He took the key from the guard's hand and gently unlocked the iron gate.
The first thing that came into view was a large workbench cluttered with randomly stacked pieces of wood, scattered tools, and various metal components.
This was the kind of environment where one could build a miniature arc reactor and armor that surpassed the limits of modern technology. He truly deserved the title "Iron Man"—wielding godlike power within a mortal body.
Qin Xiao couldn't help but praise him.
Looking deeper into the cave, he saw two simple military cots placed against the far right wall.
Two people lay on them, covered with colorless blankets. One was Dr. Yinsen, who had briefly appeared in the film.
The other was Tony Stark, already transformed into Iron Man. Qin Xiao could see the faint blue glow of the arc reactor shining through the blanket.
After all, Qin Xiao and Tony had known each other for quite some time. There was a foundation of friendship between them.
Once impeccably dressed, Tony Stark now looked ragged and disheveled.
With a hint of sadness, Qin Xiao gently lifted Tony's blanket.
"Snap!"
In that instant, Tony's eyes flew open, and his hand shot out, gripping Qin Xiao's wrist.
"So," Tony said, "as your mentor, should I be praising your academic progress?"
Tony Stark froze, shock flashing across his face.
Qin Xiao didn't bother explaining. He quickly stood up, turned around, and clamped a hand over Yinsen's mouth just as the doctor was about to scream.
"Quiet! If you want to live, don't make a sound! I'm Tony's friend!"
After being awakened so suddenly, Yinsen's first instinct had been to scream—but fortunately, Qin Xiao reacted fast enough.
"My God… I never thought I'd be this happy to see you," Tony whispered. "Why are you here?"
"Believe it or not, I told you I was waiting for the next subway," Qin Xiao replied. "Kidding. Of course I'm here to rescue you, my friend. And don't get any closer—I don't want a hug. Damn it, Tony, you have no idea how bad you smell!"
Qin Xiao struggled free from Tony's embrace and brushed the dust off his clothes.
Lowering his voice, he said, "The people outside have already been dealt with. Stay quiet and follow me."
At that moment, Hawkeye's urgent voice came through the earpiece.
"Qin, you need to move faster. There's a control room watching you. I've already taken care of one guy who got up for a midnight bathroom break—almost done here."
"Hurry up, we're out of time!"
Qin Xiao urged them on anxiously.
Although Tony was stunned by Qin Xiao's sudden appearance, he knew this wasn't the time for questions.
He stood up, walked over to the workbench, grabbed a stack of blueprints, and followed Qin Xiao without hesitation.
By the time Qin Xiao led them out, Black Widow had already begun placing small explosive charges around the area.
After receiving the evacuation signal, Hawkeye led them up along the side of the cave.
Black Widow scanned the canyon, which was filled with weapons, and said calmly,
"Go get the vehicle. I'll stay here and keep watch. If they come out, I'll give them a free fireworks show."
As she spoke, she held a small detonator in her hand.
Because everything had happened so quickly—and it was already dark—Tony hadn't been able to clearly see Hawkeye or Black Widow earlier.
Now, hearing Black Widow's voice and seeing her face clearly, he froze.
"It's you!"
Apparently, Black Widow had left quite an impression on Tony at the casino.
But Tony was wise enough not to ask questions at this moment. Instead, he said to her seriously,
"I want to stay. All those missiles and rifles down there—they're Stark Industries weapons. I don't know how they ended up here, but I want to destroy them myself."
Qin Xiao understood Tony's state of mind better than anyone present. Before anyone else could speak, he made the decision.
"It's settled. I'll stay behind to protect them. Yinsen will leave with Agent Barton."
Hawkeye glanced at Qin Xiao and Tony, said nothing, shook hands with Yinsen, and turned to leave.
The three of them found a concealed spot and lay low.
As night gradually fell, Qin Xiao looked at the glowing arc reactor in Tony's chest and said,
"That tattoo looks great—and it even lights up. You should give me one when we get back."
Tony gave a bitter smile.
He pulled off his clothes, revealing the reactor embedded in his chest.
"This thing is an electromagnet," he said. "It's holding back a bunch of shrapnel that keeps trying to fly into my heart. Trust me—you wouldn't enjoy this."
Even Black Widow was speechless. Though Qin Xiao already knew the truth, seeing such a large piece of metal embedded in a human chest was still shocking.
They didn't know what to say.
"Well, at least you don't need to turn on the lights when you go to the bathroom at night," Qin Xiao joked weakly, patting Tony on the shoulder.
Before the words even finished leaving his mouth, noise erupted from the camp below.
"Enough—they've discovered it," Black Widow said.
The three of them fell silent, watching the camp intently.
A large group of ragged terrorists poured out from a cave on the left, wielding rifles and shouting angrily in all directions.
Black Widow handed the detonator to Tony. "Wait. Let more of them come out."
Tony said nothing, gripping the detonator tightly.
It was clear this experience had left a deep psychological scar.
Moments later, a bald man stormed out, furious, followed by others.
After reviewing the surveillance footage, he reluctantly re-entered the cave where Tony had been held.
More than a minute passed before he emerged again. Standing at the entrance, he shouted orders to the men below.
"Now!" Black Widow said.
Tony slammed his thumb down on the switch.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The small bombs Black Widow had planted detonated almost simultaneously.
Missiles, grenades, bullets, and vast amounts of ammunition on the ground erupted in a chain reaction.
The violent explosions shook the ground so hard that the three of them could feel it from hundreds of meters away.
Countless bullets ignited and detonated midair, flying in all directions.
It looked like a massive fireworks display.
At that moment, the sound of an engine roared behind them.
From a distance, Hawkeye spotted an off-road vehicle racing toward them.
"Get in! The explosions will attract the local military and government forces. Let's not cause more trouble—move, now!"
Hawkeye waved urgently.
Tony took one last long look at the place, then turned and got into the vehicle with Qin Xiao.
No one noticed that the leader—the burly, bald man—had been blown back into the cave by the shockwave at the moment of the explosion.
Though injured, he had narrowly avoided the blast's full force.
After everyone had left, he slowly crawled out of the cave, staring at the dust kicked up by the departing vehicles.
Reaching into his pants, he pulled out a satellite phone.
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