Sahara Desert.
Inside an armed helicopter in the sky.
"Frank, you actually managed to get this." Kino sounded surprised.
The next day after waking up, he had ordered Frank to arrange a flight to the Middle East.
He never expected Frank to go out for a day and come back with an armed helicopter.
"My connections from my time in the military are still somewhat useful. Do you really not need me to accompany you, Young Master?"
Frank slowly descended the aircraft. He wore black combat gear, and various weapons were piled in the corner. He was fully armed.
"No need. Frank, just wait here for me. I have Venom, too."
"Don't worry, Butler! I'll protect her!"
Venom poked her head out and looked toward the distant hill. Her senses were growing stronger.
"Then we're off."
Kino wore a shit-yellow windbreaker as he walked down the hill. Below was a natural air-raid shelter, with terrorists patrolling back and forth and artillery and missiles positioned all around.
"So this is the place where Stark was kidnapped."
"Then what are we waiting for? Let's charge straight in."
Venom was already itching to transform.
"Wait. You're not planning to charge straight in through the artillery fire, are you?" Kino hurriedly stopped her.
"Why not?"
"Sigh. Remember why we came here. Finding the item comes first. Killing people is secondary. If the thing you're looking for is in their hands and you frighten them into destroying it, what will you do?"
In truth, he simply did not want to get hurt. Venom and the Healing Factor meant he would not die, but the pain would still be real.
"What do we do now?"
"First, confirm the exact location of the thing you're looking for."
Kino went around the small hill and walked back and forth across the desert.
"It's here. It's right below us."
"Mm. Then start digging." Kino looked at the yellow sand beneath his feet.
[...]
Inside the cave.
"You really are impressive. You managed to create such a perfect weapon with nothing but a hammer."
The leader of the Ten Rings looked at the Iron Man Armor in the corner, which resembled a pile of scrap metal.
"You truly are the greatest genius in the world, Tony Stark."
The leader excitedly watched the two men being held at gunpoint in the corner.
Tony Stark wore a bitter expression. He would have succeeded with another week, but he had been discovered after the sudden attack that day.
"Then where are the weapon blueprints?"
The leader eagerly extended his hand. As long as the Ten Rings possessed the blueprints for such weapons, they could rule the entire world.
Tony Stark silently glanced at Yinsen beside him. Yinsen translated, "He wants the weapon blueprints. Don't give them to him."
Tony Stark knew that if he handed over the blueprints, he could survive today.
So he walked over to the workbench and began organizing the blueprints, carefully and thoroughly, without daring to leave out a single detail.
The leader breathed heavily as he watched Tony's back. He was about to obtain blueprints for weapons powerful enough to rule the world.
Yinsen's eyes dimmed.
Tony picked up a stack of blueprints and walked toward the leader. The men around them all moved aside, while the leader stood in place like a king waiting for his subjects to pay tribute.
Tony stopped in front of the leader and slowly held the blueprints out.
The leader reached for them with trembling hands.
Suddenly, Tony flicked his hand, sending the blueprints into the nearby furnace. The intense heat turned them to ash in less than a second.
"NO!!!"
The leader grabbed Tony Stark by the collar and roared, "What did you do?!"
"Yinsen, translate for me."
Tony did not even turn his head. He met the leader's gaze—one pair of eyes filled with blood vessels, the other filled with disdain—and revealed a provocative smile.
"No one can take anything from me, Tony Stark. You can't either." ×2
The entire cave fell silent. Everyone stared at the two men who seemed completely unafraid of death, while the blood vessels in the leader's eyes grew more pronounced.
Only Yinsen and Tony smiled.
"Hahahahaha..."
The leader laughed out of extreme rage, released Tony Stark, drew his pistol, and fired twice.
"Aaaah!"
Tony Stark collapsed to the ground, two bloody holes appearing in his knees.
"This time, I don't need you to build weapons anymore. You only need to draw the blueprints. But to keep you from escaping, you won't be needing your legs. You don't need legs to draw blueprints, anyway."
Cold sweat poured down Tony's face. He knew he really could not escape this time. His menisci were shattered. Even if he recovered, he would be crippled.
"I won't draw the blueprints, and I won't build weapons for you."
The moment he saw the terrorists using weapons he had invented, he had decided that he would never make weapons for them.
"That's fine. You and this man are very close, aren't you? You're willing to hide things from me and escape together..."
After hearing Yinsen's translation, the leader ordered his men to hold him down. He took a branding iron from the furnace and pressed it against Yinsen's chest.
Tony's eyes nearly split with rage.
"Stop!"
"Aaaah!!!"
The smell of roasted flesh spread through the cave.
Once the iron had cooled, the leader abruptly pulled it away, taking a large piece of flesh with it.
"If you refuse, I'll keep torturing him until you agree."
Tony fell into a struggle.
Yinsen used his arms to prop himself up. The intense pain blurred his consciousness and left his pupils unfocused, yet he continued looking toward the leader.
Trembling, he pulled a crystal from his pocket, pressed it to his forehead, and began to pray.
"You... your sins are beyond measure. Lord... Lord Allah will send an emissary to punish you."
The leader snatched the crystal away. Looking at its clear, flawless surface, he smiled in satisfaction and said, "Lord Allah 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, as though the cavern itself trembled with them.
At that moment, a huge hole opened in the ceiling, and a black figure dropped down, landing in front of the leader.
Everyone stared blankly at the demonic figure.
It had a tall, black body, smooth skin, pale eyes, a mouth full of fangs, and a long tongue.
Venom immediately spotted the crystal in the leader's hand.
"That's mine."
Before the leader could react, the monster snatched the crystal from his hand and swallowed it.
The leader took several steps back and shouted, "Open fire! Kill this monster!"
Bang, bang, bang...
Everyone opened fire without hesitation. Whether this thing was a demon or an emissary of Lord Allah, they believed only in money and weapons.
For a moment, the bullets from seven or eight rifles flew out, and the monster's position was enveloped in smoke from the impacts.
They stopped only after emptying every magazine.
"So what if it's an emissary of Lord Allah? Even Lord Allah himself would be shot dead. Only money and weapons are the truth in this world."
The leader laughed smugly, his eyes gleaming with greed and arrogance.
"Well said. But let me correct you: only power is the truth in this world."
At the sound of that voice, the leader felt a chill run down his back.
Before you continue