The Truth

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

Obadiah couldn't help but smirk. "No problem. I've already prepared what you asked for. And as for the second deal, I promise I'll give you a price you'll be satisfied with."

Hong Fei sat at the mouth of the cave, eyes narrowed in a smile.

He let out a soft sigh. "Mr. Stan, you keep saying you'll satisfy me, but you've never given me a specific number. That makes me doubt your sincerity. Besides, the US military is frantically searching for me right now. I don't need to remind you of Stark Industries' relationship with them—are you telling me your company isn't putting pressure on them behind the scenes?"

Obadiah thought: I really didn't! I swear I wish they'd pack up and go home, believe me!

But he couldn't say that outright.

"Heh, Tony is the true master of Stark Industries. His disappearance has caused an uproar, so military action was inevitable. And as a businessman, no matter the method, I just want Tony to return safely. Besides what you asked for, I've also prepared three tons of gold as a deposit for our next transaction. If things go smoothly, I'll give you at least three hundred million dollars in various assets, guaranteed untraceable to your identity."

Still refusing to budge—Obadiah was indeed cautious enough.

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

The call ended, and Hong Fei grinned widely.

Money was great.

That was Hong Fei's honest thought. The five hundred million ransom didn't count—that definitely wasn't coming out of Obadiah's pocket. But the three tons of gold and three hundred million in assets were his own, because this was the price for getting rid of Tony, something Obadiah couldn't delegate to anyone else.

Still, considering Stark Industries' scale, this amount was nothing.

Frank had listened to the whole conversation, and his impression of Hong Fei grew more complicated. He couldn't tell if Hong Fei was a good person or a bad one, nor why he was so obsessed with scheming. Strangest of all, sometimes Frank felt Hong Fei was like him—someone he couldn't categorize or define.

Hong Fei ignored Frank's inner turmoil and quietly waited for the massive sum to hit his account. When the number on his phone jumped, he immediately sent the pre-prepared address to Obadiah.

Standing up, Hong Fei shouted, "Hurry up and get ready—we've got guests coming!"

At that, Frank turned and joined the other five in bustling about.

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

Hong Fei hadn't given him his actual location, of course. After a drone captured the scene, he sent Obadiah another set of coordinates.

This cycle repeated several times until, as the bright moon rose, Obadiah finally arrived at Hong Fei's temporary base.

Stepping out of the car, Obadiah's expression was sour. The pampered old man had clearly been jostled badly on the road, and Hong Fei's constant shifting of positions felt like deliberate mockery, leaving him both physically and mentally uncomfortable.

Outside the cave, sandbags and weapon crates were piled everywhere, giving the impression of a long-term encampment.

Frank stepped forward. "The boss is waiting. Please."

Obadiah took a deep breath and walked toward the cave.

"Wait. You can't go in."

Obadiah turned to see Frank blocking his bodyguards.

As the two sides suddenly faced off, Obadiah waved his hand impatiently. "Fine, wait outside."

Entering the cave, Obadiah spotted Hong Fei at once.

Hong Fei was still wearing his pure black combat suit, with a stark white mask covering his face.

"Honorable Mr. Stan, it's really not easy to meet you." His voice came out rough and low, clearly altered through some device.

Obadiah squinted slightly, the skin on his bald head twitching. "Masked, voice changed—looks like we still don't trust each other."

"Haha, trust has to be built step by step. Blind trust is a castle in the air. The fact that I'm willing to see you now is the best trust we can have at this point. Mr. Stan, where are my things?"

Obadiah handed over the leather bag in his hand.

Frank took it and walked deeper into the cave to verify the bonds' authenticity.

Hong Fei gestured. "Have a seat. We'll wait."

After more than ten minutes, Frank emerged and nodded at 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 stood up at once. Seeing Tony, he let out a long breath.

"Mr. Stan, he's yours now. You can take him anytime." Hong Fei stepped forward and patted Stan on the shoulder. "Now, tell me about this deal you want to discuss. I'm very interested."

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

In his hand, a small black device had appeared. It glowed red, and an abnormal sound wave erupted. Hong Fei's body instantly froze in place, unable to move. The two carrying the stretcher were also paralyzed.

Ten seconds later, Obadiah deactivated the weapon, and an arrogant expression spread across his face.

"You think my money is that easy to take? A deal? Hah, what right does a desperado like you have to do business with me? You don't even understand your place. But this works out—your greed and arrogance just saved me a lot of money. You know, people like you never make it to the big stage, and you'll never understand the real rules of this world."

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

Then he turned, took a pistol from Number One, racked the slide with a click, and aimed it at Tony's head. "My deal is simple—kill this famous genius."

Bang!

The gun fired, the bullet left the barrel, but an instant later, a crisp sound followed.

Ding!

Sparks flew, and a flash of white light streaked through the air.

Within a single second, Tony's eyes snapped open, and he scrambled up from the stretcher. Staring at Obadiah in disbelief, he voiced an equally incredulous accusation.

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