Gentlemen, welcome to the future!"
The rising mushroom cloud, accompanied by violent winds, swept across the entire mountain range. The wind was so strong that it could be felt more than ten kilometers away.
The leader of the Ten Rings Gang stared fanatically at the mushroom cloud slowly rising in the distant sky, muttering, "This is a miracle from Allah, this is a miracle from Allah!"
His subordinates were also quite frightened. The most powerful explosions they had ever witnessed were Hellfire or Maverick missiles dropped by US military drones. Stark's Jericho missile, however, was a multi-warhead cluster munition, and its destructive power was incomparable to those.
"I want him, I must have him!" The boss of the Ten Rings Gang could already envision his grand vision of unifying the entire Arab world and rebuilding the great Ottoman Empire with the help of the weapons manufactured by Stark. He would be the Sultan, the Pasha, Saladin reborn!
By then, he would use the Scourge of God to whip these white devils to death!
Having made up his mind to get Stark, the boss of the Ten Rings Gang immediately pulled out his phone and began to gather his men. After all, Obadiah would keep him updated on Stark's location, so they could simply wait for him. Of course, before making a move, they needed to get their hands on the goods Obadiah had sent.
Although Obadiah and the Ten Rings Gang had business dealings, they still had to maintain appearances. After all, the Ten Rings Gang was on the American blacklist, and Stark Industries was a designated supplier for the American military. So, the weapons Obadiah sent were delivered through his subordinates responsible for mineral exploration in Afghanistan. Either a group of people would get drunk and sleep in the base, leaving the gate and armory unguarded, or a few people would drive trucks full of weapons through the mountains, only to have the trucks hijacked and the people released by terrorists. In short, these were all accidents, uncontrollable, and Stark Industries would never sell weapons to America's enemies!
If Fisher were here, he would surely mock Obadiah. Why drag your feet selling weapons? Find ten or eight middlemen, set up seven or eight shell companies, and it would be done. Even if something went wrong, you could push the blame to the shell companies, layer by layer, and come out clean, right? Also, Fisher would complain about a habit of Stark Industries: they put the Stark Industries mark on every weapon. Of course, this was to build brand recognition, but the consequence was that these widely sold items would eventually become Stark's problem.
Atlas, for example, wouldn't have this problem. Apart from weapons sold to national militaries, which would bear the Atlas mark, those sold to civilians would either only have a place of origin or the Hammer Industries mark. Justin Hammer, after all, was very fond of producing fan-made versions, so Fisher didn't mind helping him make more… Upon learning that Stark would be leaving the Phoenix Fire Base by ground vehicle to inspect Kabul, the capital of Afghanistan, the Ten Rings Gang immediately began their operation. The mountainous terrain of Afghanistan provided them with excellent cover, and under the watchful eyes of US military satellites and drones, the Ten Rings gunmen successfully set up an ambush position.
"Amir, it's all up to you then!" The leader of the Ten Rings Gang, holding a G36, looked at his subordinate with a serious expression.
"Don't worry, boss, with this guy, I guarantee none of those vehicles will escape!" The militant named Amir tightly hugged the Stingray M7 launcher. This was a four-shot multi-purpose launcher produced by Atlas, with a range of three kilometers. It could hit planes and tanks without a problem, and its built-in intelligent fire control system could control the missile's flight direction and automatically attack the enemy's weak points.
"Good, aim accurately. You are the only one here who has gone to primary school. If you miss, go back to herding sheep!" The boss warned, still uneasy. They only had ten M7 launchers this time, with only one basic load of ammunition. However, they had quite a few unguided Stark rocket launchers.
"They're here!" The dust kicked up by the vehicles was so conspicuous in the desert hills that it could be seen several kilometers away.
To escort an important figure like Stark, the military deployed six vehicles: two mine-resistant ambush-protected (MRAP) vehicles, one in front and one behind, with three HMMWVs in between. Stark himself was in an Atlas-produced APC heavy armored vehicle. Although this armored vehicle was a bit large, it had an active defense system and an infrared warning system. Its massive troop compartment could accommodate 12 fully armed infantry, or it could be modified to turn the compartment into an operating room or command center. In terms of weaponry, it had four weapon stations that could mount all armaments, including 7mm autocannons.
"Prepare! Fire!" Watching the convoy enter the ambush zone, the leader of the Ten Rings Gang stood up and fired a burst from his G36 into the sky.
The Stingray M7 in the terrorist's hands immediately locked onto the lead MRAP. Four missiles spun out of the launcher, covering a thousand meters in a few seconds and hitting the MRAP's cockpit.
The steel plate, capable of withstanding 105mm howitzer shrapnel and 23mm cannon fire, was pierced like a piece of cardboard by the warhead. Then, the intelligent fuse activated the explosive charge. The two soldiers in the MRAP didn't even understand what had happened before they and the front half of the vehicle turned into a fiery explosion and flying debris.
"Quick, reload!" The Stingray, having made a successful hit, began to reload, while the remaining militants grabbed their Stark Industries rocket launchers and began a saturation bombardment of the rear of the convoy.
Rocket after rocket rained down, turning the HMMWVs and the trailing MRAP into burning scrap metal. The occupants were killed before they even left their seats.
"What's happening?" Stark watched in terror as the armored vehicle's alarm blared, then a sudden bang came from outside the vehicle—the active defense system had intercepted an incoming rocket.
"Mr. Stark, please stay in the vehicle!" The American soldier guarding him said before jumping out to prepare for battle, but he was hit after firing only a few shots, and the radiating spray of blood splattered across the vehicle window.
There were several more bangs, and then the armored vehicle's voice began to alert, "Active defense system overloaded, please reload!"
"What, what?" Stark jumped up in fright, peering over the back of the seat at the constantly flashing warning on the electronic screen.
"Beep beep beep, rocket locked, firing soon, please evacuate!" the electronic voice warned again.
"No, no, no!" Stark frantically tried to open the car door, but the soldiers guarding him had locked it from the outside. Unable to escape, Stark could only watch as four spiraling streaks of fire flew towards him from afar.