Chapter 52: Truth and Lies

Bang!

A sniper round shot out, curving slightly under George's magnetic influence before hitting the bald leader squarely in the temple, killing him instantly.

The sudden death of their leader left the terrorists stunned, followed quickly by chaos and panic. However, among them were experienced fighters who quickly deduced the general direction of the sniper shot and unleashed a storm of retaliatory fire in that direction, even deploying rocket launchers.

'Good thing I curved the bullet's trajectory,' George thought to himself.

As anticipated, their counterattack was misdirected due to the bullet's arc, leaving George unscathed.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

One shot after another, bullets fired from varying directions struck down the remaining terrorists. Even those taking cover behind obstacles were not spared as their positions proved futile against George's precision.

Desperate and overwhelmed, the surviving terrorists retreated into the cave, believing they were facing a squad rather than a lone sniper.

"It's about time to wrap this up," George muttered, stowing his sniper rifle and floating down to the cave entrance. He pointed a finger at the cave and cast a spell:

"Obscuro Mists!"

Thick smoke surged into the cave, obscuring everything inside. With a handgun in hand, George strolled inside, calm and purposeful.

Based on his calculations, there were likely fewer than ten combat-capable enemies remaining in the cave.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Each shot from George's gun curved through the smoke, finding its mark among the hidden terrorists attempting ambushes.

Though the smoke impeded vision, it did not hinder George, whose psychic sensing ability allowed him to pick up on the fear and agitation of the enemies, pinpointing their locations with ease.

At his current level, George could take down a small military base in a stealth operation without sustaining injury. However, he was fully aware of his vulnerabilities in direct confrontations—one well-aimed missile could end him. This understanding made him cautious about exposing his identity or leaving any traceable evidence.

As someone who had been an ordinary human in his past life, George had an acute understanding of the destructive power of modern technology. He held organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D. and HYDRA in wary regard.

To him, even legendary wizards like Dumbledore or Grindelwald would likely struggle to survive a direct nuclear blast.

"Apologies," George murmured as he approached the terrorists who had been bitten by snakes and left unconscious. Without hesitation, he shot each of them, ensuring no loose ends remained.

George proceeded deeper into the cave, taking out the last two guards with ease. Using an unlocking spell, he opened the iron door and stepped inside.

"Don't be alarmed. I'm here to rescue you. The people outside have been taken care of," George said, tucking his gun away with a smile.

Tony Stark, who had been aiming a mechanical arm at him, hesitated, then relaxed as he took in George's words and the guards' lifeless bodies by the door. He retracted the flamethrower-equipped device he had rigged together.

"Did Rhodey send you?" Tony asked.

"I don't know any Rhodey. Let's head out first; we can talk more once we're safe," George replied, leading the way out of the cave.

Tony and Dr. Yinsen exchanged glances, then quickly gathered their belongings and followed, picking up rifles from the downed guards as they passed.

However, their caution seemed unnecessary—aside from corpses, the cave was deserted.

Outside, Tony's gaze fell on the bald leader's body.

"Did you really do all this alone?" he asked, incredulous.

Taking on a heavily fortified terrorist base solo, eliminating everyone without sustaining a scratch—it defied all logic.

Then he witnessed something even more surreal.

"Wingardium Leviosa!"

George's levitation spell lifted the pile of Stark Industries ammunition and missiles at the cave entrance. One by one, the munitions floated into the cave, neatly arranged.

He intended to obliterate the cave, along with any evidence of his involvement, including bodies and surveillance footage.

"Who… are you? A magician?" Tony asked, stunned.

"You can call me George—or a magician if you prefer. Actually, that sounds like a decent side gig," George joked. "But for now, we need to put some distance between us and this place."

After leading Tony and Yinsen to a jeep, George drove far enough away to safely detonate the explosives he had rigged. A massive explosion obliterated the cave, erasing all traces of his involvement.

"Why did you save me?" Tony asked, seated in the passenger seat as the jeep sped through the desert.

His curiosity about the enigmatic George was palpable, as was his suspicion regarding the latter's motives.

"Do you want the truth or a lie?" George asked, pulling the vehicle to a stop.

"What's the lie?" Tony replied, intrigued.

"The lie," George said with a smirk, "is that I see you as a genius inventor whose death would be a great loss to humanity. So, I came to save you for the greater good."

"While that's flattering, it does sound a bit far-fetched," Tony chuckled, his mood lightened by the humor.

"And the truth?"

"The truth," George said candidly, "is that your kidnapping caused Stark Industries' stock to plummet. I saw an opportunity to make a fortune by rescuing you."

Tony raised an eyebrow but laughed again. "Well, I can't say you're wrong about the stock drop. It's an honest motive, at least."

George's directness was calculated—it was both a test of Tony's character and a subtle probe to gauge whether Tony intended to shut down Stark Industries' weapons division after returning home.

In the movies, Tony's decision to stop weapons manufacturing had caused further stock crashes. However, this wasn't a movie, and Yinsen was still alive, so George wasn't certain if Tony would make the same choice.

His psychic abilities and Legilimency would help him discern Tony's true intentions.