Heart in His Throat

As the leader of this band of outlaws, Omar knew full well how valuable Tony Stark was to him. His employer, that miser Obadiah, actually wanted to buy a billionaire's life for a few million. What a ridiculous joke.

He intended to keep Stark firmly under his control and make the genius work for him. With the weapons Stark built, he would become the dominant power in the region.

Over the past few days, he had ordered his men to watch Stark's every move closely. Omar would not allow anything to stray from his plan.

Any unusual behavior from Stark could set his nerves on edge.

"What are they doing?"

That single question from one of his men was enough to make Omar rise and walk over to the surveillance monitor. "What's wrong?"

"Boss, those two have been at the table for ages, but it doesn't look like they're eating."

Omar's expression darkened as he stared unblinkingly at the two men on the screen. From his angle, all he could see was them talking. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.

He gently turned the ring on his hand, his brow furrowed and his eyes narrowed.

"Let's go!"

Omar grabbed a weapon, called over several men, and strode out. He would see for himself what Stark was up to.

"What are you doing?!"

The iron door opened with a grating screech of metal, revealing what seemed to be a perfectly normal scene.

Of the two men at the table, one was stuffing bits of bread into his mouth while the other fiddled with some components. Both looked calm. When Omar entered, they obediently stood and raised their hands.

Tony scanned the men coming in and counted them. Ten had entered the room alone, not including those standing guard at the door.

Omar studied their faces, hoping to find a crack in their expressions. But both men behaved far too normally-so normally that he suspected Tony was putting on an act.

"Relax."

He gestured for them to lower their hands and slowly walked up to Stark.

Tony's muscles tightened involuntarily as Omar approached. His heart pounded, and even his breathing grew shallow. The crate where Paimon was hiding was right behind him!

But Omar did not notice Stark's tension. His attention was entirely focused on the other man's body, on that beautiful work of art glowing with such captivating light.

He pulled aside the man's collar and gazed at the reactor keeping Stark alive. Feeling its hard surface and faint warmth beneath his hand, even Omar had to acknowledge Stark's brilliance.

As he stroked the nuclear reactor in the man's chest, Omar felt as though he were touching limitless wealth and power.

"You know, bows and arrows were once the most advanced weapons. But now, most of the world's most advanced weapons technology belongs to Stark Industries."

"Whoever owns Stark Industries can control the entire world."

"Soon." Omar let Tony go and walked toward the crate behind him.

At the sight, Tony's heart leaped into his throat, and cold sweat broke out across his back. Omar was a dangerous man. If he discovered Paimon, he would probably kill the girl without a moment's hesitation.

Tony's heart hammered as though it were about to burst out of his throat. He watched Omar place his hand on the edge of the wooden lid.

Omar turned back to look Tony in the eye, pleased to see that the man had finally lost his earlier composure. He savored this sense of control and looked forward to seeing Stark afraid.

"And now, it'll soon be my turn to control the entire world!"

The corners of his mouth curled upward, and he violently heaved the wooden lid off the crate.

The contents were instantly laid bare before his eyes.

Yet inside there was nothing but a few bomb casings and one of Stark's jackets.

Tony's heart settled at once, though confusion followed. Paimon had clearly been in that crate before these men barged in. Now that it was empty, where had she gone?

"Impossible!"

Unwilling to believe his judgment could be wrong, Omar glowered as his gaze swept back and forth between Tony and Yinsen.

They must be up to something.

Omar did not give up. After studying them for a while, he suddenly gave the two men a soft laugh.

He beckoned to the men behind him. "Come on. Help our two friends tidy up."

"Yes, sir."

His men aimed their guns at every spot where someone might hide and searched carefully. Tony could only watch, utterly powerless.

At any moment, a bullet from one of those guns might hit Paimon. She was so small and vulnerable; her life could be taken so easily.

Yet, to everyone's surprise, Omar's plan came to nothing. His men searched several times without finding a thing.

Even Omar, who had always trusted his instincts, began to doubt himself. Had he really been overthinking things? Yet Stark's behavior still convinced him that they were hiding something.

Without evidence, however, he could not punish Stark. Filled with questions and anger, he could only shove past his men and leave.

As he walked through the cave's narrow passage, he told his trusted subordinate, "Watch Stark closely. They won't stay this quiet. They can't. Notify me immediately if anything unusual happens."

"Yes, sir."

After answering, the subordinate hesitated. "The doctor has finished operating on the man you captured this afternoon, but he's not doing well. Should we have that Yinsen take a look too? After all, he was the one who saved Stark back then. What do you think...?"

The subordinate abruptly stopped speaking when he saw the suspicion in Omar's eyes.

"I was merely curious whether that man might become a second miracle like Stark-another test subject. If he dies, he dies. Only the living have any value, but he's just something to amuse me. Do you understand?"

"Understood." The subordinate answered meekly, lowering his head to conceal the calculation in his eyes. He had overstepped, after all. His suggestion that Omar have the man treated had not come from some sudden burst of kindness. The man's striking looks had simply stirred a few desires he could not voice.

Since the boss had no intention of saving him, there was no reason to go looking for trouble. What a pity, though. He had thought a little treatment would make the man more fun to play with.

Seeing him covered in blood now did not stir the slightest interest.

Still, the boss had spoken, and it seemed he did care a little about this man. He would have to tell his men to rein themselves in. After all, some of them were so ravenous they would take anything, living or dead.

With that thought, the subordinate cast a cold glance at a cell in the corner, then called his men away.

Just then, the man they had described as near death suddenly opened his eyes inside that cell. They were perfectly clear.

Lin Ze looked at the iron door before him and silently commanded:

Activate-Elemental Sight.

In the game, Elemental Sight was usually used to find Seelies, search for treasure chests, and observe enemies. In reality, it was an excellent way to scout enemy positions.

As Lin Ze directed his thoughts, the entire cave lay exposed before his eyes. He counted the departing enemies, then extended his gaze into the deepest part of the cave.

There were two and a half people there: two on the ground and half a person in the air.

Thank goodness his little guide had not gone missing. Not only was she safe, she had even ventured into enemy territory to find him. Though... she seemed to have gone slightly off course.

Lin Ze let out a bemused chuckle. Only after confirming Paimon's whereabouts did he relax and devote himself to conserving his strength and recovering his health. So receiving treatment restored some health too. It was barely better than nothing, but with the Traveler's formidable stamina, he would regain enough strength to fight as long as he had some time.

Then he would fight his way out and give the people outside the punishment they deserved. At that thought, a cold expression flashed across Lin Ze's face, and his gaze into the distance carried a chilling edge.

There was one other thing that caught Lin Ze's attention: while he was unconscious, he had somehow triggered Paimon's prerequisite quest.

The Birth of Iron Man

<Quest description: Tony Stark plans to break out of his prison tomorrow morning and escape safely with his friend.>

<Objective 1: Keep teammate Tony Stark alive and help him escape.>

<Objective 2: Prevent teammate Tony Stark's friend, Ho Yinsen, from meeting his destined death.>

Quest reward: An unspecified number of Primogems.

After reading the quest details, Lin Ze began making plans. He had never expected his first quest target to be Iron Man. Though it was a surprise, he was more concerned about whether he could complete the quest.

All his preparation had been in entirely the wrong direction. Ever since he had started considering joining the External Transmigration Department, Lin Ze had deliberately read more foreign literature.

His thinking had still been too narrow. Everything he read had been historical material about wars and the like. He had never imagined that films, television shows, or comics such as Marvel would be included too.

Whatever the case, he first needed to make sure he had enough attack power to carry out the quest. Lin Ze stopped dwelling on it, lay back down, and returned to his half-dead state. Everything would be decided tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Lin Ze's teammate and his teammate's friend were staring overhead in stunned silence.

Yinsen was already won over. "God, is she a little angel? She can even fly."

Tony checked several times to make sure the little girl had not suddenly undergone a genetic mutation and grown white wings. Recalling what Paimon had said about another world and an Anemo Archon, he felt as though his entire understanding of reality had been rewritten.

Tony: I really did let my guard down.