I Don't Take Every Job

Tony answered Pepper Potts's call:

"Hello!? Tony, are you okay?"

Watching Obadiah get batted around in the air by Su Ming like a ping-pong ball, Tony grinned happily:

"I'm fine~ But you'll need to prepare some money for me..."

Pepper had managed Stark Industries for Tony for quite some time. Money did not mean much to her, especially when Tony had personally instructed her to prepare it.

"Money isn't a problem. What about Obadiah? He's gone crazy... You need to be careful!"

Pepper had no idea Tony had just promised an order worth 200 million. She was still worried about Tony's condition.

Tony thought that she probably would not be so calm once she learned the amount...

After all, 200 million was no small sum, even in Stark Industries' pool of liquid funds.

"Indeed, Obie is probably about to go crazy..."

Obadiah was about to go crazy.

No matter what, he had never expected that the Iron Monger he had built using every means available—even going so far as to tear the reactor from Tony's chest—would not be invincible.

Forget invincible; he did not even have the strength to fight back now...

That bounty hunter was too fast. The armor's targeting system could not lock onto him at all.

"Is this really something a human can do?..."

Obadiah could only place his hopes on the Iron Monger armor's defense now.

Fortunately, only the first two attacks had been difficult for him to endure. Though the following attacks were incredibly fast, they were somewhat weaker.

That eased much of the fear in his heart.

Assuming a defensive stance and enduring the metallic sweetness in his throat, Obadiah desperately pondered a way to break the deadlock.

Su Ming had deliberately held back his strength.

He discovered that his movements—using the throwing knife to fly at high speed and weave through the air as he attacked his target—were becoming smoother and smoother with constant practice.

His control over his strength was becoming increasingly precise as well.

Su Ming felt like he had struck gold. Not only was 200 million dollars coming his way, but he could also improve himself while taking a job.

He was too strong. Under normal circumstances, he simply could not find a suitable sparring partner.

The Iron Monger happened to have high defense and plenty of durability, making it the perfect punching bag for honing his combat skills.

How could he bear to one-shot the Iron Monger?

Besides, this job had no difficulty whatsoever. He was only beating up a robot, not an alien—how was that any different from picking up money?

It had to be Tony~ As expected of my humanoid wallet. Every time he reached in, there was a surprise.

In his cheerful mood, Su Ming's movements became even more elusive and ghostly, while his attacks grew ever more precise...

Obadiah, still in the air, tried to fire the thrusters at full power to steady himself.

But the Iron Monger's massive inertia made it difficult to maneuver under Su Ming's attacks, forcing Obadiah to think of another way.

"He spared Tony back then. He can spare me now!"

Thinking of something, Obadiah's spirits lifted. He spat out the blood in his mouth, cleared his throat, and tried to make his voice sound as gentle as possible:

"Mr. Destiny, please wait. Stop hitting me, cough cough..."

Su Ming had been thinking about integrating Jeet Kune Do into this kind of aerial battle and did not hear Obadiah's shout at first.

The unleashed One-Inch Punch smashed a huge dent into Iron Monger's hard skull. Only when Iron Monger spun as it fell did Su Ming react:

"Hm?... Mr. Obadiah, did you say something just now?"

Dazed and disoriented, Obadiah finally regained control of his body and blinked hard.

He could not tell whether the Iron Monger's display was broken or his own head was damaged. In any case, golden stars flashed wildly before his eyes.

That damn bounty hunter! If I could beat you, I'd kill you!

His heart was filled with resentment, but his words remained exceedingly polite:

"That's right, Mr. Destiny. I would like to discuss a business deal with you."

Hearing there was business to discuss, Su Ming's interest rose slightly.

It was probably just a request to spare him or something equally unoriginal, but he could listen to the offer...

"Go ahead."

"Oh, it's like this. You see... As gentlemen, it's really unbecoming for us to keep fighting like this. Why don't we resolve this issue in a way everyone likes..."

Taking the initiative to open his helmet, Obadiah could not remember how many years it had been since he had spoken so earnestly.

Seeing that Su Ming neither responded nor continued beating him, Obadiah gained a trace of confidence:

"Ten million! Mr. Bounty Hunter, let me go..."

This was a figure no bounty hunter could refuse—Obadiah thought confidently.

Su Ming suspected he had misheard him:

How much?

Ten million?

Heh, he had not expected this old bastard Obadiah to be so ruthless even toward himself.

At a life-or-death moment, he was still thinking about saving money.

For a moment, Su Ming did not know whether to laugh or cry at Obadiah's naivety...

Seeing Su Ming remain silent, there could only be one reason—he thought it was too little!

"This greedy bastard!"

Obadiah ground his back teeth, and blood immediately flowed into his mouth.

"Hiss—"

"Damn it, I'll have to get a few new teeth put in when I get back..."

Obadiah hesitated for a moment before naming a new price:

"Mr. Destiny, how about this? Thirty million! Spare me!"

Su Ming looked at the familiar scene before him and laughed soundlessly.

Never mind that Obadiah's opening offer was far lower than Tony's had been; even when raising the price, he was nowhere near as straightforward as Tony.

Vision... vision. What could you possibly use to compare yourself with Tony Stark?

Not a trace of the capitalist's lavish boldness could be seen in him. Pathetic!

Based on that alone, Su Ming had not the slightest interest in the business Obadiah was offering.

Just then, Su Ming suddenly remembered something.

Damn, he was still hanging high on the Underground Exchange's hit list!

Even the bounty for killing Tony Stark had only been—800,000.

Back when he was on his way to Osborn, he had encountered a wave of assassins. They had even come as a group, costing Su Ming quite a bit of effort.

It was all because Obadiah had pushed his bounty up to 2 million.

That had made him the undisputed number-one target!

He needed to settle this score with him properly...

With that thought, Su Ming put on a professional smile, distant yet cordial.

That made Tony Stark, who had been watching the two of them closely from below, tremble:

"Oh no! Is there going to be another round of bidding?"

He could not help feeling nervous...

Su Ming merely shook his head:

"Mr. Obadiah, regarding the bounty at the Underground Exchange, you see..."

Obadiah suddenly remembered that he really had posted a mission to hunt down Destiny.

Now that Su Ming had brought it up, did that mean there was room to negotiate if he withdrew the mission?

His eyes lit up, and a flicker of hope rose in his heart:

Great, I can go back and get my teeth fixed!!

Understanding immediately, he contacted the Underground Exchange right in front of Su Ming and canceled the mission offering a bounty on the hunter [Destiny].

After hanging up, Obadiah looked at Su Ming with hopeful eyes, as though saying:

"Are you satisfied now?"

Seeing with his own eyes that the assassination mission that had been bothering him endlessly had finally been removed, Su Ming felt much better.

There was a little more sincerity in his smile:

"Very good, Mr. Obadiah."

Old Obie recalled Su Ming's unfathomable, almost supernatural methods, and a chill ran through him. Once again, he was certain that deciding to talk things over had been an incredibly wise choice.

"Mr. Destiny, can you consider my request now..."

Tony had heard their conversation from below and could not help standing up.

A cold glint flashed in his narrowed eyes:

"Obie, bring it on! Who's afraid of who? At worst, we'll compare family fortunes!"

At the same time, he prepared himself to call Pepper at any moment to ask for money.

Su Ming heard Obadiah clearly. Recalling everything he had done, he knew the man before him was an ungrateful wolf who could never be fed.

What kind of decent person could someone be if he was willing to target the life of the nephew he had watched grow up just to seize the company?

The smile on his face gradually faded.

With a hint of indifference, Su Ming looked at Obadiah with slight disdain:

"Don't be naive. I don't take every job..."