Riot at the Racetrack

According to the original plot, he had followed his father's final wish and come to settle the score with Iron Man.

Ivan was very clever. He had chosen the point where he stepped onto the track with great care.

It was a straightaway. The drivers could see him from far away and had enough time to avoid him. Any normal person would turn the wheel and slow down; it was unlikely anyone would ram straight into him.

Flames slowly rose from Ivan's body. Several fiery snakes burned through his yellow protective suit, and the clothes fell away in strips.

With a flick of both hands, two Electric Whips swung out from his exoskeleton device.

Ivan did not have Iron Man's resources, but he possessed an equally brilliant mind. Not only had he created the same Miniature Arc Reactor as Iron Man, but with limited materials, he had also made an exoskeleton and Electric Whips, giving himself a measure of protection while maximizing his offensive power.

Ivan looked disdainfully at a race car charging toward him. "I said, stop!"

Honk!

A flash of fire streaked past. The high-energy Electric Whip lashed out, slicing off the entire front end of the F1 car. The vehicle lost control, rolled over, and crashed into the guardrail beside the track.

With a boom, it exploded into a fireball.

The nearby spectators began screaming and scattering in panic.

Real men never looked back at explosions. Ivan kept his eyes fixed firmly ahead.

Iron Man's car was coming!

Only a dozen or so seconds had passed since Ivan stepped onto the track, and Iron Man had yet to react.

By the time he hit the brakes, it was already too late.

Ivan swung at Iron Man. Wherever the Electric Whip passed, the race car was neatly split in half from nose to tail. Iron Man made an emergency leap from the vehicle.

Fortunately, the car had already slowed down. Otherwise, that jump might have cost him his life.

The cars behind him all slowed down as well.

Otherwise, even if Iron Man had not died under Ivan's Electric Whips, he would have been killed by the cars behind him.

Ivan pursued relentlessly, leaving Iron Man no choice but to use the wreckage of the race car for cover.

"Hahahahahaha! Tony Stark, aren't you Iron Man? Why are you cowering like a turtle? Come on, duel me!"

Pepper Potts and Happy rose nervously from the VIP seats.

Pepper Potts said, "Happy, give the red suitcase to Tang."

The red suitcase Happy had been carrying all along was also secured to his wrist by a chain lock disguised as a glove.

He stuffed it into Apocalypse's arms and said, "It's the armor. Get it to Tony, quick."

Apocalypse was speechless. Had Happy and Pepper Potts gotten this lazy now?

In the original plot, the two of them had risked their lives to drive into Ivan, delivering the armor to Iron Man in time and ultimately subduing Ivan.

Now, without a second thought, they had handed the task to him. They really were not being polite at all.

"Happy, aren't you Tony's bodyguard? Don't be so lazy."

Before Happy could answer, Pepper Potts was nearly in tears. She tugged at Apocalypse's arm and said, "Tony can't hold on much longer. Hurry, hurry, hurry, please."

Helpless, Apocalypse took the suitcase and directly tore apart the high-strength steel chain bound to Happy's wrist.

He turned to Black Widow and said, "I'll be right back. Protect those two. Don't let anyone take advantage of the chaos."

"Mm." Black Widow nodded seriously.

Black Widow's valiant appearance was especially alluring. Apocalypse could not resist giving her a loud kiss on the forehead before jumping out of the VIP seating area.

With Apocalypse taking action, Pepper Potts and Happy no longer worried. They began teasingly looking at Black Widow until she blushed faintly.

"What are you looking at?"

Pepper Potts asked, "Are you sure you've only known each other for a few days? Why does it feel like you've known each other forever, like an old married couple?"

Since Black Widow was not involved with Tony, Pepper Potts held no hostility toward her at all. Their relationship instantly went from colleagues to best friends.

"Yeah," Happy said. "You weren't interested in handsome, wealthy Tony, but I never expected you to choose Tang."

Black Widow did not know how to answer. Although she and Apocalypse had not met at Iron Man's house, even counting their time in the City of God, they had not known each other for many days, and most of that time they had been disguising their identities.

Yet it really did feel as though they had known each other for a long time. Black Widow did not know why she felt that way.

Over on Iron Man's side.

The last piece of race car wreckage was shattered by Ivan's whip. With nowhere left to hide, Iron Man was about to die beneath the Electric Whips.

Just then, a gust of wind swept past. The red suitcase flew over, knocking the Electric Whip aside and saving Iron Man's life.

"Tony, I'll leave him to you. I'm going to save the others."

"No problem!"

Iron Man pressed both hands onto the suitcase and pulled upward. At once, the red suitcase unfolded layer by layer, transforming into a red-and-gold suit of armor that attached itself to Iron Man.

Now this was Iron Man!

With the armor's support, Iron Man could finally fight back.

The area was crowded with people. Iron Man did not dare use bullets or micro-missiles, since a missed shot could easily injure bystanders. Instead, he charged in close and fought Ivan hand-to-hand.

To his surprise, Ivan's exoskeleton looked crude, but its combat power was far from weak.

For a time, electricity flashed everywhere as the two traded blows evenly.

The Electric Whips struck the Iron Man armor, leaving scar after scar like welding marks, but they never managed to breach its defenses.

Not only did the people in the stands fail to evacuate, they watched with great interest and occasionally cheered loudly, making Apocalypse frown as he complained inwardly.

Was this why there were fewer foreigners? Cultural differences?

Ivan grew anxious when his attacks failed to break through. Seizing an opening, he viciously wrapped both Electric Whips around Iron Man's neck. The intense electric field crackled as it eroded the armor.

Iron Man struggled, only to discover that he could not break free. He was secretly alarmed.

The power of those Electric Whips had been obvious just now. A single lash could split a race car in two. Although his armor's defenses were advanced, with two whips wrapped around his neck, if he could not escape, things would become dangerous with time.

The armor around the neck was the weakest part of the suit. If it was eroded through, his head would be cut off immediately.

Since he could not break free, he might as well close in and take Ivan down at close range.

Iron Man wrapped his hands around the Electric Whips, winding them around his arms step by step. Countless sparks flew from his armor as he forced his way toward Ivan.

Over by Happy, Black Widow, and Pepper Potts.

Pepper Potts anxiously said, "Why isn't Tang helping Tony? I'm afraid Tony can't hold on. With his strength, he could knock that villain down with one punch."

She only cared about Iron Man's safety, not the lives of those bystanders. Besides, medical personnel were already tending to them.

Black Widow smiled faintly. "He doesn't like fighting."

Black Widow recalled the time when she had first met Apocalypse. She had already investigated him thoroughly and learned that he had run a flower shop for many years.

A man with such tremendous strength was content to live an ordinary life, tending flowers and plants. He must have had an exceptionally peaceful heart.

If not for her, he probably would not have left that place.

However, when she thought of how Apocalypse seemed to have known her identity long ago, yet had not exposed her and had simply gone along with it to marry her, her teeth began to itch with irritation.

Over on Iron Man's side, he had forced Ivan back. He reached both hands toward Ivan's chest and ripped out the Arc Reactor from Ivan's exoskeleton.

Iron Man smiled. "You were too careless. You forgot to protect your Arc Reactor."

Ivan was unconcerned. "Is that so? Look again."

The Electric Whips continued making their crackling cutting sound. Their power clearly had not disappeared.

Iron Man was shocked and immediately understood. Ivan had equipped himself with two power sources. The other one was probably hidden on his back.

By now, the armor around his neck had nearly been eroded through. If he did not find a solution soon, his head was going to fall off.

"Tang, help! Help!"

If one listened only to his voice, it carried an unruly air with a touch of humor, and others might have thought he was joking.

But Apocalypse knew that Iron Man cared deeply about his pride and would not ask for help unless he had no other choice. Without having time to wonder why Iron Man had not defeated Ivan according to the original plot, he acted at once.

After several flashes, he arrived between the two men.

At that moment, the Electric Whips had bound them so tightly that they could not be separated. Apocalypse grabbed the whips with both hands. They immediately crackled and gave off black smoke, and Iron Man could even smell burning flesh through his mask.

"How is that possible?" Ivan could not believe it.

How could a body of flesh and blood grab the Electric Whips directly?

Apocalypse exerted force with both hands toward Ivan and gave a savage pull, tearing both Electric Whips apart by force.

Iron Man let out a breath of relief. He had escaped the crisis of decapitation.

Without the Electric Whips, Ivan was a tiger without teeth. Iron Man quickly subdued him, pinned him to the ground, and tore out the Arc Reactor from his back as well.

At that point, Ivan had been completely defeated.

"Iron Man... Iron Man... Iron Man..."

The spectators, unaware of the truth, erupted in cheers. They had only seen Iron Man land the final blow, overlooking Apocalypse's crucial assistance.

They had only come to watch a race, yet not only had they seen the famous Iron Man drive in person, they had also witnessed such an exciting battle. It had been well worth the price of admission.

Apocalypse was speechless at Western attitudes. They really loved watching a spectacle without fearing the trouble or danger.

No wonder that in the later Superhero War, there were always bystanders watching, and superheroes could never finish saving the random civilians who kept rushing in.

Soon, Ivan was dragged away by security personnel.

From afar, Ivan shouted at Iron Man, "Tony, what you and your father owe me, I will definitely take back! Hahahahahahaha..."