The Ten Rings did not appear often in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
At least, that was the case before Qin Xiao traveled through time. As for the comics, Qin Xiao's knowledge was limited to the Mandarin and his rings.
But judging by the current situation, the Ten Rings' influence in the Middle East was far stronger than expected—
At least in the Asian regions of the Middle East.
How far was it from the desert camp where Tony had been rescued to Afghanistan?
Along the way, they had been chased by six fully armed off-road vehicles.
Now, they were surrounded by nearly twenty.
Even with two elite agents in the vehicle, plus Qin Xiao—a super-soldier—
They were immediately pinned down by overwhelming firepower, unable to even raise their heads.
Counterattacking was out of the question. In this situation, they wouldn't get far before being shredded by heavy machine-gun fire.
To prevent accidents and block the pursuing force, the vehicle had been equipped with two six-barrel Gatling heavy machine guns for the final stretch.
After the car crossed three consecutive sand dunes—
Qin Xiao shouted for them to stop.
Cradling a Gatling gun, he jumped out of the vehicle.
There were two Gatlings in total: Qin Xiao held one, while Tony set the other down nearby.
Hawkeye still carried his bow. Black Widow and Yinsen took up automatic rifles.
"Once they cross these dunes, they'll be able to split up and chase us from multiple directions," Qin Xiao said, lying on the back side of the dune and peering over the ridge. "This is our last chance."
"This terrain can slow them down for now," Hawkeye added after quickly checking their ammo. "But we can't hold them for long. There are too many of them, and our ammunition will only last a few minutes."
"A few minutes is enough," Qin Xiao replied. "We just need to make them stop."
He stared at the dunes ahead, waiting until all the enemy vehicles passed over the ridge.
When they entered the natural basin formed between the two dunes, they would be trapped.
"But—"
Natasha was about to speak when the roar of engines suddenly echoed from the other side.
One off-road vehicle after another burst over the dunes, racing downhill toward them.
"Get ready!"
Qin Xiao fixed his gaze on the approaching vehicles, waiting as most of them rolled into the lowest part of the basin.
"Now!"
Qin Xiao opened fire first.
No one fully understood his plan—but everyone followed his lead.
Two Gatling guns and two automatic rifles unleashed a woven torrent of death.
With Hawkeye's support, a single arrow could take out several drivers in quick succession.
The vehicles in the basin reacted immediately.
Several jeeps lined up nose-to-tail, with more forming a column behind them.
The terrorists could only take cover behind two vehicles as they returned fire.
The Gatling guns' firepower was overwhelming—one vehicle was nowhere near enough to shield them.
"Good—cease fire!"
Seeing the enemy dig in and form a static defense, Qin Xiao raised his hand, signaling everyone to stop shooting.
"Barton, if anyone tries to drive out from the opposite side, shoot the driver. If they stay put, don't move."
There were only five of them, concealed behind the dunes, constantly shifting positions and peeking out.
Any movement on the opposite side earned an arrow from Hawkeye.
If several enemies moved—or tried to drive—
Gunfire erupted instantly.
Just as expected, the enemy was pinned in place.
"So that's your plan?" Black Widow asked as she swapped magazines. "We're almost out of ammo. What's next?"
"Now it's time for my performance," Qin Xiao said calmly, looking down at the trapped vehicles. "Save what ammo you have. Once they make a move, we start the next phase—and you leave immediately."
"No. What about you?"
Tony was the first to object. Qin Xiao had come to save him—Tony couldn't leave him alone in the desert.
"You don't know this, but you should understand," Qin Xiao said evenly. "If you leave first, my odds of survival are higher. Afghanistan isn't far. If you move fast, I can hold out until reinforcements arrive."
He glanced at Black Widow and Hawkeye.
They exchanged a look and realized this was indeed the best option available.
Dragging the enemy here was only part of the problem. The real issue was time—no one knew which side's reinforcements would arrive first.
The enemy had the numbers. If even one unit broke through, they could attack from another direction and completely encircle them.
"No, I object! There has to be another way!"
Seeing Hawkeye and Natasha wavering, Tony protested loudly.
"Tony, listen to me—look here."
Qin Xiao raised a finger.
The moment Tony's gaze shifted, Qin Xiao swung his knife at the back of Tony's neck.
"Damn it! Why'd you hit me?" Tony groaned, clutching his neck.
Qin Xiao winced in embarrassment. Afraid of hurting Tony too badly, he hadn't used enough force—making the moment awkward instead.
"Well, uh—"
Before he could finish, Hawkeye suddenly stood up and delivered a clean strike to Tony's neck with his blade.
Tony let out a groan and collapsed.
"You," Qin Xiao said, glancing at Yinsen. "You coming with them, or do you want to be knocked out too?"
"I'm going with them. I'll follow orders," Yinsen said quickly, raising his hands.
He had just watched Tony get hit twice before going down. Just watching it hurt—it was definitely going to swell.
That was Yinsen's helpless thought.
At that moment, two enemy vehicles attempted to drive out in another direction and loop back around.
Both Gatling guns swung toward them, forcing the vehicles to retreat.
Hawkeye even put an arrow through one driver for good measure.
"Time to go—now!"
Without another word, Hawkeye bent down and lifted the unconscious Tony.
Black Widow looked at Qin Xiao, worry evident in her eyes.
"Judging by that look, you're not planning to tell me everything. For God's sake, you'd better leave soon and bring reinforcements back for me. Fast."
Qin Xiao said it harshly—then gave Black Widow a sharp slap on the hip.
This time, she didn't get angry. She just rolled her eyes at him.
"If you can't hold out, don't force it. Switch to guerrilla tactics. We'll find you."
"Yeah."
Qin Xiao nodded heavily.
Later, the convoy of off-road vehicles advanced directly through the Iranian desert.
Leading them was a bearded, heavyset man.
It was he who had commanded the encirclement of the makeshift stronghold during the sudden ambush at the dunes.
Despite the enemy's fierce firepower, the fat man wasn't worried at all.
With their numbers, the enemy couldn't possibly carry much ammunition.
This was the desert—his territory. They would be exhausted long before he was.
Still, he wasn't sure how long this standoff would last, so he ordered two vehicles to attempt a breakthrough.
The moment the engines started, the howl of Gatling guns answered them.
And then there were those terrifying arrows—one shot, one kill.
"Damn it! This won't work. If this drags on, the U.S. military will intervene."
The bearded man slapped the sand in frustration.
He sent two more men to try to flank them—
Only for them to be driven back by a storm of bullets… or killed outright by Hawkeye's arrows.
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