After lying down for a while, Tony Stark called out, "Hey, guys, help me get out of here! Damn it, I'm stuck!"
Ethan immediately stood up and asked, "What should I do?" Meanwhile, Qin Li took out his phone and began taking photos, muttering, "Another black history photo! Ahaha~" Ethan, initially anxious, couldn't help but laugh upon seeing Qin Li's behavior.
"Damn it! Li, can you be a little more serious? You're dealing with a billionaire, not a clown!" Tony Stark said with a dark expression.
"Oh~ such a rare opportunity. Do you mind if I ruin it?" Qin Li put away his phone and pointed at the armor.
"No problem, I've got a better idea. I don't need it anymore." Tony Stark replied. Upon hearing this, Qin Li nodded and proceeded to rip off the outer parts of the armor.
"Be careful! My friend, I don't want to die at the hands of some petty criminals only to be killed by a madman!" Tony Stark said in horror as Qin Li violently dismantled the armor. He sighed with relief when the outer armor was finally removed, allowing him to escape.
As the sun set, the hot desert began to cool. Tony Stark asked, "Li, where's the rescue you mentioned? If no one shows up by dark, we three men might have to huddle for warmth."
Just as Qin Li was about to reply, he heard the sound of a helicopter and pointed in its direction, saying, "See? Here it comes." As the helicopter landed, Tony Stark's friend, James Rhodes, arrived.
James Rhodes rushed over excitedly as soon as he got off the helicopter. "Where's your happy Hummer?" Tony Stark chuckled, and then Rhodes hugged him and continued, "Next time, don't leave me again, okay?" Qin Li watched the scene, remembering when he used to watch movies like this, but now he was part of it and had saved Ethan. It felt good. The group boarded the helicopter and headed to a military base, planning to return by jet.
On the way back, Tony Stark asked Ethan, "Ethan, do you want to go home next? You could hang out in New York for a few days. With your knowledge, you could come work at my Stark Industries tech department as a supervisor. Going home would be wasting your talents."
Ethan hesitated, but Qin Li spoke up, "Ethan's family is dead. They were killed by thugs." Tony's relaxed expression immediately froze. He was about to say something, but Qin Li continued, "Without me being there, Ethan would have died when he went to buy you time."
After Qin Li's words, the cabin fell into a long silence.
It was Ethan who finally broke the silence, "Actually, Li is right. I had a feeling this would happen. I wanted it to happen, to join my family. The reason I saved you was because I felt you could do more and better, Tony. Don't waste your life."
Qin Li hadn't expected to hear such words from Ethan, especially given that he hadn't died. Tony Stark was also stunned. He nodded silently.
"I've got an idea. When we get back, we start," Tony Stark said, addressing Qin Li and Ethan.
The rest of the group then went to rest, especially Tony Stark and Ethan, who were exhausted after more than ten days in the cave.
The next day, as the sun rose, the plane landed at a military base in New York. Tony Stark's personal secretary, Pepper Potts, was already waiting at the tarmac. As the plane's door opened, Rhodey helped Tony Stark off the plane, with Qin Li and Ethan following behind. When they saw the medical staff bringing a mobile stretcher, Tony Stark waved them off, saying, "I'm fine, let them go," and walked straight to Pepper Potts.
Rhodey saw this and didn't bother helping Tony, waving at the medical staff to send them away.
"Red eyes, were you worried about your boss?" Tony Stark said with a smirk.
"It's tears of joy, I hate job hunting," Pepper Potts said happily, seeing that Tony was fine.
"Alright~ the holiday's over." Tony Stark nodded and turned to motion for Ethan and Qin Li to get in the car. Ethan followed, but Qin Li waved at them and said, "You guys head back first. I've got some things to take care of, then I'll come find you later."
"Alright, just don't forget the party when you come back," Tony Stark said without insisting, then got into the car.
After Tony Stark and the others drove off, Qin Li used his teleportation drug to head straight for the Ancient One, planning to ask about the Hell situation. After using it, he realized, "Hey~ I'm right on Earth. Time to sneak away."
Tony looked at Qin Li disappearing and turned to the driver/bodyguard, Happy, who asked, "Where to?"
Pepper Potts immediately said, "To the hospital."
Tony Stark, however, said, "No, now I only want to do two things. First, eat a cheeseburger." He then looked at Pepper Potts.
Pepper Potts assumed the second thing was to find models and immediately turned away, not looking at Tony Stark, saying, "Don't say it."
Before she could finish speaking, Tony Stark added, "The second thing is to have a press conference."
Pepper Potts turned back, surprised, and asked, "A press conference? Why?"
Tony Stark just looked ahead and said, "First, let's go eat the burger."
Meanwhile, Qin Li arrived at the New York Sanctum. The Ancient One seemed to have anticipated his visit and had a cup of tea floating in mid-air, waiting for him. Qin Li picked it up, took a sip, and praised, "Master Ancient One, this tea is so good, no matter how many times I drink it." As he noticed the tea refilling itself, he added, "This endless refill magic is also top-notch!"
The Ancient One shook her head and smiled. "Father Li, what brings you here today? Did you finish the tea leaves I gave you last time?"
Qin Li almost spat out his tea when he heard her question. He barely managed to hold it in and said, "Master Ancient One, is that all you think I came for? To ask about the tea?"
The Ancient One didn't respond but gave him a knowing look and a nod, which made it clear that this was indeed the case.
"Alright, I still have some tea left, but not much. Could you spare a bit more? Also, not long ago, a demon possessed me when I wasn't paying attention. Normally, even ordinary demons that come near me are erased by the Holy Light."
The Ancient One thought for a moment before replying, "Do you remember when we tried to borrow your Holy Light? A few days ago, I went to Hell. The ruler of Hell, Mephisto, wanted to stir up trouble again. You know, your power is very effective against Hell, so it's likely that your power was exposed during that time."
Qin Li stroked his chin and thought, So that's what happened.