30 Gathering Intelligence
As long as he eliminates Tony before he reveals the Mark 3 suit, even if Tony manages to create the Iron Man armor, he won't be able to become Iron Man without the corresponding heroic event. Having the technologically advanced suit would at best label Tony as a billionaire playboy with high-tech armor.
Killing Tony off is a direct and simple solution, ending everything at once, and the Endosymbiotic Battle Armor reward can undoubtedly be obtained without a doubt.
However, Russell didn't prioritize this option.
While the Endosymbiotic Battle Armor was undoubtedly powerful among Tony's many suits, it was by no means the most powerful. The system had only given this reward for stopping Tony from becoming Iron Man due to the kidnapping incident.
If Tony continues to live, who knows, there might be future rewards like the Godslayer Armor, Celestial Armor, or Excalibur Armor.
Just as Obadiah had said, Tony was a chicken that laid golden eggs!
Killing Tony just for the Endosymbiotic Battle Armor would be too wasteful!
Especially for someone with access to the abilities of the Infinity Gauntlet in the future.
Such a person shouldn't die so simply in an Afghan cave.
After reading the information the information broker sent, Russell first ordered a few pieces of lingerie according to the size indicated in the magazine and Diana's preferences.
Once done, he left the office and drove back to his apartment.
Although Tony was most likely captured by the Ten Rings by now, Russell wasn't in a hurry. The terrorists of the Ten Rings wouldn't be able to kill Tony that quickly, and waiting a day or two wouldn't matter much.
If he remembered correctly, Tony spent three months in the cave before he created the Mark 1 armor.
Tony had left Los Angeles on his private plane only three days ago.
Considering flight time, he had only been kidnapped for two days.
At this point, Tony hadn't even finished constructing the Mark 1 suit, let alone the miniaturized arc reactor. Russell had no reason to rush.
The next day, after a night of deep conversation with Diana, Russell drove alone to the airport.
Despite not having slept much the previous night, it wasn't a concern. The flight from New York to Kabul would take nearly twenty hours, giving him plenty of time to catch up on sleep.
Once on board, he declined the flight attendant's friendly services and the note she handed him, instead wearing an eye mask and going straight to sleep.
....
Kabul Airport.
Russell left the airport with simple luggage and hailed a taxi to the Continental Hotel branch in Kabul.
Compared to the Continental Hotel in New York, the environment of the Kabul Continental Hotel was far from ideal. However, he didn't pay too much attention to that. He had the hotel staff deliver all the equipment he had reserved to his room.
Handguns, rifles, sniper rifles, rocket launchers, Gatling machine guns, tactical grenades, daggers, heaps of ammunition and magazines...
Off-road vehicle keys, mountain combat uniforms, maps of Kuna Province, satellite phones, GPS locators, fifty to sixty thousand dollars in cash, single-rations, and water...
After inspecting the equipment, Russell changed into his mountain combat uniform and hung his handgun, tactical grenades, and dagger on his tactical belt.
He had the hotel staff move the remaining equipment to the off-road vehicle downstairs.
Although the hotel's clients were assassins, it was the first time the hotel staff had encountered someone who brought so many weapons along like Russell.
Ignoring the staff's surprise, Russell started the vehicle and headed towards Kunar Province to the east.
The U.S. military base that received the Jericho missile was located in Kunar Province, and it was during Tony's return to the base that he was kidnapped. Tony was held captive in a cave, and the location where the Mark 1 armor had crashed was a desert.
Combining this information allowed him to pinpoint a general area.
He wasn't sure of the exact location yet, but he knew how to gather relevant intelligence.
Colleagues are not only rivals but also the easiest sources of internal information. This is why the police use undercover agents and informants when dealing with gangs.
Many pieces of information can't be obtained from external sources. However, it becomes much simpler when obtained from within.
Although other terrorists in Kunar Province may not know that Tony is affiliated with the Ten Rings, they most likely know where the Ten Rings members are hiding.
Kunar Province.
A small village located in the mountains.
From the outside, it appeared to be an ordinary village. However, Russell had already confirmed that this village was a gathering place for terrorists.
Distinguishing between a normal village and a terrorist haven was simple. It was just a matter of looking at the population ratio inside the village.
Normal villages have a mix of elderly, children, and women. Terrorist strongholds, on the other hand, are almost entirely composed of adult males.
In the village square, surrounded by heavily armed villagers who were even better equipped than U.S. special forces, Russell sat on a large rock at the center of the square. He played with his dagger while surveying the terrorists kneeling before him.
"Now, I ask, you answer. Understand?"
Russell addressed the kneeling terrorists.
There were roughly over thirty terrorists kneeling before him.
Of course, the village contained more terrorists than this group. However, these were the only ones still alive.
"What do you want to know?" One terrorist stood up and asked him.
Bang!
The sound of a gunshot echoed instantly!
The terrorist had barely finished speaking when Russell blew his head off, and the man fell to the ground.
"I told you to answer questions, not stand up."
Russell's tone was emotionless.
"You ask, we'll answer. As long as we know, we won't hide anything."
The voice of another terrorist rang out.
Having seen the previous example, this terrorist didn't stand up, choosing to remain kneeling as he spoke.
Bang!
Another gunshot rang out!
This terrorist, who was speaking while kneeling, met the same fate.
"I ask, you answer. If I don't ask, you don't speak. Understood?"
This time, the remaining terrorists were wiser.
They remained kneeling, refrained from speaking, and silently nodded their heads.
However, they still heard gunshots.
After the sound of a gunshot, another terrorist lost his life.
"I don't like men who nod too quickly."
Russell's tone was light.
But in the eyes of these terrorists, he was no different from a devil in human skin.
Observing the terrified appearance of the terrorists before him, who dared not express their anger, Russell nodded in satisfaction.
While killing was not praiseworthy, he felt no psychological pressure in killing these terrorists.
"If anyone can provide me with the information I want, not only will they not die, but this money will also be theirs."
Russell spoke while opening the zipper of a bag, revealing stacks of US dollars. He then tossed the bag in front of the terrorists.
"A few days ago, members of the Ten Rings kidnapped an arms dealer from the U.S. military. I want to know their current location."
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