Two Transactions

"Creeeak..."

The iron gate's hinges clearly hadn't been properly maintained. Their grating screech echoed through the dim tunnel and crowded room.

All the armed men were on high alert. In silence, they aimed their guns at the slowly widening gap and clicked off their safeties.

"Creeeak...!"

Once the gap was wide enough for a three-hundred-pound man to squeeze through, Mark and Yuri let go of the gate's rings together.

"Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat...!"

Some of the armed men hiding inside couldn't take the pressure of the silence. The instant the gate stopped moving, they suddenly opened fire. A torrent of bullets struck the heavy metal door, making Mark immediately try to shut it again.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Pistol shots rang out, followed by the thuds of bodies hitting the ground. Yuri stopped Mark, poked his head through the opening, and quickly glanced inside.

He shouted at the top of his lungs, "Fuck you, Tony! So much for that damn 'safe' place you told me about!"

"Uh, sorry, sorry..."

Tony's distinctive voice came from inside. Then the two men heard him negotiating with the Pseudo Ten Rings Gang Leader in a strange language he barely spoke.

"Hey, Mark!"

Yuri patted Mark on the shoulder and pulled two smoke grenades from his belt. "I've got a new plan..."

Mark turned around. Seeing what Yuri was holding, he muttered in a tone like he'd just eaten shit, "What the fuck are you trying to do?"

"Clink, clink, clink, clank!"

The smoke grenades bounced around the room behind the iron gate, coming to rest right at Tony Stark's feet. The genius weapons manufacturer didn't have time to figure out whether they were grenades or smoke bombs. In a panic, he kicked one toward the largest group of armed men, then shouted toward the entrance, "What the fuck? Are you trying to kill me?"

"Yada yada yada..."

The armed men in the room jumped at the objects that had been thrown inside. In their panic, they started playing indoor soccer. With a long hiss, thick white smoke soon filled the entire room.

Just then, Yuri darted past Mark, who was blocking his way, and used his psychic abilities to disorient the thugs. His gleaming dagger flashed across the necks of the armed men in his path.

Before anyone could react, he had reached Tony Stark, who was being held hostage by the Pseudo Ten Rings Gang Leader.

"Let go!"

The leader obediently released his arm from around Tony's neck.

"Kill yourself!"

The leader raised his pistol and pressed it beneath his chin. As Tony stared in disbelief, he ended his own life without hesitation.

"What the fuck?!"

Ignoring Tony Stark, whose worldview had just cracked wide open, Yuri quickly untied the ropes around his hands, picked up the pistol on the ground, and shoved it into Tony's hand.

"Aim at the leader and empty the magazine!"

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Tony watched in horror as his right hand lifted the gun and, as if it had a mind of its own, turned the corpse on the ground into a sieve.

Yuri put away his phone, which had recorded the whole thing, and approvingly patted Tony on the shoulder. "Good, Tony! You and he are both obedient boys. Now go check on your friend. I remember you said he didn't have much time left."

Now back in control of himself, Tony Stark pointed the empty pistol at Yuri and staggered back a few steps, terrified. "You! I! You... This isn't scientific!"

Yuri ignored him. He slid over to the nearest corpse, picked up the rifle it had dropped, and began a merciless slaughter of anyone whose voice he could still hear through the smoke.

Outside the doorway, Mark remained frozen, still turned around, his face stuck in the expression he'd worn while talking to Yuri.

He only came to his senses when the gunfire stopped.

Looking at the now-empty tunnel, he didn't need to ask what had happened. Without stopping to wonder why he'd been standing there in a daze, Mark raised his M14 and, the moment he entered the room, unleashed a wild burst of fire into the ceiling. "Fuck you, Yuri! Where the fuck are you? What the fuck was that damn plan?"

The smoke gradually cleared. Thanks to his exceptional eyesight, Yuri easily spotted Captain Mark in his furious state. He hunched his shoulders and said cautiously, "I'm over here, Captain. Um... whatever happened, the mission was a success, right?"

Mark charged over. Without even looking at Tony, who was pointing a gun at him, he swore as he swung a fist at Yuri, who had spread his hands in surrender. "Fuck you! I'm the fucking captain! I'm the only one who gets to make the fucking plans! I told you not to run! I told you..."

Easily dodging every punch, Yuri strolled over to Tony, who couldn't get out of the way, and snatched the empty gun from his hand.

"How about a deal? You deal with that angry gorilla behind me, and I'll save your friend."

Without waiting for Tony to agree, Yuri shoved him toward Mark, who was charging after him with his fist raised. "This is our target. I doubt he's in any shape to take one of your punches."

Tony stumbled into Mark's arms, then stepped back and fell to the ground. Looking at the fist, nearly as large as a sandbag, that had stopped just short of his cheek, he dryly remarked, "It's not just right now. For me, taking one of your punches in any condition would be unpleasant..."

"Fuck you, Yuri!"

Mark reluctantly lowered his fist and nudged Tony out of his way with his foot. "Move. He's a second-year college student working as a summer intern. What the hell does he know about first aid?"

"No! No! No!"

Tony scrambled to his feet and wrapped his arms around Mark's waist from behind. "Sir, as much of an elite as you are, I trust him more than you."

Yuri left the two of them to argue. He pulled off a bedsheet to use as a screen, creating a private space for himself and Yinsen, who had lost a lot of blood and passed out.

He didn't care about getting paid. He'd already wanted to save this white-bearded old man: kindhearted, good with hands-on research, and living alone with no one else on his family register...

What better employee could there be?

With a roll of his eyes, the old man's unconscious mind was instantly dragged back to reality. He looked at Yuri, whose clothes were nothing like the Ten Rings Gang's, and gave a relieved smile. "Where's Tony? Is he all right?"

"He's fine."

After answering simply, Yuri pointed his right index finger at the old man's bloody wound.

He used mind control to block the pain, then roughly dug out a bullet lodged in Yinsen's liver.

Blood poured out as if it were free, but Yuri, who was less qualified than a veterinarian, remained expressionless and completely unruffled. He held out his bloodstained right hand. A golden ball of energy slowly appeared.

Yinsen noticed something was wrong and struggled to lift his head for a look. "Oh... Am I seeing things?"

"How about a deal? I save your life, and you work for me. Fair and square."

His deal with Tony was to save Yinsen. The specific way he'd done that was by removing the bullet from his body. The first deal was now complete—on his own terms—and Tony outside was clearly doing his best to fulfill his end of the bargain.

So this was the second deal, one that had nothing to do with Tony Stark.

"So, are you an angel or a demon? No offense, I just..."

Yinsen's expression was incredibly animated. His gaze shifted between Yuri's golden eyes and the glowing golden ball in his hand, his eyes full of hesitation and inner conflict.

"All right, all right... I agree!"

No one could refuse to live, especially after experiencing death.

Yuri turned his hand over and gently guided the golden energy into Yinsen's body. "Congratulations, my employee. You've been given a second life."