High Bounty

Ever since Tony Stark had been blasted away by a missile manufactured by his own company, one question had kept circling in his mind:

Was weapons research and development really something that benefited the country and its people?

The leader of the Ten Rings Gang had called him the most notorious mass murderer in United States history.

"So they're pinning every weapon Stark Industries ever made on me..."

And Ethan...

That extraordinary journey had left Tony with deeply complicated feelings.

No matter what, Tony, who had finally managed to escape, had never expected to encounter a bounty hunter who had come to assassinate him.

No matter how he looked at it, the bounty hunter's target seemed more like those terrorists. It was strange.

But it no longer mattered. The bargaining had merely been a ruse to distract the bounty hunter.

Tony had long since set his sights on the pile of weapons nearby. He was just waiting for an opportunity.

Finally, when that greedy bounty hunter lowered his guard, Tony detonated the explosives.

The blast was enough to level the entire valley, let alone a single bounty hunter.

That was all Tony had time to think before he discovered that the fuel supporting the armor's flight—had run out.

"It only just got off the ground, damn it!"

After the thrusters beneath his feet died, Tony, clad in the cumbersome armor, became an iron meteor and let inertia slam him viciously into the sand.

"Boom! Crash, clatter..."

The bulletproof Mark I armor shattered upon hitting the ground, blasting a huge crater into the dune and scattering fragments dozens of meters away.

Fortunately, Tony inside had not suffered any serious injuries.

After struggling free of the armor, he had not gone far through the barren desert before encountering the rescue team searching for him.

Helicopters, field vehicles, and ambulances instantly surrounded him.

"Oh, James Rhodes really is a lovable guy."

Looking at that familiar Black face, Tony sighed inwardly.

Just as Tony raised his hands to embrace his new life, a chill shot from his tailbone to the back of his head.

A playing card grazed his cheek and embedded itself upright in the ground not far away...

A certain bank card number was written on it.

Ignoring the blood streaming down his face,

"It's him!!"

Tony's pupils contracted violently as he stared solemnly at the bloodstained playing card by his feet—Joker, the liar.

"Is this a warning?"

A cold smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

"Hmph, do you take Tony Stark for someone who breaks his word?

Isn't it just fifty million?... Fine, you'll get it!"

Su Ming was a little angry.

It was not because Tony had tried to outsmart him.

If Tony had obediently refrained from any scheming, then he would not have been that proud genius.

What angered him was that the Crimson Suit the old tailor had painstakingly customized for him without sleep had turned to ash in the explosion.

As for himself, although the blast had been powerful, it had only left Su Ming with extensive burns.

After some time, the self-healing factor within his body restored him to normal.

The only thing covering Su Ming's naked body was that mask.

As he moved, his ultra-long-range vision locked onto Tony again—he was struggling to crawl out of the armor.

A cold smile appeared on his lips.

"That guy definitely threw away the bank card number I gave him. I'd bet on it!"

Although Su Ming had guessed what Tony would do, he was not worried in the slightest.

Still, walking naked in the desert was pretty cool, as long as the sun did not roast his ass...

His powerful, telescopic gaze remained fixed on Tony. He watched him struggle free of the armor wreckage, watched him look around blankly, watched him wave excitedly at the helicopter in the distance, watched him warmly embrace his old friend Major Rhodes...

When Tony was finally surrounded by the rescue team, Su Ming casually threw out a playing card—one he had pulled from Gold Coin Baby's body.

Everything else had turned to ash.

The meaning of that card was obvious:

Once I set my sights on you, you can't run...

And also...

"Don't forget the bank card number, employer."

Served you right for trying to play tricks on me. Scare you to death!

Watching the blood all over Tony's face and his constantly changing expression, Su Ming smiled in satisfaction.

Searching through his memories, Su Ming returned to the place where he had changed clothes earlier.

When he put his clothes back on, Su Ming felt a long-lost sense of security...

After thinking it over, he decided that, as a bounty hunter with professional integrity, even if he had abandoned the previous assignment, it was still necessary to notify the employer.

Even if a deal fell through, goodwill remained~

The call connected.

"Oh? Mr. Destiny? My friend, are you calling with good news?"

Obadiah's voice came through the phone, suppressing his excitement.

"No, no, employer. More accurately, I should call you my former employer..."

As Su Ming explained, Obadiah's mood shifted from excitement to anger.

"That's how it is..."

Before Su Ming could finish, Obadiah angrily slammed down the phone.

"The Ten Rings Gang and Destiny are all a bunch of untrustworthy trash! Idiots! Damn it!"

After smashing up his office in rage, Obadiah gradually calmed down.

He dialed another number and issued a new assignment to the underground exchange:

[Kill the bounty hunter codenamed "Destiny"

—Bounty: 2 million US dollars.]

After hanging up, Obadiah muttered:

"Destiny, my money isn't so easy to take! Breaking your contract with me will be the greatest mistake of your life. Heh heh..."

On second thought, whether terrorists or black-market experts, every last one of them was unreliable.

If he wanted to achieve his goal, he would ultimately have to rely on himself.

At this moment, Su Ming had no idea that he had become the highest single-target kill bounty in Hell's Kitchen's underground exchange.

When he returned to the streets of New York and looked at the clothing store with "High-End Custom Tailoring" written on it, he licked his lips.

He unexpectedly felt a sense of guilt.

Pushing open the door, Su Ming found the old tailor leisurely sunning himself in a recliner.

Seeing Su Ming enter, the old man warily looked him up and down, as if Su Ming might pull out a gun at any moment and rob the place without paying.

Su Ming could only tell the truth. Although he was grateful for the old craftsman's gift, the clothes had been ruined—beyond repair.

The old tailor immediately showed a look of understanding.

"I could tell when you changed clothes last time..."

When he had watched Su Ming change clothes before, he had also seen those gleaming silver throwing knives and known that Su Ming was no ordinary person.

So ever since Su Ming left, he had begun preparing a Crimson Suit better suited for combat. After several days, it was basically complete.

Hearing that the old tailor had been so considerate, Su Ming repeatedly thanked him, only to be stopped by the old man raising a hand.

"Don't thank me. Pay up! Three hundred thousand, not a cent less. But from now on, I'll handle all your clothes!"

Su Ming was momentarily stunned by the old man's completely different attitude, but after thinking it through, he happily accepted.

He made another trip to the exchange to replenish his throwing knives. By the time he returned to his Manhattan hotel, the moon was already high in the sky.

He lay comfortably in the bathtub.

Su Ming opened his status panel, and a stream of data formed a holographic interface before his eyes:

[Name: Su Ming]

[Age: 28]

[Physical Fitness: 15]

[Current Account: $2,865,000]

[Current Talents: Sub-Wolverine-Level Recovery, Dynamic Vision Lv.2, Jeet Kune Do Mastery, Physique Enhancement Lv.1 (5/5 layers), Formless Mask, Precision Throwing Lv.2, Sketch Mastery]

Su Ming was secretly surprised that his account balance had reached more than 2.8 million. Those terrorists really had offered a hefty bounty!

He looked over the talents he currently possessed. Hmm... there were quite a few, but they were all basic talents.

Though there was still plenty of room to improve, this mission had exposed several problems.

As Su Ming pondered how to improve his talents, a languid, slightly husky female voice suddenly sounded beside his ear:

"I don't understand how some brat's kill bounty managed to exceed Tony Stark's..."