Ethan didn't know what had happened; one second he was in a cave, and the next he was in a desert. A voice whispered in his ear, "Dr. Ethan, please stay here. I'll go bring Mr. Stark back."
Ethan turned to the source of the voice but found no one. He was alone. As a scientist who believed in science and was an atheist, Ethan couldn't help but wonder if he had encountered a ghost.
Nevertheless, Ethan followed the voice's instructions, staying put and waiting for the owner of the voice to return.
Ethan didn't wait long before he heard a sudden burst of gunfire from one direction, as if a fight had broken out. Though anxious, Ethan could do nothing but wait.
"Dr. Ethan, hello. I apologize for bringing you here in a hurry without your consent. You can call me Li Yue. It's a pleasure to meet you." Li Yue extended his right hand to Ethan.
"Y-you, hello, Mr. L-Li Yue. It's a pleasure to meet you too, but could you please explain what's going on? How did I suddenly appear here? And how did you suddenly disappear and then reappear?" Ethan, still surprised by Li Yue's sudden appearance, quickly spoke, his tone disbelieving. He hastily shook Li Yue's hand, full of curiosity.
"This is just my ability; don't be surprised. Your actions just now, however, deeply impressed me. I admit I couldn't do what you did." Li Yue confessed that in the same situation, he couldn't sacrifice his life to buy time. This, however, made Li Yue admire Ethan's character even more.
"Don't say that. I just did what I had to do. By the way, Mr. Li Yue, why didn't Mr. Stark come out with you?" Seeing only Li Yue, Ethan couldn't help but ask. From what had just happened, Li Yue could bring him here, so he must be able to bring Tony Stark too. But now that only Li Yue had returned, Ethan couldn't help but worry.
"Mr. Ethan, don't worry. Mr. Stark is doing what he needs to do. He should be here any moment." Li Yue reassured Ethan, hoping to ease his concerns about Tony's safety.
"Look, there he is!" Li Yue heard an explosion from a certain direction and looked up at the sky. Sure enough, he saw a figure jetting flames from his feet, soaring into the air.
"Mr. Stark truly is the greatest genius of this century, capable of building such an unparalleled suit of armor even in a cave." Hearing Li Yue's words, Ethan followed his gaze and saw the figure in the sky. He was amazed, but a new worry gnawed at him. If such a crude armor could unleash such power, what if Stark went back and created more advanced armor, and Stark Industries mass-produced and sold such weapons? Ethan dared not think further.
The figure was Tony, clad in the Mark I. He was incredibly excited; this was his first true flight into the sky. Everyone yearned for the sky, dreaming of free flight, which led to the invention of airplanes. But sitting in a plane wasn't true flight. Tony felt he was a true genius, having created such a powerful suit with his brilliant mind.
However, before his excitement could last, he noticed the flames beneath his feet extinguish, and he lost power, beginning to fall. His speed increased rapidly. At this rate, he would at least be crippled if not killed.
Tony closed his eyes, bracing himself for the painful impact with the ground.
Li Yue watched Tony fall towards him and couldn't help but sigh, "Cool for three seconds" was perfectly embodied by Tony.
Li Yue had no choice but to flash beside the falling Tony. He teleported several times with him in mid-air to shed his falling speed, and then they appeared together in the desert.
Even so, Tony still landed hard on the sand, and his armor disintegrated, unable to withstand the impact. Parts of the Mark I scattered all over the ground.
"Not bad!" Tony lifted his hand, took off the lone helmet on his head, threw it aside, rubbed his backside, and muttered.
"Not bad? If it weren't for Mr. Li Yue, you would have died from the fall." At this moment, Ethan also came to Tony's side, extended his hand to Tony, and said to him.
Tony grabbed Ethan's hand and stood up, looking at Li Yue, who had a faint smile, and said from the bottom of his heart, "Thank you, Li Yue. You saved me again."
"Don't be so formal, Tony. We're friends; we should help each other, shouldn't we?" Li Yue said to Tony with a smile.
"Yes, I declare that you, Li Yue, are now my friend. You should feel very honored to have a friend like me, Tony." Tony declared to Li Yue with immense self-admiration, as if being friends with Tony Stark should be a source of immense pride. However, Tony had the capital for this; countless people wanted to be his friend, but only a handful received his approval.
"Yes, being friends with you, Tony Stark, is my fortune of three lifetimes, a blessing cultivated over several lifetimes, alright!" Li Yue replied helplessly. Tony's personality made Li Yue want to punch his arrogant face twice; it was so infuriating.
Li Yue then turned to Ethan and asked, "Is he always this narcissistic? How did you spend these three months with him, and how did you resist the urge to beat him up?"
"Yes, Li Yue, Mr. Stark has always been this narcissistic. If I didn't have such a good temper, I think I would have beaten him up long ago." Ethan, for once, joked. He had always been a serious person, but now that he had finally escaped the cave, his mood relaxed, and he even felt happy to crack some harmless jokes with Li Yue and Tony.
"Haha..." Li Yue and Ethan exchanged glances and couldn't help but laugh.
Watching Li Yue and Ethan laugh, although they were joking about him, he was still very happy. He now had friends; he wasn't the old Tony Stark who had everything but nothing. Moreover, after this kidnapping, Tony finally understood his future mission: what he could bring to the world was not just war.
Looking at Li Yue and Ethan, Tony silently made a decision. Then he was also infected by their laughter and started laughing.
"Grumble..." As they were laughing together, Tony's stomach unceremoniously rumbled, making him flush with embarrassment.
"Haha, it seems our great Mr. Tony Stark is still hungry." Li Yue continued to joke, but jokes aside, he had already decided to bring them some food and water first, so they could fill their stomachs. He didn't want to bring them back to America immediately, as that would expose his abilities. Li Yue felt it was better to keep them hidden if possible.
"Alright, no more jokes. I'll go get you guys something to eat." Li Yue looked at Tony, who was embarrassed by his joke, and Ethan, who was watching the show, said to them, and prepared to leave.
"Don't forget to bring me some cheese...!" Tony shouted, but before he could finish, he realized Li Yue had already vanished. He didn't know if Li Yue had heard him.
After more than ten minutes, Li Yue reappeared. Because he had to buy food and couldn't use his superpowers, it took a bit longer.
Seeing Li Yue return with two bags in his hands, Tony no longer bothered with gentlemanly demeanor. He quickly approached Li Yue, almost snatching the bags from his hands. Tony was pleasantly surprised to find that the food Li Yue brought included his favorite cheeseburgers. He reached in, pulled one out, and wolfed it down.
Li Yue stood by, watching Tony and Ethan quickly eat. During their captivity by the terrorists, they were given food, but it was never anything good, just enough to fill their stomachs.
"Burp, I've never felt this drink taste so good, burp! When I get back, I'm definitely replacing all the red wine in my villa's fridge with this drink. Burp." Tony rubbed his full stomach, drinking the soda, and exclaimed with a satisfied burp.
"These cost me a few hundred dollars, Tony. Remember to reimburse me when we get back." Li Yue couldn't help but say to Tony. Seeing Tony's display of wealth, Li Yue felt hurt.
"No problem, that's nothing. When I get back, you can pick any villa or sports car you want." Tony was always so generous, but then again, he was rich.
At this moment, a "boom boom boom" sound came from a distance. Li Yue knew it was the military helicopter arriving. He said to Tony and Ethan, "I'm leaving now. I hope you'll keep my affairs a secret. I don't want to expose my superpowers yet."
"No problem, rest assured, we'll keep your secret." Tony and Ethan both nodded to Li Yue, and then Li Yue disappeared. Of course, he didn't forget to take the trash left by Tony and Ethan.
Colonel Rhodes was the one who arrived from the military. Looking at a much more weathered Tony, he said, "Are you still riding in your happy little jeep? Remember to come with me from now on." Then he led the speechless Tony and Ethan onto the helicopter.
The news of Tony Stark's return after three months of disappearance spread like a hurricane to everyone's ears.