Tony had no idea how much time had passed.
A cold, damp, gloomy atmosphere roused him.
His eyes snapped open. Excruciating pain in his chest made his whole body convulse, and every breath brought a tearing agony.
A rough granite wall met his eyes. Dim lights flickered, and the air was stale and stifling, thick with the smells of gun smoke, rust, and dust.
It was a natural cave buried deep inside a mountain, cut off from the world and untouched by daylight.
He was a prisoner.
Before he could make sense of his situation, a gentle voice spoke beside him.
"Don't move. Don't breathe too hard."
A plainly dressed middle-aged man with a steady gaze came over to him. He was a doctor named Yinsen.
Yinsen was a field doctor who had been abducted, and the only person who had saved Tony's life.
Tony looked down and saw a gruesome wound in his chest. A crude but intricate circular electromagnetic device sat in its center, with wires extending from it to a rough car battery nearby.
"What is this?" Tony's voice was hoarse, trembling from the shock.
Yinsen looked at him, his tone grave:
"Dozens of tiny pieces of shrapnel are lodged in your body, mere millimeters from your heart. No surgery can safely remove them. If they shift, you'll die on the spot."
"I implanted an electromagnetic device in you. It will continuously generate a magnetic field, holding all the shrapnel firmly in place and keeping it from piercing your heart."
Tony's pupils contracted, and cold sweat instantly drenched his body.
Thankfully, he had survived!
But if the device lost power or broke, he would drop dead immediately.
Just then, the cave's iron door was shoved open with a bang!
A group of armed thugs filed in. The bald man leading them had a sinister gaze and a fierce presence. He was Raza, one of the Ten Rings' leaders in Afghanistan.
Raza crunched over the loose stones to stand before Tony. Looking down at him, he spoke in a cold voice tinged with greed:
"Tony Stark, the greatest weapons genius in the world."
"We didn't capture you to kill you."
"We want you to build Jericho Missiles for us."
He raised a hand and threw down a stack of blueprints and photographs, all of them weapons documents from Stark Industries.
"As long as you build enough Jericho Missiles, I'll let you leave here alive. I'll give you freedom, wealth, everything you want."
Tony fought through the terrible pain in his chest and looked at Raza. He spoke slowly, his tone firm:
"I won't build you any weapons."
Raza's face darkened instantly, his gaze turning vicious and violent:
"You have no choice."
"Build the missiles and live, or refuse and die here."
Beside him, Yinsen hurriedly signaled Tony to compromise and stay alive for now.
Tony fell silent for a moment, his mind racing.
He was a genius, not a reckless fool.
Meeting force with force meant certain death.
In a flash, a heaven-defying plan was born in his mind.
He looked up at Raza and spoke slowly, deliberately showing weakness and giving in:
"I can build weapons for you."
Raza's eyes lit up.
The next second, Tony changed tack:
"But Jericho Missiles have a complex structure and a complicated manufacturing process. There's no way to build them with the equipment and materials you have here. You have to give me enough equipment and materials."
Raza nodded in full agreement. Their facilities here were indeed rather backward.
Since Tony had given in, Raza immediately agreed to provide him and Yinsen with all available materials, tools, and equipment.
He never would have dreamed that Tony's compromise was merely a way to build something that could turn his desperate situation around.
All he could think about now was how, once he had Jericho Missiles, he would no longer have to obey the Ten Rings. He could strike out on his own!
But he had no idea that many of his men were loyal to the Ten Rings and had long since secretly reported everything happening here to headquarters!
At the Ten Rings base in Salia, a figure rushed over to Wenwu. It was Ching-Lin, the Death Dealer.
"Master! An urgent intelligence report!"
Ching-Lin dropped to one knee and reported quickly, his expression grave: "In Afghanistan, an independent peripheral armed force affiliated with our Ten Rings acted without authorization and kidnapped a top American billionaire and genius scientist... Tony Stark!"
"They never reported this operation to either the Middle East branch or the Southeast Asia headquarters! According to our intelligence, the leader of this force, Raza, has grown increasingly ambitious. He's been recruiting men and stockpiling arms in secret, and there are signs that he intends to break away from the Ten Rings and strike out on his own!"
At those words, the atmosphere instantly grew heavy.
After Wenwu was reborn and took over everything belonging to Xu Wenwu, he had reformed the Ten Rings' rules and instituted a hierarchy of control. All major operations across regions, kidnappings and raids, and armed combat had to be reported through the ranks and approved by headquarters!
A mere peripheral armed branch had dared to act on its own, kidnap such a major figure from the United States, and even harbor treacherous intentions, hoping to break free of their control. It was outrageous-they were courting death!
Razor Fist's gaze turned icy, his killing intent on full display. "A bunch of ants who don't know their place! Just because they're in Afghanistan, far from headquarters, they dare disregard the gang's rules and defy you, Master! I'll lead a team to wipe them out at once!"
"No need."
Wenwu raised a hand to stop him. There was not a ripple in his eyes, only indifferent coldness.
A mere band of defectors who were no more than jumping clowns wasn't worthy of a move from one of his top generals.
What he truly cared about was the man who had been kidnapped-Tony Stark.
The chosen one of the Marvel Universe, the future Iron Man, a top genius who mastered the Arc Reactor and advanced suit technology and led the technological development of an entire era!
Others might not know Tony's value, but Wenwu knew it full well.
He was a living, breathing mobile treasure trove of technology!
"Two things."
Wenwu gave his orders in an even tone.
"First, Ching-Lin, immediately coordinate all the gang's laundered assets. While word of Tony Stark's kidnapping hasn't gotten out yet, hurry and short Stark Industries. Be discreet; don't let anyone trace it.
Second, over the next three months, quickly consolidate our laundered liquid funds and keep them ready!"
"Yes! I'll carry out your orders immediately!" Ching-Lin solemnly accepted them.
Wenwu nodded. Finally, he looked toward Afghanistan, a knowing smile curving his lips. "Prepare a plane. I'll make a trip to Afghanistan myself."
In just half an hour, all the preparations were complete.
Wenwu boarded a private plane alone and headed for the war-torn heart of Afghanistan.
The Ten Rings had five armed legions of a thousand men each in Afghanistan, so there was no need to bring anyone.
Afghanistan was a country of continuous mountain ranges and crisscrossing ravines. War raged there year-round, making it an extremely chaotic place.
Deep in a desert, an armed outpost lay hidden in a secluded spot against a mountain. More than a hundred armed men stood guard and patrolled, fully armed and carrying standard-issue firearms, their expressions fierce.
This was the armed force under Raza that had kidnapped Tony Stark.
Just then, the outpost's guards suddenly grew restless.
When a subordinate reported to Raza, he immediately rushed out of the cave.
Outside the outpost, an armed force of five hundred men was closing in around them.
The sight of their Ten Rings insignia made every face in the group change drastically.
At that moment, an upright figure stepped out of an armored vehicle at the front, radiating a terrifying pressure that made it hard to breathe.
"Ten... Ten Rings...!"