"Clang, clang, clang!"
Tony stood at the anvil, hammering away at a piece of iron, sparks flying everywhere.
''Raiden, are you okay?'' Yinsen used a damp towel to wipe the blood from Raiden forehead.
In truth, Raiden wound had already healed, but through the thick hair, Yinsen couldn't tell.
"I'm fine. Go help Tony, we don't have much time,'' Raiden said to Yinsen.
Yinsen looked at Raiden, nodded slowly, and walked over to help Tony.
Raiden watched the figures of Yinsen and Tony standing by the furnace, clutching his head.
It hurt like hell!
Whether it was due to the lack of emotion or the effects of the time-space turbulence caused by the Infinity Stones, every time Raiden used psychic magic, the cost was immense.
One of the reasons he had been so slow to get up and save Yinsen earlier was because Raiden had been using pain to stimulate the energy within him. Otherwise, he wont be able to use psychic magic.
Another reason was that Raiden wanted to see if the bald man would stop because of Tony words. Although his memory of the plot was fading, at least at that moment, in the movie, Yinsen definitely wouldn't have died.
But from what had just happened, if Raiden hadn't intervened, Yinsen would have died. He would have definitely died.
This proved one thing: this world wasn't the world of the movie, bound by rules, a dead world. This was a living world, a world that could be changed.
A world where even the protagonist… could die.
Thinking this, Raiden gave Tony a deep look.
At first, Raiden had suspected that this was a preordained world.
Like the Elder Scrolls world he had played, where the protagonist would go through various trials to grow, but everything would always follow the plot, and the protagonist would never die. In such a world, no one could change the outcome; everything was already predetermined.
But now Raiden had confirmed that this world was like the Elder Scrolls world he had traveled to. Although the general tone would follow the plot, it was filled with death. There was no protagonist; anyone could die, and everything could be changed.
.....
"Sizzle—"
Tony placed a red-hot piece of iron into a bucket of water to cool it, then took it out and placed it on the table in front of Yinsen. It was a mask, a steel mask.
Yinsen looked up at Tony, and the two nodded.
At the iron stand, the three of them hung up the various parts of the armor, assembling them in their proper places.
"Yinsen, take the bomb and hang it on the door," Tony handed the bomb to Yinsen.
Yinsen looked at the crudely made but seemingly impressive bomb, shrugged at Tony, and said,
"You sure you want me to hang it?"
Tony and Yinsen exchanged glances.
"Raiden, you go," Tony tilted his head and nodded at Raiden.
......
In the cave where Tony and the others were being monitored, the bald man walked up to the display screen, but his eyes couldn't find Tony Stark in any of the camera feeds.
He asked the guard responsible for monitoring, "Where's Stark?"
The guard looked at each screen and said, "He was just here."
"Find him immediately!" the bald man said gravely as he stared at the screen.
......
Meanwhile, in the cave, Raiden and Yinsen were helping Tony put on the armor.
"How does it feel?" Yinsen asked Tony.
"Pretty good."
"Can you move?"
"Yes."
"Repeat your plan again."
"Walk straight for forty-one steps, exit and turn left for sixteen steps, then right for four steps, walk thirty-three steps and turn right…"
Yinsen adjusted the armor according to Tony instructions, all of which Tony had calculated… He had never made a mistake before meeting Raiden.
"Knock knock knock"
Outside the iron door, a guard knocked and spoke in an incomprehensible language.
Raiden glanced at the bomb on the door and asked Yinsen, "What's he saying?"
"He's speaking Hungarian. I don't speak Hungarian" Yinsen replied, turning to Raiden.
"Alright, whatever you know, just say something" Tony said from inside his armor.
Yinsen responded to the door in a random language.
Seeing that he couldn't communicate with Yinsen and that Stark wasn't in sight, the guard nodded to his companion, and the two of them broke through the door… Well, they pushed it open since it was their own door.
"Booooomm!"
Sure enough, the two guards who pushed open the door were blown away by the explosion. In an instant, a massive wave of fire mixed with dust surged out from the explosion point in the narrow tunnel. Raiden quickly jumped behind the iron platform to avoid being engulfed by the flames.
"That explosive was really something" Raiden remarked, looking at the now obliterated iron door. He then turned to Tony and Yinsen and said,
"Looks like we need to speed things up."
...
In the monitoring room, the entire cave trembled from the explosion, and the screen turned to static at that moment.
The bald man immediately felt that things were slipping out of his control and shouted at his subordinates,
"Go catch them! Hurry!"
He then used the walkie-talkie to contact his men outside the cave, ordering them to come in for backup immediately.
...
"What do I need to do next?" Yinsen also glanced at the door and asked Tony inside the armor.
"Complete the final power transfer."
"Alright, now, tell me, what to do?" Yinsen turned to the computer and asked Tony.
"Press F11, and let me know when you see the progress bar" Tony said from behind him.
"It should pop up, right? Speak up, tell me when you see it."
"I see it," Yinsen quickly responded.
"Press Ctrl+1."
"Got it."
"Enter, press Enter, then enter again. And Raiden, come help me fasten this."
"Coming," Raiden said, seeing that he had a role to play, and hurried over to assist.
"What next? What else do I need to do?" Yinsen asked urgently.
"Wait… wait for Raiden to help me fasten all the parts… wait for them to come in" Tony said, shaking his head at Yinsen.
Outside the door, the sound of dense footsteps echoed through the narrow tunnel, reaching the cave where Tony and the others were.
"No, no, no, it's too late, they're already here" Yinsen said, looking at the tunnel outside the cave, addressing Tony and Raiden.
"Raiden, hurry, it doesn't matter if it looks bad, just get it done quickly!" Tony said anxiously.
"They're already here!" Yinsen said, scanning his surroundings for any weapon he could use to defend himself.
Finding nothing, he quickly turned his attention to the progress bar on the computer, which was less than halfway complete.
"Listen up, both of you" Tony said to Raiden, who was busy fastening his armor, and Yinsen, who was anxiously watching the computer's progress bar.
"Wait until I've cleared the checkpoint before you follow me out, got it?"
"No."
Yinsen turned to them, speaking calmly yet with a hint of distraction. "We need more time… Listen, Raiden!"
Yinsen walked over and firmly grasped Raiden shoulders, looking at both Raiden and Tony. "'Hurry up and finish securing Tony armor. I'll go out and buy you some time… You have to survive, understand?'"
"No, Yinsen, stick to the original plan, do you hear me? Yinsen!" Tony said, his voice tinged with panic.
But Yinsen ignored him. He turned and ran straight for the door.
Suddenly, a hand firmly gripped Yinsen arm. He turned to see it was Raiden.
"'Raiden, what are you doing?'" Yinsen said, flustered. "'Hurry up and finish Tony armor!'"
"No, Yinsen, securing Tony armor… that's not my task. It should be yours" Raiden said, his voice low and serious.
"And my task?" Raiden suddenly looked up at Yinsen. "Is to help you kill them all!"
Sparks and arcs of electricity burst into the air, dancing joyfully around Raiden body.
The thick hair on Raiden head began to stand on end as a powerful surge of energy erupted from within him, swirling around his body. In his dark pupils, flames symbolizing death danced.
"OhhhhhhhhMaaaaaaiiiGooood!" Tony and Yinsen exclaimed in unison, utterly bewildered.
As scientists at the forefront of global technology, they couldn't explain this phenomenon with science. The only words that could express their feelings were… holy crap!
But clearly, this wasn't the time to dwell on such things. The most important thing now was to escape!
"Burp—"
Raiden suddenly let out a burp, and instantly, all the sparks, arcs, and energy currents vanished as if nothing had happened…
"Uh, sorry, I got a bit carried away! Just kidding. I'll go out and buy you some time. Tony, make sure you come rescue me early. Okay? If you're quick, maybe I'll still be in one piece—" Raiden said with a forced smile, then turned and walked down the corridor.
How could Raiden possibly handle those guys alone? At least not now—he was still too weak… But he had his reasons he couldn't ignore, many reasons…
Yinsen stared at Raiden retreating figure for a long moment before snapping back to reality and rushing over to help Tony with his armor.
"Fus Ro Dah!"
Not long after Raiden left, a deep roar echoed through the cave. It was an ancient language, but to mortal ears, it sounded like rolling thunder—a god wrath! This was the power of the Thu'um!
The entire cave trembled under this force!
Looking at the falling debris above, Tony lowered his head and spoke earnestly to Yinsen, "We really need to hurry, or else, oh, we might not even get the chance to walk out of this cave…"