Raymond could guess what Tony was thinking.
He could understand how Tony felt.
But understanding didn't mean he had to tolerate Tony's bad temper.
Someone like Tony—an extremely proud rich kid—would never respect people who just nodded and agreed with him.
From what Raymond knew about him, he didn't really believe that being polite would earn equal respect, so he answered bluntly, "Can't you just listen to me before acting so arrogant?"
"If you keep talking to me like this, I don't think we have anything more to say. Goodbye!"
Without waiting for Tony's reply, Raymond turned and walked away, not even glancing back.
"Stop right there!" Tony said sharply.
But Raymond ignored him and kept walking farther away, which made Tony furious.
By now, Tony was sure Raymond was trying to blackmail him. He figured Raymond counted on him not giving up on finding Happy, so he acted so boldly.
With a whoosh!
Tony's repulsor boots fired, and he flew back down to block Raymond's path.
"Didn't you hear me? I said stop!" Tony stood firmly in front of him.
"Oh, trying to force me into a deal now?" Raymond sneered. "I just decided not to take your case. If you want him, find him yourself. Stop wasting my time—I don't owe you anything. Move!"
But Tony wasn't about to move.
He believed Raymond really knew where Happy was—he was sure after checking Raymond's background.
Like he said, Raymond wasn't stupid enough to scam him given his status.
That's why Tony hadn't doubted how Raymond found Happy or questioned if it was true.
Now that Happy was so close, could he just watch Raymond walk away?
Of course not—
"You can't leave!" Tony's voice became firmer.
"Can't leave? Tsk tsk, Iron Man, sounds like you want to interrogate me," Raymond mocked.
"I have reason to suspect you're working with Happy's kidnappers to extort me—or maybe you're the one behind the kidnapping!" Tony said seriously. "Until the truth is clear, you're not going anywhere!"
"Oh, now you're throwing accusations," Raymond laughed. "Fine, if you think I'm the kidnapper, go call the cops and arrest me. Until then, I have no obligation to help you. Bye—"
Before he finished, Raymond changed direction and left again.
This time Tony couldn't hold back and reached out to grab Raymond's shoulder.
Raymond smirked inside and instantly switched to his Tao Pai Pai sub-personality!
His eyes suddenly changed fiercely!
Raymond's lips curled into a wicked smile as he grabbed Tony's hand on his shoulder, swung it easily, and threw Tony far away!
Boom!!
Caught off guard, Tony crashed—armor and all—into the mountainside beside the road with a loud bang!
Luckily, his helmet automatically snapped back on the moment he was thrown, so he wasn't seriously hurt.
"You really have issues!"
Moments later, Tony flew out of the dust cloud in his suit, his voice serious.
"You've got a really annoying attitude. Tao Pai Pai has disliked you for a long time. Finally, it's time to teach you a lesson—"
Looking up at Tony hovering in the sky, Raymond's lips curled into a sneer.
With a tap of his foot, he shot upward like a missile straight toward Tony!
In an instant, he was right above him!
Tony was startled by Raymond's sudden move!
He was about 10 to 20 meters above ground, and even flying, it would take him a moment to close that distance.
But Raymond seemed to teleport, instantly appearing above Tony—so fast that only J.A.R.V.I.S. detected him!
Still, Tony's reaction was a bit late—by the time J.A.R.V.I.S. alerted him and he processed it, it was too late.
"Get down!"
Raymond stomped down, smashing Tony from midair into the ground, leaving another big crater!
Using the momentum, Raymond landed beside him lightly, softening his own fall.
Standing with his hands behind his back, dust swirling around, he looked like a superhuman kung fu master.
Suddenly, a blue laser shot through the dust toward Raymond!
But Raymond seemed prepared, raising a finger toward the incoming beam:
"Dodon Ray!"
Whoosh—
A golden beam burst from his fingertip, colliding with the blue laser!
Boom!!!
Another explosion rang out.
Tony was blasted away by the shockwave but his boots activated just in time to lift him back into the air, saving him from crashing into the mountainside again.
This time, Tony realized he was facing someone not to be underestimated.
Seeing Raymond standing unharmed on the ground, Tony was on high alert, not daring to relax at all.
He'd already been beaten once and knew Raymond's attacks could come instantly from any distance.
Most importantly, Tony saw Raymond had held back in their earlier fight!
Inhuman strength, terrifying speed, and that mysterious energy wave attack—all combined meant even Tony's Asgardian Friend might struggle against him!
Now, Tony regretted rushing into this fight, since he was the one who started it.
Suddenly!
His expression shifted as his suit scanned left along the road.
A car was approaching—the monitoring system confirmed Pepper was driving it, arriving just moments behind him.
"Oh no!"
Tony thought grimly to himself.
--
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