The Cave Transaction

"Obadiah, you actually... Hm? Who are you?"

Hearing Li Chuan's reply, the furious Tony was about to grab the welding torch from the table and give him a good one when he suddenly saw Obadiah pick up a chair and smash it into the surveillance camera in the corner, shattering it completely.

Yet that was not even the most surprising part. The most surprising thing was that Obadiah's appearance began to shift, transforming entirely into someone else.

Likewise, Dr. Ethan, who had been standing beside Tony without understanding what was going on, widened his eyes at this miraculous sight.

"Nice to meet you. My name is Li Chuan, though you can also call me Chuan!"

After smashing the only surveillance camera in the room, Li Chuan turned around and smiled at Tony and Ethan.

"If it's convenient, how about we sit down and talk?"

Tony and Ethan exchanged a glance, then silently nodded.

Their current situation could not possibly have been worse, and at the very least, someone like Li Chuan with such miraculous abilities did not seem to be on the same side as those terrorists.

"How about this? I'll first explain my situation so you can understand."

The three of them settled in a corner out of sight from the iron door. To clear up their confusion, Li Chuan spoke first:

"Two weeks ago, while my men were investigating Mr. Obadiah, they discovered something quite interesting. As for why they were investigating Mr. Obadiah, that involved a minor grudge between my men and him.

"Of course, that isn't important. What matters is that this interesting matter turned out to be connected to the famous kidnapped Tony Stark—you.

"I imagine you've already guessed it by now. The mastermind behind this kidnapping was Obadiah, your fellow Stark Industries shareholder.

"So, I ordered my men to invite Obadiah over to my place. I politely questioned him and obtained some intelligence, then used my superpower to take on his appearance and come here."

"So you came to save me?"

After hearing Li Chuan's account, Tony did not look particularly excited. He remained calm.

The past two weeks of struggling between life and death had utterly transformed the once playboy Tony Stark, making him far more mature.

Some of what the other man said might be true, but there was no such thing as a free lunch. Risking danger to come here alone just to save a stranger he had never met seemed a little too hard to believe.

Moreover, judging from his words and the superpower he had just mentioned, this man was clearly no ordinary person.

"You could put it that way, or you could not. Whether I save you or not will ultimately depend on your decision."

Li Chuan raised an eyebrow as he looked at the composed Tony.

His mission here was to save Dr. Ethan and wipe out Laza and this base. Tony Stark was not part of the mission.

Of course, he still intended to save him. After all, this unexpected butterfly's arrival had already changed many things.

If Iron Man, a core member of the Avengers, disappeared as well, then many future events would become even harder to predict.

Even the small amount of future developments he was familiar with would deviate drastically.

But he certainly could not save him for nothing. Saving him without a suitable reason would be hard to justify and might easily arouse suspicion. It was better to propose reasonable conditions and gain some additional benefits from the mission.

"Mr. Li Chuan, tell me your conditions."

Tony raised his head.

For a genius with a high IQ, many things did not need to be said outright to be understood.

Li Chuan raised a hand and gave Tony a thumbs-up.

"I recently opened a company in New York, but since we're new there, we've run into quite a few snags. I hope Mr. Tony can lend us a hand in the future.

"And the machines at our production base could use some improvements. Unfortunately, the company lacks talent in that area. If Mr. Tony has the time, it would be even better if you could help us modify them."

Although he rarely involved himself in company matters, he still knew the general situation.

Overall, things had been going smoothly under Jack's management. But New York's waters ran deep indeed, and without sufficient connections, many aspects were troublesome.

And when it came to connections, who could compare to Stark Industries, a massive corporation entrenched in New York for years, one that even the government could do nothing about?

"That's it?"

Tony was stunned upon hearing that.

He had thought the other party would demand something enormous. After all, this concerned his life, and as long as it was not excessively unreasonable, he would agree. He had not expected the conditions to be so simple.

"Then why not work with Obadiah? I'm sure he would agree to conditions like that."

"I'm a kind, conscientious, law-abiding businessman. The medicine I sell is used to save lives. I absolutely despise people like him, who sell weapons to terrorists just for money.

"Besides, people like that have no credibility. He might even retaliate against me afterward. It wouldn't be worth it!"

Li Chuan spread his hands, then looked at Dr. Ethan beside him.

"You must be Dr. Ethan, right? I heard from the Ten Rings leader that you're highly skilled in medicine.

"When they carried Mr. Stark back, they thought he was beyond saving, but you brought him back. Would you be interested in working for my company? I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the salary and benefits."

"Uh... if we really can get out of here alive, and your company is as you say, I'll consider it."

Dr. Ethan, who had remained silent all along, was suddenly called on by Li Chuan. He froze for a moment before replying.

Tony, meanwhile, touched the Arc Reactor in his chest.

"I always thought the weapons I produced were meant to defend the country and protect its people. Yet they were being used to kill innocent people. Come to think of it, I'm not much better than Obadiah."

"You're different. You simply didn't know before. Now that you do, it's not too late to change!"

Yinsen reached out and patted Tony on the shoulder encouragingly.

Though they had spent less than a month together, Yinsen could clearly tell that Tony was not really like the rumors said. Deep down, he was kind.

If Tony could make it out alive, someone of his status would be able to bring tremendous help to the whole world.

That was also why, when Yinsen met the man who made the weapons that had killed his family, he did not hate him enough to want to kill him. Instead, he had guided him step by step.

"You're right. I can't die like this. I still have to make up for the mistakes I made."

Tony nodded firmly at Yinsen, then turned to Li Chuan.

"Mr. Li Chuan, do you have a plan to get us out safely? Given your skills, did you bring a tracker, or have your people already surrounded the valley outside? How should we cooperate with your plan?"

"Well, I was searched when I came in, so I couldn't bring a tracker. They also blindfolded me, so I don't know this place's exact location. My men all went back to the hotel in the provincial capital. I came here alone."

Li Chuan spread his hands as he replied.