Tony looked at Yinsen, alive and well before him. The shock in his eyes lasted only an instant before he concealed it. He raised his chin out of habit, his tone carrying a trace of barely perceptible sharpness, yet his fingers unconsciously tightened.
It was heartfelt concern that even he had not noticed. "Yinsen? Are you really all right?" His voice was lower than usual, less brash and carrying a little more barely perceptible concern. "I thought you'd already..."
He swallowed the words on the tip of his tongue. He had never been comfortable showing vulnerability and could only pretend to be calm. "Of course. Someone worthy of being my assistant-Tony Stark's assistant-couldn't possibly go down that easily." He patted Yinsen's shoulder, the gesture still somewhat forceful, but his touch much lighter. A trace of lingering fear hid in his eyes. "Don't do that again. If something happened to you, there aren't many people qualified to be my assistant."
Yinsen patted the back of Tony's hand, a gratified smile on his face, and said softly, "I'm fine, Tony. It's all thanks to Mr. Lynn here. He saved me."
Only then did Tony turn his gaze to Lynn, looking him up and down with a little more scrutiny. His tone still held a genius's conceit, but was less offensive. "Thanks, kid. You've got some ability, getting Yinsen out."
He paused, his fingertips lightly rubbing his palm, and his tone softened a little. "But no matter where you came from, saving Yinsen has earned you my friendship." As he said this, he turned his face aside somewhat awkwardly, then immediately added, "Of course, don't get too pleased with yourself. You've still got a way to go before you can truly call yourself my friend."
Just then, Lynn pulled a black satellite phone from his pocket and held it out to Tony, his tone serious. "Here, take this."
"A satellite phone. I swiped it from a nearby US military base."
Lynn spoke casually, as though swiping a satellite phone were a trivial matter. "There's a bit of a problem with my identity, so it's not convenient for me to show my face to the military. That's why I didn't contact anyone to rescue you ahead of time. With this, you can contact your own people or the military and have them pick you up."
He paused and looked at Yinsen. "All right, Tony has a satellite phone now and can call for rescue. How about you leave with me first? Staying with Tony like this will cause quite a few problems later."
"Wait!" Tony hurriedly called out to stop him, his tone somewhat urgent, without his earlier impatience. "At least leave me a phone number. Where am I supposed to find you two once I get back?"
Lynn had anticipated Tony's question. He took out the slip of paper he had prepared beforehand. "This is my number."
Tony's tone carried a barely perceptible seriousness. "Don't worry. I, Tony Stark, never go back on my word."
He put the slip away and looked at Lynn, his gaze less arrogant and more sincere. "I'll contact you once I've dealt with the things on my plate. When the time comes, I'll be sure to thank you properly."
Seeing Tony's serious expression, Lynn suddenly remembered the crash video on his phone. A teasing smile curled his lips as he took out his phone, opened the video, and held it out to Tony. "Oh, right, Tony. Let me show you something good."
Puzzled, Tony leaned closer and looked at the phone screen. The footage showed him falling out of the sky just moments earlier.
Trailing black smoke, the armor plummeted straight down like a kite with its string cut, finally slamming heavily into a sand dune in an utterly sorry state.
"Hey! You actually dared to film that?!" Tony's face instantly flushed red. He reached out to snatch the phone, his voice full of embarrassment and a trace of barely perceptible mortification. "Delete it! I, Tony Stark, have a reputation to protect! How can footage of me looking that pathetic exist?"
After trying unsuccessfully to grab it for some time, he paused. The mortification in his eyes faded, replaced by a little helplessness, and his tone softened too. "I know I took a pretty nasty fall just now, but you can't just film it. How am I supposed to show my face if that gets out?"
Lynn laughed even harder, quickly putting his phone away and shaking his head. "You want me to delete it? No way. This is a historic moment-Tony Stark's first crash. What a keepsake! I couldn't bear to delete it."
Tony wanted to say more, but Lynn gave him no chance. With a wave of his hand, an orange portal instantly opened before him and Yinsen. Through the other side, the familiar hall of the New York Sanctum was faintly visible.
"All right, enough chatter. We're leaving." Lynn patted Yinsen's shoulder, signaling him to follow. "Remember to call me. Don't keep Yinsen and me waiting too long. If you don't contact me, watch out, or I'll sell Yinsen to human traffickers."
Before Tony could react, Lynn led Yinsen through the portal. Orange sparks spun rapidly and dissipated, and in the blink of an eye, the two vanished from the desert. Tony was left standing alone, clutching the satellite phone and the slip of paper with the number written on it. He stared at the spot where the portal had disappeared, angry and helpless, yet unable to stop the corners of his mouth from lifting slightly.
Meanwhile, Lynn led Yinsen through the portal and stepped firmly into the hall of the New York Sanctum. The familiar warmth washed over them. Wong was still leaning against the second-floor railing, reading. Seeing Lynn return with Yinsen, he merely lifted his eyelids and asked mildly, "Back? Did you get what you wanted done?"
"All done." Lynn smiled and patted Yinsen's shoulder. "Tony has the satellite phone now, so he'll be rescued soon. This is Doctor Yinsen. He'll be staying at the Sanctum for the time being. Sorry for the trouble, but please look after him. You'll need to cook for one more person too."
Yinsen looked at the ancient, mysterious Sanctum before him, then at the unruffled Wong. With a hint of reserve in his eyes, he gave a slight nod and said softly, "Hello."
Wong gave a hum of acknowledgment and asked no more questions, lowering his head again and immersing himself in the world of his book.
Seeing Yinsen's reserved manner, Lynn smiled and patted his shoulder. "Don't be nervous. It's safe here. Just stay here with peace of mind and wait for Tony to contact us."
Yinsen nodded, a trace of gratitude in his eyes. He knew that from this moment on, his life would leave its past suffering behind completely and welcome a new beginning. Meanwhile, Lynn looked at everything before him and silently took stock.
I saved Yinsen, filmed that iconic crash scene along the way, and made a connection with Tony. This trip to Afghanistan was an absolute killing.
But the abnormality in his body remained a hidden danger, like a thorn that had to be pulled out sooner or later.
I have to find the cause as soon as possible.