第12章 赏金猎人

Su Ming was in a pretty good mood right now.

Because when the second throwing knife began reaping the terrorists' lives, the system also notified him that he had collected bounties:

[Bounty terrorist from the Ten Rings Gang killed. Bounty +$10,000]

[Bounty terrorist from the Ten Rings Gang killed. Bounty +$8,000]

[Bounty terrorist from the Ten Rings Gang killed. Bounty +$5,000]

Before Su Ming even entered the valley, the achievements of just two throwing knives had earned him nearly two hundred thousand dollars.

"They're all adorable little gold coins~"

That was the fundamental reason Su Ming had worn a smile ever since arriving at the valley.

He had thought it was merely a bounty mission, but it turned out to be a gold-farming instance. It was hard not to be happy!

The moment he discovered that killing these terrorists earned bounties, Su Ming entered a state of complete absorption.

Nothing could make him focus harder than making money!

Starting now, he would clear the map!

He would begin from the perimeter and leave none alive!

Ultra-long-range vision paired with ultra-long-range attack range resulted in the delightful clinking sound of gold coins frequently ringing in his ears.

The valley was not large, but it still took Su Ming some effort to wipe out every Ten Rings Gang member stationed along the perimeter.

When he finally prepared to head for the cave he had been eagerly anticipating, he saw a large number of panicked bandits pouring out of it.

The bandits desperately fled the cave, then quickly found cover and took up positions, staring at the entrance as though facing a formidable enemy. Su Ming could not help but guess:

"Could Tony have started showing his might?"

Before long, a towering silver metal giant appeared at the cave entrance.

A muffled voice sounded from within the metal helmet:

"My turn!"

Ten-foot jets of flame instantly erupted from the ends of his mechanical arms, burning the terrorists at the cave entrance into a miserable, chaotic mess.

"So it really is Tony. He truly is a genius—he's already built the prototype of the Mark Armor..."

Watching the imposing Tony, Su Ming suddenly understood, then slapped his thigh.

"Damn it!"

He could not let Tony kill all these little gold coins! Sure, Tony had gotten here first, but stealing kills was still wrong!

With that thought, Su Ming immediately broke into a run. The playing cards in his hand became streaks of cold light, reaping the terrorists' lives from another angle.

[Bounty terrorist from the Ten Rings Gang killed. Bounty +$8,000]

[Bounty terrorist from the Ten Rings Gang killed. Bounty +$5,000]

The faster Su Ming moved, the more bounty notifications flooded in!

This was Tony Stark's first firsthand experience of the thrill of piloting powered armor—invulnerable to blades and bullets, doubled strength, a wide variety of weapons...

Aside from being somewhat clumsy to move in, he had not discovered any flaws yet.

"Hmm... I have to make a better one when I get home!"

Having made up his mind, Tony thought of the honorable Dr. Ethan. His rage flared once more, and he unleashed another barrage upon these scum.

Gradually, Tony realized something was strange.

In theory, all the enemy fire should have been focused on him, so why did he not feel any pressure at all?

And this suit's attack system was ridiculously crude, while its destructive power was only so-so. Why did it feel like there were fewer and fewer enemies?

Tony's vision was somewhat restricted by his heavy helmet. He did not see the red figure rushing in rapidly from another direction, efficiently harvesting the terrorists' lives.

This behavior was commonly known as—"kill stealing."

When Tony turned around to spray fire and launch missiles, he finally noticed a strange sight.

Someone was helping him fight, and the targets were these terrorists!

Realizing this, Tony's expression brightened.

"You damned terrorists, you're finished!"

Just as he raised his iron arm, preparing to blast an enemy squad into the sky...

Clang!

The sudden tremendous force made Tony, the iron giant, stagger. He took several steps back before steadying himself.

He turned to search for the source. What attack could possibly have such strength—so it was him!

That flashy bastard in a gaudy red suit and gaudy silver mask had actually attacked him??

Fine, Tony admitted it. The kid looked pretty good. Whether in attire, bearing, or appearance, he was almost on Tony's level!

Looking down at the titanium alloy throwing knife embedded in the armor on his arm, Tony asked in confusion:

"Hey, aren't you here to rescue me?"

At the same time, a bad feeling rose in his heart...

Hearing Tony take the initiative to question him, Su Ming revealed a faint smile.

It seemed Tony had misunderstood, but there was nothing he could do about that.

Don't rush, Tony. It'll be your turn soon!

The bounties on these terrorists were simply too tempting...

"Mr. Tony Stark, right?"

Su Ming asked casually, while the playing cards in his hand never stopped moving.

There were not many little gold coins left. Every extra one he stole was another one gained!

Tony, inside the armor, froze slightly. You can recognize me dressed like this?

Watching the other man cleanly and efficiently dispatch the terrorists as though he harbored a deep hatred for them, Tony understood.

This guy must have come specifically to wipe out terrorists. What a coincidence.

But... he did not seem to have a gun in his hand?

At least he was not an enemy. Otherwise, Tony would have had a serious headache on his hands.

Looking at a bandit nearby with a playing card embedded in his head, Tony's eyes lit up.

Playing cards could kill people too?

He had to find a chance to take this guy to Las Vegas.

Tony was certain that this man was not only an expert, but also exceptionally good at poker. He could definitely carry Tony in Las Vegas!

Though Tony had more money than he could spend, who would not want to experience the thrill of winning?

With that thought, Tony prepared to offer assistance!

But what he could not understand was that every time he attacked to help the man deal with the bandits, a throwing knife would interfere with his movements.

Did this guy have obsessive-compulsive disorder?

Did he absolutely have to solo the terrorists!?

Screw it...

Su Ming had no idea what Tony was thinking. He only wanted to kill the fodder first, then kill Tony hiding in his turtle shell, and finally return to collect the bounty. Perfect~

But Tony seemed to hold quite a grudge against these bandits as well, repeatedly attacking them.

That would not do!

That was Su Ming's bounty!

He threw knives to disrupt Tony's actions while throwing cards to kill the remaining bandits.

Finally, when only three cards remained in Su Ming's hand, all the Ten Rings Gang bandits in the area had been eliminated.

Su Ming's account balance had reached a terrifying sum of over two million!

The valley fell quiet again. Beneath billowing smoke, crates of Stark Industries weapons burned from stray bullets and explosions.

Just as Tony wanted to approach Su Ming and get acquainted with him:

Clang!

A throwing knife directly shattered the outer shell of the armor's left arm.

Metal components fell away one by one, and Tony's heart sank with them. His expression instantly became incomparably grave.

"Tony! Leave your last words... Someone paid three million for your life!"

Tony's pupils contracted. So it really was like this? He casually flipped open his helmet's faceplate.

"I, the great Tony Stark, am worth only three million?"

Thinking of the other man's absurd combat ability, Tony narrowed his eyes.

"I'll pay five million! Let me go!"

He spoke the toughest yet most cowardly words possible...

Su Ming's eyes lit up beneath his mask.

I like this part!

Pretending to be surprised, he said:

"? As a bounty hunter, please respect my professional ethics, Mr. Tony."

Tony hardened his resolve, his eyes darting about. This man probably did not know about Tony Stark's money power.

"Fifty million dollars! Bounty hunter! Let me go!"

"Deal! My employer! Thank you for your patronage!"

Fifty million... that was not a small sum!

A sincere smile appeared at the corner of Su Ming's mouth outside his mask.

At the same time, he flicked a playing card bearing a bank account number he had already prepared into Tony's hand.

But Tony raised his hand and unleashed a great torrent of flames.

The target was—the largest pile of Stark weapons.

Boom!

The entire valley was swallowed by the explosion. A metal figure flew out of the thick smoke—it was Tony Stark.

He casually tossed away the playing card in his hand, a roguish smile curling at his lips.

"To hell with your bounty hunter nonsense. Eat my dust behind me~"