Yinsen, who had been mentally exhausted for days, suddenly felt a surge of life return to him — like someone plugged him into an arc reactor.
He shouted, trembling with excitement, "Great! Great! You've come at the perfect time!"
"Come with me, Tony's inside!"
Yinsen was almost moved to tears. Oh, my God, you're finally here! You have no idea what kind of nightmare we've been living in!
Without hesitation, he turned and jogged back into the cave, yelling, "Tony! Tony! We're saved!"
"Hahaha, Tony! Come out quickly, it's safe outside now!"
He ran and shouted like a man finally released from hell.
From inside the cave came a familiar, cocky voice—arrogant and sarcastic as ever.
"Really? Let me see who it is, coming this late to save the great Tony Stark. Bit unprofessional, don't you think?"
Tony's voice carried that signature smugness that made you want to punch him sometimes.
"Who is it? Let the great Tony Stark take a look. Maybe I'll hire him for ten times the President's bodyguard salary to protect me personally."
Thump, thump, thump.
Soon, Leo saw a disheveled man walking out of the shadows. His face was unshaven, clothes in tatters, looking more like a beggar than the billionaire playboy genius.
Still, there was no mistaking him — Tony Stark.
Leo blinked. Man, this guy really looks rough.
Meanwhile, Tony gave Leo a once-over.
This young man looked barely twenty-one or twenty-two, ridiculously handsome — unfairly so.
Fuck, Tony thought, does he really need to look that good? His looks completely outshone Tony's own.
This is a crime against humanity. How's Tony Stark supposed to survive if there's someone better-looking walking around?
There was no way he could hire this guy as a private bodyguard — not unless he wanted every woman around him to instantly switch sides.
Tony frowned and asked, "Kid, where's the rest of your team? Why are you alone?"
He looked around in confusion. For a mission of this scale, there should've been at least a dozen Navy SEALs. But there was no one.
Before Leo could respond, Yinsen quietly tugged on Tony's sleeve.
"Tony… there's no one else. It's just him."
Tony froze. "What?? How's that possible?"
He stared at Leo like he was hearing nonsense. "Impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
In Tony's eyes, this pretty boy looked like someone who'd spend his time flirting at parties, not fighting terrorists.
Then—
Whoosh!
An ice arrow shot straight toward Tony's forehead, the air turning frigid in an instant.
The arrow stopped just inches from his face.
Tony's pupils widened. Fear rushed through him like electricity.
Death. Again?
Fuck! He nearly pissed himself.
He still had too much money to spend and too many women to chase. Dying wasn't on the agenda.
"Do you believe it now?" Leo asked, smirking.
"Believe! Believe! I totally believe!" Tony said, nodding like a frightened quail.
The ice arrow dissolved into mist, and Tony dropped to the ground, gasping for air — like someone who had just walked away from Death's doorstep.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for rescuing Tony Stark and indirectly changing Yinsen's fate. Reward: 10,000 points.]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for slightly altering Tony Stark's destiny. Reward: 10,000 points.]
Leo grinned as the Destroyer System prompts echoed in his mind. Twenty thousand points in one go. Nice.
Still, he realized random nobodies probably gave no points at all. Even someone like Yinsen, a side character, only earned him ten thousand.
He refocused his gaze on Tony. Points were great, but what came next was even better.
Tony Stark — the world's richest genius. A walking ATM.
Leo's mischievous grin made Tony uneasy.
"Uh… what are you planning to do?" Tony asked cautiously.
Right now, he looked less like a billionaire inventor and more like a trembling lamb.
He regretted not wearing his Iron Man armor. Never again, he promised himself. Next time, even to pee, I'm bringing armor.
Leo tilted his head. "What do you think I came all this way to save you for? Love and justice? The cause of peace?"
Tony instantly got the message. Money.
He let out a relieved sigh. "Alright, how much? Tony Stark's got money."
Leo smirked. Oh, you shouldn't have said that.
"I wasn't gonna fleece you too hard," he said with a grin, "but since you insist… one billion dollars."
Tony nearly choked. "What?! One billion?!"
Leo raised an eyebrow. "What? Didn't you tell me to name my price? Don't tell me Tony Stark's a broke man. Are those Forbes covers all fake?"
Tony gritted his teeth. "Fuck! Impossible! Tony Stark has plenty of money!"
Leo clapped his hands. "Good! Then it's settled. Your life's worth that much, right?"
Tony frowned. "Wait, my life's not small! It's very valuable!"
"Exactly," Leo said with a smug grin. "So, this billion's well spent."
Tony blinked, processing the logic. "Hmm… yeah, that does make sen—wait, what the hell?!"
By the time he realized he'd walked into the trap, Leo was already laughing.