"Whoa, what the—!?"
Tony and Yinsen were so startled by the sudden appearance that their hearts nearly stopped.
Tony in particular hadn't slept in two days because he was rushing to finish the armor. The shock nearly made him pass out on the spot.
As the two watched in stunned silence, Du Mu nimbly climbed out of the pit, dusted himself off, and casually hoisted a pixelated pickaxe over his shoulder.
[Item: Diamond Pickaxe] [Effect: Greatly increases mining efficiency, allowing you to quickly gather or destroy most minerals and rocks] [Evaluation: If Shawshank had had this pickaxe, he could've saved himself at least 27 years of detours]
"Who are you!?"
Tony was the first to recover. He warily eyed the stranger.
Du Mu grinned. "You're Tony Stark, right? I'm here to get you out."
"Did the military send you?"
"No, I'm an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Here's my business card."
Tony took the card and looked at it.
FBI, Senior Agent Du Mu.
"?"
"Uh, sorry. Wrong card."
Without the slightest awkwardness, Du Mu took the card back, then pulled a big handful of assorted business cards from his pocket.
Department of Defense, CIA, New York Police Department, IRS...
Tony: 눈_눈
"Found it."
Du Mu finally found the right card and handed it over.
Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division, Senior Agent Du Mu.
Tony stared at the ridiculously long agency name. It sounded like something a novelist had made up just to pad the word count.
He eyed Du Mu suspiciously. "How many people did this Strategic Homeland... send?"
Du Mu smiled confidently. "Just me."
"???"
Tony's face darkened.
Was this guy here to mess with him?
Du Mu paid no attention to Tony's reaction. His gaze was fixed on the crude Steel Armor the other man was wearing.
[Mark I Armor (bound to Tony Stark)] [Description: A powered suit Tony built by hand from scrap materials in a cave. Requires a large amount of energy to operate.]
"Now that's a beauty!"
Du Mu's eyes lit up.
No man could resist the allure of armor, and he was no exception. This was the ultimate male fantasy!
Too bad it was bound to Tony, a main-plot character. Otherwise, he could've tried to see if he could get it to drop.
Du Mu sighed regretfully.
He'd already confirmed that the NPCs in this game didn't respawn.
Once an NPC died, they disappeared for good, and any related quests became unavailable.
So it was best to avoid messing with main-plot characters.
Still, he could give it a try on his second playthrough.
Du Mu thought it over.
Under Du Mu's intense, dangerous gaze, Tony felt a chill run down his spine. He was about to speak when a commotion suddenly rose from outside the cave!
Tony's expression changed. He whipped his head toward the monitor in the corner.
Clearly, the terrorists had noticed what was happening and were heading their way.
"They're coming! Hurry!"
Tony had no time for Du Mu and shouted to Yinsen.
Before long, some of the terrorists reached the cave. They pounded on the metal door, shouting in a language the two men couldn't understand.
"Boom—!"
The instant the terrorists forced the door open, a deafening explosion rang out!
The bombs Tony and Yinsen had planted by the entrance went off. Several charred bodies fell to the ground as smoke and debris filled the air.
Before the two could catch their breath, a much heavier rush of footsteps rapidly approached from farther away!
"Damn it!"
Tony was frantic. The terrorists had arrived much sooner than expected.
"Yinsen, start the power system right now!"
"But the armor hasn't been fully tested..."
"We don't have time! Hurry!"
Tony knew starting the Steel Armor prematurely was extremely risky, but he had no choice.
If they didn't start it now, the terrorists would storm in before they even had a chance to fight back!
Yinsen gritted his teeth and, under Tony's direction, started the power system. The progress bar on the computer screen began to creep forward.
Outside the cave, the terrorists' roars and footsteps drew closer and closer.
"We're out of time!"
Yinsen took a deep breath, grabbed the rifle beside a corpse, and fixed his gaze ahead. "I'll hold them off!"
With that, he rushed out of the cave without hesitation.
"Yinsen! Come back! Stick to the plan!"
Tony shouted desperately, but Yinsen had already disappeared through the entrance.
Click, crunch...
At that tragic, tense moment, a wildly inappropriate sound rang out.
Du Mu was crunching on sunflower seeds he'd somehow produced, thoroughly enjoying the scene of a heartbreaking farewell.
"The cutscene's not bad, but the plot's a little clichéd."
Du Mu spat out a shell and commented.
Based on his extensive experience with countless game stories, this NPC named Yinsen was probably about to be sacrificed.
Wait, why did this plot development seem so familiar?
Du Mu suddenly realized something was off and eyed Tony suspiciously.
Now that he thought about it, building powered armor from scrap materials in a cave was already an unscientific premise—practically blatant cheating.
And then there was the plot about sacrificing a companion.
This kind of treatment seemed reserved for protagonists, didn't it?
"System, don't tell me this mustachioed guy is the protagonist and I'm just some walking camera."
[Please rest assured, Player. This game has no predetermined protagonist, and the system will not interfere with any of your decisions. You are free to take part in the story.] [Whether you become the protagonist, a supporting character, or a passerby is entirely up to you.]
"That's a relief."
Du Mu breathed a sigh of relief.
He didn't want to be some walking camera, spending every day sleeping until noon.
Watching Du Mu leisurely munching on sunflower seeds, Tony was furious.
They were risking their lives, and this guy was sitting there, eating seeds and watching!?
But then he reconsidered. This guy claimed to be an agent, so he ought to be at least somewhat capable in a fight.
Clinging to his last shred of hope, Tony urgently shouted to Du Mu, "Hey, Agent Whatever! Help me stop Yinsen! Don't let him do anything stupid!"
Yinsen was a scientist who couldn't fight his way out of a paper bag. Facing a group of vicious terrorists, his fate was obvious.
The poor guy was dead meat!
At Tony's words, Du Mu scoffed. "Hah, who do you think you are? I'm an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. You think I'll do whatever you tell me? I'd lose all my dignity!"
[NPC Tony Stark has issued you a new quest] [Quest: Save Yinsen] [Objective: Ensure Yinsen survives] [Reward: 1,000 XP, Tony Stark's approval +20, 1 random rare-quality item*1]
"But then again, as a model citizen, how could I stand by and let someone die? Don't worry, I've got this quest covered!"
The disdain vanished from Du Mu's face, replaced by a look of righteous resolve.
The speed of his change of expression left Tony dumbfounded.
As for morals?
Du Mu figured that players didn't have those, did they?