Li Yue didn't see Tony again until a few days later. During these days, Li Yue hadn't gone to Tony's house.
Tony, it seemed, had also plunged into a frenzy of research, staying in his underground lab all day, hoping to develop nanotechnology sooner.
But how could such cutting-edge technology yield results so easily? After several days, Tony hadn't made much progress.
This day was the Monaco Grand Prix.
A Rolls-Royce slowly pulled up to the entrance. Happy got out of the driver's seat and opened the rear door. A man and a woman emerged from the back—it was Tony and Pepper, who had been invited.
Another person stepped out of the passenger seat; it was Li Yue, who had come along. It was Li Yue's first time riding in such a luxurious car, and he couldn't help but marvel, "The feeling of a luxury car is truly different."
Upon seeing Tony, the surrounding crowd stirred, but fortunately, the staff here were prepared and kept the crowd at bay, allowing Tony and his entourage to enter the banquet hall directly.
Natasha, elegantly dressed, was preparing to greet Tony. Pepper looked at Natasha, who was reporting to Tony, radiating intense jealousy. She hadn't expected Tony to still hire Natasha as his personal assistant.
However, in front of such a large crowd, she could only force a smile and face the incessant photographers.
Tony and Pepper walked in front, while Li Yue walked at the very back. He didn't want to be next to Tony and be constantly photographed.
Tony and Pepper kept smiling and dealing with the celebrities and wealthy businessmen who came up to chat, including Justin Hammer, whom Li Yue had seen for the first time, accompanied by the reporter who had a one-night stand with Tony.
After various awkward encounters, Tony finally got rid of the crowd and came to a quiet room with Li Yue to discuss what would happen next.
"Tony, are you all ready? Don't mess up when you're on the track later, or you'll embarrass yourself in front of the audience."
"Don't worry, everything's ready. My tech is absolutely fine. I'm just waiting for that guy named Ivan to show up. Then you'll see how I teach him a lesson."
"Also, Li Yue, you better watch out. Don't let me die in a racing accident instead of at the hands of an enemy."
"Don't worry, you know my abilities, right? Just go all out in the race. I guarantee you'll be unharmed even if there's an accident."
"That's reassuring. I've always wanted to participate in a car race, but I never had the chance. This is a perfect opportunity to go all out."
Tony's face was full of smiles. As a sports car enthusiast, he had long wanted an adrenaline-pumping race.
"What do you mean, 'no chance'? You're just scared to die!"
Li Yue mercilessly exposed him, but Tony's face didn't show any embarrassment from Li Yue's words. Instead, he said proudly, "I'm cherishing life!"
...The race was about to begin, but Pepper suddenly realized Tony had disappeared and hadn't reappeared before her.
She spotted Tony's figure on a monitor hanging on the wall behind her. He was wearing a blue racing suit, jumping directly onto the track, and talking to a staff member.
The staff member was shocked. Tony Stark, the top billionaire and superhero Iron Man, was actually going to personally drive a race car and compete.
Don't richer people cherish their lives more? This was the staff member's thought, but since Tony suggested it, he certainly wouldn't refuse, and was even secretly delighted.
An unlucky racer was replaced by Tony. Feeling frustrated, he angrily threw his helmet on the ground and stormed off. Tony, meanwhile, got directly into the race car and prepared for the race.
All of this was being broadcast live on television. Everyone present knew that Tony Stark was actually going to personally drive a race car.
Some were incredulous, some enjoyed the spectacle, and some were secretly worried about Tony.
The most worried person was Pepper, who was watching the broadcast. She immediately called Natasha, who was now Tony's personal assistant.
"Did you know Tony was going to participate in this race?" Pepper asked Natasha with an unfriendly tone.
"I just found out now too."
Natasha was also bewildered. The information showed that Tony had overcome palladium poisoning and created a new arc reactor. Why would he still do something so crazy? Had he lost his mind?
Although Pepper was very worried about Tony, it was too late to stop him because the race had already begun.
Tony started like a madman, driving his race car recklessly on the track, constantly overtaking, drifting around corners, driving as dangerously as possible, as if he wasn't afraid of any accidents.
Li Yue, watching Tony like this, felt a headache. Tony really trusted him and had completely gone wild. He could only hope that Tony hadn't forgotten their purpose...
Watching Tony's race car perform highly dangerous maneuvers on the broadcast screen, Pepper was extremely anxious, truly afraid that Tony would have an accident the next second.
Natasha beside her was also startled. Was Tony crazy? How could he drive like that during a race? Wasn't he afraid of an accident?
Ivan Vanko, mixed in with the staff, watched Tony drive and couldn't help but think, "Maybe I don't need to bother him. Driving like that, he's bound to crash sooner or later."
But that was just a joke. Ivan certainly wouldn't miss such a good opportunity. Tony was not easy to encounter without his armor, so he directly crossed the track barrier.
He came onto the track, his shirt melting away from a burst of high heat, revealing a crude exoskeleton armor. An arc reactor on his chest emitted a white light, and at the same time, he flung his hands to both sides, and two long, arcing whips appeared in his hands, waiting for Tony's race car to arrive...
Tony was already having a blast. This was his first time racing so freely, and it felt even more thrilling than flying in his armor.
However, the voice of J.A.R.V.I.S. sounded in his ear.
"Sir, unidentified personnel have appeared on the track ahead. Please take evasive action."
"He's finally here, J.A.R.V.I.S., activate Mark VII, prepare for deployment."
Tony instructed J.A.R.V.I.S. while slowly decelerating the race car and pulling over.
At this moment, the host also noticed unidentified personnel entering the track and let out an anxious shout, his voice reaching everyone watching the live broadcast.
Pepper's heart skipped a beat. From the looks of this person, he was clearly there to cause trouble for Tony. At the same time, Happy appeared before Pepper, flashing a red briefcase in his hand.
Pepper and Happy quickly rushed to the Rolls-Royce, preparing to drive onto the track to deliver the portable armor to Tony.
But before they could get into the car, the trunk of the Rolls-Royce suddenly opened to both sides, revealing a red device. To the astonishment of those nearby, it shot straight into the sky and flew away at an extremely high speed, heading directly towards the racetrack.