Chapter 40: Great Joy for Everyone, Shoutouts to the Ten Rings

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"Tony Stark has been kidnapped?"

"So soon?"

As a transmigrator who already knew the plot, Zhou Cheng was much calmer in response than others.

Just a little surprised, that was all.

He indeed remembered that in the storyline, right after the award ceremony for the Apex Award, Tony Stark was abducted.

But he didn't expect that it would happen the day after the Apex Award ceremony!

If that was the case, he'd have to hurry up with selling his house.

After all, the whole process from Tony Stark being kidnapped to being rescued took just two or three months.

Compared to selling a house, two to three months was indeed a bit rushed.

Of course, if Zhou Cheng was eager to sell, there shouldn't be a problem.

It was just that he might have to make some concessions on the price.

"Whatever."

"Who knew this would happen?"

What else could Zhou Cheng do?

He quickly contacted a real estate agent.

He told the agent that he needed money urgently and requested that his house be sold within two months.

Real estate agents had seen plenty of clients like Zhou Cheng before, so there was no unnecessary chatter, and they readily agreed to his request.

And then?

The content Zhou Cheng, now in a good mood, comfortably lay on the sofa.

He habitually recorded his happy mood in his diary.

…

Afghanistan.

Ten Rings' secret base.

"We've met once before, at a tech conference in Bern."

"I don't remember."

"Of course, if I had been that drunk, unable to even stand properly, let alone give a lecture on integrated circuits."

Tony Stark was sitting on a pile of junk with his "roommate" Yinsen, getting to know and familiarize himself with each other.

"Where are we?"

Tony Stark started to ask Yinsen for this crucial piece of information.

He already knew who had kidnapped him.

But where he had been taken was still a mystery.

Bang!

Just as Yinsen was about to say something, a loud noise suddenly came from the big iron door.

Clearly.

Someone from outside had opened the lock on the big iron door.

Here they came!

"Get up!"

"Get up quickly!"

"Do as I do, put your hands up!"

Yinsen's face suddenly changed, and he urgently whispered to Tony Stark.

With Tony Stark's intelligence, he immediately guessed who was coming.

He also raised his hands, cooperating with Yinsen.

Bang!

As expected.

The next moment, the big iron door was pushed open.

A group of terrorists, holding submachine guns and semi-automatic rifles, swaggered in.

They were saying things that Tony Stark couldn't understand at all.

Luckily, Yinsen, proficient in many languages, translated everything the terrorists said for Tony Stark to hear.

The stuff they said at first was pointless and insulting, which Tony Stark didn't care about.

Until the big-bearded man in front of him made a real demand to Tony Stark.

"He wants you to make him missiles."

"It's the Jericho missile that you've demonstrated."

Yinsen translated while taking a photo of the Jericho missile from the big-bearded man's hand to show Tony Stark.

In the original movie, at this moment, Tony Stark firmly refused.

He didn't want weapons of such immense power to fall into the hands of scum; the potential harm was unimaginable.

Moreover, Tony Stark also knew.

Even if he truly made the missiles for them, they would never let him go.But now?

"This is my chance!"

"The raw materials—are already here!"

Tony Stark maintained his composure, but internally he was instantly exhilarated.

He had painstakingly pondered how his other-worldly self had obtained those raw materials and how he had boldly crafted a suit of armor right under the enemy's nose.

Apparently, there was such an opportunity.

It was truly a godsend! 

Just that—

A question inevitably arose in Tony Stark's mind.

Are the people from the Ten Rings out of their minds?

They went through all the trouble to kidnap him, even at the cost of annihilating an entire military unit.

Such a momentous effort, just for the Jericho missiles?

Do these guys plan to start a world war or what?

Do they absolutely have to have the Jericho missiles?

There are plenty of ways to procure Jericho missiles; surely there was no need to kidnap him to make them, right?

Anything less than a ten-year cerebrovascular incident wouldn't generate such a rotten idea.

So are all these members of the Ten Rings idiots?

Bang!

While these thoughts quickly flashed through his mind, Yinsen gently tapped Tony Stark's shoulder.

Tony Stark snapped back to the present.

All the members of the Ten Rings were staring intently at him, waiting for his answer.

"Do I have a choice?"

Tony Stark accepted their terms with a look of resignation.

"Smart decision!"

The bearded man immediately smiled, "Once you finish making the missile, I'll let you go."

"Now, gather your thoughts, and later make a list for us."

"We will prepare everything you need!"

After saying this, the bearded leader left with his underlings.

"Are you really going to make them the Jericho missile?"

Yinsen pushed his glasses up, looking at Tony Stark with a complex expression.

He understood Tony Stark's decision but did not wish him to do so.

"As I said, I have no choice."

Tony Stark shrugged, not telling Yinsen the whole truth.

He was not yet familiar or comfortable with Yinsen, so he didn't fully trust him.

Yinsen wanted to say more to Tony Stark, but Stark no longer wished to engage with Yinsen.

Because he had just noticed that the diary, which he had opened, had been updated.

[Great joy, great joy, ah!]

[Today is really a good day, no wonder there was a magpie chirping this morning.]

[After waiting for so long, at last, the big piece of shit has been kidnapped.]

[Hahaha, props to the bros from the Ten Rings, power to you guys!]

Even from just reading the text, Tony Stark could vividly feel how happy Zhou Cheng at the other end of the diary was.

It was as if Stark being kidnapped was a matter of great satisfaction and joy.

Despite not being the first time he'd seen Zhou Cheng's tone, Tony Stark's face turned as black as ever.

"This bastard!"

His mouth twitched, and Tony Stark couldn't help but let out a curse under his breath.

Some readers discussed in front that the diary blatantly spoiled Stark's abduction, yet it was ultimately unavoidable.

This had already been explained before. Stark, upon learning of his potential abduction by the Ten Rings, had conducted thorough investigations.

The problem was that the Ten Rings had never planned to kidnap Stark. They were merely hired by Obadiah to kill someone and didn't even know the target's identity until they launched the attack and realized it was Stark. They then made the spur-of-the-moment decision to save him, unilaterally turning a hit into a kidnapping.

Under such circumstances, Stark couldn't possibly have discovered any clues about the abduction, as it was never schemed by anyone from the start.

So, as far as prevention or avoidance was concerned, it was never an option.