Chapter 61 - Rescue

The three Ten Rings warriors holding guns quickly arrived at the door. When they opened it and saw no sign of Tony or Yinsen, they immediately shouted:

"Bakayarou! Get out here!"

"You think hiding in the corner will keep you safe?"

"And that cat! How the hell did it get in here?"

Hiding silently in the corner, Tony and Yinsen said nothing, making the three guards even more uneasy. Outside, the battle raged on, and they had no idea what was happening.

At that moment, Puer, perched on the ceiling of the cave, leapt down and transformed into a massive iron hammer.

"Pon! Pon! Pon!"

The giant hammer form of Puer smashed into the three men, slamming them into the wall and killing them on the spot before they even had time to react.

Seeing this, Tony's eyes widened in disbelief. Transform? What the hell is this thing?

Outside the cave.

Smith Dole looked at the devastation he had caused with great satisfaction. Especially the Kibadama (Energy Bullet) — against these kinds of enemies, it was perfect. One shot could take out several at once.

If Tony hadn't been inside, he would have simply used a Kamehameha (Turtle Destruction Wave) and blasted the place into a crater.

All the Ten Rings members outside the cave had been annihilated by Smith, not a single one left alive. He couldn't help but think: the Ouji Senpou (Prince's Battle Style) really was perfect for clearing out trash mobs.

The sun was just rising now, warm rays casting their glow on the land.

Hiding deeper in the cave, Zala, upon witnessing Smith's destructive power, thought of the real boss of their organization — Xu Wenwu, the Ten Rings leader in charge of the Middle East. He knew well the feats of his boss.

I need to report back to Boss Xu Wenwu… maybe only he can deal with this monster…

With that thought, Zala touched the Ten Rings tattoo on his wrist and slipped away through a hidden passage.

Having finished off the outside forces, Smith stepped into the cave. Thanks to installed lights, it wasn't dark inside. The remaining few Ten Rings members inside didn't escape death either.

After clearing the cave completely, he arrived at the cell where Tony was held. The iron door was already open, and three corpses lay nearby.

Seeing Smith, Puer floated over immediately and said:

"Shujin (Young Master), under my protection, Tony Stark didn't suffer a single scratch."

Smith patted Puer's head and replied:

"Good work, Puer."

Hearing the exchange, Tony and Yinsen came out from hiding. Tony walked up to Smith, looked at the unfamiliar man before him and said:

"Thank you… for coming to rescue me."

Seeing Tony extend his hand, Smith was slightly surprised. He remembered that Tony usually disliked shaking hands with others.

Smiling faintly, Smith took his hand and said:

"Seeing you alive makes this mission worth it."

Tony, glancing behind Smith, was a bit surprised to see no one else following him:

"You… took out all the enemies outside by yourself?"

Smith nodded with a smile.

Receiving confirmation, Tony froze. The gunfire and explosions he'd heard earlier were no joke. And yet this man took out all those armed fighters alone, without even a speck of dust on him, let alone an injury.

Shocked, Tony couldn't help but ask:

"May I ask… who sent you to rescue me?"

Smith glanced at Yinsen, who stood silently to the side, and then replied:

"It was your secretary, Pepper-san. She came to me and asked me to bring you back."

"Of course… the pay she offered was quite good. Worth the trip."

Hearing that it was Pepper, Tony was somewhat surprised. He himself didn't even have such connections. As for the pay, he didn't care — even ten billion dollars was worth it to be saved.

Once again he said gratefully:

"Of course you should be paid. But still… thank you for coming to save me."

"The military couldn't even find me after so long… your skills are truly No.1."

Saying that, Tony raised his thumb in approval.

Smith chuckled. As expected, Tony accepted the favor. Then, glancing around the cave at all the scattered parts, he figured the Mark I prototype hadn't been assembled yet. He said:

"All the enemies are gone now. You're safe. Anything you need to take with you? I'll get you out of here shortly."

Hearing that, Tony relaxed visibly, even smiling. Thinking of the suit he'd designed, he asked:

"You're sure no more enemies are coming?"

Smith nodded and replied:

"To find you, I even wiped out three similar outposts nearby. I doubt anyone will show up here anytime soon."

Hearing that, Tony's eyes lit up. If it's safe for now… then I can finish assembling my suit and show it off a little.

He spoke up:

"I put together something pretty interesting — originally for escaping. Now that there are no more enemies, let me finish it so everyone can see what it does."

Seeing Tony's eagerness, Smith became curious as well:

"Alright. Show me what the genius scientist has invented."

With Smith's approval, Tony and Yinsen began assembling the armor.

Smith, watching with interest, couldn't help but admire Tony's brilliance — to build the Mark I in such a crude environment. Truly cursed with knowledge… I wonder, between Bulma and Tony, who's smarter?

Once all the parts were assembled, Tony donned the armor and said:

"Yinsen, tighten the screws for me."

Yinsen followed his instructions, fastening the bolts and screws.

When he was nearly done, Tony instructed:

"Yinsen, power it up."

Yinsen, putting down the tools, turned and asked:

"Tell me what to do."

"Press function key F11."

"Let me know when you see the progress bar."

Yinsen followed the instructions and soon said:

"Alright, it's up. Should be booting now."

Tony continued:

"Control key I, then Enter."

Standing to the side, Smith and Puer watched the whole process quietly.

Soon, the progress bar filled up completely, and Tony Stark's Mark I was fully powered on.

(End of Chapter)

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