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Chapter 62: Where's My Brick?
Tony's expression was incredibly strange. He subconsciously reached for his brick, his gut reaction being to smack this guy, Slim, to death with it. This had practically become an instinct for him. It wasn't just because the Vibranium brick had connected with the bizarre skinny guy more times than anyone else; more importantly, Tony had always thought Slim just had one of those faces that begged to be smacked.
The moment he saw that sleazy, fawning face, Tony felt the urge to use his brick.
“Don't attack! Don't attack! Friendly! I’m a friendly!” Slim yelled, throwing down the rope in his hands and raising them above his head. He let out a sharp squeal like a pig being slaughtered, which irritated the Old Bartender and Blade so much that they too began looking around for a brick to smack him with.
Tony walked over and dragged Slim closer, his expression odd.
“Speak. How did you get here?” Tony said, his face dark as he brandished the brick in his hand. “Don't give me any crap about coincidentally getting lost. Otherwise, you know the drill—I'll smack you to death.” Their operation wasn't exactly a secret. At the very least, the Military knew they were hunting a highly dangerous Vampire and would have loved nothing more than for both sides to wipe each other out.
But how did a lone wolf like Slim find out?
“I'm a mercenary! Don't underestimate the information-gathering capabilities of the mercenary world! I have a big circle of friends myself, you can't hide something this big from me!” Slim thumped his chest hard, revealing a ribcage that looked like a rack of ribs. His palm made a series of sharp smacking sounds as it hit.
Even the Old Bartender, an old man himself, looked on in disgust. Despite his age, he was still in good shape. What kind of mercenary could Slim be with so little muscle? You could throw him on the street and any two random people could beat him to death.
Slim said, “Actually, the Hacker world had already pieced together most of your operation through guesswork and deduction. Tony Stark disappearing in Atlantic City—that’s a huge deal. The entire American upper class was stirred into action. You can't hide that from a group of top-tier hackers who love making trouble for The Authorities. They might not be able to get into secret agencies, but hacking private computers is a different story.”
Tony Stark's disappearance had indeed rattled a lot of people. Even the upper-class elites who didn't get along with him had to pay attention. They needed to determine if Tony's disappearance was merely an 'accident' or if someone was deliberately targeting them.
If it was the latter, it would be like touching a raw nerve for the entire upper class. For the sake of their own safety and that of their families, they would have to investigate it to the very end.
Not to mention, it was no secret that Tony had a falling out with the Vampire Faction.
Slim was the fastest. Banking on his build being the most suitable for navigating the largely abandoned tunnel, he had slipped in first, intending to make off with the Stone Stele and sell it for a profit. He spoke with great conviction, as if he, a world-class mercenary, coming here to scavenge for loot was somehow doing them a disservice.
Tony walked up and smacked him with a brick, then pinned Slim down and gave him a sound beating.
Sure enough, Slim immediately put on that fawning expression again, looking at Tony in an attempt to curry favor.
Everyone was rendered speechless. Slim was truly one of a kind—unreliable to the extreme.
Tony casually picked up a piece of the stone, tossing it in his hand. “Do you have any idea what this thing is used for? And don't just say 'for money.' I mean, what is its specific function?”
“No idea. But it should sell for a good price,” Slim said, putting his hands on his hips, full of confidence as if he were completely in the right. He was really something else.
Tony decided he couldn't be bothered with him anymore. He could see it clearly now: Slim was a truly dazzling specimen of an oddball. Although he still harbored some suspicions, he pushed them to the back of his mind.
The group of four began to leave the Altar. Whatever magical properties this place possessed would now be buried here along with Deacon.
Tony dragged a fragment of the Stone Stele, with Optimus Prime clearing the path ahead, cutting through thorns and brambles. It took them twice as long to ascend as it had to come down. The violent earthquake had almost completely destroyed the path to the Altar.
Battling their way up, the group finally emerged into the Sunlight once more, feeling a sense of triumphant return.
“Victory! I am victorious! I have defeated the enemy! The vile Vampires have been annihilated by me in one fell swoop!”
Slim burst out, roaring and screaming as if to announce to the entire world that he was its savior. His very next sentence, however, revealed his true colors.
“Anyone want to hire me? Twenty percent discount!” Slim bellowed, shamelessly taking all the credit for their victory.
Tony and the other two sighed. It was beyond embarrassing. They wanted to cover their faces and leave immediately. Being seen with a guy like Slim was degrading; it made them feel cheap.
Heaven knows how a guy like Slim managed to survive in the mercenary world.
Some people who had been lying in wait came forward to ask Tony about the outcome. In truth, it was just a pretext; if Tony had lost, he wouldn't have been the one walking out. Many other Vampire Hunters had also received the news and were on their way. With a famous colleague like Blade present, it was only natural for them to be concerned about the result.
Seeing Tony, Blade, and the Old Bartender emerge, many of the Hunters slowly lowered their weapons. They had come to kill Vampires, and if Blade and Tony had been defeated, they would have charged in to eliminate the enemy.
One of the Hunters who had been waiting told Tony that now that Tony Stark had safely returned, he had publicly placed a bounty on Vampires in the Underworld, with extremely generous rewards. That Playboy, Tony, was clearly furious, sparing no expense to publicly post the bounty in the Dark World. The more you killed, the higher the reward, and there was no upper limit—he would pay for every single one killed.
Almost instantly, a flood of new bounties appeared throughout the Underworld. Aside from the flamboyant Tony, who made no effort to hide his involvement, it was unclear which other organizations were being so generous as to post such astonishingly high rewards. It was enough to make one's mouth water. Many Hunters' eyes went red with greed. Most of them were poor, and it would be strange if they didn't seize this rare opportunity to risk their lives for a massive payday. Even some mercenaries, tempted by the rewards, joined the hunt, starting to venture into the dark, hidden world of the Vampires.
Tony was lost in thought. This was no longer just Stark Industries' business; he suspected many other major corporations were also involved. The Vampires had broken an unwritten rule. Daring to make a move on people of that caliber meant paying a terrible price.
It was a cruel rule. If the Vampires had only targeted civilians, the reaction would not have been nearly as strong. A cruel reality, but the truest one.
With the exception of a few countries like China, which were ruthlessly and uncompromisingly purging Vampires, many other nations had lingering, complicated ties with them.
However, this no longer concerned Tony. He had killed the Blood God, Deacon, and had already pushed himself to his limit. What more could anyone ask of him?
Just then, Tony tossed the fragment of the Stone Stele into their vehicle and invited Blade, Whistler, and the female doctor to his place for a get-together.
“Anyway, with Deacon’s threat eliminated, you guys can finally relax for a bit. Why not come to my place for a few drinks?” Tony urged.
Slim, unhappy at being excluded, immediately started clamoring to go along, showing no awareness that he was an outsider.
(end of chapter)
Tony's expression was incredibly strange. He subconsciously reached for his brick, his gut reaction being to smack this guy, Slim, to death with it. This had practically become an instinct for him. It wasn't just because the Vibranium brick had connected with the bizarre skinny guy more times than anyone else; more importantly, Tony had always thought Slim just had one of those faces that begged to be smacked.
The moment he saw that sleazy, fawning face, Tony felt the urge to use his brick.
“Don't attack! Don't attack! Friendly! I’m a friendly!” Slim yelled, throwing down the rope in his hands and raising them above his head. He let out a sharp squeal like a pig being slaughtered, which irritated the Old Bartender and Blade so much that they too began looking around for a brick to smack him with.
Tony walked over and dragged Slim closer, his expression odd.
“Speak. How did you get here?” Tony said, his face dark as he brandished the brick in his hand. “Don't give me any crap about coincidentally getting lost. Otherwise, you know the drill—I'll smack you to death.” Their operation wasn't exactly a secret. At the very least, the Military knew they were hunting a highly dangerous Vampire and would have loved nothing more than for both sides to wipe each other out.
But how did a lone wolf like Slim find out?
“I'm a mercenary! Don't underestimate the information-gathering capabilities of the mercenary world! I have a big circle of friends myself, you can't hide something this big from me!” Slim thumped his chest hard, revealing a ribcage that looked like a rack of ribs. His palm made a series of sharp smacking sounds as it hit.
Even the Old Bartender, an old man himself, looked on in disgust. Despite his age, he was still in good shape. What kind of mercenary could Slim be with so little muscle? You could throw him on the street and any two random people could beat him to death.
Slim said, “Actually, the Hacker world had already pieced together most of your operation through guesswork and deduction. Tony Stark disappearing in Atlantic City—that’s a huge deal. The entire American upper class was stirred into action. You can't hide that from a group of top-tier hackers who love making trouble for The Authorities. They might not be able to get into secret agencies, but hacking private computers is a different story.”
Tony Stark's disappearance had indeed rattled a lot of people. Even the upper-class elites who didn't get along with him had to pay attention. They needed to determine if Tony's disappearance was merely an 'accident' or if someone was deliberately targeting them.
If it was the latter, it would be like touching a raw nerve for the entire upper class. For the sake of their own safety and that of their families, they would have to investigate it to the very end.
Not to mention, it was no secret that Tony had a falling out with the Vampire Faction.
Slim was the fastest. Banking on his build being the most suitable for navigating the largely abandoned tunnel, he had slipped in first, intending to make off with the Stone Stele and sell it for a profit. He spoke with great conviction, as if he, a world-class mercenary, coming here to scavenge for loot was somehow doing them a disservice.
Tony walked up and smacked him with a brick, then pinned Slim down and gave him a sound beating.
Sure enough, Slim immediately put on that fawning expression again, looking at Tony in an attempt to curry favor.
Everyone was rendered speechless. Slim was truly one of a kind—unreliable to the extreme.
Tony casually picked up a piece of the stone, tossing it in his hand. “Do you have any idea what this thing is used for? And don't just say 'for money.' I mean, what is its specific function?”
“No idea. But it should sell for a good price,” Slim said, putting his hands on his hips, full of confidence as if he were completely in the right. He was really something else.
Tony decided he couldn't be bothered with him anymore. He could see it clearly now: Slim was a truly dazzling specimen of an oddball. Although he still harbored some suspicions, he pushed them to the back of his mind.
The group of four began to leave the Altar. Whatever magical properties this place possessed would now be buried here along with Deacon.
Tony dragged a fragment of the Stone Stele, with Optimus Prime clearing the path ahead, cutting through thorns and brambles. It took them twice as long to ascend as it had to come down. The violent earthquake had almost completely destroyed the path to the Altar.
Battling their way up, the group finally emerged into the Sunlight once more, feeling a sense of triumphant return.
“Victory! I am victorious! I have defeated the enemy! The vile Vampires have been annihilated by me in one fell swoop!”
Slim burst out, roaring and screaming as if to announce to the entire world that he was its savior. His very next sentence, however, revealed his true colors.
“Anyone want to hire me? Twenty percent discount!” Slim bellowed, shamelessly taking all the credit for their victory.
Tony and the other two sighed. It was beyond embarrassing. They wanted to cover their faces and leave immediately. Being seen with a guy like Slim was degrading; it made them feel cheap.
Heaven knows how a guy like Slim managed to survive in the mercenary world.
Some people who had been lying in wait came forward to ask Tony about the outcome. In truth, it was just a pretext; if Tony had lost, he wouldn't have been the one walking out. Many other Vampire Hunters had also received the news and were on their way. With a famous colleague like Blade present, it was only natural for them to be concerned about the result.
Seeing Tony, Blade, and the Old Bartender emerge, many of the Hunters slowly lowered their weapons. They had come to kill Vampires, and if Blade and Tony had been defeated, they would have charged in to eliminate the enemy.
One of the Hunters who had been waiting told Tony that now that Tony Stark had safely returned, he had publicly placed a bounty on Vampires in the Underworld, with extremely generous rewards. That Playboy, Tony, was clearly furious, sparing no expense to publicly post the bounty in the Dark World. The more you killed, the higher the reward, and there was no upper limit—he would pay for every single one killed.
Almost instantly, a flood of new bounties appeared throughout the Underworld. Aside from the flamboyant Tony, who made no effort to hide his involvement, it was unclear which other organizations were being so generous as to post such astonishingly high rewards. It was enough to make one's mouth water. Many Hunters' eyes went red with greed. Most of them were poor, and it would be strange if they didn't seize this rare opportunity to risk their lives for a massive payday. Even some mercenaries, tempted by the rewards, joined the hunt, starting to venture into the dark, hidden world of the Vampires.
Tony was lost in thought. This was no longer just Stark Industries' business; he suspected many other major corporations were also involved. The Vampires had broken an unwritten rule. Daring to make a move on people of that caliber meant paying a terrible price.
It was a cruel rule. If the Vampires had only targeted civilians, the reaction would not have been nearly as strong. A cruel reality, but the truest one.
With the exception of a few countries like China, which were ruthlessly and uncompromisingly purging Vampires, many other nations had lingering, complicated ties with them.
However, this no longer concerned Tony. He had killed the Blood God, Deacon, and had already pushed himself to his limit. What more could anyone ask of him?
Just then, Tony tossed the fragment of the Stone Stele into their vehicle and invited Blade, Whistler, and the female doctor to his place for a get-together.
“Anyway, with Deacon’s threat eliminated, you guys can finally relax for a bit. Why not come to my place for a few drinks?” Tony urged.
Slim, unhappy at being excluded, immediately started clamoring to go along, showing no awareness that he was an outsider.
(end of chapter)
