Chapter 38: Whiplash Appears, The Reincarnator Sniper
Inside the ship.
Somali coast, a rusted, stranded vessel.
Suddenly, a piercing alarm blared.
The fugitives inside the cabin surged out like a nest of hornets that had been disturbed, brandishing all sorts of weapons.
The worn stairs groaned under their stampede, while the rising dust mixed with the scent of gunpowder.
But the outcome was predictable.
What awaited them was a one-sided slaughter.
Jiang Feng, clad in steel armor, stepped out of the captain's cabin, leaving bloody footprints behind him, like a death god forged from metal.
This ruthless killer would only choose one option—
To slaughter all enemies without exception.
Bang!
In the blink of an eye.
The mercenary at the front was blown to bits, blood and flesh splattering against the rusted bulkhead.
"Mon... monster! That's a monster!"
The horrifying sight left the mercenaries behind frozen in shock.
Even these bloodthirsty fugitives—
—trembled at the sight of Jiang Feng's high-tech steel form.
Meanwhile—
In a small country in western Europe called Monaco—
A car race was underway, accompanied by a luxurious banquet attended by elites from various countries.
Monaco has a tiny land area—
Only 0.75 square kilometers, making it the second smallest country in the world, slightly larger than Vatican City.
But don't underestimate it because of its size.
Despite being a small nation with a sparse population, Monaco has the highest per capita GDP in the world—virtually a country of millionaires.
Because of this—
They have the privilege of inviting the world's elites to their banquets.
Similar international races and banquets are held in Monaco annually, and invitees always come with pleasure.
However, this time—
The usual tranquility of Monaco was shattered, plunging into a bloody absurdist drama.
Just minutes ago—
This tiny kingdom was basked in Mediterranean sunshine, with the F1 track winding through the city like a ribbon.
In the grandstands beside the track—
Socialites in luxurious attire held crystal champagne glasses, laughing and chatting amidst gold and emerald glimmers.
Until a sharp screech tore through the air.
The famed Iron Man, Tony Stark, unexpectedly participated in the race himself.
But that wasn't the main point.
The real highlight was the sudden appearance of a bizarre man wielding electric whips.
He brutally attacked the racers, causing an uproar.
Without a doubt—
This was the villain Ivan Vanko, and his goal—
—was to assassinate Tony Stark.
Driven by the trauma of his father's death, and his jealousy of Tony's identity—
He was filled with murderous intent.
Despite also mastering arc reactor technology—
Despite the glory of Stark Industries being co-founded by his father and Howard Stark—
Tony was born with a silver spoon in his mouth—
While Ivan had to struggle in the slums, barely surviving.
He blamed Tony for everything—
Believing Tony stole his life and monopolized his father's technological legacy. To Ivan, Tony was the source of his suffering.
Now, Ivan Vanko had transformed into his Whiplash form.
He wore a crude suit of iron armor,
with a low-grade arc reactor embedded in his chest.
Two lightning whips, five meters long, lashed out from his hands.
Immensely powerful, extremely hot, crackling with electric arcs that burned half-meter-deep grooves into the asphalt track.
Wherever they passed—
The reinforced concrete support pillars of the track's guardrails were shredded like brittle cookies.
Whiplash stood defiantly on the racetrack, unfazed by the cars speeding toward him.
"Hehehe... Tony Stark, which car are you in? Let's play a game of whack-a-mole."
Whiplash grinned, flashing his yellow-silver teeth.
Before he finished speaking—
A blue electric whip lashed toward the nearest race car, the carbon fiber body instantly melting under the extreme heat.
Sizzle!
Accompanied by a harsh screech, the race car was cut in half on the spot.
Sparks flew; the cut was clean.
The two halves, engulfed in flames, were hurled into the stands, the driver's screams drowned by the explosion.
"Ahhh! Murder! It's murder!"
Chaos erupted in the stands.
Screams from socialites and the shattering of champagne glasses echoed together.
Then—
Whiplash shredded several more cars, triggering a series of crashes as every car collided on the track.
Drivers were killed or seriously injured.
"That... is that a steel suit? There's someone else in the world who can build one!"
In the luxury hotel beside the track—
Many elite guests watched the live broadcast in shock.
Except for Justin Hammer, whose eyes gleamed.
He stared unblinking at the screen, pupils contracting with excitement behind his gold-rimmed glasses when he saw Whiplash's chest energy core.
Hammer had recently spent time at Jiang Feng's research lab, getting familiar with the Iron Suits.
So he could tell—
Though Whiplash's gear looked crude, it was far more refined and advanced than the suits built by veterans like White.
Especially the arc reactor in his chest—it looked like the same model Tony used.
"If I could recruit this guy, and combine him with the already talented Jiang Feng—two geniuses serving me."
"With their combined talent, the Iron Suits they build could utterly humiliate Tony."
Hammer's scheming thoughts surfaced, and a smile crept onto his face.
While others panicked, he grew more excited.
Back on the racetrack—
Whiplash's electric whips struck again, slicing another car in half.
The rest followed similarly. The storyline played out much like the movie—
Monaco's F1 track turned into hell on earth, tire screeches mixing with audience screams into a chaotic symphony.
Whiplash whipped his electrified cords, cutting through everything in sight.
Race cars exploded like fragile toys under his assault.
Through the thick smoke—
Tony's car was also split in two by the whip—
But thanks to his protagonist's plot armor, he miraculously avoided fatal injury.
With help from his bodyguard, Happy—
Tony quickly donned a portable Iron Suit,
A newly developed model that could fold into a briefcase.
The globally renowned Iron Man appeared, like a mythic hero descending from the heavens.
The mood in the stands reversed instantly.
The once-panicked crowd now raised their fists and shouted.
"Iron Man! Iron Man!"
Their chants shook the skies, almost toppling the entire track.
Unlike the movie plot—
The Reincarnator's shadow had already infiltrated the corners of Monaco.
Since even Senator Stern from Hydra was targeted—
It was only natural for the Iron Man 2 villain Whiplash to be hunted by a Reincarnator too.
On the rooftop of a skyscraper near the racetrack,
cold winds carrying the scent of the Mediterranean howled past.
A tall, thin Reincarnator with triangular eyes—
Lay prone at the roof's edge, wielding a heavy sniper rifle, surveying the entire scene.
"Whiplash, your head is my clearance objective."
He licked his dry lips, greed flashing in his eyes, heart racing with excitement.
This was the final boss of this trial world.
If he could snipe him before he reforged his armor, the reward would be incredibly rich.
Whiplash's exoskeleton was crude, protecting only the torso with bits of scrap metal, while his lightning whips were exposed.
His head had zero protection, and he was just a regular human.
Just one bullet—
Would blow his head clean off.
---