Two Transactions

"Creeeaaak—"

The iron door's hinges had clearly never seen proper maintenance, its grating screech echoing through the dim tunnel and cramped room.

All the armed men tensed, silently training their muzzles on the widening gap, quietly flicking off their safeties.

"Squeak, squeak, squeak—!"

Once the gap was wide enough for a three-hundred-pound man to squeeze through, Mark and Yuri both let go of the iron ring handles.

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

Some of the armed men hiding in the room couldn't bear the pressure of silence. The instant the iron door stopped moving, they yanked their triggers. A storm of bullets hammered into the thick door panel, making Mark flinch and start to pull it shut.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Pistol shots rang out, followed by the thuds of bodies hitting the floor. Yuri stopped Mark's motion, poked his head in for a quick glance at the situation inside.

He bellowed, "Fuck you, Tony! This is your idea of fucking safe?"

"Uh, sorry, sorry..."

Tony's unmistakable voice sounded from inside, and then they heard him negotiating in broken, unfamiliar language with the Pseudo Ten Rings Gang Leader.

"Hey, Mark!"

Yuri slapped Mark on the shoulder from behind, pulling two smoke grenades from his own belt. "I've got a new plan..."

Mark turned around, saw what was in his hand, and hissed through gritted teeth, "What the fuck are you gonna do?"

"Clink, clink, clink, clang!"

The smoke grenades bounced a few times inside the room beyond the iron door, landing right at Tony Stark's feet. The genius weapons manufacturer couldn't tell if they were grenades or smoke bombs in the split second he had, so he kicked them toward the densest cluster of armed men while shouting at the doorway, "What the fuck? You trying to kill me?"

"Blah blah blah blah..."

The armed men inside were startled by the thrown objects. They scrambled, turning the room into an impromptu indoor soccer match. With a long, drawn-out "Pssssssss," thick white smoke quickly filled the entire space.

Right then, Yuri ghosted past Mark, who was blocking his way, and activated his mental ability to disrupt the thugs' senses. A dagger glinted as it flashed across the necks of the armed men in his path.

Before anyone could react, he was standing directly in front of Tony Stark, who was being held hostage by the Pseudo Ten Rings Gang Leader.

"Let go!"

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

"Shoot yourself!"

The Gang Leader raised his pistol to his own chin and, under Tony's jaw-dropping stare, unhesitatingly ended his own life.

"What the fuck?!"

Ignoring Tony Stark's shattered worldview, Yuri quickly untied the ropes binding his wrists, picked up the fallen pistol, and shoved it into Tony's hand.

"Aim at the boss, empty the magazine!"

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

Tony watched in horror as his own right hand raised, as if possessed, and turned the corpse on the ground into a sieve.

Yuri pocketed his phone after capturing the scene, then patted Tony's shoulder approvingly. "Good, Tony! You and him—both good, obedient kids. Now go check on your friend. I remember you said he doesn't have much time."

Control returned to him, Tony Stark aimed the empty pistol at Yuri, backing away in terror. "You! I! You... this isn't science!"

Yuri didn't bother responding. He slid over to the nearest corpse, scooped up its fallen rifle, and began a merciless slaughter of the spots in the smoke still making noise.

Outside the door, Mark kept his head turned, his face frozen in the expression from when he'd been talking to Yuri.

He didn't snap out of it until the gunfire stopped.

Staring at the tunnel now empty except for himself, he knew exactly what had happened. Too rattled to wonder why he'd been standing there dumbstruck, Mark raised his M14 and, the moment he stepped through the doorway, sprayed the ceiling wildly. "Fuck you, Yuri! Where the hell are you? What kind of fucking plan is this?"

The smoke thinned bit by bit. With his sharp eyesight, Yuri easily spotted the berserk Captain Mark. He shrank his neck and said cautiously, "I'm here, Captain. Uh... mission accomplished, right?"

Mark stormed over, ignoring Tony standing there with a gun aimed at him. He cursed and swung his fist at Yuri, who had his hands up in surrender. "Fuck you! I'm the fucking captain! Only I get to make fucking plans! You think you can just run off? I'll teach you..."

Dodging every physical attack with ease, Yuri sauntered over to the flinching Tony and snatched the empty gun from his hand in one smooth motion.

"How about a deal? You handle this raging gorilla behind me, and I'll save your friend."

Without waiting for Tony's agreement, he shoved him toward Mark, who was charging over with fists raised. "This is our target. I'm guessing he can't take one of your punches right now."

Tony stumbled into Mark's arms, then fell back onto the ground, staring at the fist the size of a sandbag that stopped just an inch from his cheek. He quipped dryly, "Not just right now. For me, taking one of your punches would suck in any state..."

"Fuck you, Yuri!"

Mark grudgingly pulled back his fist, then stepped over Tony, who was blocking his way. "Move. He's a sophomore on summer break—what the hell does he know about first aid?"

"No! No! No!"

Tony scrambled up and wrapped his arms around Mark's waist from behind. "Listen, elite sir—compared to you, I trust him more."

Yuri ignored their squabbling. He tore off a bedsheet as a curtain, isolating himself and the unconscious, blood-loss-stricken Yinsen into a private space.

Commission or not, he didn't care. He'd wanted to save this white-bearded old man all along: kind-hearted, strong in R&D, a loner with only himself on his household registry...

What better employee could there be?

Rolling his eyes, the old man's fading consciousness was yanked back to reality. He looked at Yuri, whose outfit was nothing like the Ten Rings', and a relieved smile spread across his face. "Tony? Is he okay?"

"He's fine."

With a simple reply, Yuri extended his right index finger and aimed it at the bleeding wound.

Mental control activated, blocking the sense of pain. He crudely and directly pried out a bullet lodged in Yinsen's liver.

Blood gushed out like it cost nothing, but Yuri, less skilled than a veterinarian, remained expressionless and utterly unflustered. He flattened his blood-stained right palm, and a golden orb of energy slowly materialized.

Yinsen sensed something was off and forced himself to lift his head for a look: "Oh~, are my eyes playing tricks on me?"

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

The deal with Tony was to treat Yinsen, specifically by removing the bullet from his body. Now the first transaction was unilaterally complete, and Tony outside was clearly striving to fulfill his end as well.

So this negotiation with Yinsen was a second deal, unrelated to Tony Stark.

"So, are you an angel or a demon? No offense, I'm just—"

Yinsen's face was incredibly expressive at that moment. His gaze darted back and forth between Yuri's brilliant golden pupils and the golden energy in his hand, his eyes brimming with struggle and hesitation.

"Alright, alright... I agree!"

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

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