In the Middle East, at the Ten Rings gang camp, several black luxury cars drove in and halted in the center.
A bald man in a suit, accompanied by several tough-looking men—more like mercenaries than entourage—stepped out.
The Ten Rings members watched them warily.
Another bald man emerged from a tent, flanked by two others. Unlike the suited man, this bald man had fierce eyes, a scarred face, and a menacing aura, clearly someone accustomed to life on the edge.
The two bald men faced each other, the scarred man speaking first:
"Welcome."
The suited man nodded, "Raza."
If Hermione had witnessed this, she might have laughed at the names.
What a name, "Raza." Anyone with a name like that is doomed!
"Obadiah," Raza replied, recognizing the arrival as Obadiah Stane, the majority shareholder of Stark Industries, once a friend to Tony's father, Howard Stark, and a pseudo-uncle to Tony himself.
He was also the one conspiring to kill Tony, the villain in "Iron Man."
In his bid for power, Obadiah had colluded with the Ten Rings to assassinate Tony during a Middle East trip.
Fortunately, Raza, the Ten Rings leader, thought the deal was poor and switched from murder to kidnapping, hoping Tony would build missiles for them. This decision led to Iron Man's creation and everything that followed.
You're the real catalyst for the Marvel Universe, bald brother!
Nick Fury should give you a medal for this.
Raza pointed to his scarred face, "This is Tony Stark's gift."
Obadiah "hmphed," a hint of disdain in his eyes.
"If you'd followed through, your face wouldn't be burned."
After a moment of silence, Raza replied:
"The price was too low."
Obadiah, not wanting to argue, waved dismissively, "Show me the weapons."
Acknowledging his fault, Raza didn't press the matter further.
They had business to discuss and preferred not to sour relations.
The two bald men entered the tent while their guards remained outside.
Inside, they found a silver-gray suit of armor.
The Mark I.
"This was left by Tony Stark during his escape. My men gathered the pieces and reassembled it," Raza said proudly.
Obadiah's eyes gleamed with admiration at the sight of the armor.
Although crude, it was the prototype of all future suits, limitless in potential.
Seeing Obadiah's eager expression, Raza grinned sinisterly, "With a dozen of these, we could rule all of Asia."
Dream on.
At this rate, New York locals couldn't conquer Asia.
Neither Raza nor Obadiah grasped the world's complexities, lost in fantasies of conquering nations with war suits.
Obadiah snapped back to reality, nodding at Raza, "Let's make a deal."
Raza's smile turned sly, "I'll give you the armor for free. In return, when your research succeeds, provide me with Iron Warriors."
Obadiah patted Raza's shoulder, secretly activating a sonic paralyzer hidden in his hand.
Raza's eyes widened, collapsing into a chair, face pale, neck veins bulging, unable to move.
Obadiah finally smiled knowingly.
He hadn't planned a fair deal. His goal was to double-cross and eliminate witnesses.
As gunshots echoed outside, the Ten Rings members were silenced.
Under the cover of night, the convoy departed, leaving no trace.
---
**Stark Tower.**
In his lab, Tony, tinkering with his suit, glanced at Hermione, lounging on a nearby sofa, engrossed in her game.
"So, you wizards have special schools, like... Hoo? Hoo...?"
"Hogwarts."
Hermione corrected, "There are many wizarding schools, not just Hogwarts, but it's the most famous. Like your Stanford or MIT."
Tony was surprised, "You're a prestigious school student. Not bad. Still not on my level, but impressive for ordinary folks."
Hermione rolled her eyes, turning to Pepper, who entered with a fruit platter, "Pepper, can I beat him up?"
Pepper, having heard Tony's remark, gave Hermione an apologetic look.
She knew Tony well. While he had changed after his kidnapping, habits didn't shift overnight.
Over the years, she'd grown accustomed to it, just worried Hermione might be upset.
Fortunately, Hermione seemed to understand Tony's nature, merely complaining without action.
Pepper approached Hermione, patting her head.
"Don't play games lying down; it's bad for your eyes. Have some fruit."
Hermione, playful, sat up like a carp, opening her mouth.
"Ah—"
"Girls shouldn't act like that. You'll struggle to find a boyfriend," Pepper chided gently.
She fed Hermione a slice of melon, eyes filled with affection.
Hearing this, Hermione's mood dampened, the melon losing its sweetness.
I'm handsome enough... never mind...
Tony watched the two, feeling a twinge of envy.
Pepper had never been so affectionate with him.
Since Hermione's arrival, his status had plummeted, leaving him to console himself with armor upgrades.
After his defeat, Pepper learned why he'd barked like a puppy, which amused her.
Seeing Pepper laugh so heartily, Tony endured it.
Since then, Pepper frequently invited Hermione over, insisting Tony thank her, much to his chagrin.
He'd earned his escape through effort and ingenuity, not because of this kid!
However, upon hearing Hermione had paid a steep price for her prophecy, even harming herself, Tony fell silent.
In the end, he thanked her sincerely.
As Hermione visited more often, they grew closer.
Though her sharp tongue sometimes infuriated him, tempting him to don his suit and retaliate.
"By the way, how does wizard magic work? Why the spells? How do wands cast them?"
Seeing Hermione comfortably nestled on Pepper's lap, Tony asked, a hint of envy in his eyes.
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