Rescue, Luck Sharing

"You go first. Your armor is too crude; you can't help here. I'll do my best."

Tony assessed the situation and knew that staying here would be useless. He could only activate his armor's jets. Two plumes of black smoke burst from beneath his feet, and he shot into the sky amid the explosions and flames.

In the original plot, Yinsen had died to save Tony. It seemed his arrival had not changed that outcome.

Apocalypse braced against the falling rocks at the cave entrance and rushed inside.

Yinsen was lying on the ground, barely clinging to life.

Apocalypse swiftly took a bottle of Recovery Potion from the system inventory and poured it into Yinsen's mouth.

With a slap to Yinsen's back, a burst of deft force shook several bullets out of his body.

A green glow surged up, and Yinsen was restored to full health!

Yinsen patted his body in disbelief. The bullet holes from moments ago had vanished completely.

Apocalypse said, "We'll talk after we get out. Follow me. Don't stray too far."

The danger had not passed. The cave was about to collapse, and if they did not escape quickly, Yinsen would be buried alive just after being revived.

Yinsen had no time to thank him. Covering his head with both hands, he followed behind.

Apocalypse walked ahead. Whether it was huge rocks falling from above or boulders blocking the path, he smashed them all with a single punch, reducing them to dust.

Suddenly, there was a deafening boom. Half the cliff collapsed, completely burying the cave entrance. Tony, still in the air, watched anxiously.

He could not help regretting sending Apocalypse in to save someone. Yinsen had already been hit by stray bullets and was likely dead, yet Tony had selfishly asked the "delivery guy" to save him, only to get him buried alive as well.

But Tony could barely protect himself now, much less offer help. He could only watch despairingly as the cave entrance vanished beneath the rubble.

Suddenly, a roar came from deep within the cave.

It was as though some ancient beast had awakened.

With a thunderous boom, the buried cave was blasted open. Massive boulders weighing thousands of pounds could not withstand the force and flew dozens of meters away.

The boulders smashed into the Ten Rings members outside, drawing waves of agonized screams.

With three times the Hulk's strength, Apocalypse forcibly punched through the rock layers and walked out.

Outside, the munitions were exploding one after another, filling the canyon with flames. Countless people had likely been crushed to death by the boulders. The Ten Rings were in utter chaos, and no one attacked them at all.

Clamping Yinsen under one arm, Apocalypse made a tremendous leap toward Tony and left the canyon.

However, he discovered a new problem.

In the original plot, Tony could only fly a few dozen meters high before his power ran out and he fell into the desert.

Fortunately, the altitude had not been very high, so Iron Man had not fallen to his death.

But now, Tony was still flying upward.

The hastily assembled armor had no flight stabilization system at all.

In the original plot, Iron Man had returned to his lab and spent a long time building one, crashing into walls countless times before succeeding. Under such crude conditions, there was no way to make it now.

One hundred meters...

Two hundred meters...

Three hundred meters...

Tony flew higher and higher. Then, suddenly, the black smoke beneath his feet died out. His power was gone.

"Whoa..." Tony thought grimly from inside the armor.

Yinsen cried out, "This is bad! Falling from this height means certain death!"

"Ahhh!"

Tony screamed without a care for his image. Falling from this height, he would not fare much better than an egg.

Apocalypse calculated the angle. The sand beneath his feet suddenly exploded, stuffing Yinsen's mouth full of sand. When Yinsen opened his eyes again, Apocalypse had already leaped two hundred meters into the air and caught Iron Man steadily.

The moment he realized he was safe, Tony's unruly nature stirred again. "Hey... handsome, this is the first time I've been held like this. How about foie gras at a French restaurant tonight?"

Apocalypse smiled. "Aren't you afraid Pepper Potts will get jealous?"

Before Tony could answer, Apocalypse suddenly threw him upward again. Apocalypse could withstand the impact of a two-hundred-meter free fall, but Tony could not. If Apocalypse held him while landing directly, Tony would be severely injured even if he survived.

He could only toss Tony upward again just before they hit the ground, reducing the impact.

"Ah... I'm not afraid..."

After a roller-coaster-like trip through the sky, Tony's legs gave out the moment he landed. Ignoring the scorching sand, he sat directly in the desert.

"Whew... whew... Yinsen, you're actually alive. That's great."

Tony excitedly hugged Yinsen, then suddenly remembered something. "No, you were clearly shot several times just now. How can you be completely fine?"

Yinsen looked at Apocalypse. "He gave me a potion to drink, and I recovered completely."

"Thank you!" Tony put away his frivolous expression and said solemnly, "Thank you for saving my life, and even more, thank you for saving Yinsen."

Ding!

Iron Man Luck Sharing: 30%

Good grief, saving his life and his friend's life only earned thirty percent? Tony was far too guarded. Smart people really were hard to deal with, Apocalypse thought helplessly.

But Tony could not really be blamed. Apocalypse's appearance had been far too strange. He had delivered takeout for more than a month without rescuing Tony.

If not for this accident, Tony had no idea how long he would have remained imprisoned.

"Tell me. What exactly is your goal? As long as it doesn't violate my conscience, I'll agree to it," Tony said.

"No rush." Apocalypse looked into the distance and saw aircraft already flying toward them. "Let's leave this troublesome place first."

The Middle East was already a land of constant conflict, with all kinds of factions and arms dealers tangled together. Such a huge disturbance here had already drawn scouts from many forces.

Apocalypse tucked one man under each arm. After several enormous leaps, he arrived at a city more than a hundred kilometers away.

Along the way, Tony and Yinsen were blasted by the fierce wind so hard that they could not even open their mouths. They could only stare at each other, their eyes filled with shock.

Is this guy even human? One leap covered dozens of kilometers, and he was carrying two people.

And there was that miraculous potion, which had pulled Yinsen back from the brink of death after he had been shot several times.

With Tony's connections, he had never heard of such an incredible medicine. Otherwise, when he later suffered from palladium poisoning, he would not have been left without treatment and forced to rely on vegetable drinks for relief.

After arriving at a small city more than a hundred kilometers away, Apocalypse brought the two of them to a shabby rental apartment.

Apocalypse said, "I did not save you for any special reason. But since you want to thank me, I may ask you for something in the future. Of course, I won't force you. If you don't want to, you can refuse."

Tony said, "Then I refuse right now."

"Hahahaha..." Apocalypse laughed loudly. He knew Tony was not someone who forgot kindness. "If you truly refuse, I definitely won't force you."

As he spoke, he took out a phone and handed it to Tony. "Call Colonel Rhodes and have him pick you up. I'll take Yinsen away."

"No. Yinsen is my benefactor. I'll invite him to the United States and have him work for my company. I won't trouble you with him."

"Tony, do you think this kidnapping was an accident?"

Tony stiffened. "Wasn't it?"

"You'll find out, but there's no rush. You've been missing for more than a month, and it has caused a huge uproar in the United States. Now that you've suddenly been rescued, with a man who once worked for violent extremists at your side, what do you think will happen? You and I both know Yinsen worked for the Ten Rings under duress, but... will anyone else believe that?"

With Tony's intelligence, he understood as soon as Apocalypse pointed it out.

He had been kidnapped for so long, then suddenly released with a Middle Easterner beside him. The most likely explanation was that he had been coerced.

Stark Industries made weapons for the Department of Defense. As long as there was even the slightest possibility, the Department of Defense could not rest easy.

Besides, their sworn rival, Hammer Weapons Company, would definitely stir up trouble.

When that happened, not only Yinsen, but even Tony himself might be in danger.

Tony said, "I'll transfer five million to you. Please make sure Yinsen stays safe."

Apocalypse said calmly, "Don't worry. If I didn't want to protect him, I wouldn't have saved him earlier."

Yinsen was an upright and kind person. Even though he lived in a war-torn country and his family had long since been killed by violent extremists, he still maintained a positive attitude. He did not curse fate or blame others. Instead, he lived earnestly and comforted those around him.

This had greatly influenced Tony's personality.

Besides, Yinsen was a capable scientist. He had somehow used a car battery to keep Tony alive, and had even helped Tony complete the armor.

If he had been born in a prosperous nation, he would surely have become a great scientist.

By recruiting him into his own team, Apocalypse would not only gain another talent, but also strengthen his connection with Tony.

Apocalypse said to Yinsen, "Do you want to go home and take a look? Komila Town is nearby."

Yinsen was startled. "How do you know I'm from Komila? I never told you."

"Does it matter how I know? What matters is whether you want to go back and see it."

Tony and Yinsen exchanged a glance. They both felt that this Eastern man was far too mysterious. Not only did he possess superhuman abilities, but he also seemed to know everything about them.

Being understood so thoroughly did not feel pleasant. Even though Apocalypse had saved their lives, Tony's guard had not diminished.

Yinsen said slowly, "It really doesn't matter. With your influence, it wouldn't be difficult to learn information about an insignificant person like me. There's no need to go back. I have no attachments there anymore. If I ever have the ability in the future, I can help the residents of the town. That would count as doing something for my hometown."

"Then let's go."

Without looking back, Apocalypse took Yinsen and shot into the sky.

Tony stood there in a daze for a while before finally calling Colonel Rhodes.