WebNovels

Chapter 122 - Chapter 122: Success

Gossip magazines are a great thing. After Ivan Vanko completed his Arc Reactor, he prepared his passport and a flight ticket to Monaco.

The paparazzi had reported all of Tony Stark's plans, practically down to the meals he had for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Compared to Tony, Bruce Wayne, who just found a few women to show off with, was practically a monk.

The Monaco Grand Prix, a gathering of crowds on the racetrack.

Liu A'dou disguised himself as a driver, having already arranged everything. As he prepared the car, he found the portable Iron Man Mark V suit in the vehicle. Of course, Liu A'dou wouldn't steal it, as the suit had anti-theft software and hardware set up with a backdoor.

But touching it wasn't illegal. Liu A'dou still had to admit, Tony's design was impressive. However, the Iron Man suit consumed so much energy that the Arc Reactor could only power it for a few dozen hours, and at full power, the suit lasted at most for a few minutes. It was like a power-hungry smartphone that lasts longer on standby, but gaming drains the battery much faster.

Iron Man needed a lot of palladium, and now he was suffering from palladium poisoning. It was only thanks to some unpleasant medication that he managed to suppress the toxins, but if he kept using the suit, he'd eventually die from poisoning—just a matter of time.

The race began, and Tony's skills weren't bad. After becoming Iron Man, he focused on physical training, and now his physical condition and dynamic vision were excellent. Even if he didn't come in first, he could place somewhere in the middle—definitely not last.

The roar of the engine made Tony forget about the poisoning. The vibrating car raced on the track, and only by staying focused could he control such a roaring beast. With nothing else on his mind, Tony realized that it was this dangerous activity that helped him calm down.

Suddenly, chaos broke out in the stands as a staff member stepped onto the active racetrack, and a car was about to come at them. It was too dangerous.

Others saw this on TV, and Pepper's face turned pale in fear.

Liu A'dou walked over and called out to Pepper. "Miss, the car is ready!" They quickly headed toward the track.

The one stepping onto the racetrack was none other than Ivan Vanko. He activated the Arc Reactor, and his jacket was burned by the intense heat, revealing the mechanical vest and his solid muscles.

You could only say Ivan was truly a product of the fighting spirit of his people. With a whip in each hand, charged with high heat and electricity, he was incredibly dangerous. But he wore no protective gear—he was the very definition of reckless.

Hearing the roar of the racing engines, Ivan stood in the middle of the track, dragging his whips along the asphalt, leaving two scorched marks. As the first car sped towards him, he swung his whips. The snapping sound of the whips cut through the air like an unstoppable blade, cleaving the car in two. Sparks flew, and fragments scattered.

Boom—The car split in half, rolling, exploding, and catching fire. The driver was trapped inside, forced to endure this hellish fate.

"Ahh?!" The spectators screamed in shock, witnessing a terrifying scene unfold before them.

Every car coming towards Ivan suffered the same fate—he was out for revenge, causing chaos on the track.

"Hurry, hurry!" Pepper urged, the scene had descended into chaos. If they didn't act fast, it would be too late. "Get me the box first."

Liu A'dou placed the box in the backseat, then floored the gas pedal, calling out, "Hold on tight."

Tony's car was a Rolls-Royce worth several hundred thousand dollars, and Liu A'dou wanted to test its horsepower. With a quick turn of the wheel, he drove the car into the race, challenging the F1 cars in a battle of speed.

Whoosh—

Pepper, watching Liu A'dou, who looked and sounded just like Hogan, was surprised by how good the driver's skills were. Liu A'dou shifted gears so quickly that it seemed like a blur. The car roared as it sped down the F1 track, even fighting for turns with the race cars.

...

The F1 drivers were speechless—was this guy really trying to overtake with that car? Dream on! Even though there had been explosions ahead, the team was told to slow down, but they weren't about to let this car pass.

Slamming the gear shift into sixth, the car's speed surged. Liu A'dou saw the nearby driver trying to challenge him, so he decided to show off the results of his training in Hawaii.

The car entered the bend, and Liu A'dou took the inside line, not giving an inch. The driver cursed under his breath, thinking, With this speed, you're just going to crash out of the track.

Liu A'dou pursed his lips, eyes focused on the curve, his foot never leaving the gas. He tapped the brake with his heel while quickly pressing the clutch to shift gears. His movements were smooth and precise.

The F1 driver saw the rear of the car ahead swing into the curve, then the car sharply moved outward, almost going sideways into the corner.

"Drifting?" The driver was stunned, unable to even see the taillights of the car ahead.

Inside the luxury car, Pepper was pressed up against the door as Liu A'dou drove aggressively. Though she didn't fully understand, she could tell it was impressive.

Black smoke was visible just ahead, it was getting close.

Liu A'dou didn't know that the car he had just overtaken was none other than Tony Stark's. It was unbelievable—he was supposed to be rescuing someone, but Liu A'dou's speed had carried him right past the person he was supposed to save.

Tony Stark was devastated. He thought, So Hogan's driving skills are that good?

He didn't see Iron Man, only the lash of whips. Although he didn't know why, Liu A'dou didn't hesitate and aimed the car straight at the enemy. But then came the whip of light.

The whip swept across, tearing off the car's roof, and then delivered a vertical strike, splitting the car in half. The car was totaled in an instant, worth millions of dollars declared a total loss.

"Hurry, get out of the car." Liu A'dou called out to Pepper as he leapt out of the car, grabbing a piece of metal scrap—he didn't know what it was—and held it up to protect himself. Then he quickly moved to Pepper's side to shield her.

How could Tony not be here? Liu A'dou was confused—this wasn't how the script was supposed to go.

The long whip swooped through the air, drawing a circle before coming down heavily toward Liu A'dou. It sliced the piece of metal in his hand into two. Liu A'dou pretended to be terrified, his face showing shock. Behind him, Pepper screamed, clutching the box tightly, her cry piercing Liu A'dou's eardrums. At this moment, Tony finally arrived, albeit late. "The briefcase, Pepper, throw the briefcase over!"

Liu A'dou thought, Tony's race car looks so familiar. Isn't that the one I just overtook? He broke into a sweat.

Ivan saw Tony and immediately stopped pursuing Liu A'dou, heading straight for Tony. That meant Tony had no chance to suit up.

Thinking quickly, Liu A'dou tossed fragments from his hands towards Ivan, buying Tony some time. Tony stepped onto the case, bent down to pull the handle, and then stood up as the silver armor pieces covered his body.

The Mark V portable Iron Man suit had sacrificed missiles and firearms to keep it compact, leaving only palm-mounted jets. The armor was thin and couldn't withstand heavy impacts.

The appearance of Iron Man sent the audience into a frenzy. Liu A'dou quietly stepped back, carefully watching the battle between Iron Man and Ivan. He realized Iron Man's main strength was his weaponry and defense, but speed was his biggest weakness. No wonder Iron Man always got dominated by Captain America in one-on-one sparring. The suit was a great weapon, but Tony, the user, was lacking.

Iron Man's movements were slow, and Liu A'dou thought to himself, If I had a dagger that could pierce anything, I could easily take down this Mark V, especially considering it couldn't even fly.

Fortunately, Ivan wasn't a super soldier; he was just a strong Russian man. His whips couldn't penetrate Iron Man's defense, so after being whipped a couple of times, Iron Man grabbed the whips and pulled Ivan toward him.

In close-quarters combat, how could a flesh-and-blood body stand against a steel suit? Iron Man knocked Ivan down with just two punches and yanked the Arc Reactor off Ivan's chest, where the reactor was exposed after Ivan's suit was torn open.

"Mr. Stark, are you okay? I'll leave the stuff here," Liu A'dou said, having no idea when he'd walked up to Iron Man, holding a jacket that he'd turned into a simple pouch.

Tony straightened up, scanned the reactor, and should have destroyed it, but thanks to Liu A'dou's warning, he activated the launch conditions and placed the reactor into the pouch. Tony didn't trust many people, just his lover Pepper, his close friend Rhodey, his AI J.A.R.V.I.S., and of course, his driver Hogan.

Liu A'dou spun around, gathering the jacket to secure the reactor, then backed away a few steps. Police and firefighters rushed in, and the scene was a chaotic mix of sparks and foam. In the confusion, no one noticed as Liu A'dou slipped away unnoticed.

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