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Chapter 58: Stark's Metamorphosis

Tony Stark, the hard-nosed inventor, was hammering away in a cave when Thor exited through the portal.

Originally, the group of captors who had kidnapped him intended to execute him immediately. However, the Jericho missile Tony demonstrated at the previous press conference proved quite valuable to them, so the terrorists decided to extract every last bit of utility from him.

They provided materials and demanded that Tony Stark produce missiles for them.

But Tony wasn't foolish. Did they really think he would make the missiles and then be set free? That was laughable!

He had no intention of constructing missiles.

Under the threat of death, Tony Stark's already sharp mind worked at superhuman levels, and he began to build the first-generation Iron Man suit from the missile parts.

Unfortunately, the humanoid figure he created had nothing to do with missiles. Even a pig would have sensed something was off.

After a severe beating, the terrorist leader issued an ultimatum: if the missiles weren't completed by the next day, he would face severe consequences.

Tony Stark had never suffered such indignities before, nor would he allow himself to. His assistant, Ethan, had lost all inhibitions and accelerated the armor's construction.

If Stark had been given a few more minutes, he might have succeeded. However, the vigilant terrorist leader frequently monitored the surveillance and came rushing over as soon as he noticed something was amiss.

The bomb tied to the iron door killed two of the young men, but the armor required some time to activate, and the terrorists were already at the door.

In a crucial moment, Ethan picked up an AK and walked toward the door.

"No! Come back and follow the plan!"

Ethan turned back, smiling, and said firmly, "This is my plan!"

Ignoring Stark's protests, he charged forward.

Gunshots rang out, then fell silent.

Stark's eyes welled up. He now understood the gravity of the situation.

When the terrorists burst into the cave where Stark was imprisoned, they were confronted by a powerful figure with a black metallic sheen.

Tony Stark, the arms dealer and playboy, was finally galvanized into action by Ethan's sacrifice. His anger unleashed upon the terrorists.

Even the original Iron Man was more than a match for a group of mortals. He burst out of the cave, detonated the munitions depot, and used the rocket propulsion system to soar through the flames before collapsing from exhaustion on the sand.

A military helicopter spotted the battered Stark overhead. Regardless of the circumstances, he had escaped.

On this day, arms dealer and playboy Tony Stark underwent a transformation and emerged as a superhero.

…

In the hall of Kamar-Taj, Thor was negotiating with the Ancient One. He had learned he had been displaced for nearly five years, which was alarming. If the Ancient One's hand had faltered, he might have returned to find only half population people left .

"Well, it was indeed my mistake this time. Please let me know what you need, and as long as it's within reason, Kamar-Taj will do its best to accommodate you."

The Ancient One nodded with a wry smile.

Now it was Thor's turn to be troubled. Kamar-Taj was not like Asgard. Its constant isolation meant it had little money, and the situation was dire. The poor were in distress, and even the wifi was provided by a country where it was cheapest. The only thing that interested Thor was...

"For example—the means to travel back in time? Or perhaps a red cloak that can fly by itself? A cloak would do as well. I've used this cloak for over a thousand years; it's time for a change..."

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