Before long, three Ten Rings soldiers armed with rifles reached the door. They threw it open but found no sign of Tony Stark or Yinsen. One of them shouted:
"Bastards!Come out now!"
"You think hiding in the shadows will keep you safe?"
"And where's that damn cat? How did it even get in here?!"
Tony and Yinsen stayed completely silent, crouched in a dark corner. Their silence only made the guards more uneasy. The fight outside was still raging, but they had no idea what was happening.
Just then, Purr, positioned high above, suddenly leapt down—transforming mid-air into a massive hammer.
BOOM—BOOM—BOOM—
The hammer—Purr's transformed body—smashed down on the three guards in rapid succession, slamming them into the walls with deadly force. They didn't even have time to react before they were crushed to death.
Tony Stark's eyes went wide in disbelief. Shape-shifting? What the hell kind of creature was this cat?
---
Outside the cave.
Smith Doyle admired the devastation he'd caused, especially satisfied with how effective his energy blasts had been. Against these kinds of enemies, they were absolutely perfect—one blast took out several targets at once.
If Tony hadn't been inside, he'd have just used a full-force Kamehameha and blasted the entire cave into a crater.
Every Ten Rings soldier stationed outside had been eliminated—Smith didn't leave a single survivor. The "Prince's War Strategy" was tailor-made for cleaning up small fry like this.
The morning sun slowly rose, casting a warm golden light over the desolate terrain, giving the aftermath a strange sense of calm beauty.
Inside the cave, Zala, who had been in hiding, witnessed Smith Doyle's destructive power and immediately thought of the true boss of the Ten Rings in this region—Xu Wenwu. He was the leader responsible for their Middle East operations, and Zala knew a few things about the man.
He decided he had to return and report this monster to Xu Wenwu. Maybe the boss would take an interest in someone this powerful. Perhaps he was the only one capable of dealing with such a freak.
With that thought, Zala brushed his fingers across the Ten Rings tattoo on his wrist, then slipped away through a hidden escape tunnel.
---
Having wiped out the external threat, Smith Doyle stepped into the cave. Thanks to the installed lighting, it wasn't dark inside. Any Ten Rings members still within hadn't escaped death either.
Once the last of the enemies were dealt with, Smith made his way to the holding cell where Tony Stark had been imprisoned. The heavy iron door was open, and three corpses lay sprawled across the floor.
Purr floated over the moment he saw Smith and said,
"Master Smith, under my protection, Tony Stark remained completely unharmed."
Smith patted the cat's head and said,
"Nice work, Purr."
Hearing the voices, Tony and Yinsen emerged from the shadows. Tony stepped forward to meet Smith and, seeing a complete stranger, said,
"Thanks for rescuing me."
Smith was a little surprised—he remembered Tony wasn't big on shaking hands, yet here he was, extending one.
With a small smile, Smith shook his hand and replied,
"Seeing you alive made this whole mission worth it."
Tony glanced around, then looked back at Smith with a puzzled expression.
"You took down all those enemies by yourself?"
Smith simply nodded with a grin.
Tony blinked in disbelief. The gunfire and explosions outside had been intense—now he found out one man had handled everything? This guy made Captain America look like a rookie. And he wasn't even dirty—no wounds, no dust.
Still shocked, Tony couldn't help but ask,
"Can I ask—who sent you to rescue me?"
Smith glanced over at the silent Yinsen, then turned to Tony and answered:
"It was your secretary, Pepper Potts. She came to me and asked for your safe return."
"Offered a decent payment too—worth the trip."
Tony raised his brows. Pepper Potts? Even he didn't think she had that kind of pull. As for the money—he couldn't care less. Ten million, a hundred million—even a billion—he'd gladly pay any amount to be rescued.
"Payment's expected, sure," Tony said gratefully, "but I still really appreciate what you did."
"Even the military couldn't find me all this time. You're clearly number one at this sort of thing."
He gave Smith a thumbs-up.
Smith chuckled. Clearly, Tony had accepted the debt of gratitude. He took a look around at the parts strewn about and realized that the prototype for the Mark I armor hadn't been assembled yet.
"Well, the enemies are gone. You're safe now."
"Anything you need to bring with you? I'll get you both out of here soon."
Tony visibly relaxed at that and smiled. Looking at the parts around him, he said,
"So you're sure no more enemies are coming?"
Smith nodded again and added,
"I took out three similar bases nearby while tracking you. I doubt anyone else will show up soon."
Tony's eyes lit up. If it was safe now, maybe he could finally finish putting together his armor.
"I built something interesting—meant to help me escape. Since we've got time, I might as well finish it and show you."
Hearing that, Smith became curious.
"Sure. I'd love to see what a genius like you came up with."
With Smith's approval, Tony excitedly pulled Yinsen over to begin assembling the Mark I armor.
Smith watched with interest. Seeing Tony build the suit under such primitive conditions was impressive. Truly, this man was cursed with brilliance. He couldn't help but wonder—who would be smarter? Tony Stark or Bulma?
Piece by piece, the armor took shape. Finally, Tony slipped into the suit and called out,
"Yinsen, tighten the bolts for me."
Yinsen followed his instructions, fastening the straps and bolts. Once they were almost done, Tony said,
"Now, power it up."
Yinsen put down his tools, turned to Tony, and asked,
"Okay. How do I do that?"
"Function key F11."
"Tell me when the progress bar shows up."
Yinsen did as instructed, then replied,
"It's up. Initialization should be starting."
Tony added,
"Control key I, then Enter."
Smith and Purr stood quietly nearby, watching as the two men worked.
Soon, the progress bar filled completely—and with that, Tony Stark's Mark I armor roared to life.
—End of Chicken—
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