"Hey, friend, what should I call you?"
With Yinsen's help, Tony finally managed to take off his Iron Man armor.
"My name's Garus. I'm from China."
[TL/N: The MC's name was originally Xiao Lin, but I changed it to Garus to better fit this novel and distance it from the possible "China number one" slogan. I want to replace the china here too, but considering that MC might go there in the future and treat the country as his "hometown", I opted to let it as it is. But I promise to edit this novel as much as I can to avoid any "poison" appearing here.]
"By the way, do you know where we are?" Tony and the other two stood atop a sand dune, surrounded by an endless expanse of golden desert.
"I'm not sure either," Garus replied. Though he had watched Iron Man, the movie never specified Tony's exact location during his captivity. He could only hope for a rescue.
Tony suddenly noticed how pale Garus' complexion was, unnaturally so. Remembering the strange creature Garus had summoned earlier, he couldn't help but ask, "Garus, are you human?"
"Why would you ask that?" Garus was puzzled. If I'm not human, what am I? An alien?
"Oh, no reason," Tony said, deciding against revealing his suspicions.
[System Alert:
"Host, while you're technically still human, you are no longer alive."]
The system's sudden announcement brought back Garus' memories of being partially transformed into an undead by the Lich King not long ago.
"Are you saying I'm an undead now?" Garus asked, horrified.
"Not entirely," the system clarified. "Your transformation was interrupted, but the Lich King's death energy has already altered most of your body. The process is irreversible. To protect the host from being controlled or exposing system secrets, the system transported you into Zero Space to complete your partial transformation."
Garus sighed, resigned. "So, I'm still an undead, huh?"
"As a Death Knight, you retain most human functions except for breathing and eating. For now, you only appear pale. If the Lich King had fully transformed you, you would have lost your consciousness and become a puppet."
"Well, thanks, I guess," Garus muttered. "But why am I in the Marvel Universe?"
"The system is incomplete. After entering Zero Space, it failed to locate Azeroth and randomly breached a dimensional barrier, landing here."
"Garus! Garus!"
Tony's voice snapped Garus back to reality. He noticed both Tony and Yinsen were staring at him.
"How do we get out of this desert?" Yinsen asked. Both he and Tony had been blindfolded when brought here and had no sense of direction.
Garus shrugged. He had been teleported here and was just as clueless. However, he remembered that a rescue helicopter would soon arrive for Tony.
"We should wait here," Garus said confidently. "Someone will come looking for Tony soon."
Tony assumed Garus knew something he didn't and turned his gaze toward the nearby terrorist base. Earlier, he had noticed the stockpile of Jericho missiles and other weapons made by Stark Industries. It was bitterly ironic that he had been attacked by his own creations.
"Yinsen, Garus, I'm going to destroy those weapons," Tony declared, running back toward the base. Yinsen and Garus exchanged a glance before following him.
The base's arsenal was extensive: missiles, tanks, and armored vehicles. It looked like these militants were preparing for a rebellion. The three men grabbed weapons from the base and unleashed chaos, reducing the site to an inferno.
Not far away, the militant leader heard the explosions coming from the base. His heart sank. Years of effort had gone up in smoke. He pulled out a phone and made a call.
"Mr. Obadiah, we need to purchase more weapons. Immediately."
After destroying the weapons, the trio gathered some dry wood and lit a bonfire, hoping the smoke would attract attention. It was all they could do for now.
"Look! A helicopter!" Yinsen suddenly exclaimed, waving his arms excitedly. "Hey, over here!"
Tony and Garus followed his gaze and saw a helicopter approaching. As it drew closer, Tony recognized a familiar face—Colonel Rhodes.
The moment the helicopter landed, Rhodey jumped out. He had been worried sick for days. Tony was not only a friend but also one of America's most valuable individuals.
"Tony, you're alive! Thank God!" Rhodey slapped Tony's shoulder hard in relief.
Tony winced and nearly fell over. "Damn it, Rhodey! That hurts! I'm an injured man here."
Noticing the glowing arc reactor in Tony's chest, Rhodey asked, "What the hell is that thing?"
"It's an arc reactor," Yinsen explained. "Tony was hit by a missile. There's shrapnel near his heart, and the reactor is keeping it from killing him."
Rhodey immediately ordered the soldiers to carry Tony onto the helicopter. "We need to get him to a hospital now."
"Hey, I can walk just fine," Tony protested.
Before boarding, Rhodey turned to Garus and Yinsen. "Who are you?"
"We were prisoners too," Garus replied quickly. "Could you give us a ride? We have no idea how to get out of here."
Seeing Tony remain silent, Rhodey nodded. "Fine. Get on."
The helicopter took them to a heavily guarded military base. Before disembarking, Rhodey warned Garus and Yinsen, "This is a military facility. Don't wander around. If you get shot, it's not my problem."
"Understood," Garus replied, though he doubted the base's weapons could harm him.
Medics rushed Tony to the base's hospital. Yinsen hesitated but ultimately said nothing. As an internationally renowned surgeon, he doubted anyone here could fully treat Tony's injuries. Perhaps only Dr. Wu from China could safely remove the shrapnel near Tony's heart.
As expected, the base's doctors were unable to deal with the tiny fragments. Rhodey's face was filled with concern, but Tony brushed it off.
"Relax, Rhodey. It's just a piece of shrapnel. This reactor keeps me alive," Tony said with his usual nonchalance.
"Fine," Rhodey relented. "But do you have any idea who attacked you or why?"
"Rhodey," Tony said, changing the subject, "it's over. Their base is rubble. I've had enough of this desert. I need to get back to New York. Plenty of women must be waiting for me."
Rhodey sighed, exasperated. "Fine, I'll arrange a jet to take you home."
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