Scavenging the Battlefield

The mechanical arm compartment opened, spinning out a miniature missile that shot straight toward the enemy tank under the thrust of flame.

Before it even hit, Iron Man—Tony Stark—turned away with effortless flair.

Boom!

Amid the violent explosion, the last tank was blown into fragments that filled the sky.

With that, the main combat forces of Gamila's rebel warlords had essentially been wiped out.

And Su Ming?

There was a reason he had not competed with Tony for the last tank.

His footsteps stopped beside a Jericho missile truck.

The appraisal interface that suddenly popped up from the system left Su Ming rooted to the spot.

[Jericho Missile Truck (including three missiles) Appraised Value: $120,000,000]

"Holy shit! This thing... costs that much?"

Su Ming was dumbfounded by the long string of zeroes before him.

No wonder Tony Stark was filthy rich...

No wonder Obadiah would rather defy Tony's orders than stop selling weapons...

No wonder Tony's existence made so many capitalists jealous enough to put bounties on his head...

No wonder America loved stirring up wars abroad...

The arms business was way too profitable!!

Coming back to his senses, Su Ming discreetly glanced at Tony—he was still dealing with a tank.

Unable to wait any longer, he placed his hand on the Jericho missile truck's hood.

"Exchange!"

The massive weapon of war instantly vaporized, turning into a stream of data that vanished before Su Ming's eyes.

[Exchange successful! +$120,000,000. Account balance: $124,485,000.]

Looking at the long string of numbers in his account balance, Su Ming took a deep breath.

"I'm rich..."

Su Ming had come to Afghanistan this time for only one purpose: to make money.

He had killed quite a few terrorists and earned over three million in bounties, which had already made the trip feel worthwhile.

When he set out, his balance had only been around eight hundred thousand dollars. In less than a day...

No, to be precise, he had gained one hundred and twenty million in an instant.

He had never expected this!

One Jericho missile truck had launched Su Ming straight into the ranks of billionaires...

At that moment, Tony came over to Su Ming and casually asked,

"Huh? I remember there being a Jericho here just now. Did you destroy it, Mr. Silver Duke...?"

Tony's question left Su Ming unsure how to answer. After all, it was a large weapon manufactured by Stark, and he had just exchanged it for cash. He felt a little guilty.

As a genius famous for many years, Tony had an excellent memory and quick reactions.

Seeing Su Ming remain silent, his eyes shifted slightly as he quietly gave an order inside his helmet.

"JARVIS, replay the surveillance footage."

"Certainly, Mr. Stark..."

As the footage played rapidly, Tony's eyes gradually widened.

"My God...

Mr. Silver Duke!

Such a huge Jericho just... disappeared?

How did you do that?"

Su Ming frowned slightly, still unsure how to answer that question.

Looking at Su Ming's expression, Tony seemed to think of something. He suddenly looked up in realization.

"I get it! You were destroying them, weren't you?!

Honestly, I clearly banned weapons development and sales, but Obadiah actually kept selling them behind my back!

Even if you hadn't destroyed these things, I wouldn't have let them stay here and keep causing harm..."

Su Ming's eyes lit up. Tony was pretty good at filling in the blanks.

After clearing his throat, he put on a solemn expression.

"Yes, Tony.

You actually figured it out. As expected of a genius.

I won't allow these weapons to harm people. It's just... a little tiring.

Yes, destroying them isn't easy."

Tony's mood immediately brightened at those words.

After all, being praised in person by someone he acknowledged meant far more than praise from those reporters who only knew how to blindly flatter him.

The iron helmet nodded in understanding. Then, looking around at the devastated scene, Tony lost interest.

"I'd be happy to compete with you when it comes to taking down thugs...

But for this kind of cleanup work—since you're interested, I'll leave it to you."

Su Ming perked up at once. Tony was so generous! What a good brother.

Over the past half day, the two of them had destroyed no fewer than three rebel warlord strongholds, and every one of them contained plenty of weapons. If he exchanged all of those for money...

Then he thought of a question.

"Tony, don't rush off.

These are all made by Stark. Won't you feel bad if I destroy them all?

They don't seem cheap."

As the mechanical armor prepared to take off, Su Ming voiced his doubt.

Tony piloted the armor slowly into the air. Hearing Su Ming's question, he smiled casually.

"Heh, if these things are here, that means they were bought...

I didn't approve it, but Stark still received every cent from those transactions.

So... we're not losing out this time."

Amid the deafening roar of four jets blasting flames, the iron figure transformed into a streak of light and vanished into the horizon.

A sentence drifted back from afar, and Su Ming could barely make it out.

"Mr. Silver Duke, come find me! Let's go have some fun in Las Vegas together!"

Squinting as he watched Tony gradually disappear into the distance, Su Ming clicked his tongue.

"Why couldn't you finish talking before flying off? Who are you trying to impress?"

But considering Tony had not fought him over destroying the weapons, Su Ming generously forgave him.

These weapons were worth far more than those bounty-carrying bandits!!

Rubbing his hands excitedly, he looked at the weapon crates scattered all around, each stamped with Stark Industries.

Su Ming vanished from where he stood, transforming into a money-making fiend as he flashed continuously between the piles of weapons.

Pile after pile of arms disappeared rapidly along with his flickering figure...

"Ooh! This one's valuable!...

Whoa, this one's even more expensive!

Damn!! I underestimated you. This little thing is actually worth that much?!!?

Hahaha...

I'm rich, I'm rich... ^_^"

[Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division]

Director Nick Fury had just finished a call with the person in charge of the New York branch.

Over the phone, Fury warmly greeted the entire family of the agent responsible for contacting Su Ming.

Then he ordered the man transferred from his original post and assigned to guard the gate.

Surely he would be competent enough for such an important position.

Even after putting down the phone, Director Fury could still feel his temple throbbing. As an old man, he had not been this agitated in a long time.

At that moment, Agent Hill walked in.

"Let's hope it's good news..."

Nick Fury glanced at Hill and spoke casually.

Looking at the director who toiled day and night for his mission, Agent Hill's gaze held a trace of sympathy. Then she smiled brightly.

"Director Fury, it's good news!"

Nick Fury perked up, adjusted his posture, and waited for Agent Hill's report.

Hill looked at the report that was clearly sitting on the desk yet had been overlooked by Director Fury. She gave a wry smile, shook her head slightly, and comforted herself.

Patience, Hill... patience. The man in front of you is an old fellow. Show some respect...

She delivered her report crisply.

"Through the agents' unremitting efforts, we have finally determined Destiny's movements..."

She then briefly explained how Su Ming had flown to Afghanistan and displayed overwhelming power in Gamila, nearly wiping out all the rebel warlords' active forces.

"Of particular note, there was also a mysterious man wearing mechanized armor who fought the warlords alongside Destiny. However, we currently have no way to verify his identity."

The Gamila rebellion that had been causing such a huge uproar in the news lately had been forcefully resolved by Su Ming just like that...

"It truly is good news!"

As Nick Fury listened to Agent Hill's report, his expression turned excited.

Destiny truly is worthy of being the man I chose. That compassion and sense of responsibility for saving the world are exactly what I need...

That was right—he had successfully ignored Iron Man.

Having made up his mind, Nick Fury stood, his gaze firm as he gave the order.

"Keep Destiny under surveillance. I'll go find him myself..."