Chapter Twenty-Nine: Capturing the Whip Alive

“Hill, Coulson, capture Ivan Vanko alive at any cost—I want him alive.” Yang Xin sprang to his feet. He realized he’d fallen into the usual rut of following the plot, focusing only on the mechanical soldiers Ivan Vanko would create, while overlooking Vanko’s true talent.

The Arc Reactor!

That was Ivan Vanko’s real value.

Vanko’s true strength lay in building the Arc Reactor.

No matter how formidable the mechanical soldiers Vanko created, could they withstand withering firepower? A single barrage and they’d be nothing but scrap metal. The Arc Reactor, though, was the most advanced energy supply system of this era. With it, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s combat power would leap several levels.

“Melinda, attack head-on. Hill and Coulson, support from the flanks and rear.” As Yang Xin spoke, he pulled a Mark V portable, suitcase-style Iron Man suit from his four-dimensional pocket and tossed it to Melinda.

Melinda immediately donned the portable Mark armor. After a moment’s acclimation, she rocketed straight toward Ivan Vanko.

Yang Xin then produced two M4A1 automatic rifles from his four-dimensional pocket, tossing them to Coulson and Hill, along with several magazines of tranquilizer rounds.

“Bring him in alive!”

“Yes, sir!”

Hill and Coulson exchanged a glance, then darted off under the cover of the crowd, seeking optimal attack positions.

“Melinda, in position.”

“Coulson, in position.”

“Hill, in position.”

“Move!” Yang Xin quietly readied his Mark VI armor as backup.

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“Tony Stark, you thief, you coward—come out! You’re just like your father, both of you sewer rats… Stark, you’re finally here!” Ivan Vanko whipped his two steel whips, glaring at the Mark V suit before him as he roared.

But inside the Mark V suit wasn’t Tony Stark—Tony was still racing. It was Melinda. She regarded the furious Ivan Vanko in silence and suddenly flipped open the suit’s visor.

“You’re not Tony Stark.” Ivan Vanko froze in surprise.

In that split second, Coulson and Hill opened fire. Two magazines of tranquilizer rounds struck Vanko, a dose enough to knock out several elephants. For all his strength, Ivan Vanko, like Tony Stark, drew his power from his suit; physically, he was merely a robust man.

Ivan Vanko lost consciousness instantly and collapsed.

Seeing this, Melinda strode forward, first stripping him of his weapons, then yanking off his crude armor and reactor, thoroughly disarming him.

“Take him in secret to Nick Fury.”

Coulson and Hill, along with several undercover agents nearby, immediately cuffed Vanko and hefted him like a slaughtered pig onto the helicopter, heading straight for S.H.I.E.L.D.

“Wow—what a mess, turned a perfectly good race into chaos! What happened? Who is that guy?” Tony Stark, seeing the Mark V suit in action, instantly knew something was up. He hurriedly donned his own armor and flew over.

“Ivan Vanko—a man who’d like nothing more than to grind you to dust. There’s old bad blood between his father and yours, and clearly, it’s spilled into your generation.”

“Family feuds, huh… Him? He wants to be my rival?” Tony Stark tapped the triangular reactor at his chest with disdain.

Yang Xin admired Tony Stark’s confidence.

“In every respect, he’s not qualified to be your adversary. Objectively, though, he’s quite impressive. After all, he’s just an independent scientist—far better than S.H.I.E.L.D.’s own scientists. At least Ivan Vanko built an Arc Reactor from decrepit, outdated equipment. Though it’s far inferior to your latest design.”

“Haha, of course… I heard S.H.I.E.L.D.’s so-called experts couldn’t even replicate my earliest Arc Reactor?” When it came to his field, Tony Stark’s pride was palpable.

“How many people in the world can rival your intelligence, especially in the field of technology? Don’t even mention those idiots at S.H.I.E.L.D.—they have high salaries, the best equipment, every advantage, yet can’t even build a reactor. Worse, they broke your sample. Just thinking about it makes me angry…”

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“That’s why we insisted on capturing Ivan Vanko alive. I hope you don’t mind—however flawed he is, he’s still better than those imbeciles at S.H.I.E.L.D. Whether he can be turned is up to Director Fury’s skill.”

“If that baldy steps in, maybe he really can bring Ivan Vanko to heel.” Despite his constant jabs at Nick Fury, Tony Stark respected him deep down. After all, everyone has their specialty: in science, Tony Stark was leagues ahead of Fury, but in the world of espionage, Fury was the king.

“Why do you never miss a chance to strengthen S.H.I.E.L.D.?” Tony Stark suddenly asked. He’d investigated Yang Xin in secret, but Yang Xin’s past remained a mystery. No matter how deep he dug, he could only trace him back to the night he’d fought Obadiah.

Before that, there wasn’t a single clue—almost as if Yang Xin had appeared out of thin air. And everything Yang Xin had done since his appearance had been to bolster S.H.I.E.L.D., which puzzled Tony.

“S.H.I.E.L.D. is the shield that defends Earth on behalf of the human world. The threats we face don’t just come from within the planet,” Yang Xin replied coolly.

“You mean… our real enemies are aliens?” Tony Stark exclaimed.

“The threats within Earth are trifling—petty squabbles. After all, whoever holds power is still human. But when the danger comes from beyond Earth, that’s a calamity that could spell extinction.”

“That’s impossible!”

“Why not? Just a few days ago, the two princes of Asgard were battling each other on Earth for the throne. Why do you think Odin is so eager for Thor to complete his trials and take the crown? Because he’s dying. Asgard used to protect Earth—now what? Count on that overgrown child Thor? And besides, how can Earth’s fate be left in others’ hands?”

“Check S.H.I.E.L.D.’s records closely—not on a computer, but by the oldest methods. You’ll find that alien races landed on Earth decades ago. Tony, you’d better get started on developing even more advanced armors…” Yang Xin patted the contemplative Tony Stark on the shoulder and walked away.

With the race ruined by Whiplash’s rampage, Yang Xin and the others had no interest in watching further. Just then, Yang Xin received an invitation from Nick Fury to tour S.H.I.E.L.D.