Rumble at the Racetrack

Following the original plot, he had come to settle scores with Iron Man in accordance with his father's last wish.

Ivan was very clever. He had chosen his point of entry onto the track with great care.

This was a straightaway. The drivers could spot him from far off and had plenty of time to avoid him. Any normal person would turn the wheel and slow down; they were unlikely to ram straight into him.

Flames slowly rose from Ivan's body. Several fiery snakes burned through his yellow protective suit, reducing it to strips of cloth that fell away.

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 the same genius mind. Not only had he created a Miniature Arc Reactor identical to Iron Man's, but he had also used limited materials to build an exoskeleton and Electric Whips, giving himself a degree of protection while maximizing his offensive power.

Ivan sneered at a race car speeding toward him. "I said, stop!"

"Bang!"

A flash of fire streaked through the air as the high-energy Electric Whip lashed out. The entire front end of the F1 car was sliced off. The car spun out of 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.

A real man never looked back at explosions. Ivan kept his eyes locked on the front.

Iron Man's car was coming!

Only a dozen seconds had passed since Ivan stepped onto the track. Iron Man had not even processed what was happening yet.

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 leaped out in an emergency.

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

The cars behind him all began slowing down.

Otherwise, even if Iron Man did not die beneath Ivan's Electric Whips, he would have been run over by the cars behind him.

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

"Hahahaha! 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 their seats in the VIP section.

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

The red suitcase Happy had been carrying was even chained to his wrist with a lock disguised as a glove.

He shoved it into Apocalypse's arms and said, "This is the armor. Hurry and take it to Tony."

Apocalypse was speechless. Had Happy and Pepper Potts become 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 over to him. They really were not being polite at all.

"Happy, aren't you Tony's bodyguard? Don't slack off like this."

Before Happy could answer, Pepper Potts was nearly in tears. She shook Apocalypse's arm and pleaded, "Tony can't hold on much longer. Hurry, hurry, hurry! Please!"

Helpless, Apocalypse took the suitcase and snapped the stainless-steel chain around Happy's wrist.

Turning to Black Widow, he said, "I'll be right back. Protect the two of them. Don't let anyone take advantage of the chaos."

"Mm." Black Widow nodded solemnly.

Black Widow's spirited face was especially alluring. Apocalypse could not resist planting a loud kiss on her forehead before jumping out of the VIP seats.

With Apocalypse stepping in, Pepper Potts and Happy stopped worrying. They began teasingly staring at Black Widow until her face flushed slightly.

"What are you looking at?"

Pepper Potts asked, "Are you sure you've only known each other for a few days? It feels like you've known each other forever, like an old married couple."

Since Black Widow was not getting 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 Tony, who's handsome and loaded, but you chose Tang instead."

Black Widow did not know how to answer. Although she had not met Apocalypse at Iron Man's house, even counting their time in the City of God, they had only known each other for a few days. Most of that time, they had been using false identities.

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

Over on Iron Man's side.

The last piece of race car wreckage was smashed apart by Ivan's whip. Iron Man had nowhere left to hide and 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, leave him to you. I'll go save the others."

"No problem!"

Iron Man pressed both hands against the suitcase and pulled upward. Instantly, the red suitcase unfolded layer upon layer, transforming into a gold-and-red suit of armor that attached itself to Iron Man.

This was the real Iron Man!

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

The area around them was packed with people. Iron Man did not dare use bullets or micro-missiles; if he missed, he could easily injure bystanders. So he charged in and fought Ivan at close range.

Unexpectedly, Ivan's exoskeleton looked crude but was actually quite formidable.

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

The Electric Whips lashed against the Iron Man armor, leaving scar after scar like welding marks, but they never managed to break through its defenses.

Rather than evacuating, the people in the stands watched with great interest, cheering loudly from time to time. Apocalypse frowned at the sight and grumbled to himself.

Was this why there were fewer foreigners? Cultural differences?

Seeing that he could not break through after so long, Ivan grew anxious. Seizing an opening, he viciously wrapped both Electric Whips around Iron Man's neck. The intense electric field crackled as it ate away at the armor.

Iron Man struggled, only to find that he could not break free. Alarmed, he inwardly cursed.

The power of those Electric Whips had been obvious just moments ago. A single lash could cut a race car in two. His armor had advanced defenses, but with two whips wrapped around his neck, if he could not escape, things would get dangerous over time.

The armor around his neck was the suit's weakest point. If it was eroded through, his head would be cut right off.

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

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

Over at Happy, Black Widow, and Pepper Potts' side.

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 there to save them.

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

Black Widow recalled how, when she had first met Apocalypse, she had already investigated him thoroughly. He had run a flower shop for many years.

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

If it had not been for her, he probably would never have left that place.

But when she thought of how Apocalypse seemed to have known her identity all along, yet had not exposed her and had simply gone with the flow to marry her, her teeth began itching with anger.

On Iron Man's side, he had already forced Ivan back. He reached toward Ivan's chest with both hands 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? Take another look."

The Electric Whips continued making their crackling cutting sounds. Clearly, their power had not been cut off.

Iron Man was shocked and immediately understood. Ivan had equipped himself with two power sources; the other one had to be hidden on his back.

By now, the armor around his neck had nearly been eroded through. If he did not think of something soon, his head would fall off.

"Tang, help! Help!"

Judging by his voice alone, he sounded carefree, with a hint of humor, as if he were joking.

But Apocalypse knew that Iron Man cared deeply about appearances. He would not ask for help unless he had no other choice. Apocalypse had no time to wonder why Iron Man had not defeated Ivan as he had in the original plot.

After several flashes, he arrived between the two men.

The Electric Whips had wrapped them together so tightly that they could not be separated. Apocalypse grabbed the whips with both hands. At once, they crackled and smoked black. Even through his helmet, Iron Man could smell burning flesh.

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

How could flesh and blood possibly grab Electric Whips directly?

Apocalypse pulled hard toward Ivan, and the two Electric Whips were forcibly torn apart.

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

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

At that point, Ivan had been completely defeated.

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

The spectators who did not know the full story erupted into cheers. They had only seen Iron Man land the final blow and overlooked Apocalypse's crucial help.

They had come only to watch a race, yet they had not only seen the famous Iron Man driving in person, but also witnessed such a thrilling battle. Their tickets had been more than worth it.

Apocalypse was speechless at the Western mindset. They really loved a spectacle and had no fear of danger.

No wonder that in the later Superhero War, there were always bystanders gathering around. Superheroes could never save all 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 take it back someday! Hahahahahaha..."