Ivan Vanko faced away from Qin Xiao, focusing all his attention on Tony in front of him.
Qin Xiao executed his move perfectly—the Tang sword pierced straight into the armor.
Like the Iron Overlord before him, the ordinary alloy couldn't withstand the power of Qin Xiao's blade.
More importantly, Ivan Vanko could now truly be called Whiplash.
Moreover, Whiplash's armor was far thinner than the Iron Overlord's.
"Die!"
Qin Xiao lunged forward, driving the sword hard into the armor.
"Shit!" A wave of counterforce slammed back.
The Tang sword hit something solid and could go no further.
"What? Special alloy?"
Before Qin Xiao could react, a sharp strike came from the back of Whiplash's armor.
A metallic whip, newly energized, lashed against Qin Xiao's chest, flinging him through the air.
Fortunately, Qin Xiao instinctively held onto his Tang sword when struck, or else the weapon would have been left stuck on the whip.
He was thrown more than ten meters, rolling several meters on the ground before coming to a stop, finally able to assess the situation.
The spine-like exoskeleton on Whiplash's back was articulated, able to extend like a tail whip directly from his neck.
Qin Xiao had been caught completely off guard.
"I can't believe I forgot you were working with Stark. Besides this tail, I have to thank that idiot Hammer. After I built my arc reactor, he rushed to order gold and titanium to craft armor like Stark's. For me, it was like hitting the jackpot."
"The inner lining of this armor is gold-titanium alloy. Your weapon can't cut through it! Hahaha!"
Whiplash's tail lashed violently at the ground, leaving fine cracks on the surface.
"This is impressive, but do you think I'm helpless just because you have this shell and a tail? Your weapons can't hurt me—I'll chip away at your shell bit by bit!" Qin Xiao stomped the ground, gripping his sword with confidence.
Even if the armor is made entirely of gold-titanium, once your energy runs out, you still can't match me.
No matter the strength, Qin Xiao—having inherited part of the Hulk's defense and regenerative abilities—was effectively invincible from the start.
"You are indeed strong. The best way to deal with you is to run. But what about Stark? Can you save him before I kill him?"
As Whiplash exerted himself, Tony's armor plowed deep trenches into the ground.
"Damn it!"
Qin Xiao couldn't risk it, cursing angrily as he charged toward Whiplash.
But the tail was incredibly flexible. Unfurling from its folded state, it became a whip over three meters long, instantly spraying the surrounding area with water.
Qin Xiao swung his Tang sword, chopping multiple times. But the tail was made of gold-titanium alloy as well. Unless he struck precisely dozens of times, he couldn't break through the defense.
"Tony, hold on a little longer!"
After a few more hits, Qin Xiao finally moved out of Whiplash's attack range, thinking quickly for another plan.
"Try hitting all the joints. With such thick armor and three arc reactors, not all circuits and sensors can fit inside—the armor can't handle it!"
Tony's voice came distorted through the comms, apparently from slight deformation of his armor caused by the whip.
Hearing this, Qin Xiao's eyes lit up.
He dashed to Whiplash's right side. As the tail lashed, he stomped violently on the ground with his right foot.
He dodged and moved to the left side. Unexpectedly, Whiplash's tail reacted instantly. With a roar, it whipped from the side toward Qin Xiao.
"Bastard!"
Qin Xiao cursed, taking a heavy lash to his back, and wrapped his left hand tightly around Whiplash's left leg.
With his right hand, he drove the Tang sword into the knee, channeling a surge of force from the whip behind him.
Qin Xiao's left hand held Whiplash's left leg while his right hand swung the sword horizontally, using the whip's momentum to carve a half-circle around the leg.
The Tang sword traced a semi-circle along the left leg.
Just as Tony predicted, the movement destroyed the internal circuit system in the left leg, sparks flying everywhere.
Once it worked, the operation was surprisingly simple!
Qin Xiao quickly shifted attention to the right leg.
With a single move, he disabled Whiplash's tail control, causing momentary panic.
Even so, he refused to let go of Tony Stark.
One whip remained tightly wrapped around Tony's neck, a device on Whiplash's arm sliding quickly to tighten the restraint.
The other whip, combined with the tail, lashed toward Qin Xiao.
Qin Xiao smirked, kicking the ground with both legs.
He slid from right leg to Whiplash's right arm.
This technique was learned from Black Widow, though she would usually twist someone's neck with her thighs.
With the right technique, everything falls into place—Qin Xiao wasn't afraid of Whiplash's attacks at all.
Dodge if possible; if not, endure, using the impact to move up and down along Whiplash.
Sparks flew continuously from Whiplash's body.
It felt to Qin Xiao like cutting wires with a kitchen knife.
Power charged again!
A dazzling series of moves and damaged circuits triggered a chain reaction.
Even untouched areas of Whiplash sparked uncontrollably.
All three whips, including the tail, went dead and collapsed to the ground.
Qin Xiao jumped down, taking a deep breath.
He had no idea how many lashes he'd taken—just a burning sensation that soon became a dull numb itch, thanks to his extraordinary regenerative abilities.
Tony also got to his feet. The armor around his neck was badly deformed. A little longer, and his injuries would have healed significantly.
Indeed, money is power. If Justin Hammer's gold-titanium order had been enough to make a full-scale combat suit, Qin Xiao might have had no choice today but to avenge Tony.
"This suit you made isn't a tank. It doesn't need that many reactors—that only hinders mobility. But you did manage to boost its speed and power substantially. Clever move!"
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