"What the hell!?"
Tony and Yinsen nearly went into cardiac arrest. The sight before them—someone literally digging through solid rock and popping up from the floor—was so surreal that Tony, who hadn't slept in two days, almost blacked out on the spot.
Under their stunned gazes, Darren climbed out of the hole with practiced ease, brushing dust off his jacket. He hoisted a pixelated pickaxe over his shoulder like some proud Minecraft cosplayer.
[Item: Diamond Pickaxe]
[Effect: Greatly increases excavation efficiency; can quickly mine or destroy most minerals and rocks]
[Evaluation: If Andy Dufresne had this pickaxe, he could've saved himself.]
"Who the hell are you!?" Tony demanded, instinctively on guard.
Darren grinned. "You're Tony Stark, right? I'm here to rescue you."
"You're with the military?"
"Nope. I'm an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D. Here's my card."
Tony took the card suspiciously—and froze.
It read: Federal Bureau of Investigation, Senior Agent Darren.
"…What?"
"Ah, wrong one, sorry."
Darren plucked it back with complete nonchalance, then began fishing out an entire handful of business cards from his coat.
Department of Defense, CIA, NYPD, IRS…
Tony's face went blank.
"Ah, found it."
Darren handed over another card.
Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement and Logistics Division – Senior Agent Darren.
Tony squinted at the absurdly long name. It sounded like something a lazy novelist made up just to fill space.
"How many people did this… 'Strategic Homeland-whatever' send here?" he asked cautiously.
Darren smiled proudly. "Just me."
"…What!?" Tony's face darkened instantly. Was this guy kidding?
But Darren wasn't paying him any mind. His eyes were locked on the rugged armor prototype sitting on the workbench.
[Mark I Armor (Bound to Tony Stark)]
[Description: A crude power armor suit built from scrap metal and spare parts by Tony Stark while in captivity. Requires a massive energy source.]
"Oh-ho, now that's a beauty."
His eyes sparkled with excitement. No man could resist the call of powered armor—it was the ultimate fantasy, the mechanical embodiment of freedom and firepower.
If only it weren't bound to Tony. Then he could've tested if loot drops worked on story NPCs.
Darren sighed wistfully.
He'd already confirmed that NPCs in this game didn't respawn. Once dead, they were gone forever—and any related missions vanished with them.
So, as a rule of thumb, killing main story characters was… not ideal.
At least, not in the first playthrough.
Maybe in New Game+.
Darren smirked at the thought.
Tony felt a chill crawl down his spine under that fiery, unblinking gaze. He was about to speak when a loud commotion erupted outside the cave.
Tony's expression shifted instantly. He turned to the security monitor—terrorists were rushing toward their position, alerted by the disturbance.
"They're coming! Hurry up!" he barked.
Yinsen and Tony scrambled to arm themselves. Outside, angry voices shouted in a language Darren couldn't understand, fists pounding on the metal door.
BOOM!
A deafening explosion tore through the air. Smoke, fire, and blood filled the tunnel entrance—the bomb they'd planted at the gate had gone off, taking several of the attackers with it.
But before they could breathe, heavier footsteps thundered closer.
"Damn it!" Tony cursed. They were coming faster than expected.
"Yinsen, start the power sequence!"
"It's not fully calibrated—"
"Do it! Now!"
Tony knew the risks of forcing a startup. But if they didn't move, they'd be dead within minutes.
Yinsen gritted his teeth and hit the switch. The computer console hummed to life, progress bar crawling painfully slow across the screen.
Outside, the shouting grew louder.
"No time left," Yinsen whispered. Then, grabbing a rifle from a fallen guard, he looked at Tony with grim resolve. "I'll buy us time."
"Yinsen! Stick to the plan! Don't—"
But it was too late. The scientist sprinted out of the cave, rifle clutched in trembling hands.
Tony's cry echoed down the tunnel.
"YINSEN!"
...
Crunch. Crunch.
A slow, deliberate sound broke the tension.
Darren sat nearby, legs crossed, casually cracking sunflower seeds like he was watching a movie.
"Not bad," he muttered between bites. "Cinematic cutscene's got solid direction, but the plot's kinda cliché."
From years of gaming, he could tell immediately where this was going.
The NPC Yinsen was about to get sacrificed—no doubt about it.
Wait.
This whole setup felt familiar.
Scrap armor in a cave, noble scientist, tragic explosion…
Hold on.
Darren's eyes narrowed.
"System," he said slowly, "don't tell me this mustache guy's the protagonist. I'm just supposed to be a bystander, right?"
[Please rest assured. This game has no pre-set protagonist. The system will not interfere with any player decisions. You are free to engage with or alter the storyline at will.]
[Whether you become the hero, the sidekick, or a random passerby is entirely your choice.]
"Good."
He exhaled in relief. The last thing he wanted was to be some glorified background camera while someone else got all the action.
Meanwhile, Tony was on the verge of blowing a vein.
They were fighting for their lives—and this guy was eating snacks!?
Still, desperation outweighed anger.
"Agent! Hey, you! Help me stop him!" Tony shouted. "That man's gonna get himself killed!"
Yinsen was brilliant, but no fighter. Against a dozen armed terrorists, he'd be cut down in seconds.
A guaranteed death flag.
Darren snorted. "Hah, you think I take orders? I'm a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, not your errand boy. What do you take me for?"
[NPC Tony Stark has issued you a new mission]
[Mission: Save Yinsen]
[Objective: Ensure Yinsen's survival]
[Rewards: 1000 EXP, +20 Tony Stark Affection, 1 Random Rare Item]
"…But as a responsible, law-abiding citizen," Darren said, straightening up suddenly with a noble expression, "how could I just stand by and do nothing? Don't worry—this mission's as good as done."
The shift in his tone was instantaneous.
Tony stared, speechless.
Integrity?
Principle?
Darren just grinned.
Come on—since when did players ever have those?