Chapter 302: The Struggle for Survival

In a cave in Afghanistan.

Tony woke up again from his daze.

"Cough!!!"

The pain in his lungs made him cough so hard he couldn't stop, and the wound in his chest hurt very much.

His upper body was soaked, and Ethan had to change his bandages and reapply the medicine.

Those people tortured him by holding him underwater because he refused to meet their needs.

Tony knew it was stupid, but there are some things that are non-negotiable and worth standing up for, even if it costs him his life.

"Are you alright?"

Ethan walked over with a cup of hot water and offered it to him as steam rose from it.

"Drink some hot water, it will make you feel a bit better. My friend told me about it. I remember we have met before."

Tony took the cup, thanked him, and upon hearing that they had met, he couldn't help but ask,

"We met? Where?"

"At a technology symposium in Bern, Switzerland, I'm sure you don't remember."

"I don't have any memory."

"Of course, if I drank as much as you did, I probably wouldn't be able to stand up, let alone give a speech on integrated circuits. By the way, your speech was brilliant."

"Thank you."

Tony felt the water and found that it was about body warmth.

He took a big drink without thinking twice, and as soon as he did, a soothing warmth spread from his throat to his stomach and all over his body.

He even felt that his hands and feet were no longer as cold as before.

"What is this...?"

He looked at Ethan in astonishment, finding it hard to believe that it was just a cup of hot water.

He looked at Ethan in shock. He couldn't believe it was just a cup of hot water.

"It's just a cup of hot water."

Ethan smiled and continued, "I think you should focus on your current situation. Honestly, I'm relieved that you refused those people. But I must say, if you don't give them anything, they'll lose patience within three days."

"You see, you're not my first roommate and patient."

"..."

Tony went quiet and thought for a while with his head down. Ethan thought he was about to fall asleep when Tony finally spoke up.

"I need time!"

Ethan chuckled. At least Tony hadn't been beaten down to despair.

"Then you have to work hard to get it."

...

On the other side, on a beach in North Shore, Hawaii

"Aren't you going to save him?"

Wanda was lying in a beach chair and reading a newspaper while Jack put sunscreen on her.

When hearing Wanda's words, Jack shook his head.

"This is our honeymoon, let's not worry about those things."

"He's still your friend, aren't you going to help him?"

Wanda turned to look at him, a teasing smile appearing on her face.

"That's not like you."

"I told you, we're on our honeymoon. Let him deal with it himself!."

Jack snatched the newspaper from her and discarded it to the side, then suddenly bent down and lifted Wanda up.

"Let's go! Let's go swimming."

"Hmph, don't think I don't know what you're thinking."

"Oh, it's really just swimming, sweetheart."

Saying that, they walked towards the sea, leaving only the two of them on the huge beach.

...

In a secret corner on Earth.

"We've found him! The locator is still working, and he's currently safe."

In the darkness, it seemed like someone let out a sigh of relief.

"That's good; we don't need to worry about the rest."

"Huh? Don't you want to rescue him?"

"It's not the right time yet."

"...It's up to you, but what about the situation with the company? Some people are causing trouble."

"...We'll wait and see."

"Alright."

The focus shifted back to Tony.

He had agreed to help these people create the Jericho missile, and the bearded man was so happy he almost kissed him.

But fortunately, he stopped in time, as that wasn't his cup of tea either.

To show how strong they were, the bearded man immediately took Tony outside.

Tony's pupils shook as soon as the clothing covering his eyes was removed.

What did he see?

In a valley, there were large amounts of weapons, and it made his scalp itch.

What made him even more angry was that a lot of those guns belonged to Stark Industry.

He hadn't experienced the enemy's strength, but he knew all too well about being stubborn.

Not only did they have the nerve to kidnap him, but they also piled up weapons and ammunition like this. Tony had never seen anything like it.

If someone threw a bomb into this valley, all of these people and the whole valley would be turned to ashes.

Suddenly, he regretted coming out. At least inside the cave, he could maintain his dignity. Here... he probably wouldn't even have scraps left.

He looked up at the burning sun and silently prayed that the temperature wouldn't be too high.

The bearded man didn't sense Tony's concern and madly introduced the weapons in the valley, stating that they had everything he needed to make the Jericho missile.

When Tony heard this, he felt like his intellect was once again being insulted, even stepped on.

Making the Jericho missile here? With this scrap metal?!

The Jericho missile, the latest weapon introduced by Stark Industries, incorporated the company's most advanced technology.

It was very hard to make, especially the bomb's warhead. It wasn't something that was easy to put together.

If he were in Stark Industries' weapon manufacturing workshop, Tony would have enough confidence to make one on his own.

But here...

Tony didn't even think these people understood the concept of machine tools and machines.

Tony really wanted to educate the bearded man on the manufacturing process and difficulty of the Jericho missile, but seeing the bearded man's idiotic expression, he held back from saying anything.

He nodded in agreement and made a list of all the equipment and materials he would need.

Of course, he had no intention of making any Jericho missiles. What he truly intended to do was save himself.

...

New York, Manhattan Pepper returned to her exclusive apartment.

Even though she was fired, she didn't give up on trying to find Tony.

She called Rhodes, but there was no news from his end.

Stark Industries had also sent people to search for Tony.

They were split into several teams, each of which was in charge of a different area. They thought that if they looked everywhere, they would soon find where Tony was imprisoned.

Suddenly, Pepper stood still, her eyes brightening as she thought of Jack.

If it was him, he would definitely be able to find Tony.

Thinking and moving quickly, she pulled out her phone and called Jack, but he didn't answer. She even went out of her way to go to his house, but no one was there.

Pepper had no choice but to give up on this plan for now.

Beep, beep, beep!"

Just as she got into her car, ready to leave, Pepper's phone suddenly rang. She quickly picked up the phone, but her disappointment was obvious.

After answering the call, she directly said,

"Let's get this straight, unless you have news about Tony, I'm hanging up."

"..."

There was silence on the other end of the phone, I clearly did not expect her to say that.

Pepper was about to hang up when a voice came from the other side.

"Miss Potts, I'm Agent Phil Coulson from the Federal Bureau of Investigation. We had an appointment yesterday, do you remember?"

Pepper was clearly taken aback and took a long time to remember who the person was.

It looks like she did set up a meeting with him yesterday.

Pepper didn't want to meet him, but knowing that he was from the FBI, she thought for a moment and decided to meet him.

Perhaps he had news about Tony.

"Alright, where are you?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the doorbell rang.

Ding dong~

...

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