Chapter 898 — Alarmed Out of Countenance

"I understand. So what do I do now?" Krechler asked.

"Right now, while no one is coming after you, get those chemical reagents purchased. Once it's done, don't linger—head straight back!" Dr. Ban Lin said. "And if you run into enemies, don't panic. They shouldn't be able to do much to you. On the contrary, you'll have the chance to kill them!"

"Yes, Dr. Ban Lin!" Hearing this, Krechler let out a breath of relief, some confidence returning to him. He hurried toward the dock exit. It was the middle of the night and there were no taxis here—he would have to walk.

Not that he would have taken a taxi even if one had been available. He didn't dare board just any car—what if it belonged to the enemy? Once he was inside, they could plant a bomb in silence, and though he was an Iron Man, a bomb of sufficient power could still blow him to pieces!

After all, an Iron Man was no Diamond Gu—not impervious to blades, bullets, water, or fire.

Knowing that Dr. Ban Lin could see his situation at any moment, Krechler said no more. He hung up and hurried off toward the chemical supply store.

Dr. Ban Lin was a major customer of the chemical supply store. Though it was the middle of the night, he had already called ahead and arranged for the owner to wait at the shop.

Yang Ce took all of this in, then recounted what he had seen to Dong Jun.

"Looks like Dr. Ban Lin is confident. But heh—I'm afraid he's in for another disappointment this time!" Yang Ce said.

"Yeah. Running into you is truly Dr. Ban Lin's misfortune!" Dong Jun said. "What do we do now?"

"Drive slowly. I'll give you directions," Yang Ce said.

"All right!" Dong Jun started the car and eased it out of the parking lot...

Krechler walked along the side of the street like a night-shift worker just getting off duty. His pace was quick and purposeful, heading straight for the chemical supply store.

But he was wary. Even as he walked, he kept scanning his surroundings for any sign of an enemy. He didn't dare take a vehicle, afraid of being killed inside one, and he didn't dare walk too fast or too slow—he could only keep a steady pace...

Yang Ce and Dong Jun were tailing him, but from a considerable distance. Yang Ce had said that if they got too close, Krechler would notice and become alert—but so long as they stayed in his blind spots, Krechler could not see them.

"Where do we make our move?" Dong Jun asked.

"Not far ahead there's a narrow alley with very few people. Both sides of the street are building-material shops—it's the street just before the chemical store. Everything's closed at night, no one around. It's the perfect spot," Yang Ce said after studying the terrain of the road ahead.

"Good. Then let me get ready," Dong Jun said with a nod.

Sure enough, just as Yang Ce had said, Krechler took that unavoidable street. The shops there were all closed, and at night it was desolate—no pedestrians, no passing cars. This was the town's building-materials market; naturally no one would come shopping at this hour.

Yang Ce glanced at the figure ahead, then said, "Speed up and close in!"

"Yes!" Dong Jun answered, flooring the accelerator. The engine let out a roar as the car surged straight toward Krechler!

The ML350's license plates had already been removed, so there was no need to worry about whether Dr. Ban Lin might see the car. And the windows were covered with dark film—no one outside could see in at all!

The car drew closer and closer to Krechler, and Krechler sensed a vehicle approaching. He immediately went on guard and stopped in his tracks. A small pistol dropped into his hand. He watched the oncoming car quietly, ready to fire at the first sign of trouble!

But the ML350 drove right past him and turned off at a fork in the road ahead, and Krechler breathed a sigh of relief. So the car had merely been passing through by chance—it wasn't after him.

Krechler picked up his pace again and walked on. Meanwhile, after turning the corner, Dong Jun had actually stopped the car. He quickly grabbed his sniper rifle, cracked the window open a sliver, and took aim outside.

As for Yang Ce, he got out of the car and waited quietly at the intersection for Krechler to come walking up.

Krechler's weak point was still in the sole of his right foot—just as Yang Ce had expected, the same place as Kevin's. It seemed Dr. Ban Lin had not modified the new Iron Man, or rather, Krechler's batch of Iron Men, like Jetterson and Kevin before him, had all been manufactured at the same time.

Besides, when Kevin was killed by Yang Ce last time, Dr. Ban Lin hadn't actually known how Kevin died, so he hadn't modified him either—which conveniently worked in Yang Ce's favor.

In fact, even if he had modified him, it wouldn't have mattered. It would only have cost Yang Ce a bit more effort—using his X-ray vision to search Krechler's body for the weak point again. Slightly more trouble than simply looking at the sole of his right foot, that was all.

Krechler was walking when he suddenly sensed that something seemed to have appeared ahead, blocking his path. Startled, he realized that a masked figure had silently materialized in front of him!

"You... who are you? What do you want?" Krechler was alarmed and instinctively reached for his pistol to shoot Yang Ce—but the instant his hand touched the gun, he felt a gust of cold wind at his side, and the pistol was already in the hands of the man before him!

"Don't bother with futile efforts. Trying to shoot me with a pistol? You think too simply of it." Yang Ce twisted it casually, and the pistol warped out of shape. He tossed it onto the ground nearby, useless.

Krechler's pupils contracted sharply. "You... what are you?"

"Iron Man!" Yang Ce said flatly. "Also called Iron Warrior!"

"Gah!" Krechler's eyes went wide, his jaw nearly dropping in shock. Because the terms Iron Man and Iron Warrior were known only to the Center's people—and the fact that he was an Iron Man was known only to himself and the Center. How could an outsider like Yang Ce know?

"Surprised, aren't you?" Yang Ce smiled. "I don't mind telling you—there was a fellow named Jetterson before, and another named Kevin. I killed them both. Now, you're the only one left!"

"You... how do you know all this? And how did you find me?" Krechler was alarmed out of countenance! (To be continued!)