Trouble at the Racetrack

A sudden wave of startled cries erupted around the bustling racetrack.

The staff shouted loudly, trying to stop the man who had dared to barge onto the track.

The man tore open his shirt, revealing an Arc Reactor identical to Iron Man's on his chest.

He stretched out both hands, his electric whips fully powered.

Su Ming could not help but marvel. This entrance really was pretty badass.

This man's name was Ivan Vanko. His father, Anton Vanko, had once worked with Howard Stark—Tony's father—to develop Arc Reactor technology.

Later, Howard had driven him out for smuggling weapons.

Before Anton Vanko died, he had gripped his son Ivan's hand and told him that Stark was a thief, that he had stolen his technology and everything it had brought him.

Everything Tony Stark possessed now should have belonged to Ivan Vanko.

Clearly, another Obadiah.

From then on, Ivan had firmly believed that the Stark family had stolen his father's research, and he had resolved to take revenge.

He built an improved Arc Reactor and electric whip weapons himself, and at last, his opportunity had arrived. He began his plan for revenge at the racetrack.

With a single whip, he split an oncoming race car speeding toward him in half.

The shower of sparks and the overturned car body left every spectator stunned...

Just then, Tony's race car came speeding over. The man swung his electric whip again, instantly cleaving Tony's car in two.

Seeing Tony's car flip over and slam into the ground under its enormous momentum, Su Ming flashed over to the broken vehicle.

He casually raised a hand and flipped the car back over.

After all, Tony had been flying him around these past few days. Su Ming would not stand by and watch Tony get wrecked, but that was as far as he would go.

If Su Ming were to fight in his place—that would cost extra.

"Oh~ My God! What happened?..."

Tony struggled out of the cockpit.

Watching Whiplash stride toward them with the bearing of certain victory, Su Ming kindly reminded him:

"Tony, it looks like this guy came for you..."

"What?..."

Before he could finish speaking, a whip crackling with electricity lashed down at Tony from above.

Barehanded, Tony was no match for him.

After a few exchanges, Tony was scrambling desperately. A weapon capable of effortlessly slicing race cars in half would naturally split a human body in two upon contact.

In his desperation, Tony shouted:

"Mr. Silver Duke, help me!~"

Whiplash seemed to have only Tony as his target, giving Su Ming the chance to do something else.

When he had just helped Tony turn over the car, a system prompt had appeared before his eyes:

[Damaged Formula Race Car → Appraised Value: $2.1 million]

Looking in surprise at the race car wreckage, split in half and belching thick smoke, Su Ming exclaimed:

"Just as expected of F1. It's still worth this much even after being cut in half..."

He then looked toward another race car that had been whipped in half. Its driver had just managed to struggle free.

He also glanced at the stands. Faced with this sudden incident, everyone had turned into experts at fleeing for their lives, concerned only with escaping this dangerous place as fast as possible. No one was still paying attention to the track.

"Exchange!"

[+$2.1 million, exchange successful. Account balance: $4.155 million]

Not bad, not bad!

Su Ming trotted toward the wrecked race car that was about to explode:

[Damaged Formula Race Car → Appraised Value: $1.8 million]

"Exchange!"

[+$1.8 million, exchange successful. Account balance: $5.955 million]

Seeing his account balance instantly rise to over five million dollars, Su Ming finally felt a little safer.

If he stayed this broke, he would not even be able to pay Alisha's salary...

Then he suddenly heard Tony calling for help, and Su Ming's eyes lit up. It had to be you—my wallet.

He recalled the information about the man before him:

This was no minor character. The price should not be set too low...

After pondering for a moment, he called out brightly:

"Tony, it seems you've forgotten my profession... Please show some respect for my work, thank you..."

Tony, fleeing for his life, was not at all surprised by Su Ming's reaction, but he still cursed inwardly:

At a time like this, he's still trying to jack up the price? Damn it... I knew I still hated this guy!

If I had my newly developed armor, would I have to put up with this crap from you people?

I shouldn't have snuck out to have fun behind Potts's back. And Silver Duke! That damn ungrateful bastard I can never get rid of, all he knows is money, money, money...

Cursing aside, Tony was about to name Su Ming a price when the whip, crackling with electricity, lashed at him again.

"Holy shit~!"

Tony scrambled with both hands and feet, barely dodging the whip.

Just then, Happy drove Tony's Rolls-Royce onto the track and smashed Ivan hard into the barrier.

"Bang~"

Tony's eyes lit up, and he hurried over to the car:

"Right on time!"

"Bzzz~~!"

Tony had just opened the door when a flash of electricity sliced it in half.

Su Ming saw it clearly from the side. Knowing that several hundred thousand dollars had just vanished in one blow, he cried out over the waste...

Happy was furious—his beloved Rolls-Royce, which he practically maintained every day and would not allow to gain even the slightest scratch, had just had half its door chopped off by this bastard!

He floored the accelerator and rammed Ivan like a madman—one hit was not enough, so he went in for several more.

The Rolls-Royce swerved back and forth in front of Tony...

Inside the car, Pepper could not hand Tony the briefcase containing the armor. She was feeling increasingly nauseated—she was carsick.

That left Tony frantic:

"Could you at least give me the suit first?~"

"Bang!"

After two more collisions, the steering wheel's airbag deployed with a pop and smacked Happy square in the face.

At that moment, Ivan flicked his right hand, and his electric whip swept across the car body, shearing off nearly half the vehicle—the Rolls-Royce was ruined just like that.

"What a waste..."

Su Ming watched the Rolls-Royce with a pained expression.

Though the car had become a half-open vehicle, Pepper was finally able to toss the case in her hand to Tony.

She could finally catch her breath too. She had nearly thrown up...

Next came the exhilarating moment.

Tony planted one foot on the center of the briefcase and activated the switch.

Two handles suddenly extended from the case. As Tony grabbed them and pushed then pulled—a brand-new Iron Man suit rapidly covered his entire body.

This was the result of Tony's month-long period of intensive development.

—There was only one word for it: handsome!

Once Tony had put on the suit, he had the strength to fight Ivan.

"My turn!"

Tony kicked the car far away, getting Happy and Pepper out of the combat zone.

With no more worries holding him back, he could fight the enemy freely.

He raised an arm and prepared to fire a charged blast, but Ivan interrupted his attack with a single whip.

After several lashes, Tony's prized new armor was severely damaged, but he did not back down in the slightest.

"I'm poisoned and don't have much longer to live. I snuck out to have fun for two days, and you still came to bother me. You really deserve to die..."

The more Tony thought about it, the angrier he became. He endured the damage head-on, gripped the electric whips tightly, and wrapped them around his body coil by coil.

He also used the chance to close in on Ivan.

Without his whips, Ivan naturally lost his offensive power. After a few punches, stars danced before his eyes.

With one final shoulder throw, Tony tore the Arc Reactor from Ivan's chest.

The sparks on the electric whips vanished instantly after losing their power supply...

JARVIS displayed the structure of the reactor in Tony's hand on the screen. Tony could not believe that someone had created an Arc Reactor identical to his own.

The police arrived belatedly and took away Ivan Vanko, who had caused havoc at the racetrack.

Leaving aside the fact that seeing an Arc Reactor in someone else's hands had stirred immense curiosity within Tony.

After watching the fight, Su Ming had gained some inspiration:

It was always hard to make people believe empty words. Why not get the thing first, then discuss the price with Tony?~

He believed that by then,

Tony would certainly be happy to sit down and have a proper talk with him.

With that in mind, Su Ming bid farewell to the preoccupied Tony and boarded a plane bound for Washington.

Thinking of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters on the small island between Washington, D.C. and Virginia,

Su Ming felt somewhat expectant:

"Triskelion, huh~

This time, I'll get to admire it up close..."