"Ding!"
Gained initial favor from Iron Man. Luck increased by 10%.
Lock hadn't expected that a casual question would spark inspiration in Tony Stark. Ten percent luck wasn't much, but it meant Tony now saw him in a positive light. That was enough for now.
After Tony and Ho Yinsen finished their feast of hamburgers, cola, and grilled chicken, Tony let out a satisfied burp.
"Next time," he said, grinning, "I want champagne and Australian lobster. And don't hold back on the takeout bill."
Lock shook his head. "Not likely."
He'd brought this food from a city over a hundred kilometers away, leaping across the desert in great bounds and slipping past patrols to avoid being seen. It was time-consuming and risky. Hunting for lobster in an even farther city? Not happening—unless he stumbled across it on the way.
The next morning, after Lock left, the soldiers came to deliver the usual slop. Tony and Yinsen didn't even glance at it.
But the soldiers caught the faint aroma of roast chicken lingering in the cave.
"It's definitely roast chicken," Soldier A muttered.
"I smell it too," Soldier B agreed, narrowing his eyes at Yinsen. "Where's the food? Where'd you hide it?"
Yinsen froze, unsure how to respond. Tony, afraid his friend might give them away, stepped forward.
"We're locked up here with car batteries strapped to our chests. Where exactly do you think we'd get grilled chicken and burgers?" He gestured subtly toward the side tunnel where the Ten Rings' leader lived. "If someone's eating it, who do you think it is?"
The soldiers exchanged glances. The leader's quarters were the only private rooms in the cave, and the ventilation carried scents everywhere. If the boss had eaten the food, they wouldn't dare question him. Without another word, they backed off.
Tony's quick thinking not only defused the situation but also planted seeds of doubt in the soldiers' minds about their leader's loyalty to the cause.
Lock visited every few days with more food, checking on the armor's progress. After a month, most of it was built, though the pieces couldn't be assembled openly under constant surveillance.
Tony and Yinsen, confined with little exercise, had both put on weight, arousing more suspicion. Even the leader came to inspect them.
"You hardly eat," the boss growled, "so why are you getting fat?"
"It's edema," Tony replied smoothly. "The battery in my chest is keeping me alive, but my body's infected. I won't last long."
The boss turned to Yinsen. "And him?"
"Same room, same air," Tony said without blinking. "He's infected too."
Yinsen nearly laughed, disguising it as a cough. The boss, not wanting to catch anything, backed away. "Finish the missile quickly. Then I'll take you to a hospital."
They both knew it was a lie. If the missile was completed, they'd be executed immediately.
One day, Yinsen hid a chicken leg to eat later, but the Ten Rings discovered it during inspection. Furious, the boss dragged him out for interrogation.
"Where did the chicken come from?"
"Ah—don't tell you—ah!"
Each lash made Yinsen scream, but he refused to give them any information. Tony understood his friend's real message: Start the armor now.
It was broad daylight. Lock only came at night, and even then unpredictably. If the leader realized what they'd been building, it would be torn apart before evening.
Tony connected the armor to an old laptop. The startup process crawled by, Yinsen's cries echoing through the cave. Finally—
Startup complete.
He pulled the cables from his chest and plugged them into the first-generation Arc Reactor. The armor was crude—weld marks everywhere, joints made from low-grade rubber, the steel painted in dull gray-black.
The joints groaned as Tony moved. He stepped forward and kicked the steel-plated cell door clean off its hinges. The soldier outside crumpled instantly, ribs shattered.
"Fire! Fire!" the leader shouted.
Bullets clanged harmlessly off the armor's missile-casing plates. Only the joints were vulnerable, but in the chaos, no one aimed for them. Tony swung his iron fist, smashing soldiers to the ground.
One soldier finally aimed for the joints. Bullets ricocheted—one striking Yinsen in the chest.
"Yinsen—!" Tony caught him before he fell. With a flick of his wrists, twin flamethrowers ignited, torching enemies into screaming fireballs.
"Hold on," Tony pleaded. "Lock will come. We'll get out together."
Yinsen's eyes softened. "Don't… worry. My family… they're gone. I'll see them again… soon."
Tony's throat tightened. "You saved my life. I haven't repaid you."
Outside, the leader roared: "RPG! Bring the RPGs!"
"If you want to repay me," Yinsen whispered, "don't waste your life."
An RPG round fired, but the cave's angle saved Tony from a direct hit. Still, rubble rained down. He knew if he stayed, both of them would die. He gently laid Yinsen down and charged toward the exit.
A dozen RPGs were aimed right at him.
Then—whizz! whizz! whizz!—small stones shot through the air like sniper rounds, killing the RPG soldiers instantly. One corpse toppled onto its launcher, accidentally firing into the munitions pile outside. The desert erupted in a chain of explosions.
Lock had arrived.
"Move! What are you waiting for?" Lock shouted.
Tony's voice was desperate: "Yinsen's still inside! Save him, and I'll agree to anything you want."
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A/N: New Fanfic Is Out "Luffy Asked Me To Join His Crew!!!"
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