Classic Truth Serum and the Classic Ten Rings

"Uh... back then, I..." Tony looked extremely awkward. Just as he was about to explain, Maya Hansen raised a hand and covered his mouth.

"You don't need to explain anything, Tony. When I wanted to contact you, you were attending some celebrity party—the kind broadcast live across the entire country."

"That model was tall and curvy, with smooth skin and a pretty face. Compared to her, I was just an ugly duckling nobody cared about."

"But—that ugly duckling has turned into a swan now, hasn't she?" Tony asked with an open smile.

"Only you know how to talk." Maya Hansen, unable to tell whether she was in a good mood or a bad one, bumped her forehead against Tony's chest.

"What happened after that?" Tony continued.

Maya Hansen rested her cheek against Tony's chest and sank into her memories. "After that... maybe Aldrich Killian was right. Perhaps Extremis really should have been used on the human body."

"Oh? How so? After changing the test subjects to humans, my research made a breakthrough in an extremely short time."

"Aldrich Killian used that to gather a large number of subordinates. Seven was one of them."

"Humph!"

As Maya Hansen spoke, bald Seven, who was sitting on the ground with his hands cuffed behind his back, snorted. "Boss Hansen, you'll regret this. Killian and the Mandarin won't let you get away with it."

"The Mandarin?" Hearing that, Tony seemed to have triggered some underlying logic and suddenly turned to ask, "Honestly, I've always been really curious about this Mandarin."

"Back then, the Ten Rings kidnapped me in Afghanistan. Afterward, Leon, who had awakened superpowers, charged in alone and rescued me."

"The two of us should have wiped out that Ten Rings back then. So where did this Ten Rings and this Mandarin come