Only Strength Is The Truth of This World

Sahara Desert.

Inside an armed helicopter in the sky.

"Frank, you can still get this kind of thing," Kino said with some surprise.

The day after he woke up, he had ordered Frank to arrange a flight to the Middle East.

He hadn't expected that Frank would go out for a day and come back with an armed helicopter.

"My connections from my time in the army are still somewhat useful. Do you really not need me to accompany you, Young Master?"

Frank was piloting the helicopter as it slowly descended. He was wearing a black combat suit, with various weapons piled in the corner, fully armed.

"No need. Frank, you can just wait for me here. I still have Venom."

[Don't worry! Butler, I'll protect him!]

Venom poked her head out, looking towards a small hill in the distance. The sensing was getting stronger.

"Then we're departing."

Kino, wearing a tan windbreaker, walked down the slope. Below was a natural air-raid shelter, with terrorists patrolling back and forth, and various artillery and missiles surrounding it.

"It really is here, the place where Stark was kidnapped."

[Then what are we waiting for? Let's just charge in.]

Venom couldn't wait to transform.

"Wait, you're not planning to just charge in under all this gunfire, are you!" Kino quickly stopped her.

[What else?]

"Sigh, remember the purpose of our visit here. We're here to find something. Killing people is secondary. If the thing you want is in their hands, what if they destroy it in a panic because you killed them?"

He actually didn't want to get hurt. Although Venom combined with the Healing Factor meant he couldn't die, the pain was still very real.

[Then what do we do now?]

"First, confirm the exact location of the thing you're looking for."

Kino walked around the small hill, stopping and starting as he moved through the desert.

[It's here, right below this spot.]

"Okay, then start digging!" Kino looked at the yellow sand beneath his feet.

[...]

Inside the cave

"You guys are truly amazing, creating such a perfect weapon with just a hammer."

The Leader of the Ten Rings gang looked at the Iron Man Armor, which looked like scrap metal in the corner.

"You truly are the greatest genius in this world, Tony Stark."

The Leader looked excitedly at the two people being held at gunpoint in the corner.

Tony Stark had a bitter expression. He would have succeeded if he had another week. He hadn't expected the sudden attack today and had been discovered.

"Now, where are the weapon blueprints!"

The Leader eagerly extended his hand. As long as he had the blueprints for this weapon, the Ten Rings gang would be able to rule the world.

Tony Stark looked silently at Ethan beside him. Ethan translated, "He wants the weapon blueprints. Don't give them to him."

Tony Stark knew that if he gave him the blueprints, he would survive today.

So he walked over to the workbench and began organizing the blueprints, meticulously, without the slightest omission.

The Leader watched Tony's back with heavy breaths. Soon, he would obtain the blueprints for a weapon powerful enough to rule the world.

Ethan's eyes dimmed.

Tony held a stack of blueprints and walked towards the Leader. His subordinates all moved aside, while the Leader stood in place, like a king awaiting tribute from his subjects.

Tony approached the Leader and slowly handed them over.

The Leader's trembling hands reached out to take them.

Suddenly, Tony waved his hand, and the blueprints fell into a nearby furnace. Under the intense heat, they turned to ash in less than a second.

"NO!!!"

The Leader grabbed Tony Stark by the collar and roared, "What did you do!!!"

"Ethan, translate my words."

Tony said without looking back, meeting the Leader's gaze. One pair of eyes was bloodshot, the other filled with disdain. He let out a provocative smile.

"No one can steal from me, Tony Stark. Not even you." X2

The entire cave fell silent. Everyone stared at these two fearless men. The bloodshot veins in the Leader's eyes grew more prominent.

Only Ethan and Tony smiled.

"Hahahahahaha..."

The Leader, enraged, let out a laugh that turned into a sneer. He released Tony Stark, pulled out a pistol, and fired two shots.

"Ahhh!"

Tony Stark fell to the ground, two bloody holes appearing in his knees.

"This time, you won't be making weapons. I just need you to draw the blueprints. But to prevent you from escaping, your legs are no longer needed. After all, you don't need legs to draw blueprints."

Tony broke out in a cold sweat. He knew he really couldn't escape this time. His meniscus was shattered, and even if it healed, he'd be a cripple.

"I won't draw blueprints, and I won't build weapons for you."

Ever since he saw that the terrorists were using weapons he had invented, he had decided he wouldn't build any more for them.

"It doesn't matter. You have a good relationship with this guy, right? You're willing to hide him and escape with him..."

Upon hearing Yinsen's translation, the Leader ordered his subordinates to hold him down. He took a branding iron from the stove and pressed it onto Yinsen's chest.

Tony's eyes widened in fury.

"Stop!"

"Ahhh!!!"

A scent of roasting meat filled the air.

When the temperature cooled down, the Leader yanked the branding iron away, taking large strips of flesh with it.

"If you're not willing, I'll keep torturing him until you are."

Tony struggled internally.

Yinsen used his arms to push himself up. The intense pain blurred his consciousness, his pupils dilated, yet he still stared in the Leader's direction.

Trembling, he pulled a crystal from his pocket and placed it on his forehead, praying.

"You... your sins are too great. L-Lord Allah will send an envoy to punish you."

The Leader snatched the crystal, his eyes lighting up with satisfaction as he examined its clear, translucent quality. "God doesn't exist. Only money and weapons are the sole truths in this world."

"Only money and weapons are the sole truths in this world, hahaha..."

The terrorists' laughter echoed through the cave, making it seem as if the very mountain trembled with their mirth.

Just then, a large hole ripped open in the cave ceiling, and a black figure plummeted down, landing before the Leader.

Everyone stared blankly at the figure that resembled a demon.

A tall, black body, smooth skin, pale eyes, and a mouth full of fangs and a long tongue.

Venom immediately spotted the crystal in the Leader's hand.

"That belongs to me."

Before the Leader could react, the monster snatched the crystal from his hand and swallowed it.

The Leader stumbled back a few steps and shouted, "Open fire! Kill this monster!"

Bang bang bang...

Everyone opened fire without hesitation. Whether this creature was a demon or an envoy of God, they only believed in money and weapons.

For a moment, bullets from seven or eight rifles engulfed the monster's position in smoke.

They stopped only when their magazines were emptied.

"So what if he's God's envoy? Even God himself would be shot dead. Only money and weapons are the truth of this world."

The Leader laughed triumphantly, his eyes gleaming with greed and arrogance.

"Well said. But allow me to correct you. Only power is the truth of this world."

Hearing this voice, the Leader felt a chill run down his spine.