Once again, reality proved that acting like an overdramatic teenager came at a price. As the saying went, showing off never lasted more than three seconds.
The two made a last-minute decision to head to the Middle East together and wipe out the terrorists.
But transportation was a major problem. Tony had a private plane.
But his plane was too conspicuous. They needed to keep this quiet.
A Quinjet? Tony could even build one himself, but there simply wasn't enough time.
While those terrorists were still plundering the towns around Gulmira, they had to hurry.
So Qin Xiao once again set his sights on S.H.I.E.L.D.
Tony now wanted to keep his armor a secret, so naturally, they couldn't go through normal channels.
And so, two dark figures appeared outside S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Los Angeles branch late that night.
This was neither headquarters nor some secret base housing important supplies.
And it was inside the United States, so security wasn't particularly tight.
With its powerful intelligent security system, it didn't even have night guards.
Qin Xiao gingerly took out his ID.
He quietly checked with Tony beside him.
"You're sure you can erase the visitor logs and surveillance footage here, right? This is my work ID. I'm not afraid of them giving me trouble, but I don't want to lose my regular paycheck."
Only after Tony made an OK gesture did Qin Xiao gently press the ID in his hand against the sensor on the door.
"Beep, beep! Insufficient clearance!"
Several red lights flashed on the sensor, and an electronic voice sounded softly.
"How is that possible?"
Unwilling to give up, Qin Xiao tried twice more, but it still showed insufficient clearance.
"Let me!"
Tony took Qin Xiao's ID. "Trainee agent. All right, you adorable little rookie. Let me try!"
"Beep, beep!"
Tony sighed, handed the ID back to Qin Xiao, and asked,
"Have you ever been here before?"
"No!"
Qin Xiao shook his head, looking bewildered.
"I only found out where it was by asking Natasha!"
"Congratulations on finding yourself a great job!"
Tony gave Qin Xiao a disdainful look. The arm of his armor opened, and he took out a card attached to a cable and pressed it against the sensor.
"Good thing I came prepared. JARVIS, let's show this mysterious intelligence agency that won't even let its trainee through the door what we can do!"
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Washington headquarters might have had a rudimentary AI that could compare somewhat to JARVIS, but this branch? Heh!
As Qin Xiao cursed eighteen generations of Nick Fury's ancestors,
JARVIS cracked the door's access controls in less than ten seconds.
Through the access system's network, he also took direct control of this inconspicuous little building on the outskirts of Los Angeles.
To let agents move quickly during missions, every S.H.I.E.L.D. branch was equipped with a Quinjet.
Tony and Qin Xiao were lucky today. No one had taken it out on a mission.
They sneaked all the way up the fire escape to the roof.
Two minutes later, a Quinjet shot into the sky and headed straight for Tony's home at Malibu Beach.
After changing into their armor, the two flew across the Pacific Ocean toward the Middle East.
"You know, during World War II, my father flew Captain America across enemy-occupied territory, straight behind enemy lines, to carry out a rescue mission."
"I never thought I'd be flying another super soldier out to fight terrorists now!"
"But my father was only a pilot back then. This time, I'm different. I've got this!"
Tony tapped his armor.
"Tony, you actually have plenty of ways to fight these terrorists. If you wanted to build armor in Afghanistan to escape, then what's it for now? Is it just to wipe out the Ten Rings?"
Tony fell silent for a long while before slowly speaking.
"My father once told me that if you want peace, you have to hold the biggest stick. That was the principle behind my weapons manufacturing. But ever since that missile with the name Stark on it exploded beside me in Afghanistan..."
"Ah..."
Tony let out a long, quiet sigh.
"I thought the weapons I made brought peace to this world, but I had no idea how many people the name Stark had brought despair to. Before that missile exploded, I was lying right there. I could see every letter of Stark."
"But I couldn't see what it meant. There was only despair. I don't even dare imagine what someone in the same desperate situation as me would think when they saw the name Stark..."
Qin Xiao didn't quite know how to respond to Tony's words. Others might not know, but he did. Tony was right.
Even leaving everyone else aside, there were Scarlet Witch, who would later be a fellow member of the Avengers, and her older twin brother, Quicksilver.
They had once stared at a missile bearing the name Stark for twelve whole hours.
"I used to be just someone who made sticks. Now I've made one of the biggest sticks in the world."
Tony pointed at the armor he was wearing.
"I'll keep it firmly in my own hands. That's what I'll exist for from now on. For the rest of my life, I'll do this one thing: fight terrorists, eliminate war, and create peace, with nothing to do with nations or politics!"
In a sense, the early Iron Man was actually like Black Widow. Both were atoning for their past selves.
Only in the later days of the Avengers would that atonement gradually become a sense of responsibility.
Especially after the Battle of New York, once the Avengers shouldered responsibility for the world's safety,
that transformation would slowly begin.
"Tony, do you know why Nick Fury forced me to join the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division? Damn it, curse that name!"
"It's because he has a plan, the Avengers Initiative. To put together a team whose members have abilities far beyond ordinary people, so they can step up when the world needs them."
After saying that, Qin Xiao stared straight at Tony.
"Not a bad idea. I don't know Nick Fury, but I do know that whether it's the CIA, the KGB, or MI5, whatever their original purpose was..."
"They all ended up as political tools. It's just a matter of degree!"
"If somewhere needs someone to step up, I'll be there in my armor. But I don't want to become a sword in someone else's hand!"
He agreed with the Avengers Initiative, but not with S.H.I.E.L.D. That was Iron Man's view.
"Exactly, Tony! That's what I mean! We won't be the stick in someone else's hand. We'll hold that stick ourselves!"
Qin Xiao turned and said to Tony Stark.
This time, Tony lowered his head and mulled it over for a long time.
Then he suddenly looked up and said to Qin Xiao,
"Like today?"
"Yes! Like today!"
The third chapter tonight!