Turbulent Times

" Saitama, how did it go? Did you find any clues?"

Seeing Saitama return, Skye quickly opened the car door to let him in. She also handed him the instant noodles she'd prepared, along with some other food she'd gotten ready beforehand.

Saitama sat in the car. The icy air from the air conditioner instantly chased away the furnace-like heat outside, making him feel much more comfortable. Just then, he accepted the food Skye handed him. This was practically heaven.

"I didn't find any clues. I ran into quite a few people earlier, but I couldn't understand a word they were saying." Saitama sounded a little helpless.

"Uh, I forgot that you can't understand what people here are saying. But there's nothing we can do about it. You can't understand them, and they can't understand you, so there's no way to communicate. Looks like we can't get any information by asking around. But it's fine. At your speed, Saitama, you can cover the whole area in just a few days. As long as Tony Stark is still alive, you'll definitely find him." Skye encouraged him.

She didn't want Saitama to give up halfway. After all, this was a hundred million dollars. The next few days of searching might be tough, but when Skye thought about the money they'd soon get, she felt those hardships were nothing. Actually, when she thought about it, Saitama was the one enduring all the hardships, so she couldn't exactly claim she was suffering.

"Got it. I've covered this whole area today. I ran into quite a few of those terrorists you mentioned, but they were nothing. Next, I'll search this area." Saitama took the map and marked out his next route.

"Yeah. But someone already searched this area earlier, so you don't need to go over it again. You can start from here..."

"Oh, oh, oh. Got it."

The next day, Saitama set out again, heading in a different direction as he dashed off. But on the second day, he still didn't find any news or clues, and once again returned empty-handed.

But it had only been two days, so Saitama and Skye could accept that. They'd already prepared to stay here for a week. And although the environment was harsh, it wasn't unbearably so for Saitama. This level of hardship was child's play to him—not even as difficult as his daily ten-kilometer runs had been.

Saitama and Skye were very patient, but the armed men, terrorists, and even some mercenaries in the places Saitama passed through had the worst luck imaginable.

On the first day, Saitama would at least stop and question people. He only started fighting back when they attacked him. Later, once he realized that they spoke different languages and there was no way to communicate—and that none of them were good people—he stopped bothering to pause when he encountered them and simply charged in with a punch.

Some people hadn't even realized what was happening before they were already sent flying.

It couldn't be said that Saitama wiped out every armed group and terrorist wherever he went, but he casually took out at least sixty percent of them.

For a while, terrorist groups across the entire Middle East were left on edge.

"Bang!"

The iron door was kicked open from the outside. Tony and Yinsen both jumped in fright. They turned around and saw a terrorist with a displeased expression.

"When will the Jericho Missile be ready?" The terrorist grabbed Tony by the collar and lifted him up, forcing him to balance on his toes to make things a little more bearable.

"I-I don't know what you're saying. I don't understand. Yinsen, Yinsen, explain what's going on!" Tony was a little panicked and hurriedly called out to Yinsen beside him. He was also feeling guilty, worried that the terrorists had figured out he wasn't actually building the Jericho Missile for them and had come to punish him.

"Calm down, calm down. We've been working hard. We've been doing everything we can to build the Jericho Missile for you, really. We've done all we can!" Yinsen tried to rush over and rescue Tony, but two other terrorists grabbed him by the shoulders, so he hurriedly shouted his explanation.

"Tell me, when will you be finished building it?!"

"W-We can't promise. There are too few tools here, and there are only two of us. We haven't had any rest or sleep in ages. We've been working the whole time, really. We've truly done everything we can." Yinsen tried to explain.

The terrorist listened to Yinsen and looked at the dark circles under his and Tony's eyes and their bloodshot eyes. It was clear that neither of them was in good shape.

"Hmph!" He snorted and threw Tony down. Tony staggered and finally landed hard on his backside. Unfortunately, there was a diamond-shaped piece of metal on the ground, and Tony's face twisted in pain. He'd nearly had it shoved right up his ass.

"Tony Stark. I know you're still clinging to hope, thinking someone will come save you. You're right, they have come. A lot of people here have been attacked, but it won't help. This place is the most well-hidden. No one could ever find it—not even a satellite in the sky. So give up on that and build the Jericho Missile for me like a good little captive. Understand?" The terrorist spoke coldly to Tony. By the time he reached the last three words, he was shouting, spitting all over Tony's face.

Tony stared blankly and wiped his face. He couldn't understand a word the man was saying.

"Hmph!"

Seeing Tony's baffled expression, the terrorist snorted and led his men away, leaving Yinsen and Tony behind.

"Yinsen, what was that all about? Why did they come here?" Tony looked at Yinsen in confusion.

Yinsen shrugged, a smile appearing on his face. "They're getting anxious because your rescue team is so powerful. They've wiped out a lot of terrorists in this area, so the terrorists are panicking. They're pressuring us to finish building the Jericho Missile as soon as possible. Looks like they might be scared."

"Oh." Tony couldn't help smiling, feeling pleased and even a little proud. "Of course they are. Who am I? Tony Stark. Honestly, if I sneeze, I can make the whole United States shake three times. There's no way people outside wouldn't be searching desperately for me after I was captured here. Because I'm Tony Stark."

"Yes, yes. Mr. Stark, what should we do next? Wait here for rescue, or keep working on your 'Jericho Missile'?"

"Well, of course we keep going. I've never been one to sit around and wait." Tony looked confident.