Truth

"Mr. Stan, bring my things and let's meet. We can also talk about that second deal you mentioned."

Obadiah's lips curled upward unconsciously. "No problem. I've already prepared what you asked for. As for the second deal, I guarantee I'll give you a price you'll be satisfied with."

Hong Fei sat at the mouth of the cave, smiling so hard his eyes narrowed.

He sighed softly. "Mr. Stan, you keep saying you'll satisfy me, but you've never given me a specific number. I can't help but doubt your sincerity. Besides, the US military has been frantically searching for me. I don't need to repeat the relationship between Stark Industries and the US military, do I? Are you going to say that your pressure had nothing to do with these operations?"

Obadiah: I really didn't! I swear, I wished they'd call off the search and come back to rest already. Believe me!

But he couldn't say that outright.

"Heh heh, Tony is Stark Industries' true master. His disappearance has caused a huge uproar, so military action is inevitable. And as a businessman, no matter the means, I only hope Tony can return safely. Aside from what you asked for, I've also prepared three tons of gold. This is the deposit for our upcoming transaction. If all goes well, I'll also give you various assets worth at least three hundred million dollars, and I guarantee no one will be able to trace your identity."

Even now, he still refused to admit anything. Obadiah truly was cautious.

"Fine. I'll send you the address later. Remember, don't bring too many people, or I'll get very scared."

The call ended, and Hong Fei smiled happily.

Having money was great.

That was Hong Fei's honest thought. The five hundred million ransom aside, that definitely hadn't come out of Obadiah's own pocket. But the three tons of gold and the three hundred million dollars in assets certainly had, because that was the price of getting rid of Tony. Obadiah couldn't use anyone else's hands for it.

Still, considering the scale of Stark Industries, this amount of money really was nothing.

Frank had listened to the entire call from the side, and his impression of Hong Fei became increasingly complicated. He didn't know whether Hong Fei was a good person or a bad one, much less why Hong Fei was so obsessed with plotting. Strangest of all, sometimes he felt that Hong Fei was the same kind of person as him—someone he simply couldn't distinguish or define.

Hong Fei paid no attention to Frank's inner drama. He quietly waited for the huge sum to arrive. The moment the number on his phone suddenly changed, he immediately sent the prearranged location to Obadiah.

Getting to his feet, Hong Fei shouted, "Hurry up and get ready! We've got guests coming!"

At that, Frank turned and got busy with the other five.

At dusk, Obadiah led a convoy of three vehicles into the Gobi Desert.

Naturally, the location Hong Fei had given him wasn't his own. Once the drones captured this scene, Hong Fei sent the other party another location.

After repeating this several times, Obadiah finally arrived at Hong Fei's temporary base as the moon rose.

After getting out of the car, Obadiah looked rather unhappy. This pampered old man had clearly been jostled badly on the road. In particular, Hong Fei's constant switching of locations seemed like deliberate mockery, leaving him uncomfortable both physically and mentally.

Outside the cave, sandbags and weapon crates were piled everywhere, making it look like they intended to stay there for a long time.

Frank stepped forward and said, "The boss is waiting for you. This way."

Obadiah took a deep breath and headed toward the cave.

"Wait. Your people can't go in."

Obadiah turned to see Frank stopping all of his bodyguards.

Seeing the two sides suddenly facing off, Obadiah impatiently waved a hand. "Fine. Wait outside."

The moment he entered the cave, Obadiah spotted Hong Fei.

Hong Fei was still wearing that all-black combat uniform, with the pure white mask back over his face.

"Honorable Mr. Stan, it really wasn't easy for us to meet." The moment Hong Fei spoke, his voice was harsh and deep, clearly altered by special means.

Obadiah narrowed his eyes slightly, the skin on his bald head twitching. "A mask, a changed voice. It seems we still don't trust each other."

"Hahaha, trust has to be built step by step. Trust that appears out of nowhere is a castle in the air. The fact that I'm willing to meet you now is already the greatest trust we can have at the moment. Mr. Stan, where are my things?"

Obadiah handed over the briefcase in his hand.

Frank took it and headed straight deeper into the cave. He needed to verify whether the bonds were genuine.

Hong Fei gestured with one hand. "Have a seat. Wait a moment."

More than ten minutes later, Frank emerged and nodded to Hong Fei.

Obadiah immediately said, "Where's Tony? I want to see him first."

Hong Fei clapped his hands, and Number One and Number Two carried a stretcher forward.

Obadiah immediately stood up. The moment he saw Tony, he let out a long breath.

"Mr. Stan, he's yours now. You can take him away whenever you want." Hong Fei stepped forward and patted Stan on the shoulder. "Now you can tell me what business you wanted to discuss with me. I'm very interested."

When Obadiah turned around, his face was already full of smiles.

At some point, a small black device had appeared in his hand. Red light lit up from it, and an abnormal sonic wave instantly rang out. Hong Fei's body immediately froze in place, unable to move. Number One and Number Two, who were carrying the stretcher nearby, were the same.

Ten seconds later, Obadiah switched off the weapon, and a haughty expression abruptly appeared on his face.

"Did you really think my money would be so easy to take? Business? Heh heh, what right does a desperate outlaw like you have to do business with me? You don't understand your own place at all. This is good, too. Your impatience for quick gains and your arrogance have saved me a large sum of money. Do you know? People like you will never make it onto the stage, and you'll never understand the true rules of this world."

As he spoke, he walked over to Tony. Looking at that familiar face, he suddenly laughed.

Then he took a pistol from Number One, chambered a round with a click, and aimed it at Tony's head. "My business is simple: kill this famous genius."

Bang!

The gunshot rang out and the bullet left the chamber, but an instant later, another crisp sound followed.

Clang!

Sparks flew, and a streak of white light flashed past.

In less than a second, Tony's eyes flew open and he sprang up from the stretcher. Under Obadiah's disbelieving gaze, he asked an equally incredulous question.

"It really was you? You really wanted to kill me?"