*Click, Click!*
The windshield wipers of the jeep began to move, clearing away the debris and sand that had landed on the windshield. From the spot where the humanoid aircraft had crashed, there came the painful moans of a man.
Kyle didn't hesitate. He glanced at Vis on the dashboard and reached out.
Vis understood his intention, and its mechanical body rapidly transformed, folding into a pair of ordinary sunglasses.
Putting on the shades, Kyle opened the car door and stepped out. His gaze landed on a small crater ahead.
There, a battered Iron Man suit lay in the pit. The Iron Man shell had come apart, revealing a pair of gloved hands that belonged to a man. Scattered around him were the broken and fragmented parts of the Iron Man suit, wires protruding, some of them sparking and emitting black smoke.
"Huff," The man made an audible inhalation of pain. He removed the Iron Man helmet and mask from his head, revealing the face of a mature gentleman. His jet-black hair was neatly styled, and he sported a slightly weathered goatee. He appeared to be in his thirties.
His face was filled with exhaustion, and he wore a casual long-sleeved shirt with bloodstains and the smell of gunpowder. He was breathing rapidly, and he cradled his right arm as if it were broken.
The man seemed to have just survived a fierce battle and narrowly escaped to this location.
When he saw the jeep parked in front of him and Kyle stepping out of it, he urgently pleaded, "Help me! Please, get me out of here!"
"Help you? What's in it for me?" Kyle coldly looked down at the gentleman lying on the ground, seriously considering the matter.
Tony hesitated for a moment and then blurted out, "I have money! If you take me away, I'll give you money!"
"Alright, it'll cost you 100 Billion Dollars US Dollars for the ride. I guarantee it'll be fast and safe," Kyle said with a nonchalant finger snap.
"100 Billion Dollars?!" Tony's mouth hung open. Even as a billionaire himself, he was stunned by this astronomical figure.
To take advantage of someone in dire straits, why not quote such an exorbitant price? It was more outrageous than robbing a bank!
"You don't want to? Never mind then," Kyle shrugged, decisively turned around, and began walking back to the driver's seat of the jeep. He muttered, "I'm used to driving while honking, I don't know if it'll attract anyone over here."
"No, wait!" Thor had clearly had enough of being in the hands of terrorists. He panicked and struggled to climb to his feet, his face pale. He dryly licked his lips and said, "Alright, 100 Billion Dollars it is. Just get me into the car quickly!"
After a while, the jeep slowly started, leaving behind a mess of discarded Iron Man parts.
Tony sat in the passenger seat, looking out at the desert that was gradually receding in the distance. Only then did he heave a sigh of relief, sinking into the soft leather seat.
"Oh, and remember to write me an IOU in the car," Kyle's voice suddenly came.
Tony, feeling provoked and humiliated, bristled and got up as if stung. He scolded, "You bastard, are you doing this right now? You definitely recognize who I am!"
"You? Who are you?" Kyle asked expressionlessly, pushing up his sunglasses.
"I'm Tony Stark!" Tony emphasized each word, gritting his teeth. "I'll give you the 100 Billion Dollars. I've never written an IOU in my life!"
"Not used to writing IOUs, huh? Then I'll turn back," Kyle shrugged.
"You… You're serious, aren't you?"
Tony had only said half of his protest when the jeep actually turned around and accelerated back in the opposite direction.
"Dammit, are you playing for real?"
"I'll write it, I'll write it, alright!"
Three seconds later, Tony completely capitulated, his scalp tingling with numbness. He picked up the pen and paper from the dashboard and begrudgingly started writing.
In his half a lifetime, besides his father, there were few who could control his fiery temper. But now, facing a seemingly younger silver-haired man, he had been completely outmaneuvered, toyed with in the palm of his hand.
Kyle watched with a hearty laugh. Vis, disguised as sunglasses, blinked a green thumbs-up icon on the inner side. The Venom, camouflaged as clothing, emitted a sinister laughter in his mind.
In fact, even before the aircraft crashed in front of the jeep, Kyle, Vis, and Venom had all simultaneously recognized Tony's identity.
Kyle, of course, recognized Tony, as being the son of the distinguished gentleman Howard. Moreover, with his knowledge as a "crossed-over" individual, how could he not recognize Tony, the future Iron Man?
Vis, linked to Earth's network, found so much information and messages about Tony online that it was impossible to ignore. Moreover, its own existence had significant ties to the Stark family.
Venom, on the other hand, relied on its extraordinary lifeform perception.
In its words, "This kid is just like that guy Howard, but weaker!"
In the situation where all three of them coincided in recognizing Tony's identity, Kyle naturally took care of his "grandnephew." After all, they were family.
Tony sat gloomily in the car, having just lost a close friend who had helped him create the first Iron Man suit. He had also narrowly escaped a battle with terrorists. Now, he was unlucky enough to encounter someone who was trying to squeeze money out of him.
"And this lousy car is asking for 100 Billion Dollars for the ride."
Tony glanced at the interior decorations of the car, suddenly stunned. He touched and felt around with his hands, amazed. "Isn't this a limited edition from 1945? And it looks brand new."
"It's just a high-quality replica," Kyle replied nonchalantly.
Tony fell silent, reevaluating Kyle, who was sitting next to him.
As a genius engineer who also had a penchant for collecting luxury cars, how could he not be able to tell if a car was genuine or not? More importantly, there were only three of these limited-edition jeeps in the entire world, and one of them had been gathering dust in his father's old garage.
Looking at the silver-haired young man in front of him, Tony was inexplicably reminded of his father. His expression turned melancholic, and he hesitated before asking, "Who are you? And why are you here?"
"Me?" Kyle pondered for a moment and then replied casually, "Just call me 'Carl.' As for why I'm here, you fell from the sky in an Iron Man suit. If you can do that, why can't I just drive by in this jeep?"
"Carl," Tony murmured to himself. For some reason, even though he had been swindled out of a fortune, he felt an indescribable sense of closeness to the young man beside him.
Had he developed some sort of ma*ochistic tendency during the weeks he spent imprisoned in a terrorist underground cell?
Half an hour later, as the jeep approached the edge of the desert, a large fighter jet buzzed by from low altitude, broadcasting a warning to stop.
The American military insignia painted on the fighter jet's hull made Tony excited. He reached out a hand and gestured frantically out of the car window, shouting for attention.
"Carl, come with me to New York! I'll give you 100 Billion Dollars, and I won't deduct a cent," Tony said eagerly.
"Sure, but I haven't received the money yet, so, of course, I'll go with you," Kyle replied nonchalantly. He parked the car and added coldly, "But remember, don't let anyone investigate my identity."
"No problem," Tony immediately agreed.
Right now, the person most eager to investigate Kyle's identity was him!
**(End of this chapter)**
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