After the group left in their armored vehicles, Charles entered the system space once again. He opened the mission gathering place and found that the missions on the board had all been completed. He immediately chose to claim the rewards.
Ding! Mission complete. Reward: 500 reputation points, 50,000 copper coins, 1 ordinary treasure chest.
Ding! Mission complete. Reward: 500 reputation points, 50,000 copper coins, 1 ordinary treasure chest.
Ding! Mission complete. Reward: 500 reputation points, 50,000 copper coins, 1 ordinary treasure chest.
Upon seeing the first reward notification, Charles promptly submitted the rescue mission for Tony Stark.
The mission gathering place began to assess the mission's rank, and it was ultimately classified as a B-Rank mission.
Seeing this result, Charles was quite satisfied. It was better than a C-Rank mission. However, he knew that without extraordinary something happening, the mission's rank wouldn't increase to A or S.
Charles observed his surroundings, ensuring there were no cameras on the roadside and no one nearby. Then, he gestured with his hands and used his summoning jutsu.
"Summoning Jutsu."
A puff of smoke dissipated, and Parker's figure appeared before Charles. Parker glanced around, confirmed there was no combat situation, and immediately spoke, "Lord Charles, what do you summon me for?"
Charles took out a box that Happy had sent him from his storage space. He retrieved a wristwatch from it and asked, "Can you still smell the scents on this?"
Parker approached the wristwatch, took a whiff, and then said, "There are two people's scents on it. The first one is quite clear, but the second one is very faint. It's been too long, and it's almost dissipated. Tracking it may be troublesome."
Clearly, after two months, even if it had been frequently worn before, the scent had mostly dissipated. Plus, the watch still retained Pepper Potts' scent, making it more challenging to track.
Charles pointed at a tuft of hair inside the box and said, "Parker, confirm the scent on this."
Following Charles's orders, Parker sniffed the scent on the hair tuft, sniffed around on the ground, and then turned around. Finally, he spoke, "Lord Charles, I've found the owner of the scent."
Parker looked toward the direction of the desert and said, "You and the desert seem to have a connection. The target this time is still in the direction of the desert, but it's farther away than last time."
Hearing Parker's words, Charles smiled and said, "Parker, let's go!"
And so, one human and one dog set off toward the desert in Afghanistan.
…
On the other side-
Inside the cave, Yinsen had just replaced the Ark Reactor for Tony Stark, freeing him from the need to hold onto the battery at all times.
Tony sat up and looked down at the reactor on his chest, feeling more hopeful about their escape from the cave.
Tony put on his clothes and, along with Yinsen, took out a board game. They began playing a couple of rounds. Clearly, even when kidnapped, Tony needed some relaxation.
After playing a couple of rounds, Tony Stark asked, "You still haven't told me where you're from."
Yinsen picked up the dice and shook them in his hand. "I'm from a town called Miguela. It's a beautiful place."
While pouring some water, Tony asked, "Do you have a family?"
Yinsen looked up at Tony Stark and replied with a hint of relaxation on his face, "Yes, I do. After we escape, I plan to visit them."
He then returned the question, "Do you have a family?"
Tony Stark fell silent at Yinsen's question, and his mouth twitched slightly. Finally, he said, "No."
Hearing Tony Stark's response, Yinsen repeated, "No."
He added with a touch of regret, "You have everything, yet you have nothing."
Clearly, in Yinsen's eyes, family was the foundation of everything.
Tony Stark glanced at Yinsen and smiled slightly. He then put down the dice and said, "Buddy, it's time for us to get to work."
Tony went to the pile of components and started his welding work.
Meanwhile, outside the detention area, a lower-ranking member of the Ten Rings approached the iron gate, opened a small window, and glanced inside, confirming that the two were working. He nodded and turned to leave with his subordinates.
In front of the surveillance footage, a member of the Ten Rings held a photo of the Jericho missile and compared it to Tony's assembly. He commented, "It doesn't look anything like the picture."
Another member nearby offered an explanation, "Maybe it's a modified version."
Watching the surveillance footage, the person holding the photo spoke again, "The tail section is wrong; it should be placed backward."
…
Outside the cave, several members of the Ten Rings were building a fire and warming their hands.
Zala, the leader of this faction of the Ten Rings responsible for kidnapping Tony Stark, watched the surveillance footage showing Tony working on the leg mechanization. She touched a round ring on her arm and fell into deep thought.
Before long, Zala entered the cave with many of her subordinates. She walked into the room, looked around, and saw Tony Stark with his hands on his head.
She approached him, gently pushed aside his chest of clothing, and touched the miniature Ark Reactor on his chest.
"Bows and arrows," Zala said, "there was a time when they were considered cutting-edge weaponry."
Zala didn't detect anything unusual. She then walked over to the components that Tony Stark had manufactured and continued, "Genghis Khan once used it to sweep across Eurasia, dominating the world."
"The territory exceeded that of Alexander the Great by five times and was four times the size of the Roman Empire."
As Zala spoke, she examined the blueprints on the workbench and added, "But today, only those with the most advanced Stark weapons can rule the world."
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