Chapter 83: Ivan Vanke

Twenty minutes later, Wang Lei and Alice, led by the sleazy man, arrived at a dilapidated rental apartment.

“The person you’re looking for is here. Can we have the other half of the money now?” the sleazy man asked expectantly.

“It’s yours,” Wang Lei replied, handing over the remaining stack of dollars.

Alice glanced at the dim, chilly hallway and the crumbling walls. “This person’s life is really miserable.”

“But maybe he has a rich inner world, like Mozart,” Wang Lei said, knocking on the equally battered wooden door.

Alice shrugged, clearly unconvinced by Wang Lei’s optimism.

A wary male voice soon sounded from within, “Who is it?”

“The one who can save your father’s life!” Wang Lei answered.

The next moment, the door swung open. Ivan Vanko, his long hair in disarray, stared suspiciously at Wang Lei and Alice.

“What do you want?” Ivan Vanko asked directly.

“We want you to work for us!” Wang Lei responded just as bluntly.

Hearing Wang Lei’s request, Ivan Vanko frowned. “What organization are you from?”

“An international government organization!”

“Hmph!” Ivan Vanko sneered, his tone full of disdain. “Get lost, I’ll never work with Hydra!” With that, he tried to shut the door.

But Wang Lei was quick, grabbing the door to stop him. “I think you might be mistaken. We’re not Hydra. We’re a legitimate government organization!”

“Then that confirms it. The idiot who came last time said exactly the same thing!” Ivan Vanko scoffed, pushing harder to close the door. The battered wooden door creaked under the strain, as if it might split any moment from the struggle between two grown men.

“You really are mistaken. We’re not Hydra. To be precise, we’re not from this world,” Alice said, stepping forward and reaching out. Using telekinesis, she pulled Ivan Vanko and the door open together.

Feeling his entire body enveloped by an unknown force, Ivan Vanko, startled, began to believe Wang Lei’s claim that they weren’t from Hydra.

Placed gently on the ground by Alice’s power, Ivan Vanko looked at them with complicated emotions. “Are you aliens?”

“You’re overthinking it. We’re from another dimension’s Earth.”

“Is it true you can cure my father?” Ivan Vanko asked.

“Of course. It’s a simple matter for us,” Wang Lei replied.

At that moment, a weak voice came from inside. “Ivan, who’s here?”

Ivan Vanko turned and spoke gently, “It’s nothing, Father. Just two friends visiting me!”

“Oh, then invite them in to sit,” came the reply.

Ivan Vanko glanced at Wang Lei and Alice, then said coldly, “Come in.”

Wang Lei and Alice exchanged a look and entered the dim, chilly room, cluttered with all sorts of electrical components.

As soon as Wang Lei stepped inside, he was hit by an indescribable smell—a mixture of damp, moldy blankets, fermented bodily waste, and the stench of dirty socks. He nearly gagged, but as a soldier, he forced himself to swallow his disgust.

Alice only frowned slightly, then, unfazed, approached the bed where Anton Vanko lay, his face gaunt. She crouched down and smiled, “Mr. Anton, we’ve come to save you. Soon you’ll be just like any ordinary person—up and about, full of energy.”

Anton Vanko chuckled, “Thank you, child, for your comforting words, but I know my own body. I won’t last much longer.”

“Father, they’re from another Earth. Maybe they really can cure you,” Ivan Vanko said, placing a pill into Anton Vanko’s mouth.

Swallowing with difficulty, Anton Vanko looked at his son with deep guilt. “I’m sorry. Over the years, I’ve left you nothing but knowledge.”

“Don’t say that. Everything will be fine,” Ivan Vanko replied, gently stroking his father’s swollen face.

Witnessing this filial scene, Alice sighed, activated her communication system, and reported to Wang Jing, “We’ve found them, but Anton Vanko’s condition is critical. He must be treated immediately!”

“Alright, I’ll be there soon. Stay put and wait for me!” Wang Jing responded, then hung up, donned the battle suit in the corner, and flew out from the balcony.

The commotion of the suit in flight drew the attention of people on the street below. Envy was written across their faces. After all, being wealthy, talented, and a revered superhero was the dream of everyone.

But it wasn’t just ordinary citizens who noticed. Tony Stark, still in the basement lab beneath his seaside villa, was alerted—or rather, Jarvis noticed via the security cameras atop Stark Tower.

“Sir, an unidentified suit of armor has been spotted near Stark Tower,” Jarvis’s voice suddenly sounded in the underground lab.

Tony Stark, shocked, looked up and stared at the blurry footage on the screen in disbelief.

Immediately, anger replaced his shock. “Damn bastard, stealing my tech and flaunting it!”

“Jarvis, can you locate where it launched from?”

“Sorry, sir, there’s too little information. I can’t pinpoint the exact launch site,” Jarvis replied.

Tony Stark grew even angrier. “Jarvis, you’re getting less useful by the day!”

“Sir, my computational capacity has not diminished.”

“Ah!” Tony Stark groaned, rubbing his forehead at Jarvis’s stiff response.

After thinking for a moment, Iron Man ordered, “Install cameras around Stark Tower immediately. That bastard is bound to come back.”

“Yes, sir. Task information has been sent to Miss Pepper.”

Tony Stark, exasperated by Jarvis’s report, rubbed his forehead again. “I really should donate you and Dumb-Dumb to MIT!”

“Sir, that could result in the leakage of confidential files. Please reconsider carefully.”

This time, Tony Stark didn’t even bother to rub his face. He took a deep breath and said, “Jarvis, add the task of developing a new artificial intelligence to my memo!”

“Yes, sir, it’s been added.”

Meanwhile, Wang Jing, flying at full speed, soon had to jump to the Wandering Earth dimension to recharge his suit due to energy issues.

On the journey to Moscow, Wang Jing had to replenish energy at least a dozen times, making him ever more eager to acquire the Arc Reactor.