At that moment, on the battlefield.
Seeing that the soldiers had stopped attacking, Wenwu sneered and slowly raised his arm. "You've had your turn. Now it's mine."
Bang!
With a light leap, he closed in on the soldiers like a phantom. The Ten Rings on his arms shone with brilliant golden light, turning into streaks that darted rapidly around them.
"Aaaaargh..."
One soldier took a ring to the chest and flew backward like a rag doll, coughing up blood and screaming.
Wenwu did not kill them.
Media outlets from every country were watching this time. He dared not leave evidence of a brutal massacre that would give the US military an excuse to smear him.
Still, severely injuring these men and leaving them bedridden for six months to a year was perfectly acceptable.
Boom! Boom!
Amid deafening explosions, not only were the soldiers badly injured and knocked to the ground, but countless pieces of military equipment around them were also blown apart one after another by the Ten Rings. The scene was utterly stunning.
The Pentagon.
"Those... those are the legendary Ten Rings!"
An intelligence officer stared at the glowing rings flying around Wenwu on the screen and cried out.
"What Ten Rings?"
The Secretary of Defense and several generals who had no idea what he meant pressed him, their faces filled with shock.
"Legend has it that Xu Wenwu, the leader of the Ten Rings, commands the divine artifacts known as the Ten Rings and has roamed the world for a thousand years!"
"Divine artifacts, my ass. It's probably a mutant power!"
One general snapped in displeasure.
The Secretary of Defense's expression darkened, and he immediately ordered, "Contact the X-Men!"
"Yes, sir!"
Someone immediately called Hank, the X-Men's Beast.
A moment later, the response came back. "Hank said the X-Men don't participate in foreign wars."
"Fucking mutants. You can't count on them!" General Ross cursed from the side.
Just then, the Secretary of Defense received a call from the president.
"The president has just ordered that we contain the Ten Rings' expansion at all costs. Keep up the missile strikes and aerial bombing, and have the neighboring countries carry out targeted bombing as well!
"Enforce a blockade to cut off their supplies, and restart the Sentinel Program!"
After hanging up, the Secretary of Defense announced the orders gravely.
"But... that Wenwu from the Ten Rings is very powerful. Won't this provoke frenzied retaliation from him?"
Someone voiced his concern.
"He's just one man. What's there to fear? We'll keep him too busy to handle it all!"
The Department of Defense sneered.
"Exactly. How could a tiny organization stand against a global superpower?"
"How long has it even been since they were discovered? Let's see how long he lasts under wave after wave of bombing!"
"Good, I agree. We'd best set up traps specifically for him at our major bases. If Wenwu comes, we can abandon the base if necessary!"
"A lot of people will die!" someone said, unable to stomach it.
"So what if some people die? We've stockpiled too much equipment anyway. Once we get the Arc Reactor working, we'll have to replace it all again!"
Quite a few warmongers spoke up.
They did not care how many people died. In fact, they even began hoping the Ten Rings would not be wiped out too quickly.
That would give them a reason to expend military equipment, keep producing more, and rake in enormous profits!
"Good. It's settled, then!"
The Secretary of Defense made the decision on the spot.
"That Ten Rings Wenwu's vibranium armor isn't without a counter, either. Vibranium may be strong, but it has one fatal weakness: it becomes inert under certain high-frequency ultrasonic waves!"
Something occurred to General Ross, and he suddenly spoke up.
"As long as it has a weakness. Develop and manufacture that equipment as soon as possible!"
The Secretary of Defense nodded with delight, then continued, "Next, we'll reactivate the Sentinels!"
"Isn't the Sentinel Program aimed at mutants? What do you mean by restarting it?" someone asked in confusion.
"Sentinel technology is already mature. It was shelved because its power source was too weak and the cost was extremely high. Now that Anton has released the Arc blueprints, we have an opportunity," the Secretary of Defense explained.
"Exactly. Sentinels can do far more than deal with mutants. And now that mutants are starting to rise from the ashes, it's time the Sentinels made their appearance."
General Ross's voice carried a ruthless edge.
"General Ross is right. Now that Arc Energy technology is public, every country will certainly research it and upgrade its equipment on a massive scale."
"A new global arms race has begun!"
"Right. The leader of the Ten Rings might be a mutant himself. The Sentinels might even counter him," someone agreed.
"Contact our allies and strictly control military-industrial resources, especially nuclear materials and palladium!"
"Effective immediately, tighten all controls on palladium. No more may leave the country!"
The Secretary of Defense issued a string of orders in an instant.
Everyone shuddered inwardly at his words. With Arc Energy technology now public, its core material, palladium, had instantly become a strategic resource of the highest priority.
"What about Tony Stark? He's still a prisoner," someone asked cautiously.
"Hmph. Tony Stark has always been arrogant and conceited just because he's a genius. A lesson would do him good," General Ross snorted in displeasure.
"We just received intelligence that the Ten Rings are demanding a ransom for Tony Stark."
The others exchanged looks. Why did this feel so comical?
The Middle East battlefield.
After blowing apart the base's military equipment and severely injuring the soldiers, including the general, Wenwu swept his arms out and flew away with effortless flair.
Not long after he left, high-resolution satellite images appeared online, clearly showing the ruined United States military base.
The entire internet instantly understood that this was retaliation by the Ten Rings.
Such an enormous base had been completely destroyed in little more than ten minutes. Countless soldiers lay on the ground, their fate unknown!
This time, the United States had truly been slapped in the face.
In the villa in Amba City.
Tony looked utterly puzzled when he saw Wenwu return.
Had Wenwu dealt with the US military so quickly? That couldn't be possible, could it?
"Stark, how much compensation do you intend to pay?" Wenwu's words brought him back to his senses.
"How is this any different from kidnapping someone for ransom? Aren't you afraid I'll expose this and ruin the reputation you've only just managed to clean up a little?" Tony said calmly.
"You're wrong. There is a difference. You invaded my territory without cause." Wenwu smiled and shook his head.
"Heh. Then let's see whether the world believes that," Tony said with a frown.
"Enough talk. You're not leaving without paying five billion dollars," Wenwu said bluntly.
Tony nearly spat blood.
"One billion dollars, and not a cent more! Otherwise, you might as well kill me!" Tony said defiantly.
"Sure. I'll grant your wish."
With that, Wenwu looked at Razor Fist beside him.
Taking the hint, Razor Fist raised his broadsword and prepared to bring it down on Tony's neck.
"Wait... two billion dollars! I really can't go any higher. I can't come up with that much money on such short notice!" Tony shouted hastily.
"Razor Fist, cut him down," Wenwu said expressionlessly.
"Three billion! That's all I have!" With that, Tony stuck out his neck and closed his eyes.
"Deal. Three billion it is."
Wenwu suddenly agreed, then turned to Hamid and ordered, "Give him the offshore account details."
Soon, three billion dollars was successfully transferred into more than a dozen offshore accounts belonging to the Ten Rings.
Just then, Becky came in with Anton and Ivan.
Enemies saw red when they met. Tony whipped his head around and glared fiercely at the Vanko father and son, his gaze as sharp as a blade.
"Hahaha! You thief from the Stark Family, you walked right into the trap!"
Ivan laughed loudly, making no effort to hide the mockery in his eyes.
"You're calling me a thief? Your father was the thief!"
Tony shot Ivan a fierce glare, then turned to stare at the stooped Anton and demanded gravely, "I've already investigated everything. Back then, after you and my father successfully developed the prototype, he discovered that you'd secretly copied the entire set of Arc Reactor blueprints by hand and intended to take them out and sell them for personal profit. Isn't that right?"
"Heh. So what if I did? That was no excuse for your Stark Family to monopolize the results of our joint research!"
Anton's aged, hoarse voice was filled with resentment suppressed for years. "What right did your father, Howard, have to keep it all for himself? He reported me outright and accused me of being a Soviet spy, getting me arrested, deported, and sent back to the Soviet Union. Meanwhile, he kept all the results for himself with a clear conscience!"
He paused for breath, his eyes filled with grief and indignation. "After I was sent home, I was treated as a traitor. I didn't receive a single cent, and I was subjected to a whole series of restrictions. I spent decades in poverty, struggling to survive in terrible conditions.
"Your father, Howard, stole the results that belonged to me and kept all the glory and wealth from the Arc Reactor for himself!"
"That was because you wanted to sell the technology, commercialize the Arc Reactor, and make money!" Tony retorted angrily.
"Hahaha! Wasn't making a profit the whole reason I developed Arc technology? Otherwise, why would I research it?"
Ivan Vanko laughed loudly and mocked him mercilessly. "If Arc technology had been commercialized back then, the world probably wouldn't be fighting wars over energy now!
"Humanity might even have ventured beyond Earth by now!
"You're just like your father. You're nothing but selfish men who use world peace as an excuse to keep Arc technology in your family's hands!"