Little Tony? Can This Even Be Broadcast?

Loki didn't immediately run off to find Thor.

The Dark Elf hasn't fully resurrected yet, so he needs to rearrange things for Tony and find a reason to send him to the arena.

Although he was eager to leave, he didn't lie. He orchestrated a scene of the miners' planned rebellion, luring Tony into joining him. Tony, yearning for freedom, was naturally tempted, and then...

And that was it. The rebellion was quickly suppressed, and Tony was arrested again, severely beaten, and then stuffed into a small iron cage like a dog, seemingly to be transported to another place.

His body lay curled up in the dark corner of the cell, his chest barely rising and falling, gasping for breath, making one wonder if he had stopped breathing.

However, upon closer inspection, one can still discern that he has his eyes open in the darkness, his chapped lips parting, uttering indistinct sounds.

He looked like he was about to die.

But Tony didn't really care.

He took this as his atonement. Every night he would tell himself, "Tony Stark, this is what you deserve, this is the retribution you have to suffer. If anyone on Earth dies because of Ultron, it's as if you killed them."

He said to himself: Tony Stark, even if you die here, no one will mourn for you.

But I cannot die.

Every time he thought of this, his gradually numbing eyes would regain some light.

"You can't just die, Tony Stark. Ultron's danger remains, and Earth is waiting for you to return and save it."

"You must stay alive, find Ben Parker, bow down to the man you once belittled, and beg the Galactic Plumbers for help."

I can die, but I cannot die in a meaningless way.

Before you die, you should at least make amends for the foolish mistakes you've made.

It was this mindset that allowed him to persevere; otherwise, an ordinary person would probably have given up long ago after enduring so much suffering.

Even Loki was somewhat impressed by Tony Stark's tenacious spirit. After all, Tony used to be dissolute and indulged in pleasure, seemingly able to solve anything easily, giving people a very unreliable impression.

But now, Loki's opinion of him has changed significantly.

It's fair to say that anyone who has witnessed Tony Stark's performance has had their perception of him completely changed. Coupled with Pepper ' constant public relations efforts for him, the negative impressions people on Earth have of Tony have diminished considerably.

The same applies to Wakanda.

What they saw was Tony Stark, banished by Ultron, yet refusing to give up despite his predicament.

They learned that Ultron's actions were not instigated by Tony Stark, Tony himself was one of those deceived by Ultron, had been punished, and had never given up on the idea of saving the Earth.

only...

What's the point of just thinking about saving the planet in your head?

Tony thought desperately that the mine uprising had failed, and he had no chance of escaping. Even if he did escape, where in the vast universe would he find the Galactic Plumbers?

Tony gradually became disheartened, while Loki, on the other hand, came to accept Tony.

However, Loki wasn't about to say anything nice.

Tony could feel the plane slowly come to a stop, and then the Mine Owner cruelly walked over, opened the iron cage, grabbed the chain around Tony's neck collar, and practically dragged Tony out.

Tony glanced at him listlessly, seemingly having given up on resisting. But Loki suddenly became talkative, kicking Tony and saying, "Kid, if you had just worked honestly in the mine, you might have had a chance to live. You're thinking of running away? Once you're in the Gladiator Arena, let's see how you escape! Get up!"

He pulled Tony up forcefully again, forcing Tony to straighten up to avoid having his neck broken by Loki.

Loki kicked again. "Run!"

So he walked down the spaceship as if he were leading a dog.

Tony Stark walked numbly, like a Soul Stone puppet.

The moment Tony stepped out of the cabin, the outside light made him squint. When he opened his eyes, the towering buildings of the Imperial Capital seemed to crush him from all sides.

All sorts of cars drove through the sky, layer upon layer, like magic.

Tony paused, seemingly surprised.

The technology on this planet was far more advanced than he had imagined. He was overwhelmed by the dazzling array of colors that assaulted his pupils until he finally saw the tallest building in the Imperial Capital.

"What is that?" Tony's eyes lit up instantly, and even his slightly withered body seemed to be injected with a bit of vitality.

In those eyes, it seemed as if a spark of hope had been ignited.

"Hmm?" Loki followed his gaze and saw that Tony was looking at the statues on the Totem Tower. "Ah, these are statues of the gladiators from all Gladiator Arena years."

He glanced at Tony, a half-smile playing on his lips, and guided him, "If you could become a champion in the Gladiator Arena, you'd gain the same status as other champions, but... I think you should try to survive the first round first."

But Tony didn't care about any of the other statues; he only saw one thing: Looma's statue.

He became excited and shouted, "I know her! I know her!"

When Thanos brought his army to Earth, this female alien came to Earth with the leader of the Galactic Plumbers!

Tony clenched his fists tightly, and hope rekindled within him.

"I can't be mistaken! Four eyes and four arms, it's her!"

"That's her!"

Loki pushed Tony toward the Totem, but Tony's eyes were still fixed on Looma's statue, and his feet seemed rooted to the spot, unwilling to move forward.

He stubbornly braced his feet against the ground, thrusting his shoulders and head backward to bump into Loki, seemingly trying to fall into Loki's arms, still shouting, "I know her! Let me talk to her! I know her!"

Loki sneered, ruthlessly grabbed Tony by the collar, lifted him up, and threw him several meters away, where he crashed to the ground.

"You know her? So what? Everyone on this planet knows the powerful Red Wind Queen."

"No one on the entire planet would miss a match that the Red Wind Queen attends. Who do you think you are?"

Tony lay on the ground, head down, panting.

He was already exhausted, and Loki's throw left him dizzy. Every pore on his head felt like it was being pierced by thousands of needles—an indescribable, dense sensation.

My head felt heavy, and I couldn't stand up again even after several attempts. I could only turn over, facing the sky, tears streaming down my face, refusing to look away.

It was as if that was no longer a sculpture of Looma, but a belief, his last hope!

"I... I must see her..."

No matter what, he must see the Red Wind Queen. Once he sees her, he can contact Ben and get help from the Galactic Plumbers.

"Want to see the Red Wind Queen? It's simple, just participate in the Champion Challenge and win in the end." Loki nonchalantly grabbed the chains and dragged Tony toward the Totem Tower.

He casually mentioned the Champion Challenge, but his tone was full of disdain, as if he didn't take Tony seriously.

Tony, however, seemed to have grasped something and muttered to himself.

"Champion Challenge..."

"Loki... Baker," Caiera had been waiting outside the Totem Tower for quite a while, and when she saw Loki approaching, she almost revealed Loki's real name, "What are you doing here?"

Loki casually tossed Stark in front of her, saying, "One of the mine revolt members, a disobedient farm tool. Better to destroy it sooner rather than later; it'll be a good source of amusement."

Caiera glanced at Tony, frowned slightly, and pretended to interrogate him. "I remember that after Sakaar King took over our rule, the mines were already using machines for mining, except for criminals. What crime did he commit?"

"Unauthorized intrusion," Loki said with a shrug.

"There's no such person in the resident records of Sakaar; I've checked."

"Now, add in the illegal uprising."

Caiera nodded. "Illegal intrusion... You're lucky. The Gladiator Arena on Sakaar isn't as bloody and inhumane as it was during the Red King's reign. As long as you surrender quickly enough, you can still survive."

"Take him down for treatment. In this condition, even if no one deals with him, he won't live much longer."

With a wave of her hand, several red-skinned guards came over, grabbed Tony, and prepared to take Tony away.

Meanwhile, Pepper, who was constantly watching Tony from Earth, was so moved by Caiera's words that she almost cried.

This alien woman actually treated Tony!

It feels like my luck has finally turned around!

Tony truly felt his luck had turned, so much so that a surge of power erupted from his battered body, allowing him to break free from the two guards and declare, "I want to participate in the Champion Challenge!"

"What did you say?" Caiera was stunned for a moment.

She hadn't expected Tony to be so brave, immediately launching into Champion Challenge.

You see, she had already told Tony the secret to survival: in the current Gladiator Arena, as long as you slide your knees fast enough, you can survive.

According to the script, this guy should have survived in the Gladiator Arena and waited for Ben to come and take him down, right?

She looked at Loki and saw that Loki was giving her a knowing smile. Clearly, Loki wasn't surprised that Tony would take the risk.

"I want to participate in the Champion Challenge, is that not allowed?"

Tony didn't want to give up hope, but he also knew he had to act quickly; every minute he wasted could worsen the situation on Earth.

"What I said before about how you can save your life in the arena if you surrender quickly enough doesn't include Champion Challenge." Caiera's expression became much more serious when she mentioned Champion Challenge.

It's important to understand that the Champion Challenge is not just a competition to select the king of combat sports.

Their Sakaar King defeated the tyrannical Red King through the Champion Challenge and became the prophesied Son of Sakaar, bringing life and vitality to the Sakaar.

Since then, this competition has taken on a sacred significance.

"I'll participate!" Tony said without the slightest hesitation.

"Alright." Caiera didn't try to persuade him further, but simply instructed the two guards, "Take him away for treatment. Any weapon he desires will be provided. The first Champion Challenge will be held in a week."

With that, Tony was led away.

This time, for the first time ever, he wasn't sent to the underground dungeon in the original Gladiator Arena, but to a place almost identical to the room where Hulk rested in Thor: Thor: Ragnarok.

Several alien girls put healing potions in the bath for him, and then thoughtfully applied towels to his various wounds. Before long, except for his severed arm, all of Tony's injuries had healed considerably.

"Call..."

He let out a long, satisfying breath, feeling as if his body and mind had finally had a much-needed rest.

Then he started whistling in a cheeky way at the Sakaar girls who were taking care of him. "To be honest, the environment here is much better than in the mine. I thought I was going to be locked in a dungeon. You guys have changed your ways... Is there anything to eat?"

One of the girls brought him some yellow fruit, saying, "It's merciful to let those who are about to die enjoy themselves before they pass away."

Tony:...

"Alright, looks like you're not very good with words. But I'll tell you, I know your Red Wind Queen. All I have to do is say her name, and she won't attack me." Tony stretched, then said in surprise, "Your potion is pretty good. What's the formula? Don't get me wrong, I just wanted to compare it with an invention by a friend of mine. Obviously, my friend's is more powerful; his potion can even heal severed hands... but compared to me, his ingenuity is still a little lacking."

"Knowing Sakaar King won't help you," the girl rolled her eyes at him, clearly taking him for a liar. "You have to survive and win three Champion Challenge before you can stand before the Red Wind Queen."

"What did you say?"

"I have to play three games before I can see her?"

Tony jumped up from the pool, his towel falling off to reveal his small weapon.

Those girls from Sakaar were quite bold; they glanced at it curiously, then all showed expressions of disgust.

It's so small!

They smiled at each other.

Meanwhile, people on Earth also witnessed this scene.

Happy served as both bodyguard and driver, covered his face, looking as if he couldn't bear to watch.

Peter, searching for the missing Venom over New York, Peter snapped his Silk, revealing Tony Stark's little sparrow in the process. Is this even suitable for broadcast?

but...

It's so small.

Peter blinked; he couldn't believe Tony Stark's stuff was so small.

On the other side, Flash also saw this scene, frowned slightly, and then a black thing emerged from his shoulder, letting out a sneer, "Who would have thought that the infamous Arms Dealer Tony Stark would use a women's pistol? Come to think of it, he's slept with so many cover girls, yet not one of them ever revealed this information. Money really does have its advantages!"