Laza and the others' bodies fell to the ground with a thud.
Tony and Ethan were completely stunned.
From his appearance until now, Russell's actions were more unexpected each time.
First, he ignored the threats, even instigating the Ten Rings members to kill Tony.
Then, he further provoked the Ten Rings members, as if afraid they wouldn't shoot.
Finally, he unexpectedly killed the Ten Rings members directly.
Is this guy crazy?
Isn't he afraid the Ten Rings people would actually shoot and kill me?
Tony glared fiercely at Russell, as if he wanted to eat him alive.
"Don't look at me like that, I'm not a good person either."
"If you keep looking at me with that kind of gaze, maybe I'll finish what they were supposed to do."
Russell pointed at the bodies of Laza and the others.
Then, in front of Tony and Ethan, he dispelled his Venom form, took the pistol controlled by the black tendrils into his hand, revealing his true appearance.
After hearing Russell's threat, although Tony was even more displeased, his survival instinct had kicked in, so he restrained his angry gaze.
"Sit down."
Russell said, pointing the gun barrel at Tony and Ethan.
"Who exactly are you?"
After sitting down, Tony immediately asked.
"My name is Russell Bradley, a private investigator and killer living in New York."
Russell said with a smile.
Tony didn't expect Russell would actually answer that question, and even reveal his real name and profession.
"A private investigator and a killer?"
"So are you a detective or a killer right now?"
After thinking for a few seconds, Tony continued to ask.
"Whether I'm a detective or a killer depends on whether you can get out of here alive."
"If you get out alive, then I'm a private investigator."
"If you die, I'm a killer."
Although Tony was a genius, at this moment, he still couldn't keep up with Russell's train of thought.
From his appearance, Russell was just a young man in his early twenties, very handsome, and looked harmless.
But it was this young man who single-handedly broke into the Ten Rings' stronghold and, right under their noses, killed the terrorists who were holding them hostage without batting an eye.
"You want money? How much? Name your price. No matter how much you want, I can meet it."
Tony said quickly.
"I do want money. After all, coming all the way to Afghanistan cost me a lot of money and time."
"However, how much money it takes to let you go, that has to be decided by others."
Given Tony's wealth, he could indeed offer a tempting reward.
But Russell was a man of principle.
"What do you mean?"
Tony no longer wanted to guess what Russell was thinking and asked directly.
"You'll know in a moment. Oh, and by the way, let me give you an inside scoop: this kidnapping was arranged by Obadiah."
"As for why, you should be able to guess the reason easily."
While answering Tony, Russell took out a satellite phone.
Under the gaze of Tony and Ethan, he dialed a number.
Beep... Beep... Beep...
After a few dozen seconds, the call was answered.
Before the person on the other end could speak, Russell spoke first: "Good afternoon, Mr. Stane!"
"No, Afghanistan is 12 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Los Angeles, so it should be late night now. Mr. Stane, if you don't mind, you can go to the bathroom in a bit."
Stane on the other end of the phone originally thought this was a spam call from somewhere.
However, after hearing the word Afghanistan, he dismissed the idea of hanging up.
"Who are you?"
Whether it was because he was woken up in the middle of the night or because he sensed something, Obadiah's tone sounded somewhat gloomy.
Russell pressed the speaker button, letting Tony know that the person on the other end was Obadiah, whom he regarded as his mentor and friend.
Just as Tony was about to say something, Russell pointed the pistol at him, signaling him to keep quiet.
"Who I am isn't important. What's important is that Tony Stark is currently in my hands."
"Mr. Stane, since you planned the kidnapping, I'm sure you wouldn't mind spending some money to get rid of Stark," Russell said unhurriedly.
"I don't know what you're talking about. If you're the one who kidnapped Tony, and you want a ransom, I can give it to you, but you must ensure Tony's safety," Obadiah said righteously.
"If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you should contact the military."
"Stark Industries has a good relationship with the military. You should be able to easily contact the commander of the US military base in Afghanistan."
"Oh, and Stark's good friend Colonel Rhodes is also in Afghanistan right now. You can contact him too," Russell said with a relaxed expression.
"Who exactly are you, and what do you want?" Obadiah's tone became even colder.
"I've already said, who I am isn't important. What's important is how much you're willing to pay to get rid of Tony Stark."
"You could pay the Ten Rings a large sum of money to hire them for murder. It's not like you're unwilling to pay even a cent now that it's me, is it?"
"If you really don't want to pay a single cent, that's fine too. I believe Tony Stark wouldn't mind spending a large sum of money to buy back his own life."
"I'll give you ten seconds to consider. I hope you can give a price that is acceptable to both of us."
"10, 9, 8, 7..."
Russell directly started counting down.
Just as he was about to count down to the last second, Obadiah finally gave an answer.
"Three hundred million US dollars!"
"I can give you three hundred million US dollars. How do you want to receive it? Bank transfer, cashier's check, bearer bonds, or something equivalent?"
Tony originally still held a last shred of hope for Obadiah.
But now, that last shred of hope was also shattered.
Glancing at Tony, Russell slowly said, "Bank transfer."
After saying that, he gave Obadiah an overseas bank account that had never been used, not even in his own name.
As a killer, one must know where to get the tools of the trade, and also how to handle one's payment.
The US tax department is no joke!
This is a magical department that dares to pursue taxes from drug dealers, and even has its own armed organization, prisons, and courts.
Only death and taxes are eternal in this world!
This saying was born because of the US tax department.
"I need a little time to process!" Obadiah said slowly.
"Okay!"
After speaking, Russell directly hung up the phone and tossed it to Tony.
This guy had a strange quirk of not taking things directly from others' hands.
So he chose to toss the phone to Tony instead of handing it over.
"Obadiah is willing to pay 300 million US dollars for your life, so you shouldn't mind paying 600 million US dollars to buy back your own life."
Although 600 million US dollars is a bit much, that's for others.
For Tony, his life is far beyond what 600 million US dollars can measure.
"You want me to transfer the money to your account too?"
Tony asked.
"No need. The phone is for you to call for help."
"You know my real name and profession. I'll be waiting for you and your 600 million US dollars in New York."
Russell stood up and said with a smile.
"Aren't you afraid I won't pay?"
Looking at Russell who had stood up, Tony suddenly asked.
"600 million US dollars isn't a very large sum for you."
"Besides, if you don't pay, I'll come find you myself. You wouldn't want to see me under those circumstances."
After speaking, Russell turned and left.
Just as he was about to leave the cave, Tony stood up and shouted at him, "What about Obadiah? You took his money, are you just going to do nothing?"
After hearing Tony's words, Russell shook his head helplessly and said without looking back, "He won't transfer the money!"
"What he needs time to process isn't the transfer, but finding people to kill you and me."
"If you don't want to die here, you'd better contact your good friend Colonel Rhodes as soon as possible."