Middle East.
In a cave occupied by a terrorist organization.
Tony Stark took a deep breath.
Clearly, he was nervous.
The terrorists had ordered him to build weapons and had installed surveillance cameras in the cave.
Tony obeyed—he did build weapons, but not for them. They were for himself.
The nearly two-meter-tall metal suit in front of him was his creation.
"We're running out of time, Mr. Stark!"
"They're watching us closely."
Yinsen, wearing glasses, was covered in a thin layer of sweat.
Not just because of the stifling heat in the cave, but also because of the tension.
After all, just outside the door were ruthless killers!
Yinsen had witnessed them massacre an entire village. The men were slaughtered, and the women suffered even worse fates.
The iron suit was too heavy, and Yinsen frantically helped Tony put it on.
"Hey, buddy, don't panic."
In this dangerous moment, Tony managed a smile.
"We still have time. They haven't found us yet."
"Listen, Yinsen, we're both going to get out of this hellhole alive. I'll help you find your family and make you my neighbor."
"But you'll have to stop snoring when you sleep."
"Mr. Stark, I snore because I'm exhausted."
Facing the threat of death, the two joked about trivial matters.
But they both knew that what awaited them might not be the light of freedom.
More likely, it was the path to death.
Outside the iron door.
The bald, imposing leader, Mien (apologies, couldn't find the original name, so I made one up!), walked over to the computer.
The surveillance footage shocked him, and his brow furrowed.
He immediately turned to his subordinate.
"Where's Tony Stark?"
The subordinate looked nervous. "He… he was just here."
"Send someone to check now!"
Mien frowned. He had always taken this billionaire playboy very seriously.
Two armed terrorists rushed to the door, shouting in a language Tony couldn't understand, demanding it be opened.
Yinsen desperately tried to stall, but at this point, it was futile.
Fortunately, they had installed homemade motion-sensitive bombs on the door.
Anyone trying to break in would be sent straight to heaven.
Activating the suit required a process. The progress bar on the computer was racing, but it still took time.
Yinsen said:
"Mr. Stark, you're the smartest person I've ever met. I've never seen anyone build a reactor out of scraps and palladium in a rundown cave like this."
Just then, a loud boom!
The door exploded.
The two men trying to force their way in were instantly sent to heaven.
"I'll buy us some time."
Ignoring Tony's protests, Yinsen picked up a gun from the ground and charged out.
As a scientist, he wasn't exactly skilled in this area!
He fired wildly, driving the enemies back.
Until he saw all the terrorists pointing their guns at him!
It's over!
This was Yinsen's final thought.
In that moment, he thought of many things.
He wanted a cup of coffee, a soft bed, a new set of clothes, for Tony to escape, his children, his wife.
But it was all over!
Bang!
Yinsen fell to the ground!
But not from a gunshot. He was knocked back by a shockwave.
"I'm okay?"
"Of course you're okay, Dr. Yinsen."
A cold voice rang in his ears. In an instant, he was carried out of the cave and stood on the sandy ground.
Yinsen was completely stunned.
Who was this man?
He wore a white shirt, his hair slicked back, a mask covering his face, and had an impressive build.
"No need for thanks. As for who I am?"
"You can call me the Punisher."
Yinsen took a deep breath.
"Still, thank you, sir. Thank you, thank you!"
"Wait!!"
Yinsen shouted:
"Mr. Stark! Tony Stark is still inside!!!"
"Go save him!!!"
"Don't worry, he won't die that easily."
"That suit will protect him." Peter stood on the sand dune, looking down at the terrorist base in the distance.
He didn't want to interfere too much with Tony's development. He was willing to sacrifice the scattered points on the ground just to let Tony have his moment.
The reason he saved Yinsen was purely out of personal admiration.
In desperate times, who wouldn't want someone to pull them out of the abyss?
Yinsen was utterly shocked by Peter's words.
"How… how do you know Mr. Stark built a suit?"
Peter didn't look at him, responding indifferently:
"I know everything."
…
Meanwhile, Tony was furious!
Bullets rained down, and the terrorists' shots kept hitting his suit.
But the thick armor was enough to keep him safe!
"Yinsen! Yinsen, where are you!"
After running out of bullets, the Mark I's forearms shot flames, incinerating everything in their path.
The terrorist leader, knowing he couldn't escape, frantically pulled out a blue vial from his pocket.
This was Compound V, obtained from Vought International.
...
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