"Who is she?"
Barbara's well-proportioned arms contained strength that Christina could feel—something she couldn't resist.
She guessed, "Your bodyguard?"
"Bodyguard?"
Barbara's eyes shifted as she came up with an idea.
She suddenly turned lightly, moving to stand in front of Ye Li, smiling, "That's right! I am Li's personal bodyguard!"
Christina looked at Ye Li for confirmation, "Is that true?"
Ye Li blinked, "Uh... yes... no...?"
"Yes~"
Barbara maintained her smile while quietly pulling Ye Li's hand behind her back… and placing it on her perky backside.
Feeling satisfied with the touch, Ye Li also smiled, "Ah, yes! Barbara is my personal bodyguard—very personal~"
"I see."
Christina looked at Barbara's beauty and quickly realized there was more to Ye Li's words.
But she still felt she had a chance, so she suggested to Barbara, "Then we can be together, Miss Barbara, no need to be like this~"
Barbara: 'Shameless…'
"Goodbye, lady."
Barbara grabbed Ye Li's hand and left, abandoning the clueless Christina.
"Hey! You two!"
The female reporter couldn't just chase after them and ruin her image.
She failed once again.
She could only leave in defeat...
…..
Meanwhile.
Rustle~
Barbara replaced Christina's spot, leaning into Ye Li's embrace, completing what Christina hadn't been able to do...
Ye Li was naturally delighted. He then pulled Barbara along to her temporary residence...
Barbara's Room.
"No...!"
Barbara was still shy, shaking her little head, trying to escape someone's clutches—
After all, she had just notified Natasha to come to her room for a meeting. If they were caught...
However.
Ye Li didn't care about that. Pressing against her silky hair, he drew those tempting red lips closer…
And so.
When Natasha arrived to discuss intel with a colleague, she was utterly stunned by Ye Li and Barbara…
"Mmm… Hah~ Natasha… You're here…"
Barbara awkwardly pushed Ye Li away and separated from him, "That's enough for now… I'll go out with Natasha for a bit."
…..
Banquet Hall, Crystal-Adorned Balcony.
Two elegant figures leaned on the marble railing, their golden and auburn hair occasionally intertwining in the breeze…
"Barbara..."
After a brief silence, Natasha broke it, "Is this how you usually gather intel…?"
"Cough, cough..."
Barbara still felt a little uncomfortable. She coughed a few times in embarrassment, "Didn't you say… beauty is also a weapon…?"
"...But… not like this..."
Natasha didn't know how to respond, "Going this far for a mission… This is a losing deal…"
She remembered Barbara as an outstanding agent… How could she be so clueless about this?
"I don't know either..."
Barbara gazed at the racetrack, "I just didn't find it unpleasant… so I went along with it… If it were anyone else, definitely not… Only him…"
You're acting weird…
Natasha, as an observer, saw things clearly—this wasn't about a mission at all. But since it wasn't her business, she didn't say it out loud.
Wu——
Wu——!
Wu——!!
Natasha watched the track, "The race has started."
Barbara, however, saw Ye Li in a stylish racing suit, getting into the car ahead of Strange.
She also saw Miss Pepper running frantically to stop Mr. Stark from racing…
Tony started the engine, "Ready, guys?"
Ye Li smiled mysteriously, "Ready."
A rat-patterned talisman appeared in his hand, which he imprinted onto the car's interior…
Strange glanced at his own green race car and then at Ye Li, "Li, I like your red car better. Want to trade?"
"Nope."
[3]
[2]
[1]
Whoosh—!
Whoosh—!
Whoosh—!
Ye Li, Strange, and the rest of the racers sped onto the track—covering a great distance in the blink of an eye!
[Maybe I won't be the champion.]
[But I will definitely be faster than you all!]
Stark boasted over the comms to Ye Li and Strange, then sped up to take the lead, [Hahaha—!]
Ye Li: [Yes, Tony, you're the fastest man alive.]
Strange: [Doctor's advice—going too fast isn't always a good thing.]
[Shut up, you two jokers!]
Stark saw Strange catching up while Ye Li was still behind and teased, [Li, do you need us to wait for you?]
[Sigh... I wanted to race as a normal person…]
Ye Li patted his car, "Alright, time for you to shine."
Wuen——～～!
＜＝＝＝～～～～～!!!
"The red No.7 car suddenly accelerated!"
The commentator shouted in shock, "It has overtaken car No.8, No.3… No.6, No.1!"
"Now it's in third… No, second place!!"
Ye Li smirked as another rabbit-patterned talisman appeared in his hand, pressing it against the car's interior.
Of course, he wouldn't use supernatural speed—just a little enhancement was enough…
Wuen——!!!
＜～～～～～!!!
"My God!!"
"It has overtaken the leading No.11 'Death Racer' Savito!!"
"That angle!"
"How did this racer do that!?"
"That's too dangerous!"
The crowd was in an uproar—cheers and screams erupted non-stop!
"Wow!! Go, No.7!!"
"Who is the driver of car No.7? Which racing club is he from? I want to sign him!"
"It's from the Ghost Spider Club!"
"That fast? You already found out? Nice work!"
"Oh no, actually, he just wrote it on the track as he was driving!"
"What!?"
[Hey! Li!]
[Are you crazy!? Driving like that!]
Tony yelled over the comms, [Even professional racers wouldn't dare! Slow down right now!]
[Does this guy have a death wish!?]
Tony, who had palladium poisoning, wouldn't even risk this kind of driving. What got into Li all of a sudden?
Strange had the same thought and tried to talk him down.
[Hey, hey, hey! Ye! Calm down…]
[If you have some incurable disease, I can refer you to the best doctors in the world… Mental health specialists included, okay?]
"No.7 car?"
"Wait! Isn't that…!"
Barbara instinctively clenched the railing in her hand, "Him!"
"Sigh~"
Natasha saw the worry on her face and shook her head…
Strange: [Could it be brain damage?]
Stark: [I think it might be AIDS!]
[Tony, do you believe I won't throw you off the track right now?]
Ye Li was speechless listening to these two idiots' theories. He left them with one last message: [I'll wait for you at the finish line.]
Then he cut off communications and sped towards the finish.
[Hey! Who's that on the track!?]
[Maintenance staff shouldn't be on the track!]
Ivan Vanko, chewing on a toothpick, ignored the cars racing past him and the warnings as he walked to the center of the track.
Electric sparks ignited his clothes, revealing the Whiplash suit inside. A pair of bright white and blue electric whips dragged along the ground…
Ye Li was just relaxing his hands when suddenly, his super spider-sense flared up.
A scene flashed in his mind—Strange's car was about to be sliced apart by a whip.
"..."
'Strange is about to get whipped?'
Ye Li instinctively used the Rooster Talisman's telekinesis ability to envelop the entire racetrack, preparing to help his unlucky friend…
But then he remembered—Strange originally became the Sorcerer Supreme after surviving a car crash. Was it supposed to happen here?
However, before he could think further—
The world suddenly began to rewind.
The racetrack twisted into an impossible shape, like a scene from a surrealist painting…
"Stop."
Ye Li calmly told his car.
Screech—
The tires skidded, and the car came to a halt.
The door opened.
Whoosh—
A black trench coat fluttered.
Ye Li stepped out, wearing a black tactical suit, hands in his coat pockets, leaning against the car door while observing his surroundings.
The distorted, shifting world was now empty.
"Ancient One."
Whoosh.
With Ye Li's words, a yellow-robed figure gracefully descended a short distance in front of him.
"Hello, Li."
The Ancient One spoke in a calm, clear voice, "Strange is an arrogant child. He still has much to learn."
Ye Li tossed a Tiger Talisman in his hand, "Calling me by my first name on our first meeting? Isn't that a bit intimate?"
"....."
The Ancient One knew that the Mirror Dimension couldn't hold Ye Li.
"..."
"Forget about Strange."
Ye Li pulled up the hood of his coat and smirked, "Look at us right now—don't we look like we're wearing matching outfits?"
The Ancient One smiled peacefully without anger, "Interesting child. We will meet again…"
"Alright then, until next time… dear Ancient One."
The Tiger Talisman in Ye Li's hand began to spin.
"I wonder how badly Strange crashed. I should go check on him."
As the Tiger Talisman spun, the warped reality slowly returned to normal.
Enhanced Tiger Talisman—
Balance of Yin and Yang.
To be precise, the Tiger Talisman controlled the forces of Yin and Yang, enabling many different effects—this was just one of them.
The Mirror Dimension shattered into fragments, and a red race car emerged from the breaking space—
Wuen——!
…..
"Hey, Pepper."
Pepper and Happy were preparing to deliver Tony's armor when they suddenly saw a red race car stop next to them.
"Li? Shouldn't you be in the lead…?"
Ye Li spread his hands, "You're not wrong. I'm actually two laps ahead."
"Li! Save me! Hit him with your car!"
Tony, getting chased by Ivan Vanko, screamed for help the moment he saw Ye Li's car.
Ye Li drove past Stark and casually tossed him a briefcase—
"Miss Pepper sent this for you! Catch!"
Whoosh—
BAM!
"Oww!"
Tony screamed in pain as the briefcase hit his head, nearly knocking him out…
…..
Ye Li didn't stop the car.
He drove straight toward Ivan Vanko.
Vanko raised his whip, ready to strike.
But the red race car suddenly accelerated—
Faster than Whiplash could react—
BANG—!
THUD!
Whiplash was sent flying, smashing into the track barriers with a dull thud.
"Oh, sorry."
Ye Li looked at Ivan Vanko, who was lying motionless.
"I didn't mean to… My foot slipped on the accelerator."
He shook his head, "I don't think this is my fault. You should've worn some armor…"
Vanko's Whiplash suit had almost zero protection—
Even a pistol could probably take him out…
"Li… Move aside! He's not dead yet! I'll handle him!"
A dizzy Tony finally managed to put on his Mark V portable armor.
He staggered toward them—looking like he might trip at any moment…
Ye Li disabled his car's intelligence and stepped aside, crossing his arms.
"Tony, are you sure you got this?"
The audience hadn't left.
They all gathered at the fences to watch the battle up close.
Because they had noticed—
Whiplash's electric whips were strong, capable of slicing through vehicles—
But other than that… he didn't really have much going for him.
As long as you stayed out of range and moved fast enough…
Even a rifle could probably take him down.
"You… dare talk?"
Tony was about to argue when—
BAM—!
Vanko's whip struck Ye Li's red race car, blowing it to pieces!
"STARK!!"
Ivan Vanko roared and charged at Stark—
Ivan Vanko let out a furious roar and charged at Stark—!!
One whip!
Two whips!!
Three whips!!!
Four whips!!!!
Lightning!—Five-Strike Combo!!
Iron Man's head was spinning.
At this moment, he was no match for Whiplash.
Sparks flew as Stark's armor got whipped into a mess.
Ye Li called out at the perfect moment, "Tony, are you okay or what!?"
"You son of a…"
Tony, enraged, threw a punch straight at Ivan Vanko's forehead.
'His portable Mark armor didn't have much strength'— Thunk~!
Since Ivan had zero armor, he immediately got the same stunned debuff as Tony…
Tony seized the opportunity!
From the forearm of his suit, he ejected a glowing blade—
A replica lightsaber module he had installed in his armor.
"You're not the only one with glowing weapons..."
Crackle! Crackle! Crackle!
With a few slashes, the Whiplash suit was cut to pieces, leaving debris scattered all over the ground.
Stark, however, couldn't hold on any longer—he collapsed.
What?
You're asking why he collapsed?
The helmet of the Iron Man suit popped open.
Revealing Tony's battered face…
"Oh man… this criminal is way too brutal…"
Ye Li clicked his tongue while inspecting the injury, "Look at Tony… His head… it's bleeding… sigh…"
Pepper rushed over in concern, "Tony, are you hurt!?"
"Uhh…"
Tony tremblingly raised a finger and pointed at Ye Li, wanting to say something…
"Don't worry, Tony. I know what you mean."
Ye Li nodded and gave him a thumbs-up.
"I'll check on Strange too, no need to worry."
"Uhh…"
Tony's head lolled to the side, and he fainted from rage…
Woo woo woo—
With the sound of approaching ambulances…
Both Stark and Strange were carried onto stretchers and sent to the hospital…