The incident happened so suddenly that none of the onlookers understood what had just occurred.
The spectators were completely baffled—but Tony saw it clearly.
Because at that very moment, Qin Xiao was standing on the rooftop, waving at Tony with half a PVC pipe he had ripped off from some unknown ventilation duct.
Unbelievable, Tony thought. I spent so much effort building a portable suit of armor, and in the end, this guy is the one who saved me.
But once the armor was off, anyone would lose most of their combat capability.
Tony sat helplessly beside the wreckage of the car, gasping for breath.
Bang!
The ground beside him shattered as Qin Xiao leapt straight down from the rooftop and landed next to him.
"Woooooah!!!!"
The crowd on both sides of the track erupted with excitement.
Many people present were hardcore fans of the Qin Xiao–Tony pairing. Seeing the two of them on screen together again made them scream uncontrollably.
"Get up already! Tons of people up there are shouting your name—don't piss your pants. Oh, and by the way, my throw isn't very accurate. I tore apart a bunch of PVC pipes on the roof just now, and I really don't want to pay for the damage."
Qin Xiao extended his right hand to Tony.
Just as Tony was pulled to his feet, a piercing screech of brakes echoed through the air.
Happy pulled up, driving Pepper straight to Tony's side.
The two of them glanced at Qin Xiao, then at Tony—who appeared unharmed—and finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Boss, next time you shower, you might want to take this with you," Happy said, tossing the Mark V suitcase armor at Tony's feet.
"I'll seriously consider it," Tony replied. "You can't let this guy steal all the spotlight every time, right? This is really tragic for me—it completely ruined my racing debut!"
Tony picked up the suitcase and looked in the direction where Ivan Vanko lay unconscious.
The appearance of another miniature arc reactor posed a serious threat to Tony—and shocked him deeply.
He had always been confident that his technology was uncrackable, at least for the next few years.
That was why he wanted to see how that reactor differed from his own.
At first glance, it didn't seem like much.
But then Ivan Vanko suddenly staggered to his feet.
One of the whips lashed out, slicing straight through Happy's car and cutting it cleanly in half—
Perfectly separating Pepper in the back seat from Happy in the front.
"AHHHHHHH!!!"
Pepper let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Tony, on the other hand, looked thrilled.
"Finally, it's my turn. You protect them—I'll deal with him. Next time, you should grab an iron pipe and snap it in half."
Qin Xiao curled his lips. He had been in a hurry earlier and couldn't find anything suitable. From that distance, being able to tell PVC just by squeezing it wasn't easy. Who would've thought the guy would get back up so quickly after being knocked out? What—super physique?
After speaking, Tony placed the Mark V on the ground, stepped into the correct position, and pulled the handles with both hands.
The core of the armor snapped onto his body. The remaining components unfolded and automatically locked into place, covering him from head to toe.
After the flashy transformation was complete, Happy and Pepper got out of the car, escorted by Qin Xiao.
The white light in Tony's mask flickered—the armor was fully activated.
He stretched out one leg and kicked the half-car blocking the road out of the way.
In truth, Ivan Vanko was no longer much of a threat. Getting back up earlier had been a purely unconscious reaction.
Now he was dizzy, his eyes unfocused, swaying in place just to keep his balance.
Tony was about to fire the laser cannon and finish it—
When suddenly, someone leapt out from behind the barbed-wire fence behind Ivan Vanko.
The man was holding a brick—no idea where he'd dug it up from.
He jumped, tore down the barbed wire with one hand, kicked it open with both legs, and vaulted over the two-meter-high fence.
As he fell, he swung his right arm downward—
The brick landed squarely on Ivan Vanko's head.
The attacker was incredibly strong, and combined with the momentum from the fall—
Smack.
The already-unsteady Ivan Vanko collapsed straight to the ground.
"I didn't know you'd already arrived. You traveled a long way, but your efforts weren't wasted. To defeat an enemy, you must ensure they are completely incapable of resisting—otherwise, you will suffer losses."
"Hello, tin man. I'm Qin Xiao's friend—Thor, the God of Thunder. No need to thank me."
It had been Thor all along, ready to help from the start. After taking down Ivan Vanko, he delivered a sermon-like speech and introduced himself.
The laser cannon in Tony's raised right hand slowly dimmed.
"I wasn't planning to thank you," Tony muttered. "I was just wondering why I bothered putting on this suit at all."
He looked up at the sky and spoke softly.
…
When the police arrived, Ivan Vanko was still unconscious. The arc reactor embedded in his chest had already been crushed by Tony's hand.
The race was completely halted, and reporters flooded onto the track.
Every camera was aimed at Qin Xiao and Tony.
"It's great to see the two of you teaming up again to defeat a criminal using advanced technology! Could I ask you to pose with a peace sign for a classic cover shot for tomorrow's magazine? Wool-blend fabric?"
The fastest reporter shouted the request before she even reached them.
She was a die-hard fan of both men. The last headline photo had actually been composited from separate shots. This time, she'd finally get a real photo of them together.
Just imagining the magazine sales made her giddy.
So excited that she didn't even notice their expressions, she whipped out her personal camera. Besides the official shots, she wanted one for herself.
Without asking for permission, she raised the camera and began counting down.
"Peace sign, thank you! Come on—1! 2! 3! Cheese!"
What she got in response were two middle fingers pointed straight at the lens—
And both of them shouted in unison:
"Bitch!"