When Tony Stark woke up, he realized he was lying inside a U.S. military base.
He opened his eyes and saw Rhodey's familiar face.
"Tony, what do you think of the Happy Hummer? Next time, remember to ride with me, alright?"
Rhodey said with a grin.
God knew how much pressure he had been under this past month.
"Touché."
Tony understood immediately, smiled, and pulled his old friend into a hug.
"Qin—wait, where's Qin?"
Suddenly realizing something, Tony's expression changed. He pushed Rhodey aside and asked urgently.
He looked around the room. Hawkeye, Black Widow, even Yinsen were all there.
Only Qin Xiao was missing.
Given what had happened before he lost consciousness, Tony still didn't fully understand the situation.
"Rhodey, go save him. Qin went alone to hold off the enemy. Go save him!"
Rhodey clearly knew what had happened.
Tony had talked to him about Qin Xiao before.
But what Tony described—about saving people—wasn't quite how things really were.
"I'm sorry, Tony. If it were safe, the military would be willing to take the risk for you. But your friend… I'm sorry, Tony."
"He saved me. He saved my life. I can't leave him there alone!"
Tony Stark stood up, his voice shaking with urgency.
"Tony, listen to me. This is a border issue. We can't just charge into non-allied territory for one person. I've already submitted a request. I believe higher command will contact them soon."
Rhodey stood as well, gripping Tony's arm to calm him down.
"The moment you submit paperwork, those people start 'communicating.' Back and forth—that takes days. I know how they operate. After all, the one in danger isn't the famous Tony Stark, but an unknown nobody. Right, Colonel Rhodes?"
Hawkeye snapped angrily from the side, even though he knew Rhodey was powerless too.
No matter who it was for, Qin Xiao had chosen to stay behind alone and let everyone else leave first.
"Do you have any better ideas?" Tony asked. "If I remember correctly, you're agents, right? You should have some special methods."
Tony looked toward Hawkeye.
"The military refused our request for a transfer aircraft," Black Widow said calmly. "But our own Quinjet is on the way. It should arrive in about twenty minutes."
At the time, it was true that among everyone left behind, Qin Xiao had the highest chance of survival.
But that didn't mean Black Widow wasn't worried.
After she and Hawkeye showed their credentials, the base commander still refused to provide them with an aircraft.
With no other option, they immediately contacted the nearest S.H.I.E.L.D. intelligence office and dispatched a Quinjet on emergency standby.
Nearly an hour had already passed since they left Qin Xiao behind.
Even knowing Qin Xiao was a super-soldier, Black Widow was starting to feel anxious.
As for Qin Xiao himself, he knew nothing about Tony's situation.
And even if he did, he wouldn't care much right now.
Because the man standing in front of him had completely blanked his mind.
"Is… is it you?"
The traveler let out a startled exclamation.
His face showed a mix of surprise, doubt—and overwhelming fear.
"You know me?"
Do you recognize him?
Qin Xiao certainly did—but he never imagined he'd encounter him here.
"When I was in college, your photo hung on the wall of my laboratory," Qin Xiao said, "right next to Marie Curie and Dr. Bruce Banner."
"It's an honor to meet you."
Qin Xiao immediately opened the car door, got out, and handed Banner a bottle of water.
"Have some water. Looks like you've run out of supplies."
As he spoke to Dr. Banner, Qin Xiao kept glancing behind him, checking for pursuers.
Deep down, his thoughts raced back to a movie he had seen long ago—The Incredible Hulk.
The Marvel movie timeline was only approximate. For example, the final battles of Iron Man and The Incredible Hulk both took place around 2008.
But he didn't know the exact sequence.
Qin Xiao recalled that Bruce Banner had recently transformed into the Hulk and escaped General Ross's pursuit.
He first fled to Brazil, where he met a teacher who taught him how to control his heartbeat.
Later, in order to meet "Mr. Blue," whom he had been communicating with online, he risked returning to the United States.
After the battle with Abomination, he vanished.
According to later events, he should have gone to the Arctic Circle and attempted suicide, before eventually appearing in India in The Avengers.
The fight with Abomination seemed to be over.
This meant Banner was likely in the middle of his journey to India after the failed suicide attempt.
Qin Xiao never expected to run into him here.
Only after sorting through the timeline in his head did Qin Xiao speak again.
"Doctor, do you need a ride? Don't worry—I'm not a bad guy. My own car broke down. This one? I bought it from a militant for thirty thousand dollars."
"You know… this is the Middle East."
Qin Xiao shrugged, doing his best to sound casual.
Of course, he didn't have to take Bruce Banner with him.
But the moment they met, the system issued a new mission.
Win Bruce Banner's trust. Become his friend. Help him escape the military's pursuit.
"System, isn't this a bit too much for me right now? Getting involved in conflicts between Banner and the military—aren't I too weak? Can I postpone this mission?"
Qin Xiao questioned silently.
"The system only issues missions based on the host's current encounters. Completion is not mandatory. However, the Marvel world is full of danger. The more points you earn, the sooner you can unlock the shop and gain greater power."
Although the system claimed its missions aligned with Buddhist principles and carried no penalties,
those points were extremely valuable to Qin Xiao.
Grinding his teeth, he accepted the mission.
If things went badly, he would prioritize protecting himself. There was no time limit anyway.
Qin Xiao stepped out of the vehicle and casually explained why he was driving a heavily armed truck.
He knew Banner was deeply hostile toward U.S. military personnel.
That was one of the reasons Banner had chosen Asia—compared to the Americas and Europe, U.S. influence here was much weaker.
After hearing Qin Xiao's explanation, Bruce Banner looked awkward.
The weapons mounted on Qin Xiao's vehicle made him uneasy—not because he feared being harmed, but because he feared hurting others if he transformed.
Yet if he didn't get in the car, he had almost no supplies left in the desert.
If he waited until his body completely gave out, he would transform anyway.
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