I Have a Girlfriend in Marvel

"Who are you? Come out, come out now!"

The Iron Soldiers were firing wildly, while Ivan Vanko roared furiously.

The entire biodome was in shambles. Vanko shouted so much he was nearly out of breath, and from constantly turning his head, his neck was cramping, his mind on the verge of splitting apart.

But he couldn't figure out where the figure in the darkness was hiding, nor how many of them there were.

In the end, just as Vanko was about to collapse, he suddenly realized he'd been a fool.

The guy in the shadows hadn't shown himself, but his goal was obvious—he wanted to save Iron Man and War Machine. So, all Vanko needed to do was...

Rat-tat-tat!

Two Iron Soldiers nearby turned their guns toward Iron Man and War Machine, shooting at their already damaged armor, causing sparks to fly and even fragments to break off.

"Now you've got to show yourself, right? You just want to save them. Attack what you must defend—I bet you didn't see this coming!"

Vanko shouted triumphantly, but then saw several bat-shaped projectiles fly out, piercing the reactors of the Iron Soldiers who hadn't shifted targets, as if completely ignoring his diversion tactic.

Meanwhile, the two Iron Soldiers shooting at Iron Man and War Machine continued firing merrily.

Vanko: "..."

Tony Stark: "..."

James Rhodes: "..."

So, this guy isn't here to save anyone; he's just here to mess with the Iron Soldiers. He chooses which ones to attack purely on his own whims, regardless of whether they're actually hurting Iron Man or War Machine.

Clang! Clang!

As Iron Man and War Machine awkwardly danced on the spot, dodging bullets like raindrops, two more bat-shaped projectiles flew out, taking down the soldiers shooting at them.

The shadowy attacker hadn't changed his mind; those were simply the last two Iron Soldiers.

In less than a minute, with elusive movements and pinpoint-accurate projectile attacks, the mysterious assailant or assailants had taken down more than twenty Iron Soldiers.

This left Tony Stark feeling a little unsettled.

He looked down at himself, then at War Machine beside him, and finally at Vanko in the distance. A sudden question arose in his mind.

Why does everyone place their arc reactor in their chest—and even leave it exposed?

For Tony Stark, the arc reactor had to be in his chest due to his condition—it protected his heart and also allowed him to fire his signature chest beam.

As for War Machine, the armor was originally designed that way, and the scientists behind it—especially Hammer Industries' incompetents—lacked the ability to modify it.

But why did Vanko also place his reactor on his chest? Didn't he realize that this was a major security flaw? A small projectile could disable it. How could he trust such Iron Soldiers on the battlefield?

Isn't this basically offering free kills from miles away?

It was slightly better for unmanned Iron Soldiers. But if a real person wore the armor and the reactor was hit mid-air, the fall would be fatal, and surviving with just partial paralysis would be considered lucky.

Having the reactor exposed on the chest was a huge safety hazard. Tony Stark sincerely recommended that War Machine and Vanko consider redesigning their systems.

As for himself, there was no need for that.

For others, it was a vulnerability. For him, it was a signature—an emblem of confidence.

Even though he had gone from being a hero to needing rescue, Tony Stark's confidence remained undiminished.

Across from him, Vanko's whips extended to six or seven meters as he held them tightly, gritting his teeth and scanning his surroundings.

"Who are you? Come out! Come out! Stop hiding and staying silent—I know you're there! Come out, come out, come out!"

Amid his frenzied shouting, that deep voice finally spoke again.

"I'm out. So, what now?"

Dressed in the Batman suit, Su Ye suddenly appeared behind Vanko. Even Tony Stark and James Rhodes, who had been watching the area, didn't notice when he got there.

"Rhodey, did I just imagine that?" Iron Man raised his armored hand and lightly rubbed the lenses of his mask.

Beside him, War Machine was doing the same. "I guess Vanko's whips messed with our vision, which is why we didn't see him appear."

The two exchanged a glance and nodded in unison, "Yep, that's gotta be it!"

Vanko turned around and faced Batman. The tension on his face eased significantly.

Fear comes from the unknown. A faceless assassin, even if they don't cause much harm, can inspire massive fear. But once exposed in broad daylight, no matter their skills, the sense of threat diminishes significantly.

At least now, Vanko's legs had stopped shaking.

"So, it's you, you bastard, trying to ruin—"

From Vanko's expression and tone, one might think he was gearing up for a long villainous monologue to show off his flair for speeches.

But before he could finish, he abruptly launched his Lightning Five-Whip Combo, clearly proving himself a cunning tactician.

The two electrified whips whirled wildly, flashing toward Batman. The electric light illuminated his armor, and the heat from the current seemed to raise the surrounding air temperature.

Earlier, Vanko had used this whip technique to dominate both Iron Man and War Machine. Now, focusing solely on Batman, he was confident it would leave him helpless.

Vanko's plan was solid—except he didn't know that, to Batman, his attack was riddled with flaws. It was as laughable as those so-called "masters" of postmodern martial arts performing fake moves to knock people down from a distance.

Batman took a step forward, his body making slight, irregular movements. Each step seemed slow, and his motions subtle, yet he effortlessly dodged every one of Vanko's attacks, steadily closing the distance.

Throughout the process, Vanko's whips flailed like a mesmerizing 3D holographic display, but they didn't so much as graze Batman's cape.

Vanko unintentionally gave a masterclass in futility: lots of flashy moves, yet he hadn't budged Batman an inch.

Watching Batman draw closer, visible tension began to creep back onto Vanko's face.

"What kind of footwork is this? How can you dodge my attacks so easily? Are you... are you a demon?"

Batman let out a soft scoff. "You think this is what a demon looks like? You know nothing of true power."