"So, my father really was assassinated?"
Tony Stark's voice couldn't help but tremble, his fists clenching even tighter.
Although he hadn't found further evidence yet…
…even this much was highly suggestive.
If that car accident was just an accident, why were there so many encrypted files?
Even Jarvis had said it.
Some of those encrypted files had encryption levels that were damn near above military grade!
No matter how you looked at it, there was a huge conspiracy behind this.
He had to get to the bottom of this and uncover the truth behind his father's death!
Tony Stark silently made this decision.
Of course.
This was a serious matter, requiring careful planning and caution.
Even though he was Tony Stark, possessing technology far ahead of its time.
Security systems of the police or even the FBI held no challenge for him; he could easily crack them.
But there was one thing.
He at least had to connect to their local network, right?
That's not something you can achieve just by sitting in your luxurious villa.
It requires careful planning to make sure everything goes smoothly.
A sudden thought!
What if I told Stark who killed Howard and his wife?
I've finally transmigrated. If I don't use my advantage of knowing the future, I'd be at a loss!
I could casually ask Stark for a few hundred million, and then I'd be on top of the world!
A wonderful life is beckoning me!
Zhou Cheng, this transmigrator, really knows the true murderer of his parents?
Tony Stark stared intently at the diary in front of him, unable to remain calm.
Just a few hundred million? It's nothing! If Zhou Cheng was willing to tell him the truth, Tony Stark wouldn't even bat an eye.
Sigh, forget it.
Might as well go to sleep. This isn't a novel!
Putting aside everything else, someone like Tony Stark, with his status, isn't someone ordinary people can just meet.
Besides, even if you did meet him, why would he trust you?
Probably just get treated like a lunatic, right?
Tony Stark suddenly became a little anxious.
I believe it, I believe it!
Even though he couldn't completely trust the diary and everything it described, Tony Stark believed about seventy percent of the information regarding his parents' deaths.
Under these circumstances, he'd be willing to spend a few hundred million to buy information from the other party.
After all, it concerned the truth behind his parents' deaths.
However…
Tony Stark frowned slightly.
From the diary's content, it seemed that Zhou Cheng didn't know he could also see the diary. Otherwise…
He could tell himself whatever he wanted, just communicate with himself in the diary.
Why bother worrying about not seeing himself or being considered crazy?
Thinking about it this way…
This diary wasn't delivered to him by Zhou Cheng, but by someone else?
Then who is this other person?
Thinking about it this way, it's still more reliable to hope Stark gets kidnapped!
But seriously, why isn't this jerk in trouble yet?
Ten Rings, you guys need to step it up!
Tony Stark's face immediately darkened.
That bastard actually wished for him to be kidnapped?
Couldn't he say something nice?
And what the hell is "jerk"?
Tony Stark had lived a long life, but he'd never been called a "dickhead" before!
But...
When he saw the last line, a sharp glint flashed across Tony Stark's face.
So, the ones who kidnapped him were an organization called the Ten Rings?
"Jarvis, check out the Ten Rings!"
Tony Stark wasted no time, immediately issuing the order to Jarvis.
"The Ten Rings, also known as the Ten Rings Gang, the Ten Rings Legion, is an international, mysterious organization dedicated to destroying world peace at all costs."
"The earliest records of this organization can be traced back hundreds of years."
"There isn't much information about this organization that's been widely circulated, but a lot of the unrest and conflicts around the world have the Ten Rings' fingerprints all over them."
As Jarvis spoke, some related information was projected in front of Tony Stark.
Tony Stark quickly scanned through it and understood the situation.
No wonder they dared to make a move on him; the mastermind behind it all really had some serious backing.
It was actually a centuries-old, international terrorist organization.
But…
Tony Stark still felt something wasn't right.
Those terrorist organizations, did they really have the guts to touch him?
It would be fine if they were just stirring up trouble in some small countries, but to have the audacity to target someone of his level?
An organization of this caliber should know what it would mean to touch him, right?
Tony Stark felt that his kidnapping might not be so simple.
But the information revealed in the diary was too little, and Tony Stark couldn't analyze anything.
He couldn't do much more than have Jarvis pay more attention to and investigate the Ten Rings.
As for actually uncovering something concrete that could prevent and stop the kidnapping, Tony Stark didn't have much confidence.
He could only leave it to fate.
[Here, I have to say something.]
[Don't look at Stark as a playboy rich second generation, but his physical fitness is really damn good!]
[Even though he had a big hole in his chest, he could still swing a hammer in the cave for two months. You have to admire that!]
"If this were anyone else, they might not recover even after two months in intensive care?"
"Even Captain America wouldn't be this good, right?"
Tony Stark fell into contemplation again.
Having a massive hole ripped through his chest... that wasn't hard to understand.
Based on the context, it was highly likely he'd been seriously injured and undergone open-heart surgery when the Ten Rings kidnapped him.
No need to dwell on that.
Considering it was a kidnapping, the terrorists wouldn't exactly provide Tony Stark with a luxury hotel. It made sense that they'd hide him in a cave.
But, what the hell was with the sledgehammer?
Because the contents of the diary were written as thoughts came, they were too fragmented and disjointed.
Tony Stark really couldn't figure it out.
What exactly were the Ten Rings aiming for, that they would go to such lengths?
They kidnapped him, but not for ransom, not for money?
So, was there really some other conspiracy behind this kidnapping?
(End of Chapter)