The Villain Was Bluffing
"Marvel's Magnetic Field Rotation"
"Are you telling a joke? This joke is really lame."
Ivan Vanko looked at the strange man in front of him, uttering sarcastic words, but feeling a strange chill in his heart—the other party was very strong, almost beyond human form.
Even if the other party makes a "look" gesture, they won't be able to detect where their gaze is falling. A keen martial arts master can sense someone's gaze and can even counterattack while asleep. Trained assassins and bodyguards also have the same ability. However, when faced with this kind of enemy, even if the other party observes them thoroughly, they will not discover their ulterior motives.
Furthermore, this man, who called himself Slade Wilson, was about 1.9 meters tall, with a muscular build and large metal armor on his combat suit. His total weight was estimated to be around 150 kilograms. However, he did not deliberately lighten his pace in the few steps from the door to the television. He walked like a normal person, and Ivan Vanko did not hear his footsteps. It was as quiet as if the soles of his feet were the paw pads of a feline.
Moreover, the metal armor did not expand or make noise when he moved, indicating that its structure was carefully designed to protect Slade Wilson's body without revealing his location by creating noise.
Assassin – An assassin who can transform into a berserker at any time.
This is Ivan Vanko's assessment of Slade Wilson. The other man's equipment and training are all centered around concealment. Don't let his muscular physique fool you; Ivan Vanko has no doubt that he can support his entire weight on the tip of one foot, just like a top ballet dancer.
If his stealth fails, his heavy armor will protect him from enemy attacks, and his well-honed muscles will give him the power to kill any enemy who discovers him.
In short, this man was born to kill.
Ivan Vanko was quite skilled; he could easily take down two ordinary security guards with his bare hands without even getting hurt himself. But against this man, he estimated he wouldn't last two rounds.
Like toying with some stress-relieving toy, Slade Wilson tossed the Mechanical Exoskeleton device around, then looked back at Ivan Vanko and said, "Since you think I'm joking, then keep thinking that. But my boss is in the conference room right now, and I don't want to keep him waiting too long."
Ivan Vanko didn't say much, and followed Slade Wilson out of the room and into a spacious room.
Unlike the spacious and bright living quarters arranged for him, this place was underground. Although the ever-burning lights illuminated everything around him, a dark and oppressive feeling lingered, especially the furnishings in the room, which amplified this feeling.
Because apart from a few exceptionally tall, high-backed chairs, there was nothing else here. Even the walls and floors were the original color of concrete, and the chairs were carved directly from a single block of rock without any cushions, so they would obviously not be comfortable to sit on.
However, Ivan Vanko found no one sitting in the chairs, except for the Fridge -sized device in one of the places where chairs should have been placed. The machine was running, but it was not powered by an external power source.
"Find any chair and sit down!" the machine emitted a synthesized voice, along with several thin beams of blue light that created the image of a seated man.
He was a very young person, aloof, wise, and unaffected by emotions, much like... artificial intelligence.
"Ivan Vanko, I'm the owner of Conglomerate B. You can call me David." The young man introduced himself. "I apologize for using excessive methods earlier, but it was the best way to get your cooperation."
Ivan Vanko didn't move, not because he disliked David, but simply because he felt that sitting on the stone chair was not as comfortable as standing. Slade Wilson seemed to know this as well, and leaned back in the chair with his arms crossed, showing no intention of sitting down.
This gesture made Ivan Vanko realize that this guy nicknamed Deathstroke held a high position in Conglomerate B —in other words, he claimed to be a shareholder of the company.
"What do you need me to do?" Ivan Vanko asked, looking at David's virtual projection.
David casually waved his hand, and a design drawing appeared on the virtual screen. Ivan Vanko recognized the object on it— the Arc Reactor. This drawing was clearly the original version, as it bore the signatures of his father, Anton Vanko, and Howard Stark in the lower right corner.
"We are well aware of the hatred between you and your father and Stark, so it is most appropriate to entrust the task of defeating Tony Stark to you," David said with a forced smile.
Suppressing the other person's extremely uncomfortable expression, Ivan Vanko sneered, "Did you kidnap my son and me to the United States just to help us get revenge?"
"No, no, no, dealing with Tony Stark is my idea, but the best people to carry it out are you and your son, or more precisely, you, young and strong." David said with a stiff smile, "At least we have the same goal, don't we?"
After frowning and thinking for a moment, Ivan Vanko didn't immediately agree to David's request. Instead, he said, "Could you stop using this fake face? It makes me uncomfortable."
Psychology is a very profound science, and many of its components are instincts written into our DNA during human evolution. For example, there is a natural fear of snakes; people can instantly identify a snake as the main subject in more than forty side-by-side photographs.
David's face is extremely human-like, with a wide range of expressions, yet it lacks something that humans should have, perfectly fitting the uncanny valley theory.
"This is the first time I've heard someone make such a request." David waved his hand, as if he had turned off some device, and the image that reappeared was no longer a young face, but a strange man wearing a purple mask.
The mask fit David's face so tightly that it seemed to be glued directly to his skin.
David touched his face nostalgically and said, "I was once a very talented scientist, appreciated by someone, and secretly developed a super cannon for him. But hostile elements led his team to destroy my base, exposing my work for someone and making me a wanted criminal. So I had to wear a mask to hide my true identity."
"Later, I was in charge of developing a certain adhesive. The enemy discovered my lab again, and during the battle, a whole can of adhesive was poured over my head, destroying my face and making the mask impossible to separate from my skin."
"Perhaps it's the psychological trauma this incident has left me with, that's why I've always been reluctant to show my true self... You're the first one to take the initiative to do so."