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After playing two simple games, Tony Stark asked,
"You still haven't told me where you're from."
Yinsen picked up the dice and rolled them in his hand.
"I'm from a small town called Miguela. It's a beautiful place."
As Tony poured some water, he asked casually,
"Do you have family?"
Yinsen looked up at Tony Stark, a hint of relief in his voice.
"Yes. After I escape, I'm going to visit my family."
Then he asked in return,
"Do you have a family?"
Tony Stark remained silent. His parents had died in a car accident when he was very young. The memory made the corner of his mouth twitch slightly before he finally replied,
"No."
Hearing Tony say "no," Yinsen repeated softly,
"No…"
Then, with a trace of regret, he said,
"You have everything, yet you have nothing."
To Yinsen, family was the foundation of everything, far more important than wealth alone.
Tony Stark glanced at him, smiled faintly, and set the dice down.
"Alright, guys. Time to get back to work."
Tony walked over to the pile of parts and began welding. Outside the prison, a minor leader of the Ten Rings approached the iron door, slid open the small inspection window, and looked inside. Seeing that the two were working, he nodded and left with his men.
In the surveillance room, another Ten Rings member held a photo of a Jericho missile, comparing it with the missile Tony was assembling on-screen.
"It looks nothing like the photo," he said.
A nearby member replied,
"Maybe it's been redesigned."
The man holding the photo stared at the screen again.
"The tail's on backward."
…
Elsewhere.
Smith Doyle burst out of a cave, and the ki blast in his hand detonated the entire cavern.
"Boom!"
As dust billowed from the collapsing cave, he complained to himself,
"Turns out it was just a Ten Rings hideout. Too bad Tony wasn't being held there."
"Good thing Wenwu wasn't around, or I might've had to activate Great Ape mode."
With a tenfold power boost, his combat strength could reach 1,890. He was confident enough to challenge Xu Wenwu even with all ten rings—but meeting him here would've been extremely unlucky.
Smith Doyle then took off, continuing to scan the desert for combat power signatures. He knew that anything registering below six could still be hiding an abnormally powerful presence.
Outside another cave, several Ten Rings members were gathered around a fire for warmth.
Inside, the Ten Rings leader who had kidnapped Tony Stark—Zara—was watching surveillance footage of Tony adjusting the mechanical components of his leg armor. She rubbed the ring on her arm and fell into thought.
Soon, Zara led a group of subordinates to the cave where Tony was imprisoned. She entered the room, glanced around, and saw Tony Stark with his hands clasped behind his head.
"Relax," she said calmly.
Hearing her words, Tony and Yinsen slowly lowered their hands.
Zara stepped in front of Tony Stark, gently lifted his shirt, and touched the miniature arc reactor embedded in his chest. She hadn't expected him to replace the life-saving battery in such a short time. The craftsmanship was astonishing.
She sighed.
"Once upon a time, the bow and arrow were the pinnacle of weapon technology."
Without noticing anything unusual, she turned toward the parts Tony had been working on and continued,
"Genghis Khan used them to sweep across Eurasia and rule the world."
"His empire was five times larger than Alexander the Great's, and four times the size of the Roman Empire."
As she spoke, she walked over to the workbench, picked up a blueprint, and examined it.
"But today, only those who possess Stark's most advanced weapons can rule the world."
Tony Stark's heart tightened the moment she picked up the blueprint. That was the design for his armor.
Seeing Tony's expression, Yinsen knew something was wrong and quickly signaled him to stay calm. After all, Yinsen himself couldn't understand the drawing at first glance—this woman had even less chance.
Zara glanced at the blueprint but failed to understand it. Assuming it was a missile design, she casually put it down.
Whether it was a Jericho missile or not didn't matter. She had her own way of testing them.
She turned to Tony and said coldly,
"I will rule the world someday. Why have you disappointed me?"
Yinsen immediately stepped in to explain,
"We are working very hard."
Zara turned to him sharply, her gaze icy.
"I spared your life, and this is how you repay me?"
Yinsen raised his hands slightly and said,
"It's very complicated. He's put a great deal of effort into it."
Zara ordered her men,
"Make him kneel."
Two soldiers rushed forward, forcing Yinsen down onto his knees in front of her.
Tony Stark watched, fists clenched tightly, powerless to intervene. His eyes flicked toward the parts on the table.
Zara turned away, picked up a piece of charcoal with a pair of tongs, and said calmly,
"Do you think I'm stupid? I'll find out one way or another."
Yinsen grew visibly tense and hurriedly said,
"We are both doing everything we can to serve you."
Zara lifted the glowing red charcoal with the tongs and said cruelly,
"Open your mouth."
Tony Stark stared in confusion.
What are they trying to do?
No one answered him.
Zara pressed one hand against Yinsen's head and said evenly,
"Do you think I'm a fool?"
"What is he making? What's really going on? Tell me the truth."
As she spoke, she brought the burning charcoal close to Yinsen's face.
Knowing that telling the truth would mean death, Yinsen answered firmly,
"He's building the Jericho missile for you."
Zara's eyes burned with suspicion as she stared at Yinsen, the fiery charcoal inching closer to his eye.
"Tell me the truth."
Feeling death looming over him, Yinsen had no choice but to repeat,
"He's building the Jericho missile you asked for."
Zara roared again,
"Tell me the truth!"
By now, Yinsen could feel his eyelashes and eyebrows singeing. The fear of death surged through him.
"He's building the Jericho missile you want."
Seeing that Yinsen refused to betray him even under such torture, Tony Stark could no longer remain silent.
He stepped forward and shouted,
"Give me any delivery date you want—I can make it happen!"
The moment Tony moved, the guards raised their guns at him. One of the front-line leaders even raised a hand to stop him.
"Don't move!"
Tony immediately halted, raising his hands to show he meant no harm.
Meeting Zara's gaze, Tony said firmly,
"I need him."
Then he looked at Yinsen.
"He's useful."
Hearing this, Zara set the charcoal aside and said sternly,
"The missile assembly must be completed by tomorrow at the latest."
She threw the tongs to the ground and ordered her men,
"Keep a close watch on them."
Satisfied with her test, Zara believed they had not deceived her. She led her men out of the cave where Tony Stark was imprisoned.