What a Trap, Mr. Silver Duke

A month later.

Su Ming had finally adapted to the changes in his body, though he had wrecked quite a few hotel facilities in the process.

He had paid a considerable amount in compensation.

The upgrade had instantly elevated Su Ming's body to an unprecedented level, seriously affecting his daily life.

But the results were impressive.

He could now effortlessly lift steel coils weighing around twenty tons with one hand. He had even gone to Tony's weapons production workshop to test himself on brand-new tanks.

Su Ming could lift tanks weighing over sixty tons without much effort.

He had also secretly gone to New York Harbor at night to test himself against cargo ships of various sizes.

He discovered that he could easily push small cargo ships through the water. As for larger ones—he could still make them move with some effort.

One had to know that even while floating on water, large cargo ships started at a hundred thousand tons.

Su Ming found it immensely satisfying.

It was worth mentioning that while Su Ming had been working to adapt to his body, Little Spider Peter Parker had come looking for him several times.

Every time, Peter had eagerly invited Su Ming to join him in action.

Peter tirelessly used his free time after school to help the New York Police Department fight crime.

Ever since Inspector George Stacy had acknowledged Little Spider, he would casually leak information about difficult cases to him, giving Peter an unprecedented sense of recognition and purpose.

But recently, Peter had encountered a strange person.

The man wore green armor and a demon mask while riding a flying glider.

He had only exchanged a few moves with Peter before leaving, without doing anything excessive, which left Peter deeply confused.

Spider-Sense told Peter that this man was extremely dangerous. Ever since then, that green figure had lingered in Peter's mind.

After turning down Little Spider's invitation to team up yet again, Su Ming said that he would never, ever do something as selflessly devoted as Peter did.

As a bounty hunter, making money was the only serious business.

Su Ming's refusal left Little Spider with the impression that he was somewhat cold-hearted. That lofty, radiant image in his mind now bore a tiny black stain...

Back at the hotel, Su Ming reflected on what he had just done:

"Good thing I was smart enough to jump up and down the stairs. If I accidentally broke the elevator, I probably couldn't afford the compensation with my current balance..."

But that was no long-term solution. He had to hurry up and make some money!

Looking at the little over one million dollars in his account, Su Ming wailed, "I'm poor as hell..."

Just then, the phone rang:

"Hi, Mr. Silver Duke."

It was Tony Stark.

Su Ming was quite surprised to receive Tony's call:

Wasn't he holed up researching a new suit? He finished that quickly?

Tony's slightly smug voice sounded over the phone:

"Mr. Silver Duke, I suddenly remembered that we still have an agreement. It's time to set off..."

Su Ming's eyes lit up as he recalled that Tony had once invited him somewhere:

"Las Vegas?"

"Let's go~"

Tony's cheerful voice came through the phone.

Tony Stark had been in a very good mood lately.

Ever since announcing that he was Iron Man, he had practically become a national idol in no time.

"Of course. Who could possibly resist the charm of a mech suit?~~"

Tony thought smugly.

What made Tony even happier was that development of the new armor had been successfully completed.

He had every reason to believe that once he unveiled the new suit, everyone's jaws would drop.

Even "cool" was insufficient to describe that feeling...

Thinking back on the moment the experiment had succeeded, even Tony himself had been dazzled by his invention.

"It's time to relax a little..."

As a genius, Tony had never been particularly hardworking. After achieving some short-term results, he naturally had to enjoy himself.

Recalling Crimson Silver Baron's masterful card skills, Tony's eyes gleamed with acquisitive light.

Wasn't it just Las Vegas?~

What I lost before didn't count. This time, I'll bring you your nightmare—the Card Master, Mr. Crimson Silver Baron!

That was right. Tony had visited Las Vegas's luxury casinos more than once, but after only a few rounds, he had earned himself the title of "easy mark."

A science nerd could never remain rational in the face of probability.

Not to mention the tricks and underhanded tactics...

Tony sent a car to pick Su Ming up from the Manhattan Hotel, and the two flew to Las Vegas—the paradise of gamblers around the world—on Tony's private jet.

Three days later...

"Oh! God~ Please~ God..."

(Oh! God, please—my God...)

Tony now deeply regretted bringing Su Ming to Las Vegas for high-stakes gambling...

What he regretted even more was the grand promise he had made to Su Ming on the private jet—split the winnings evenly, while Tony would cover all losses.

Three days!

Just three short days!

Tony had lost a full five hundred million...

U.S. dollars!

Five hundred million...

Tony had assumed that someone capable of using playing cards as weapons and flicking them with such skill had to be a legendary gambling master. This time, however, Tony had completely misjudged him.

Su Ming was plainly a complete amateur.

Relying solely on sheer guts, he dared to call any hand and peek at any cards...

It nearly sent Tony's poor little heart blasting the arc reactor out of his chest.

At first, Tony thought Su Ming was deliberately playing dumb to mess with his head, intending to win everything back at the crucial moment.

But to his utter surprise—Su Ming was not only terrible, he did not even know how to gamble!

"Bro! If you didn't know how to play, you should've said so! Why did you look like you had it in the bag... I believed you!"

Putting aside the fact that Tony Stark had nearly been frustrated enough to cough up blood, Su Ming had thoroughly enjoyed playing the role of the boss...

At first, everyone had only made room for him at the gambling table out of respect for Tony Stark.

But once they discovered that even Tony followed Su Ming's lead, Su Ming's treatment skyrocketed.

Bunny girls draped over both arms; wine, fruit, and cigars offered directly to his lips...

The envious gazes of countless successful elites; the dealer's flirtatious eyes...

As expected of the paradise of gamblers around the world, Las Vegas understood gamblers' mindsets down to the extreme.

Once Su Ming repeatedly confirmed that Tony would foot the bill for him, the last trace of hesitation in his heart vanished completely.

"Just go for it..."

The result was that the beautiful dealer's gaze toward Su Ming shifted from flirtatious to delighted, then from delighted to affectionate. Darling, don't go—we haven't seen such an easy mark in ages!!!

Piles upon piles of chips vanished before Su Ming's eyes. Of the five hundred million dollars Tony had lost, four hundred million had been Su Ming's doing.

That made Tony Stark cry out that he had totally misjudged him.

Five hundred million was five hundred million...

"After all... money is just a number."

Though he was somewhat unhappy, Tony always had a way to comfort himself.

Tony had nearly needed to put on his new armor just to drag the still-unsatisfied Su Ming out of the casino. It was as though he could see the cash in his wallet saying to him:

"Thank you, Tony, for saving me in time..."

On the private jet.

Tony looked at Su Ming with a complicated expression:

"What a trap, Mr. Silver Duke! You can handle playing cards like that, and you're telling me you can't gamble?"

Thinking back to all the money he had made Tony lose—what a complete waste, especially when he himself was short on cash.

But the layout of Las Vegas's world-class casinos—from their colors and personnel to their temperature and fragrances—stimulated wealthy gamblers from every angle, urging them to keep playing.

"Those people are the real experts at applied science..."

Having come to his senses, Su Ming sighed at the casinos' terrifying methods as he helplessly answered Tony's question:

"Oh, Tony, who told you I knew how to gamble?"

Thinking over Su Ming's words, Tony realized that all of this really had been nothing more than his own assumptions...

Who was Tony Stark?

As long as he was having fun, what did spending a little money matter?

Instantly forgetting the unpleasantness of losing money, Tony thought of something and eagerly suggested:

"Let's not talk about unpleasant things!

I heard there's a pretty good racetrack in Morocco! Let's go have some fun there!~~"