60: Stark in despair

Inside the cave.

Ethan, holding a rifle he picked up from a dead Terrorist, was chasing the Terrorists.

After turning a corner in the cave corridor, he immediately froze.

He looked at the AK in his hand, then at the RPG and Vulcan ahead.

Ethan swallowed with difficulty.

'It's over! We can't get out!'

'Even if Stark puts on his armor, he won't be able to get out!'

'We're all going to die here!'

"Fire!"

With the leader's command, gunshots rang out.

Ethan fell in response.

And on the ground, unnoticed by everyone, a wriggling mass of black and red tentacles quickly burrowed into Ethan's body.

After dealing with Ethan, the Terrorist leader and his subordinates arrived at the entrance of the research lab where Stark was held.

The large iron door of the lab had already been blown off.

Inside the lab, it was eerily quiet.

Sending two men to scout ahead, the leader stared intently into the dark research lab.

As soon as the two Terrorists walked in, they were immediately knocked flying by something hidden behind the door, falling to the ground, their fates unknown.

Da da da da!

After the unexpected event, the Terrorists in front instinctively opened fire.

However, they hit nothing.

After the Terrorists in front ran out of bullets, a large, silver, mechanical-looking robot quickly walked out.

With no fancy paint, just the pure steel color of the robot itself, a circular white spotlight glowed on its chest.

It was Tony Stark, fully armored.

Boom! Bang!

Walking quickly, ignoring the rifle bullets that couldn't penetrate the armor's defense, Tony Stark punched the Terrorists blocking his way, sending them flying backward one by one.

"Quick! Go! Go!"

Seeing this, the Terrorist leader hurriedly pulled the Blacklight Warrior, who was carrying an RPG and holding a Vulcan machine gun, and ran out of the cave.

Noticing their actions, the Blacklight Warriors were also Happy to retreat.

After all, their mission wasn't actually to kill Tony Stark.

As they reached the cave entrance, the Terrorist leader quickly abandoned the Blacklight Warriors and ran outside.

"You! You hold him back!"

The Blacklight Warriors didn't understand what the Terrorist leader said, but that didn't stop them from understanding his meaning.

Tony Stark, who had just turned the corner, saw Ethan lying on the ground not far ahead, barely breathing.

He immediately cried out anxiously, "Ethan!"

Struggling to look up at Stark in his armor, Ethan tried his best to warn him.

"Careful!"

No sooner had he spoken than several Rockets flew towards Iron Man.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Successive explosions rang out, and countless gravel fell.

The entire cave began to tremble.

Tony Stark, inside his armor, was also stunned by these Rockets.

If he hadn't dodged quickly just now, the RPG would have hit him.

Even if it couldn't break his armor, the intense impact would have been unbearable for him inside the armor.

After forcing Tony Stark back, the Vulcan machine guns held by the other Blacklight Warriors had also finished preheating.

They began to continuously spit out Fire serpents at Stark's concealed position and the side wall he was leaning against.

Uninterrupted bullets struck the wall to Stark's front right, and the side wall behind him that he was leaning against.

Concealed in the corner, Stark's face inside the armor was extremely grim.

"Fuck!"

"These damned Terrorists!"

"Where did they get these heavy weapons from!"

"I didn't see them with these weapons before!"

After waiting for a moment, the gunfire gradually stopped.

Stark's eyes narrowed, and he rushed out quickly.

Stark, who had intended to take out those people in one go, saw that the few people carrying RPGs had reloaded their Rockets, and he couldn't help but curse under his breath.

Whoosh! Boom!

Taking a direct hit from an RPG, Stark's throat sweetened inside the armor, and a trace of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

He coughed violently.

"Stark! Are you alright?!"

He shook his head, barely gathering his composure, and was about to answer.

Stark then saw the group of Terrorists opposite him aiming their Vulcan machine guns at Ethan.

"!! Oh no! You damned bastards! Come and hit me!"

Clearly, armor that could withstand a direct RPG hit was not afraid of Vulcan machine guns.

So those Terrorists holding Vulcan machine guns shifted their target and aimed at Ethan.

And those carrying RPGs were meant for him.

With this thought, Stark anxiously rushed towards Ethan, shouting, "Run! Ethan! Run!"

However, it was all too late.

Watching helplessly as the Vulcan machine gun barrels spun wildly, spitting out Fire serpents that tore Ethan to shreds, Tony Stark froze.

"No! Ethan!"

Ethan's last smile at him and his silent words, 'Stark, you must live, don't, don't waste your life,' made Stark completely lose his sanity.

He charged at the Blacklight Warriors like a madman.

But everything he did was futile.

He wasn't a Saint Seiya; anger couldn't unleash his Cosmos or trigger a power-up.

One RPG after another gradually calmed Stark, whose head was clouded with rage.

Being continuously blasted backward, Stark's heart gradually filled with despair.

"Am I... going to... die here too?"

"Sorry... Ethan... I... didn't get to thank you..."

Just then, bang bang bang bang!

Bursts of gunfire erupted from behind the group of Terrorists.

Then, Stark saw the Terrorists who had been continuously firing RPGs at him and those holding Vulcan machine guns dropping one after another.

This scene rekindled Stark's hope for survival.

"Who! Rhodes? Pepper? Happy?"

"Is that you?"

He opened his armor's faceplate, breathing heavily.

The feeling of surviving such a close call made Stark's heart pound uncontrollably.

He desperately wanted to see familiar faces to regain a sense of security.

But the Shadow entering the cave entrance against the light was beyond Stark's expectation.

Especially with the cameras, video cameras, and microphones in the hands of the person leading and those behind him.

Upon seeing the face of the person in the lead, Stark froze, his mind a blank.

"Whoa~!"

"Who is this? The famous genius, Tony Stark?"

"How did you get so pathetic after a few days?"

While mocking the other party, Joa walked over and squatted beside him.

He smiled and said to Christine, Polaris, Jill, and the Blacklight Warriors under his command, "Quick! Get me in the shot too! Make it look good!"

After taking a few photos, Joa had Christine hand him a microphone.

"Excuse me, Mr. Tony Stark, the genius, how does it feel to have survived?"

The camera's blinding flash and the microphone Joa held to his mouth made Stark feel disoriented.

He felt as if he wasn't being rescued and escaping death.

Instead, it felt more like a press conference.

"Fuck!"

"Stop! Don't photograph!"

"What the hell is going on?!"

"How are you here?!"

"Are you here to save me?!"

"Or was all of this your doing?!"

Hearing this, Joa waved his hand and said with a smile, "These flashes are indeed dazzling. Tiga didn't come because he was out of power; he has to go back fully charged."

????

Completely unaware of what Joa meant, Stark was about to press his previous questions when Joa continued, "You need evidence to speak!"

"Why would I, full of energy, arrange for you to be kidnapped and then save you?"

"Then this is..."

"Hahahaha, of course I'm here to laugh at you!"

"Of course, if you apologize to me and beg me, I might be Happy enough to take you back."