Chapter Ninety-Four: Alone Against All

At one in the morning, New York was anything but lively. Because of the guns, the city had grown quiet; the streets were thin and empty, no longer echoing with the ceaseless roar of traffic that ruled them by day.

In the blackness of the endless night, Ivan drove the modified Hyde truck along New York Avenue. From the outside, the vehicle looked much the same as before, still wrapped in its seamless black iron armor, but it was smaller now, shorter, especially in the rear cargo section, which had been reduced by about a third.

And for that very reason, its maneuverability had improved dramatically.

The driver’s cabin in the front had changed a great deal as well. Ivan had torn out all of Hyde’s lavish leather seats and welded in a few small stools instead. Though it looked rather shabby, the load had undeniably been reduced.

Ivan sat on one of those little stools behind the steering wheel, driving with his head slightly raised. In the back, Zhong Shenxiu sat in the same sort of stool with his back against the window, while Peter simply plopped down on the floor. Thanks to his spider-like abilities, he did not budge at all.

“Have you been on a crazy streak lately? Why do I keep seeing so many injured gangsters?” Zhong Shenxiu asked, glancing at Peter, who seemed a little distracted.

Thinking of how he and Wanda had been busy running around every day lately, he felt it necessary to rein Peter in a little.

But Peter only looked blank and said, “Crazy streak? No. I’ve actually been pretty free lately. I’ve been swinging around New York every day, and I barely run into any criminals. I thought the city’s public security had finally gotten better.”

At that, Zhong Shenxiu’s expression sharpened. He continued, “So those badly injured gangsters weren’t your doing?”

“No, no.” Peter shook his head so fast it looked like a rattle. “I’ve only bumped into a few gangs recently.”

If Peter had not encountered them, then someone else must have been the one beating those gangsters half to death.

Zhong Shenxiu thought it over quietly.

But after a moment, he simply gave up trying to guess the mysterious person’s identity. If it wasn’t Peter, then he could just ask the gangsters when they got back. Right now, the most important thing was still robbing Stark Industries.

So Zhong Shenxiu put his wandering thoughts aside and reiterated their plan. “Let me go over the mission again.”

“First, I’ll enter Stark Industries’ weapons research division alone and draw away all the security personnel there. You wait for my signal. When I tell you to come in, then you go in...”

“Xiu, won’t you be in danger if you go in alone?” Peter interrupted.

Zhong Shenxiu glanced at him, his expression unchanged. “The plan will not change. Altering tactics at the last minute is a grave mistake.” His tone then softened slightly, and he gave Peter a confident look. “Relax. Who do you think I am?”

That finally eased some of the worry on Peter’s face.

Zhong Shenxiu went on with the arrangements. “Once you get inside, the first priority is palladium. Get the palladium into the truck before anything else...”

“Palladium is the lifeline of Stark Industries’ weapons production. Once we get our hands on it, their weapons manufacturing and research will be severely damaged.”

He deliberately explained the latter half for Peter’s sake.

“When the time comes, Peter, you listen to Ivan’s arrangements completely. Don’t act on your own, and don’t do anything that could expose your identity. Your web shooters are also too obvious. Unless there’s some emergency, do not use them.”

He added a couple more reminders for Peter.

Perhaps because of the tense atmosphere, Peter’s little face grew taut. He nodded earnestly and said, “Got it!”

His voice was bright and loud, like that of a boy scout.

“Haha, no need to be so nervous.” Zhong Shenxiu smiled and ruffled Peter’s hair. Then he turned to Ivan and asked, “You’ve checked the route for the return trip, right?”

Ivan bared his yellow teeth in a grin. “Don’t worry. Everything is foolproof.”

“Good. Then let me wish us a smooth operation.”

No sooner had Zhong Shenxiu spoken than Peter bounced up at once and shouted, “Smooth operation!!”

Even Ivan, who was driving the truck, seemed to be warmed by the excited, united mood. His lips lifted high, and he echoed softly but full of confidence, “Smooth operation.”

Once everything had been settled, Zhong Shenxiu walked from the back of the cab through a small passageway into the cargo compartment.

The space inside was empty now. In the center stood a silver-black suit of full-body mechanical armor.

The chest reactor emitted the only light in the dim chamber.

The armor was not overly bulky in design, and it differed greatly from the exaggerated knightly plate of the Middle Ages. At first glance, it looked more like a bodysuit, with smooth, rounded contours. The plating was not especially thick either, its overall impression one of plain simplicity.

This was the design Ivan had made according to Zhong Shenxiu’s specifications.

Zhong Shenxiu had originally intended to increase his defensive capabilities, but he also wanted to preserve agility. In the end, Ivan chose this solution. He did not stack on overly thick alloy plates, sacrificing some defense in exchange for a degree of flexibility almost comparable to ordinary clothing.

Even so, the armor still weighed more than two hundred kilograms.

So Ivan simultaneously designed a power-assist system based on an arc reactor, doing everything possible to reduce the burden the armor placed on its wearer.

The final result was quite good. When Zhong Shenxiu put it on, it felt like donning a simple suit of bamboo armor. After a little adjustment, he could basically no longer feel the weight.

Ivan helped him fasten each piece in place. The crisp clacking of mechanical seals rang out at once, and only then did the entire suit become a seamless, fully enclosed shell.

By the time it was all done, nearly half an hour had passed.

Still poor... no super high-tech mechanical arms like Tony’s to help with dressing.

Zhong Shenxiu made a few simple movements inside the cargo bay, adjusting to the somewhat narrowed field of vision... about an hour later, the truck stopped, and Ivan spoke to him through the loudspeaker inside the cargo compartment.

“Boss, we’ve reached Stark Industries’ weapons research division. As you instructed, I parked the truck by the road opposite. Don’t worry, I’ve cut off all the surveillance in this area.”

“Good.” Zhong Shenxiu replied once, then climbed down from the rear of the truck.

Then... he walked step by step toward Stark’s weapons research division.

Everything, all the planning, would begin now.

At this moment, Peter pressed both eyes almost against the window. When he saw the brightly lit weapons research facility, where heavy weapons were everywhere and one armed security team after another was patrolling, he grew tense, even frightened.

He could not imagine, and did not dare imagine, how one man could possibly hold back so many deadly firearms.

Then... he looked at Zhong Shenxiu’s back.

What kind of back was that... Zhong Shenxiu wore silver-black armor and strode forward with his head held high, walking step by step into that fortress of countless layers of blockade.

Alone, with a single gun and the courage of one man, daring to face an army.

Zhong Shenxiu did not look back even once. He did not slow his pace even once.

Watching that back... Peter suddenly felt far more at ease.

It was as if, so long as this man was leading the way, then even a mountain of blades or a sea of fire, even a river of molten lava or a hell of flames, would not make Peter flinch in the slightest.

Much less some mere Stark Industries.

Peter turned to look at Ivan. In Ivan’s somewhat yellowed eyes, he too saw that back, and he also saw... a kind of boyish blood and fire he had never seen before.