"Tony, as long as you can perfect this virus, I can get Killian to let you and Pepper go."
Another voice came from the stairs.
"Maya Hansen. Huh, I should have guessed—this whole Extremis mess is your fault."
"Tony, it's serious this time. Listen to me—you can't beat Killian. Trust me, I can help you..."
Bang.
While they were talking, a gunshot suddenly rang out. Maya Hansen fell instantly, without even a scream.
"You talk too much... useless waste."
Tony's eyes widened. Maya, who had barely entered the scene and hadn't spoken three lines, was shot in the head by her own boss.
"Alright, Tony, just sit tight and wait for the show. Bye now..."
Killian bowed mockingly, his smile dripping with sarcasm and villainous pride.
"Killian, what the hell are you planning?" Tony growled through gritted teeth.
"Nothing big. Just a performance. Look what I've got here."
Tony's eyes widened. "Oh, shit... Iron Patriot? You—"
"Mm-hmm. Give my old friend a warm welcome."
Killian put a finger to his lips in a shushing gesture and walked out without looking back.
The remaining thugs grinned at Tony.
"You know who I am. Let's make a bet: I'll count to ten. You'd better be on the ground. Don't be fooled by these ropes—"
The lowlifes, clearly inexperienced, were shaken. Still, they had their orders, and Tony had to be "entertained."
"One, two—"
Boom.
Before Tony could finish, the leader slammed a punch into his stomach.
"Hiss—fine, I'll remember you. You'll be the first to die when I'm free. Three, four—"
Bang. Another punch.
"Five..."
Bang, bang, bang...
"Does anyone need help? It's a good deal."
A sudden voice cut through the room. Everyone turned.
A black-clad figure stood on the window's eaves. A bow was strapped to his back, a sword at his waist. His hood and mask hid his face completely.
"Mr. Hunter—why are you here? Great, help me!"
"Five hundred million. Hurry up if you want to save me."
Tony didn't need reminding. He already knew the rule: if he wanted this man's help, he had to pay.
"Happy's life cost a billion. Why are you so cheap with your own?"
"Uh, you haven't changed. Fine, make it a billions."
"I didn't say one billion. Since you won't pay, I'll leave..."
Blaine turned to go.
"No, no! Two billion! Final price—two billion. Just save me!"
"Deal. Mission accepted."
Tony exhaled with relief, though his head filled with dark lines. The last time, ten million bought his life. Now, two billion for nothing more than release? Ridiculous. Too easy to earn. Even if two billion was nothing to him, it stung.
"Damn it, J.A.R.V.I.S., where the hell are you?"
He didn't know the armor was on its way, delayed—captured by Killian's men.
"Stop—stop... If you don't want to die, leave now!"
The thugs' bravado was gone, their legs trembling. They knew who this was: the infamous bounty hunter. Just days ago, he'd been on TV, defeating aliens and saving the world. Standing against him would be suicide.
"Hmph. So you know who I am. Then don't block my way."
Blaine's cold snort made them quake. Not one dared look him in the eye.
He strode to Tony and drew the Cursed Blood Knife. With a casual swipe, the reinforced restraints snapped apart.
Ding. Mission accomplished.
Hearing the system notification, Blaine smirked under his hood.
"Too easy—another two billion earned."
The thugs watched helplessly as Tony was freed. Suddenly, a gust roared through the window—Mark armor blasting in at last.
"Seriously, Hunter? You waited until now? Don't tell me you timed this on purpose..."
Now armored, Tony felt more frustrated than relieved. He'd just dropped two billion, and his suit arrived seconds later. The timing was too suspicious. Even if Hunter denied it, Tony wouldn't believe him. Not after he'd been tricked out of a hundred million for blueprints last time.
"I told you, Tony—we rely on our own skills. Don't forget: Happy's billion must be in my account within three days."
With that, Blaine vanished again.
He left quickly—otherwise, he might have laughed outright.
"Yes, that's right. I conned you, just for the money. Haha. Didn't see that coming, did you?"
Teleportation carried him away. With Tony back in his armor, there was no reason to stay. His job was to free him, not uncover the mastermind. As for learning that the Mandarin was only a British actor hired by Killian, Tony could discover that himself.
Now that his mission was complete, it was time to pursue the man who dared attack his home.
But to strike back properly, he had to pull the weeds up by the root. Killian wasn't working alone. Someone in the government was helping him.
Conveniently, the first to benefit from a forced presidential resignation was the Vice President. And Blaine knew the truth: the Vice President was Killian's lackey.
Without hesitation, he set out to find him.
Where to look? If he was right, the President and his staff had already been kidnapped.
"Fine. For a bounty hunter's reputation, I'll waste a tracking paper crane."
It was irritating to use such a tool on such a minor character, but he had no choice. Luckily, he'd seen the Vice President often enough on the news to know his face.
From the hunter's space, he retrieved the paper crane, imbued it with energy, and set it to fly—his gaze following its trail.
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