Rescue Preparations

In fact, Raza Hamidmi had never intended to actually kill Tony. To Raza Hamidmi, Tony was a goose that laid golden eggs.

Now that fool Obadiah had personally delivered the golden goose into his hands. No wonder Raza Hamidmi could never hide the contempt on his face whenever he dealt with Obadiah.

Of course, what Raza Hamidmi did not know was that Tony truly was a goose that laid golden eggs. But that did not mean this goose would obediently lay eggs for him.

On the contrary, not only was Tony not laying golden eggs for Raza Hamidmi, he was plotting how to escape. Especially after discovering that the people in this base were not particularly well educated, Tony decisively came up with a plan called Mark One.

Under the pretense of missile components, he divided up all the blueprints. Then, claiming they were needed for the missile, he asked Raza Hamidmi for plenty of inconsequential materials while mixing in what he actually needed.

With Yinsen's help, Tony began swinging a massive hammer inside the cave.

Meanwhile, as Tony swung the hammer in his hand with all his might, fully putting his engineering talents to use, Sherlock's group drew closer and closer to the valley where Tony was being held.

Perhaps because the surrounding area was nothing but yellow sand, the defenses outside the valley were not particularly tight. They could practically be called nonexistent.

At the very least, Sherlock the Alchemist and John Wick the assassin had not encountered any patrols along the way.

Of course, that might also have been because the two of them had driven through the desert.

The valley's location was nearly perfect. On three sides lay vast, endless desert, while only one side was somewhat close to the edge of the desert.

It was no exaggeration to say that the desert on those three sides formed a natural barrier, granting the valley unparalleled defensive capabilities. It was practically a natural city wall.

In the minds of those terrorists, no one could cross such a desert. Not to mention that their allied forces were stationed along the outer perimeter of the desert to handle air defense.

To put it bluntly, given the valley's location, as long as they held the side near the desert's edge, the valley would be impregnable. That was precisely why Sherlock had encountered no enemies at all on the way here.

All one could say was that fate could be truly strange sometimes.

When the four of them could finally see the valley from their vehicle, they put aside their playful mood and entered combat mode.

Though Helen was unfamiliar with this kind of battle, she could still handle logistical support together with Doro.

After Sherlock used Alchemy to create a bunker that night, Helen and Doro, the two noncombatants, were left inside. Sherlock and John Wick each took up their weapons and prepared to scout the area.

The desert was bitterly cold at night. Sherlock and John Wick reached the top of the hill with barely any effort, but when they looked down into the valley, both of them could not help drawing in a sharp breath.

The reason was simple. The deployment inside the valley was terrifying.

Unlike the brief glimpse shown in the movie, the valley was far, far larger than it had appeared on screen.

Beneath vast stretches of camouflage netting sat crate after crate of weapons and ammunition. At almost any moment, someone could be seen carrying a gun, taking shells or firearms from those crates, then sitting nearby and filing away at something.

That was not all. There were even production lines for weapons and ammunition inside the valley. Things like Gas Cylinder Cannons and No-Conscience Cannons were everywhere.

To say nothing else, trying to storm this valley with conventional forces would be anything but easy.

Most importantly, the weapons and ammunition those terrorists were working on were obviously not something a bunch of people capable only of making Gas Cylinder Cannons could produce!

Using the high-powered binoculars in their hands, the two of them clearly spotted the words Stark Industries printed on the weapon crates.

Seeing this, even John Wick was somewhat confused. He lowered his binoculars and looked at Sherlock beside him, his brow knotted so tightly it was nearly twisted together.

"Sherlock, if I'm not mistaken, that crate has Stark Industries' logo on it, right? Did Tony just drop a rock on his own foot? He profited from both sides in the war, only to find out one side didn't want to pay up?"

There was undisguised disgust in John Wick's voice. After all, no one liked that kind of two-faced behavior, not even an assassin like John Wick.

Hearing John Wick's jab, embarrassment flashed across Sherlock's face. After thinking for a moment, he answered somewhat helplessly.

"No, what's happening here is complicated. You know Stark Industries doesn't have Tony as its only decision-maker."

Although Sherlock was telling the truth, and his explanation was perfectly reasonable, John Wick still rolled his eyes irritably before continuing to observe the situation below through his binoculars.

After a long while, John Wick let out a helpless sigh and spoke to Sherlock again.

"Sherlock, if we choose to infiltrate, the risk is far too great. They have too many people and heavy weapons. Even if we really rescue Tony, we won't be able to escape their pursuit.

"I suggest that if you can confirm Tony is here, we report it directly and dump this mess on the military or that S.H.I.E.L.D. organization. That would be the safest option."

But Sherlock did not respond to John Wick's suggestion. His hands rested on the ground, his eyes closed the entire time as though he were sensing something.

Not long after John Wick finished speaking, Sherlock finally opened his eyes and gave him a sly grin like a little fox that had stolen some cream.

"No, no, there's no need to make this such a big deal. I have a way to get Tony out directly. We just need to adjust the timing. We'll come back tomorrow morning. For now, we should head back and sleep."

After saying that, Sherlock ignored the question marks practically appearing over John Wick's head. He dragged John Wick back to their underground base. No matter how John Wick questioned him, Sherlock refused to say a word, only telling him that he would understand once they acted the next morning.

As for why he was doing this, the reason was simple. While scouting with Alchemy, Sherlock had accidentally discovered the cave where Tony was being held.

Inside that cave, Sherlock found a nearly completed suit of armor, as well as Tony sitting before a bulky computer, glasses on his face as he tirelessly coded away.

Clearly, Mark One was about to be born from Tony's hands.

For Sherlock, rather than rescuing Tony right away, it was better to wait until the Mark armor was finished before coming to the rescue. That way, he could enjoy the show too.