Ten Rings

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Seeing that it worked, Tony raised his head and proudly showed off his results to Kai.

Then he called out, "Alright, that's it! Come on, everybody!"

As soon as the first component activated, the remaining armor pieces followed suit. Guided by the micro-sensing device, they launched from the table and flew toward their designated positions, locking onto Tony's body one by one until the suit was fully assembled.

Kai watched the entire process with interest. A few pieces flew too fast and nearly hit Tony, prompting him to order them to slow down.

Then, just as Tony was getting comfortable, one of the parts unexpectedly slammed into his back, knocking him forward.

Kai couldn't help but chuckle, but seeing Tony still standing, he held back from laughing too loudly.

Tony, however, was unfazed. "Jarvis! Be gentle, okay?" he said quickly.

The remaining pieces adjusted their speed, allowing Tony to catch them smoothly. Eventually, only the helmet remained.

Glaring at it, Tony smirked. "Come on, I'm not afraid of you!" He adjusted his stance, preparing to receive the final piece.

With a dramatic one-knee landing, the last piece snapped into place.

Tony straightened up and looked at Kai. "I'm the best!"

Just as he finished speaking, a stray armor piece—one that hadn't properly locked in—suddenly launched at high speed and struck him in the back. The impact sent Tony flying, and the suit shattered into pieces on the floor. He groaned, lying there for a long moment, clearly in pain.

Jarvis, ever helpful, remarked, "Sir, watching you work is always a pleasure."

"Hahaha!" Kai finally burst into laughter. The combination of Tony's dramatic pose, the sudden failure, and Jarvis' deadpan comment was just too much.

Still laughing, he walked over and helped Tony up.

"Seriously? I'm right in front of you, and you're laughing this hard?" Tony grumbled as Kai pulled him to his feet. He had wanted to impress Kai with his latest suit, but instead, he had made a complete mess of things.

Kai handed him an ice pack, which Tony grudgingly pressed to his forehead as he slumped into a chair, still sulking.

Trying to distract from his failure, Tony turned on the TV.

Sure enough, both of them were quickly drawn into the news.

Suddenly, the broadcast was hijacked. The screen flickered, and a new video played.

It was a message from the Ten Rings organization, featuring their leader—The Mandarin.

"Some people call me a terrorist. I prefer to think of myself as a teacher," the Mandarin said, staring directly into the camera. "So, class is in session. Are you ready for your next lesson?"

He continued, recounting a historical event where the U.S. military had massacred Cheyenne warriors while they were out hunting, stealing their land in the process.

"So," he went on, "just thirty-nine hours ago, Ali Alham Air Base in Kuwait was attacked. By me. It was an Air Force military chapel, filled with women and children. The soldiers? They were out training. The warriors were gone."

The Mandarin's voice turned cold. "Mr. President, you ignore my lessons. You refuse to listen. So now, I will make sure you hear me."

A recording played, showing terrorists storming an air force base, executing their attack. The Mandarin's voiceover continued.

"You know who I am. But you don't know where I am. And you can never predict where I'll strike next."

The video ended. The news broadcast returned to normal, but the room felt heavier now.

Moments later, a press conference aired, with a government official addressing the crisis. "The Cabinet's response to this terrorist is to deploy Colonel James Rhodes—the Iron Patriot!"

Kai and Tony watched as the media had a field day mocking the name.

Kai burst into laughter. "Iron Patriot? Oh man, Tony, I bet you hated that name!"

Tony's face darkened. He immediately pulled out his phone and called Rhodes.

"Rhodes, why the hell did they send you out there?"

"What's wrong, Tony? Public opinion has been great so far!" Rhodes replied.

Tony scoffed. "The name. 'Iron Patriot' is just terrible."

"Well, your suggestion—'MechWarrior'—was a bit much. Compared to that, this one's not so bad."

Tony rolled his eyes but decided to move on. "Alright, whatever. More importantly, what's the deal with this Mandarin guy?"

Rhodes hesitated. "...Tony, you know this is classified information."

"Come on, don't give me that. Just tell me what you know."

After a moment of silence, Rhodes finally relented. "Alright, listen. There have actually been nine bombings in total."

Kai, sitting next to Tony, raised an eyebrow. "Nine?"

Rhodes continued, "Yeah. But the public only knows about three. The real issue? We can't find the bombs. No explosive devices, no casings—nothing."

Tony frowned. "Rhodes, you know I can help. Just say the word."

"I know, Tony. But the government doesn't want your involvement right now. Ever since the alien invasions, they're paranoid. This time, they think it's just a conflict between nations, not another extraterrestrial threat. They want to handle it themselves."

Tony glanced at Kai. "Should I say I understand?"

Kai smirked, but he knew Tony well enough—there was no way he'd sit this one out.

The call ended, and both of them sat in silence for a moment.

Eventually, Tony sighed. "Well, let's see how they plan to handle this mess."

Kai didn't say much, but he was certain of one thing—whether the government wanted it or not, Tony Stark was going to get involved.

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