After a few more casual words, Sharlot asked, "So what are we going to do next? Are we going straight back to Kamar-Taj?"
Wong shook his head.
"The mystics of Kamar-Taj spend years cultivating on the mountain, so these seemingly dangerous exorcism missions are actually a rare chance for us to let loose.
Sharlot, you've only been learning magic at Kamar-Taj for two days, so you might not feel it yet.
But for us mystics who have been on the mountain for a long time, this is a long-awaited period of free activity!
So, the mystics sent on exorcism missions all tacitly agreed to an unwritten rule.
Even after solving the exorcism mission, they can stay for a few more days, treating it as a vacation for themselves."
Sharlot was stunned.
Good heavens, is there such a thing?
"Wong, what do you plan to do these next few days?"
Wong smiled, pulled out his phone, opened a webpage, and said, "Besides learning to use magic for offense, close-quarters combat is also essential for us mystics of Kamar-Taj.
Sorcerer Ancient One said that to become the Sorcerer Supreme, one must constantly seek opponents comparable to oneself on the path of cultivation.
So, every time I come down the mountain after an exorcism, I sign up online for underground boxing matches to hone my close-quarters combat skills.
How about it, Sharlot, do you want to come with me and have some fun?"
Underground boxing match?
Could it be that the person Wong is about to fight is Abomination?
Shaking his head, Sharlot refused.
"No, Wong, I have other things to do.
It seems we'll have to part ways temporarily."
To deal with the upcoming Agatha.
To improve his own strength.
The thing Sharlot had to do was undoubtedly to go to the Middle East cave and rescue Tony, who had been missing for almost two months.
He planned to act as a savior, bring Tony back, and then help him deal with his rebellious uncle, Obadiah.
By solving Tony's two major problems, he could naturally gain enough favorability with Tony.
Then, when Tony was building the mark armor, he could subtly push for its upgrade and iteration.
Once Tony built the magic armor, he could logically use the system to transform it into the realm of Dark Magic.
Although the time until the final creation of the magic armor would be long.
It's possible that he might confront Agatha the Witch much earlier.
But this Marvel Universe is fraught with peril, and Agatha isn't the only villain; there's also the Chitauri Army led by Loki, the Ultron Legion, Thanos's army, Silver Shadow, Galactus, the Celestials, and so on.
Therefore, rescuing Tony, gaining favorability, and advancing the progress of building the magic armor.
In Sharlot's opinion, this was a very good long-term investment.
Wong saw that Sharlot seemed to have a plan in mind.
He nodded.
"Alright, then you go take care of your other business.
How about we meet again tomorrow around ten o'clock, downstairs at Gwen's place?"
Sharlot hummed in agreement.
Then he said goodbye, turned, and went into a nearby alley.
After tidying his clothes a bit, rubbing his face, and draping the cloak of the undead over his shoulders, feeling that this was how a savior should look.
He opened Hell's Gate and stepped inside... Middle East.
Inside a hidden cave.
Tony and Ethan's expressions were very serious, and their voices were much quieter than usual.
They looked at the Mark I placed in a blind spot of the surveillance.
Hope for escape flickered in their eyes.
"Tony, operating the Mark I requires both of us.
This means that both of us will disappear from the Ten Rings Gang's surveillance for a period of time.
This will surely alert them!
Last time, they already noticed something was amiss, realizing that the mark armor was far from being the Jericho missile.
And they've already come to us personally!
So, our brief disappearance from the surveillance feed this time will definitely attract the attention of these Terrorists!
They will certainly send people in!
By then..."
Ethan glanced at the AK47 in his hand, instinctively tightened his grip, and continued, "By then, I'll rush out to buy you time.
However, I am a Doctor after all, and I still have a lingering obsession to uphold the Hippocratic Oath.
By then, I might only fire shots to scare them.
Having been a Doctor for so many years, suddenly asking me to kill someone, I'm sorry, I really can't do it."
Ethan's voice trembled slightly.
Firing shots to scare people, not to kill them, meant that once those Terrorists reacted, his fate would be one word—death!
Tony saw the anxiety in Ethan's eyes and patted the shoulder of the man who had looked after him for two months.
He used his usual dry humor to lighten the mood.
"Don't worry, Ethan.
Look on the bright side, if we manage to escape from here, even if you don't fire a single bullet at the enemy, you'll still be considered the best shot Doctor in the World.
After all, what Doctor can escape from a hail of bullets from Terrorists!
I imagine you'll never encounter medical disputes again, right?"
Ethan forced a smile.
Pushing Tony into the Mark I, he also quipped, "Tony, if you successfully escape from the cave, and other arms dealers in the World find out that you were trapped in a cave and managed to build a miniature Arc Reactor and mark armor with just scrap metal, they'd probably go crazy, wouldn't they?"
Tony smiled.
"Oh? Are you talking about Hammer, that guy?
Believe me, considering the weapons developed by Stark Industries and the market share we've captured.
That guy has already gone crazy."
Ethan operated the computer while asking, "Tony, what do you want to do after you escape from the cave?"
Tony put on his mask, his voice muffled through the metal faceplate.
"First, eat two cheeseburgers; damn it, I've really missed them these past two months of being trapped!
Secondly, I'm going to shut down Stark Industries' weapons division!"
"Shut it down? Won't that cause your company's stock to plummet?
After all, that's the source of your survival!"
"Heh heh, Ethan, if it weren't for this damned weapons division, I wouldn't be in this predicament, would I?
I've already decided, after it's shut down, Stark Industries will transition from an arms company to a new energy company.
As for me, it's time to take on some social responsibility.
For example, upgrading this tin can, installing more advanced weapons, and connecting it to Jarvis, the super AI at home.
I'll wear it to bring peace to regions of the World still plagued by Terrorists.
Perhaps, by then, the news media will capture my figure in the mark armor and call me Iron Man!"
"Oh? Iron Man?
That's a good name.
However, perhaps one or two black women online might say,
'If Tony Stark didn't have those hundreds of billions in assets, could he still be Iron Man?'"
Tony in the metal suit shrugged.
"That sounds like jealousy!
Let her try to build a miniature Arc Reactor from scratch in this cave with scrap metal in two months.
I'd say, anyone with that mindset will never be able to become Iron Man!"
The two chatted idly.
This wasn't because they had nothing to do.
It was because their hearts were too tense at the moment.
Upon noticing their absence from the surveillance footage, those Terrorists would surely send armed men to investigate the situation.
And by then, it would truly be a fight for their lives!
So, for now, they should cherish the time they still had to chat.
Clatter, clatter, clatter.
Just then.
Ethan keenly heard footsteps from outside the stone door.
His heart tightened, and he quickly raised his AK47, aiming at the stone door.
"Careful, the enemy is here!"
However.
The next moment.
Large swathes of eerie green flames abruptly rose in the void.
A massive Hell's Gate, crafted from chillingly pale White bones, appeared before Ethan.
Behind Hell's Gate, a figure dressed in a cloak made of countless dense black skulls, like a grim reaper climbing out of hell to claim lives, slowly emerged from Hell's Gate.
On his left hand, there was a pure black shield with chaotic and disordered runes.
On his right hand, there was a three-meter-long bone whip exuding an aura of death.
Just this one person.
Ethan felt he was ten thousand times more terrifying than the hundreds of Terrorists in the cave!
And at the feet of this grim reaper were four or five Hellhounds, each with three heads, six eyes on each head, radiating crimson Fire, and occasionally sticking out their tongues and baring their fangs.
It seemed that with just a command from this man, they would immediately pounce and tear them apart!
Sharlot spoke softly.
"Everyone, I am..."
"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah ah!!!"
Bang!
Very fast!
Dr. Ethan raised two assault rifles.
He frantically pressed the trigger, desperately firing in Sharlot's direction!
Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
Ethan's firing speed was very fast!
But the cloak of the undead behind Sharlot was even faster!
The moment Dr. Ethan fired.
Countless skulls formed eight large black hands, firmly protecting Sharlot.
And the bullets hitting the eight black hands produced wisps of black smoke.
This bizarre scene, far from resolving Sharlot's crisis, made Sharlot appear even more eerie and terrifying!
Although he knew the scene before him was too bizarre, the flashy Tony couldn't help but subconsciously quip, "Dr. Ethan, didn't you just say you would uphold the Hippocratic Oath and wouldn't casually shoot people?
How come your marksmanship is so good?
Honestly, were you secretly preparing in advance to deal with potential medical disputes?"
Sharlot: ???
I've been shot almost a hundred times by Ethan!
And he says he wouldn't casually shoot people!?
Am I not human?
Am I even human!
(╯'-')╯︵ ┻━┻
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