Chapter 29

The next morning, in a desolate area on the outskirts of Baghlan Province, Afghanistan:

"Boss, we're 200 meters away," Xiao Liu reported, noticing the tents and several armed men in the distance.

Leo formed a hand seal and used the Transformation Jutsu to take on the appearance of Obadiah Stane. "Instruct the team to put on their masks and avoid showing their faces. After I leave, return to the hotel and wait for me."

While his objective was to eliminate Raza Hamidmi and everyone at the base, there was a chance that some might escape. If any of them saw Xiao Liu and the others, it could pose a future problem.

"Yes, Boss!" Xiao Liu, seeing Leo's transformed appearance through the rearview mirror, was momentarily stunned before nodding and donning his mask. Though aware of the boss's ability to change appearance, witnessing it firsthand was still surprising.

As they approached the tents, armed men stopped the cars, prompting Leo and Xiao Liu to step out.

"It's me, Obadiah Stane. Where's your boss?" Leo announced.

"Mr. Stane, Raza is waiting for you in the tent. Your bodyguards need to stay outside," a bearded man scrutinized Leo before speaking.

Leo signaled to Xiao Liu, who immediately led the others back to the car.

Inside the tent, Raza, upon seeing Leo, stepped forward to embrace him. "Mr. Stane, it's not that I'm unwilling to fulfill our deal. In our line of work, heads have different values, and Tony Stark's is worth much more than what you offered."

Despite Obadiah's substantial payment, Raza knew that Stane wanted to control the entire company. By holding out for more money, Raza was confident Stane would eventually cave. Even if the deal fell through, keeping the genius inventor alive could still yield advanced weaponry.

"Mr. Raza, I've thought over your points. You're right, money is not an issue. I'm even willing to provide you with the most advanced weapons, but I have one condition," Leo said, releasing Raza and laughing heartily.

"What's the condition?" Raza narrowed his eyes.

"Simple. Take me to see Tony. I have some company matters to discuss with him. Once I get the answers I need, I'll fulfill my promises," Leo replied, sitting down.

"Is that all?" Raza, suspicious, sensed there was more to it.

"That's all," Leo said, spreading his hands.

After pondering for a moment, Raza couldn't resist the temptation and nodded. "Agreed, but you can't bring any bodyguards, and you must be blindfolded the entire time, or the deal is off."

With absolute strength, no trickery would matter. If Obadiah was willing to go alone, he couldn't cause any trouble.

Leo feigned hesitation before looking at his watch. "Fine, but make sure I'm back by 4 PM. I have a meeting in New York tonight."

"If it's just a discussion, it shouldn't be a problem," Raza replied, with a warning tone.

---

Five minutes later, blindfolded, Leo was led into a jeep. After a 90-minute drive, the blindfold was removed.

"Welcome to my base, Mr. Stane!" Raza said proudly.

Leo surveyed the area, noting the small valley filled with various weapons, including missiles marked with Stark Industries logos. The base was populated solely by armed members of the Ten Rings, roughly 30 to 40 men.

"Mr. Raza, take me to see Tony," Leo said, quickly shifting his focus.

Without further ado, Raza led Leo to a cave in the middle of the valley. This cave served as the main quarters for the base, with a large and deep space guarded every few meters by armed men.

At the cave's end, a large iron door stood. Speaking in the local dialect, Raza instructed the guards to open the door, revealing Tony Stark and Yinsen, who were welding something.

"Obadiah?" Tony was stunned to see Obadiah walk in with the terrorist leader.

As his father's friend and the company's largest shareholder after him, Obadiah had always supported Tony, handling many troublesome affairs for the company. Tony couldn't fathom why Obadiah was here. Was he kidnapped too?

Though he had some suspicions, Tony tried to find a plausible excuse for Obadiah's presence. The terrorist's attitude towards Obadiah was too friendly for a fellow captive.

"Oh, my dear nephew Tony, I'm so glad to see you're alive. I thought my hired men had blown you to bits. I was heartbroken for a long time," Leo said, smiling broadly as he noticed the completed arc reactor on Tony's chest. He then turned to Raza. "I need a private word with Tony. Could you and your men leave us?"

"No problem, call my guards if you need anything," Raza nodded and left, closing the door behind him.

"Obadiah, what do you mean by what you just said?" Tony, enraged, stepped forward to confront Leo.

Leo glanced at the surveillance camera in the corner, grabbed a chair, and walked towards it. "It means exactly what you think. I want to control Stark Industries, so I hired these men to kill you. I didn't expect you to survive. When they found out who you were, they raised their price, so I had to come here myself."