The incident occurred during the seventh lap of the race, just as Tony Stark was attempting to overtake the car ahead on the outside of a high-speed corner.
A blinding, bright blue electric arc, like a venomous snake, suddenly lunged out from the Maintenance Tunnel entrance by the track without warning! It struck the right rear wheel of Tony Stark's bright red racing car with precision!
"Zzzzt—Boom!!!"
The ear-piercing crackle of electricity and the sound of a tire exploding rang out almost simultaneously! Tony Stark's car instantly spun out of control, crashing violently into the protective barrier and sliding for over ten meters before coming to a stop, with thick smoke billowing from the front!
Terrified screams erupted from the audience!
Artoria and Minerva stood up almost the instant the electric light appeared. Minerva stepped in front of Artoria, her gaze sharp as she locked onto the source of the light—a tall man in a gray maintenance uniform with a messy beard and sinister eyes. He was striding out of the Maintenance Tunnel, wielding a pair of metal whips crudely fashioned from thick cables and car battery packs, their tips flickering with unstable blue-white electricity! It was Ivan Vanko!
Ignoring the surrounding chaos and the approaching safety car, he stared intently at the smoking race car with a cruel and satisfied smile. In a heavily accented voice, he roared in English, "Stark! Do you think you can sit back and relax behind your scrap metal using stolen technology?! It's time to pay the debts you and your father owe Vanko!"
He swung his twin whips, lashing them violently toward the car's cockpit! Electricity flew everywhere, and the sturdy carbon fiber body was torn apart like paper!
"Action?" Minerva's voice was incredibly calm, a faint light already gathering at her fingertips.
"Wait a bit longer." Artoria pressed her hand down, her eyes fixed on the wrecked car. She knew Tony Stark wouldn't be finished that easily. Moreover, she "saw" Happy and several bodyguards desperately rushing over from the direction of the safe house, carrying a silver briefcase.
Just as Ivan Vanko's third strike was about to fall, the severely deformed cockpit canopy was kicked open from the inside! Tony Stark crawled out looking somewhat disheveled; his racing suit had tears and scorch marks on the shoulders, and his face was bruised, but his eyes were sharp and devoid of panic. As he coughed, he leaned "weakly" against the twisted car frame, pressing his chest uncomfortably—the movement was natural, as if checking if his arc reactor was intact, but to outsiders, it looked like he was enduring pain or energy instability.
"Whoa... that's quite the greeting." Tony Stark wiped the dust from his face and looked at Ivan Vanko, his tone actually carrying a hint of mockery despite sounding a bit "short of breath." "Who are you? A die-hard fan of my father? Or do you have an issue with Stark Industries' bulletproof materials?"
Seeing Tony Stark's "weak" state, the hatred in Ivan Vanko's eyes intensified, along with a flash of smugness as if things were going exactly as expected. "I am here to take back what belongs to Vanko! The arc reactor! That should have been my father's glory! But it was stolen by Howard Stark and turned into a toy to deceive the World! And you, Tony Stark, a Joker playing the hero with stolen technology and a piece of junk core that will poison you at any moment! Today, I will tear apart your iron skin and let the World see how fragile the Stark myth really is!"
He raised his electric whips again, the blue-white electricity crackling with even greater power than before.
Tony Stark "struggled" to stand straight, but his hand still instinctively guarded his chest, his face showing a mixture of mockery and "strained" endurance. "Stolen? My father invented it! As for my 'junk core'..." He paused deliberately, coughing twice. "It's more than enough to deal with your flea-market-part toys. Happy!"
At that moment, Happy finally rushed close and violently threw the silver briefcase toward Tony Stark! Simultaneously, several bodyguards tried to fire at Ivan Vanko, but the bullets had little effect on his crude yet well-insulated work suit; instead, one was sent flying by a casual lash of his whip.
Tony Stark caught the case mid-air and quickly pressed a button on the side—
"Click! Hum—!"
The case instantly unfolded and transformed, with countless metal components springing out like living things to latch onto Tony Stark! The entire process was lightning-fast. Under the unbelievable gazes of the crowd and Ivan Vanko's stunned stare, in just two or three seconds, the iconic red-and-gold armor—the Suitcase Portable Armor—was fully equipped! The faceplate dropped, and the eyes lit up with a brilliant blue glow!
Unlike in the movies, the light from the reactor on the armor's chest was no longer just a simple bright blue. Instead, the center emitted a stable, deep, pale gold halo—the hallmark of the new element core! Tony Stark had deliberately dimmed the brightness, making it inconspicuous under the stadium sunlight and the glare of the electric whips.
"Jarvis, initiate." Tony Stark's voice came through the external speakers, carrying a metallic texture and a hint of cold fury. "Let's teach our friend here the meaning of... a technological generation gap."
Recovering from his brief shock, the madness in Ivan Vanko's eyes grew even stronger. "Iron skin! More iron skin! I'll smash it all the same!" He roared, turning his whips to maximum power, lashing them toward the newly armored Iron Man like two rampaging lightning pythons!
Tony Stark didn't dodge; he simply raised his arms—
"Zzzzt—Boom!!!"
The thick electric whips struck the forearms of the armor squarely! Blinding electric light exploded, illuminating the surroundings in a ghastly white! The audience screamed in terror, thinking Tony Stark would be instantly electrocuted to a crisp.
However, the electric light dissipated. The red-and-gold armor still stood tall, with only two shallow scorch marks on the forearm plating, and the pale gold light of the reactor remained as stable as ever. Tony Stark even tilted his head slightly, his voice from beneath the faceplate carrying a hint of "confusion." "That's it? I thought it would at least be enough to heat my coffee."
Ivan Vanko's eyes widened, unable to believe that his maximum-power electric shock had almost no effect. "Impossible! Your energy core should be unstable! You should..."
"Should what? Should be completely incapacitated by your shock?" Tony Stark interrupted him with a mocking tone. "Friend, your intel is outdated. By the way, your 'whips'—" He pointed at the electric whips in Ivan Vanko's hands, which were already starting to glow red and smoke from the overload, "—look like they're about to give out. Do you need me to lend you a lighter to finish the job? Oh, wait, you probably need a fire extinguisher more."
Furious and alarmed, Ivan Vanko tried to attack again, but the armor had already moved. Although the portable armor's firepower and plating were relatively weak, with the abundant energy provided by the new element and Tony Stark's superior piloting skills, it was more than enough to handle Ivan Vanko and his two overheating whips.
With a simple dash, Tony Stark evaded Ivan Vanko's frantic whip strikes and delivered a precise hand-blade strike to Ivan Vanko's wrist, knocking one whip away. He raised his other hand, and the palm Repulsor began to charge slightly—
"Bang!"
A precisely calculated, low-power pulse hit the connection point of Ivan Vanko's other whip, detonating the overloaded battery pack. The small explosion sent Ivan Vanko stumbling back, and the last electric whip flew from his hand, landing on the ground emitting black smoke.
Ivan Vanko still tried to struggle, but Happy and the bodyguards swarmed him, pinning him firmly to the ground. The race's security personnel finally arrived, beginning to evacuate the audience and control the scene.
Tony Stark retracted his faceplate, revealing his bruised but radiant face. He glanced at the subdued Ivan Vanko and said to Happy, "Hand him over to the local police, then contact S.H.I.E.L.D.... actually, contact our legal team first. This guy committed assault, property damage, and endangered public safety... that'll keep him busy for a while."
He turned around, his gaze seemingly inadvertently sweeping toward the cafe where Artoria and Minerva were sitting, his lips curling into a barely perceptible smirk that said "all according to plan." Then, he put his sunglasses back on and waved gallantly before the media cameras that were rushing over. Escorted by Happy and the bodyguards, he walked toward the safe house as if the preceding events were just a minor, exciting interlude.
Back at the cafe, Artoria sat back in her chair, picked up her now slightly cool mint tea, and took a sip.
"Target Ivan Vanko has been subdued. No major civilian casualties. Mr. Tony Stark's vital signs are stable, and the armor sustained minor damage. The new element core is running stably with no abnormal energy leaks detected," Minerva reported the results calmly. "His performance just now included elements of deliberate weakness to induce the enemy's overconfidence. Especially the defensive gestures toward the chest reactor."
"Well, he acted quite well." Artoria smiled and set down her teacup. "Deliberately showing a flaw to make Ivan think his Palladium Core was still a weakness, baiting him into a full attack, then easily neutralizing him. It solved the trouble without revealing too many new cards. It also keeps certain people who might be watching the live stream 'misunderstanding' for a while longer. Typical Tony style."
She looked at the distant, messy scene being cleared by police and staff. The sun was still bright, and the clamor of the track was gradually being replaced by sirens and chatter.
"It seems our 'casual looking after' can come to an end." Artoria stood up, stretched her body, and looked at Minerva with a smile. "Next, it's real vacation time. I heard Monaco's night view and seafood are good? Want to go try?"
Minerva's optical sensor turned toward her, the blue light behind the lenses flickering softly.
"Certainly, Artoria," she replied softly, reaching out to pick up the straw hat resting on the back of Artoria's chair. "I have already screened three top-rated seaside restaurants and booked a table for eight o'clock tonight. Would you like to head there now, or would you prefer to walk in the Port District first?"
"Let's walk first." Artoria took the straw hat and put it on, naturally taking Minerva's arm. "Feel the sea breeze, look at the yachts. Work is over; now it's our time."
The two left the still-agitated track area and walked toward the azure Mediterranean Sea and the ancient port under the setting sun. They left the noise, the calculations, the unfinished revenge, and the hero's debut behind for the moment.
At least for now, the sunlight, the sea breeze, and the quiet company of the person beside her were the themes of their "vacation."
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