A few hours later.
Colonel Rhodes locked onto Stark's position through the distress signal sent by the Mark I armor.
After dispatching an entire squad of well-trained soldiers, the military successfully carried out a rescue operation, bringing Tony Stark and Dr. Yinsen back to the nearest base.
Seeing his old friend Rhodes again, Stark was overwhelmed with emotion.
He had always carried himself as a playboy, a super-genius, unruly and arrogant, someone who never seemed to take anything seriously.
But when it came to Rhodes, when it came to their friendship—Stark had always valued it deeply.
Especially now, after brushing against death and enduring so much, he found himself cherishing human connections and bonds more than ever.
Of course… Stark was still Stark.
He was Iron Man—the man who never said what he really felt. His words and actions rarely matched.
So, after a silent embrace, Stark started grumbling, complaining that Rhodes hadn't even been able to protect an ordinary man, forcing him to find his own way out.
"I did everything I could, Tony."
Rhodes' tone was stern, but his voice carried guilt. No matter what excuses he could make, the truth was simple—he had almost lost his closest friend.
That failure weighed heavily on him, both as a soldier and as a friend.
Still, this wasn't Rhodes' first time dealing with Tony Stark. He knew Tony's personality, his style, inside and out. So when Tony spoke like that, Rhodes understood perfectly well—Stark wasn't blaming him. Not really.
"Hello, Colonel Rhodes."
Dr. Yinsen stepped forward after their embrace and extended his right hand.
Rhodes looked him over instinctively. Dust-covered, disheveled, his hand grimy and scarred.
If Rhodes hadn't seen it with his own eyes, he never would have believed Stark would bring along someone like this.
"This is Dr. Yinsen," Stark quickly explained, seeing Rhodes' look. "He saved me."
He told the story: the Ten Rings attack, the missile exploding right in front of him. He had survived the blast, but shrapnel had lodged deep in his body, threatening his heart at any moment.
And at that critical time, it was Yinsen who had built the device that kept him alive.
"Though that machine was quickly retired."
Stark tapped the arc reactor on his chest, his voice and expression dripping with pride.
No matter the situation, Stark never forgot to show off his genius.
Rhodes froze. One glance at the arc reactor was enough. As Stark's closest friend, he knew exactly what it was.
"You did it, Tony."
Then something clicked in his mind. He turned sharply and grasped Yinsen's hand firmly before he could pull it back.
"Hello, Dr. Yinsen."
His tone was full of respect, his grip tight.
"As expected of you, Tony. I thought this time you were done for. But not only did you survive—you came back with a breakthrough."
Though Rhodes was grateful to Yinsen, his attention naturally shifted back to Stark.
In his mind, once Stark returned to New York, he would inevitably develop even greater weapons. Weapons that would be a massive boon to the Air Force.
Especially since Stark and Yinsen had both escaped from the Ten Rings' secret base alive.
Their story had to be extraordinary.
"Come on, Tony," Rhodes smiled. "I can't wait to hear everything. Don't worry, the liquor here isn't up to the standard of your private collection… but at times like this, the drink always tastes sweeter."
He gestured for Stark and Yinsen to follow him.
But what Rhodes didn't expect was Stark's reaction.
The pride, the arrogance, the cocky grin—the trademarks of Iron Man—all vanished from his face.
In their place was a furrowed brow, eyes shadowed with thought.
"What's wrong?" Rhodes asked, uneasy.
"Actually," Stark said, glancing around, "someone else saved us."
He didn't trust the Air Force, didn't trust national defense. But this… this was something he could share with Rhodes.
"Someone else? Where is he?" Rhodes asked immediately.
From what he knew, Stark had been stranded in a barren desert. There was no one else for miles.
If someone had been there, why would they abandon Stark and Yinsen to cross the desert alone?
Unless… it had been another terrorist group?
But Stark shook his head firmly.
"Not them. Him."
"One man?" Rhodes' eyes widened in disbelief. "You're saying a single person stormed the base and rescued you?"
Impossible.
Even the best special agent in the world couldn't have pulled that off.
The Ten Rings weren't amateurs. They were hardened terrorists with advanced weapons and rigorous training. The U.S. military had tried and failed to wipe them out more than once.
"You might not believe me," Stark said, drawing a slow breath. After a pause, he pulled something from his chest pocket.
A fragment of video captured from the Mark I's systems.
The footage showed Senju Haruto wielding the Allspark, transforming countless guns into mechanical lifeforms.
The Ten Rings fighters had been obliterated.
It wasn't a battle. It was annihilation. A crushing, one-sided strike from another dimension.
Rhodes' jaw dropped. His mouth hung open in shock.
This was the stuff of science fiction—of stories and legends. Yet here it was, playing out in front of him.
Could a human being really wield power like this? Power beyond the reach of science? Power that created an army of mechanical beings in the span of a few breaths?
It was the power of a god.
And yet, Stark's footage proved it was real.
"Tony…" Rhodes whispered, his own breath catching.
Inside him, a voice screamed.
This recording could never—never—be allowed to leak.
And more than that, they needed to find Senju Haruto. Quickly.
But even Stark had no idea where Haruto was.
Truth be told, he had only met him twice.
Once at his villa.
And once in that cave.
He didn't even know why Haruto had chosen to save him.
Neither Stark nor Rhodes realized that while they were still reeling from Haruto's overwhelming power, the footage had already slipped free.
It was no longer a secret.
...
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