An Octagon Fight with Iron Man?

Now only Mr. Negative and 2B were left standing.

Negative Energy spread from Mr. Negative's body, turning everything around him black and white.

He reached into the dense energy and pulled.

Hum!

A longsword made of Negative Energy emerged in his hand. At least now he had a weapon to use against 2B.

But his sword was so small that it looked like a toy beside hers.

"Ah!"

Mr. Negative shouted to bolster his courage and charged at 2B, sword raised.

To 2B, he was full of openings.

He didn't know how to use a sword at all!

As a member of YoRHa, 2B had never needed to learn martial arts. She had simply downloaded them.

As a combat android, she knew practically every fighting style.

She dodged Mr. Negative's attack with a Perfect Dodge, then struck back while he was committed to his swing.

Clang!

Their swords met twice, and his went flying.

Because Mr. Negative was human, 2B didn't kill him. She only knocked him down.

After two solid blows from 2B, even Mr. Negative couldn't hold on. The Negative Energy around him faded, revealing his true identity.

Martin Li!

Li Wei had Red Queen scan the area. Only after she confirmed it was safe did he get out of the car.

He walked straight toward Martin Li.

Martin Li lay sprawled on the ground, looking utterly wretched.

Standing over him, Li Wei tugged at his collar with both hands and teased, "Martin, you look like a dog."

The remark wounded Martin Li's pride.

A man like him had an enormous ego. He looked up at Li Wei. "I lost. Was there any need to humiliate me, Mr. Li?"

"It's just a movie line. It happens to fit you."

Clearly, Martin Li had never seen a Stephen Chow film.

Then again, that was hardly surprising for someone who had entered the country illegally.

Li Wei looked down at him. "What I want to know is how an idiot like you dared to come after me."

"Who are you working for? Why did you try to steal my research results?"

Martin Li understood at once.

"So you know."

"I'm not working for anyone," Martin Li said. "That research is incredibly valuable. If we got hold of it, we could do far more than make money!"

"Something like that should be reserved for the powerful. Then we could control them, manipulate America, and gain power."

He laid out his thinking for Li Wei.

In his view, something so valuable shouldn't be available for just anyone to use.

And manipulating America wasn't all that difficult.

With a powerful enough lobbying organization and enough money, you could influence a great deal.

After all, that was how one group had practically become Celestial Dragons in America.

Martin Li had grand ambitions.

But they had nothing to do with Li Wei. He wasn't hungry for power.

"I just want to benefit the whole world," Li Wei said.

Not that he was a saint.

It was simply the only way to earn Reputation Points.

The more magnificent his public image became, the more Reputation Points he would gain.

Ideally, everyone in the world would know his name!

The New York Police Department arrived soon after. George Stacy hurried over with his officers, and they handcuffed the members of the Devil's Gang.

As for the helicopter, it saw that things had gone badly on the ground and flew off...

"Mr. Li, are you all right?"

George Stacy looked at Li Wei with deep concern.

This was his precious daughter's boss. Nothing could happen to him.

"I'm fine," Li Wei said.

Then George Stacy spotted the man on the ground.

"Martin Li?"

The veteran police captain was stunned. "Aren't you a philanthropist? What happened here?"

Before Li Wei could answer, a crowd of reporters rushed over.

They hadn't arrived late; the police had kept them back. Now those with press credentials were allowed closer, provided they didn't disturb the scene.

"Mr. Li, this is the second time you've been attacked. How do you feel?"

"Oh my God, that's the philanthropist Martin Li! What's he doing here?"

"Mr. Li..."

Faced with the reporters' frenzy, Li Wei quickly raised a hand.

He signaled for them to take turns, then joked, "All I can say is, if anything happens to me, Tony Stark is definitely to blame."

Tony Stark: ???

At the mention of that name, the reporters lost interest in the scene. "Mr. Li, Tony Stark responded earlier. He said he might be lazy, but he works out diligently, unlike you. He says you're weak."

Li Wei wasn't having that. He smiled. "I'm not weak. If Tony Stark disagrees, he can face me in the octagon. We'll see who the real weakling is!"

He remembered how, before he came to this world, Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg had talked about fighting in the octagon.

Using the idea now was guaranteed to make headlines.

And if he lost?

What a joke!

Would it make sense for a twenty-year-old man like him to lose to some guy in his thirties or forties?

"Whoa!"

Sure enough, the reporters went wild.

No one was even taking pictures of Martin Li anymore.

Li Wei didn't let it go any further, though. "Now, about the attack..."

Li Wei had wanted to go home and rest, but that was no longer an option.

The reporters wouldn't let him leave, and the police needed to take his statement.

After something this serious, they suspected Li Wei might have been involved.

But they had no evidence.

All the recordings had vanished, and the vehicles they tracked down yielded no information linking them to Li Wei.

More importantly, Future Technology Company had donated high-tech equipment to the New York Police Department.

The Devil's Gang had never done that!

Far from donating anything, they had spent their time smashing, looting, and causing trouble across New York. How could they compare with Li Wei?

The New York Police Department soon knew which side it favored.

<Brilliant scientist Li Wei challenges former tech genius Tony Stark to an octagon showdown!> — New York Times.

<Battle of the weaklings: an objective analysis of whether brilliant scientist Li Wei or Tony Stark is frailer!> — Daily Bugle.

<Two entrepreneurs face off! Who do you think will win? Cast your vote!>

<New York philanthropist Martin Li exposed as crime boss Mr. Negative: a twisted soul or a collapse of morals?>

"What do they mean, former tech genius? I'm still a genius!"

When Tony Stark saw the news, he felt as though the sky had fallen.

His face darkened instantly, and fury surged through him.

"He's a guy in his twenties picking on an old-timer in his thirties! Has he no shame?"

JARVIS asked, "Sir, shall I decline the challenge?"

"Decline? Not a chance!" Tony Stark's voice rose at once.