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*****
Tony had gone missing at the end of April. It was now June—he had been missing for over a month. No wonder Maria had become so pessimistic, even going so far as to tell Mike, "Even if it's just to bring back his body."
"Tony disappeared, and yet Obadiah and the military claimed I was too old to handle the shock. They used that as an excuse to keep me in the dark. They had his assistant and bodyguard hide the truth from me—all this time!"
If even Maria had been kept in the dark, then it was no surprise that the media hadn't gotten wind of anything either.
Such news, once released, would've delivered a heavy blow to Stark Industries.
That's why, from a business and public relations standpoint, Pepper Potts and Happy had chosen to go along with Obadiah's plan. They concealed Tony's disappearance not just from Maria, but from everyone.
During Tony's absence, Obadiah had taken charge of Stark Industries, publicly announcing that Tony was engaged in confidential research.
It wasn't until a few days ago that the truth began to surface. A soldier who had returned from a mission to search for Tony in the Middle East got drunk and accidentally let some information slip. That's when the news of Tony's disappearance finally broke.
As for Maria, she only learned the truth today—through the newspaper.
As the person closest to Tony, finding out her son was missing from a newspaper sent her into a rage.
But instead of going to confront Obadiah, Maria rushed straight to Mike.
If the military hadn't found Tony after an entire month, then giving those fools any more time wouldn't make a difference.
"Those idiots have no idea what kind of extraordinary people I know!" Maria cursed under her breath. Her voice trembled as she looked at Mike. "Mike, please. I'm begging you."
"I was so blind. My son hadn't called me in over a month, and I didn't even realize something was wrong."
Maria muttered in despair, unable to hold back her emotions any longer. She broke into quiet sobs.
If only she had noticed sooner—if only she'd come to Mike earlier—Tony's chances of survival might have been much greater.
Mike offered her his shoulder for support and said, "Don't worry. He'll be okay. I'll head out now."
Maria nodded silently.
Mike stood up and told her, "Wait here for news."
As he spoke, a card materialized between his fingers. When it dissolved into shimmering light, a portal opened before him.
On the other side of the portal stretched a vast desert of golden sand. The swirling gateway blew some sand into the living room as it spun.
Mike nodded at Maria, carrying all her hopes with him as he stepped through the portal and vanished into the sands.
In the next instant, the portal disappeared.
The landscape was barren—just the setting sun slanting in the sky and an endless expanse of sand.
Mike shifted slightly. The sand beneath his feet trembled in response.
Then, he soared into the air. The sand seemed reluctant to let him go, trailing behind him in a thin line several meters long before it scattered in the wind.
High above the ground, Mike activated his super vision and super hearing, searching for any trace of Tony.
Like a living radar, he expanded his search in wide circles, constantly increasing the range as he flew outward from his starting point.
Circle after circle, Mike continued the search. It took less than half an hour before he finally found something.
If the military—who had spent an entire month searching—knew that Mike had located Tony in under thirty minutes, they wouldn't know whether to be shocked or ashamed.
As dusk approached, Mike hovered above a cave where Tony was being held. He looked down and couldn't help but smile.
Tony was still alive. That alone was incredibly good news.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Tony was forging metal.
After more than a month, he looked like a different person.
He had lost some weight, but his muscles were much more defined. Most striking of all, though, was the change in his eyes.
They were focused. Calm. Determined.
Another obvious change was the miniature arc reactor embedded in his chest.
At this moment, Tony was swinging a hammer with intense concentration, striking a piece of metal over and over. As he molded the steel into the shape he wanted, the corners of his mouth curved into a faint smile.
This was his hope of escape.
At that moment, Mike silently appeared inside the cave, smiling as he watched Tony and another man—both unaware of his arrival.
"Well, well…"
Standing just outside the view of the surveillance cameras, he casually greeted them.
The two men, focused intently on their metalwork, were startled. Tony instinctively raised his hammer defensively, while the balding man with glasses let out a sharp yelp, his legs beginning to tremble uncontrollably.
As Mike smiled faintly in the dimly lit cave, Tony froze for a moment—then suddenly, it felt as if the entire cave had been illuminated. A surge of joy spread across his face.
"@#￥￥%￥?"
Just then, a small hatch on the iron door opened, allowing only a sliver of visibility, and a stern voice barked out something in a harsh tone.
The balding man quickly responded in a string of words Mike couldn't understand, speaking hastily in a language foreign to him.
"Nothing's wrong, I just slipped and fell."
"Hah!"
A mocking laugh came from outside, and then the hatch slammed shut.
The balding man breathed a sigh of relief. He glanced between the euphoric Tony and the mysterious newcomer, his gaze shifting warily from one to the other.
"Uncle Mike!"
Tony whispered the words, but the warmth and sincerity in his voice made it feel even more genuine than a greeting to a blood relative.
Hearing that, Yinsen's eyes lit up as well, and he started to grow excited.
Had they really been found by someone on their side?
Mike returned Tony's smile, a card vanishing from his fingers as a shimmering illusion flickered and disappeared. As his mental power quietly spread throughout the cave, he stroked his chin and scanned the room. In a low voice, he said, "You don't look like you're doing too badly."
Tony put down his hammer, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and shot Mike a speechless look. "Do I look like I'm doing okay to you?"
He pointed at the reactor embedded in his chest. "I nearly got blown to bits."
Mike shook his head. "I meant your spirit. You look a lot better than before."
Tony rolled his eyes.
Just then, Yinsen noticed Mike walking toward them. Alarmed, but careful, he quickly said, "Don't come over! There are cameras here—you'll be spotted!"
"It's fine. I've already taken care of that."
Mike had used a mental pause ability to freeze everyone monitoring them.
If he hadn't been thinking about giving Tony the chance to deal with them personally, he would've simply wiped them all out already.
Yinsen looked puzzled, but Tony didn't question him for a second.
Mike stepped over to the pile of metal, picked up a piece, examined it, and teased, "So what's this? You become a blacksmith now? Is that what they need you for?"
Tony glanced at the pile, the firelight reflecting in his eyes. "This is a new project I've been working on. But at this rate, I probably won't get the chance to finish it here."
"Then... how about I come back when you're done?"
"No!" Tony called out softly but urgently. "I can finish it after we get out of here."
(End of Chapter)