After a few rounds of dice, Tony Stark casually asked,
"You still haven't told me—where are you from?"
Ethan picked up the dice and gave them a gentle shake in his hand.
"I'm from a small town called Migula. It's a beautiful place."
As Tony poured himself some water, he asked,
"Do you have any family?"
Ethan looked up at Tony, his expression relaxed.
"Yes. Once I get out of here, I plan to visit them."
Then he turned the question back.
"What about you? Do you have any family?"
Tony fell silent. His parents had died in a car accident when he was very young. The memory caused his lips to twitch slightly before he finally replied,
"No."
Ethan echoed his words softly,
"No family…"
Then with a tinge of sorrow, he added,
"You have everything, and yet... nothing at all."
To Ethan, family was the foundation of everything. As long as one had enough money to get by, that was enough.
Tony glanced at Ethan and gave a faint smile. Setting down the dice, he said,
"Alright, man—let's get to work."
Tony dove into the pile of spare parts and began welding. Meanwhile, just outside their cell, a small-time leader of the Ten Rings opened the tiny window on the metal door and checked in on them. Satisfied they were working, he nodded and walked away with his men.
In the surveillance room, another Ten Rings member held up a photo of the Jericho missile and compared it to Tony's construction.
"This doesn't look anything like the photo," he said suspiciously.
Another member chimed in,
"Maybe it's a redesigned version."
The first guy squinted at the footage.
"The tail section's all wrong. It's pointed the other way."
---
Meanwhile…
Smith Doyle burst out of a nearby cave, launching a ki blast behind him.
BOOM!
The explosion collapsed the entire cave in a cloud of dust.
"Turns out it was just another Ten Rings outpost," Smith muttered, annoyed. "Too bad it wasn't where they're keeping Tony."
He looked relieved.
"Good thing Wenwu wasn't here… Otherwise, I'd have had to go Giant Ape mode."
At ten times power, his battle strength reached 1,890. Even someone like Wenwu with his ten rings wouldn't be unbeatable at that level—though Smith prayed he wouldn't run into him by chance.
Taking off again, Smith flew over the desert, scanning for any power levels that might reveal something. As long as he didn't detect anything above level 6, he wasn't too worried. But if something supernatural popped up, that would be a different story.
---
Outside another cave, several Ten Rings members were warming their hands over a fire.
Zara, the squad leader responsible for kidnapping Tony Stark, was inside watching the surveillance feed. He saw Tony adjusting the mechanical components for his legs and unconsciously rubbed the ring on his arm, deep in thought.
Moments later, Zara led several men into Tony's cave. He looked around, his eyes landing on Tony, who was sitting with his hands on his head.
"Relax," Zara said calmly.
Hearing that, Tony and Ethan slowly lowered their hands.
Zara walked over and pulled back Tony's shirt to examine the small arc reactor in his chest. He seemed impressed.
"So, you replaced the car battery with this. Not bad."
Then he reminisced aloud:
"There was a time when bows and arrows were cutting-edge weapons."
Walking past the workbench and looking at Tony's parts, he continued,
"Genghis Khan once conquered Eurasia with them—his empire was five times the size of Alexander's, four times larger than Rome."
Zara picked up a blueprint and studied it.
"But today, only those with the most advanced Stark weapons will rule the world."
Tony's heart skipped a beat. That was the design for his armor.
Ethan noticed Tony's reaction and discreetly signaled him to stay calm.
He figured Zara wouldn't understand the plans anyway—he hadn't.
Sure enough, Zara couldn't make sense of the diagram. He assumed it was part of a missile design and put it down.
Even though he couldn't tell whether it was the Jericho missile or not, he had another way to test them.
Zara turned to Tony.
"The future ruler of the world… will be me."
"Why are you disappointing me?"
Ethan quickly stepped in.
"We are working. Very hard."
Zara turned to Ethan with a stern look.
"I let you live… and this is how you repay me?"
Ethan raised his hands.
"It's complicated. He's working really hard."
Zara gave the order.
"Make him kneel."
Two men immediately grabbed Ethan and forced him to his knees.
Tony clenched his fists, but there was nothing he could do. He glanced helplessly at the parts on the table.
Zara walked over to a pile of burning charcoal, picked one up with tongs, and said coldly,
"You think I'm stupid? I will figure this out."
Ethan's face tensed.
"We're working for you!" he insisted.
Zara ignored him and brought the glowing coal closer.
"Open your mouth."
Tony was alarmed.
"What the hell are they doing?"
No one answered him.
Zara pressed down on Ethan's head and said,
"You think I'm a fool?"
"What's he really doing? Spit it out."
The burning coal inched closer to Ethan's face.
Ethan realized he couldn't tell the truth—doing so would be a death sentence. So he stuck to the story.
"He's making the Jericho missile."
Zara's eyes narrowed.
"Tell me the truth."
The heat from the coal was scorching Ethan's lashes and brows. Death hovered at the edge of his consciousness, but he stayed firm.
"He's building the Jericho missile."
Zara roared,
"Tell me the TRUTH!"
At that moment, Tony couldn't stay silent any longer. He stepped forward and shouted,
"What do you want? A delivery date? Fine. I'll give you one."
Zara's men raised their guns in an instant. One of them, a small-time leader, stepped forward and warned,
"Stop right there!"
Tony froze, raising his hands to show he meant no harm.
Looking Zara in the eye, he said firmly,
"I need him."
Then he turned to Ethan.
"He's valuable."
Zara stared at him for a long moment before finally putting down the coal.
"You have until tomorrow. Finish assembling the missile."
He tossed the tongs to the ground and ordered his men,
"Keep a close eye on them."
Satisfied with the test, Zara believed Tony was telling the truth. He left the cave with his men.
—End of chapter—
Author's Note:
Enjoying the story and want to read ahead?
Join my Patreon.com/TenaciousHare and unlock 15-20+ chapters in advance, plus faster updates!
Your support keeps this story alive I truly appreciate it!
Thank you, everyone! 🗿👍
~ Tenacious Hare 🥕❤️