammer smiled as a plan formed in his mind.

Two hours later, Tony arrived at the cell where Ivan was being held.

The two were in a secret chamber, and Ivan's hands and feet were restrained.

"Your family were thieves and butchers. Like every other criminal, you want to rewrite your history and forget the lives the Stark family took."

"Where did you steal my blueprints from?"

"My father, Anton Vanko. You're alive because of him."

"I'm alive because you tried to kill me—and failed."

Ivan merely laughed when he heard that.

"If you can make God bleed, people will stop believing in him. Once there's blood in the water, the sharks will come. All I have to do is sit here and watch as the world devours you."