In a small town in the Middle East called Gunira, it used to be a peaceful and serene place.
But now, due to the war, this town has become a wasteland.
Countless people wander through this wasteland; they are the original residents of this town. Now, they can only be considered homeless wanderers.
Even more tragic is that their safety cannot be guaranteed.
A terrorist group called the Ten Rings has taken over, starting to loot all useful resources here.
Among these resources, the most important is people.
Wars need people, and producing supplies needs people.
And where do these people come from? The Ten Rings have a perfect answer: use violence to abduct.
Without spending a penny, they can obtain valuable manpower, which is undoubtedly the most profitable business.
Of course, the premise of this business is to trample on the most universal laws and the most basic morals.
"Hurry up, hurry up! Get all the women and children onto the trucks."
The bearded man who once kidnapped Tony shouted, ordering his men to escort the women and children onto the trucks.
Their target, of course, wasn't these women and children, but the adult labor force of this town.
The explosion caused by Natasha had severely damaged their organization. To replenish their lost manpower, they began to conscript adult men on a large scale.
This violent conscription certainly wouldn't gain true loyalty. But what they needed wasn't loyalty, just obedient subordinates.
And to ensure these adult men only follow their orders, using their families to threaten them was undoubtedly the best method.
"Faster, faster." Under the coercion of these armed thugs, a man protected his wife and two children, stumbling forward step by step. No one wanted to leave their family in such a situation. This chapter is updated first at novelping.com.
But under the threat of guns, he had no choice but to leave them.
"Move it, what are you dawdling for?" The impatient thug directly knocked the father to the ground with the butt of his gun, then forcibly snatched his family from his embrace.
The father, knocked to the ground, crawled and scrambled towards his family, but hadn't gone far before he was hit on the back of the head with the butt of a gun again.
This time, the father was left with a head full of blood, fainting on the ground.
"Dad, Dad!" The child, forcibly pulled away, broke free from the thug's control and ran towards his unconscious father. His unexpected move caught the surrounding thugs off guard, so they could only watch as he threw himself onto his father.
Seeing the pitiful state of the father and son, the surrounding refugees began to stir.
"Oh, my God. Can't you even handle such a small matter?" The bearded man saw the commotion around and quickly stepped up. He first glanced at the father and son on the ground, then began to show a fierce expression.
"Come here, you annoying little thing."
The bearded man picked up the child and tossed him into the arms of one of his men behind him, then shouted viciously, "Don't even think about resisting us, you refugees. Anyone with such thoughts will be punished in the most terrifying way. I guarantee, it's not something you can endure. If you don't believe me, this man is the evidence."
Saying this, he waved his hand behind him, giving an order.
"Kill this man, teach them a lesson."
The armed subordinate immediately cocked the gun, aiming it at the unconscious father on the ground.
Seeing this, fear and despair began to show in the eyes of the surrounding refugees, and the man's wife cried as she held her child.
At this moment, it seemed no one could save them. Looking around, the bearded man showed a smug smile. Sometimes, the feeling of controlling others' lives is truly intoxicating, making one unable to stop, all thanks to the master far in the East.
He was waiting for the sound of the gunshot that represented his terrifying methods and deterrence, but what came was a roar.
It was as if a missile had grazed past his scalp, the piercing roar came from afar, inching into his ears.
Until with a clang, an Iron Man, shimmering with metallic luster, landed on the ground amidst dazzling flames.
The terrorists, being seasoned terrorists, quickly realized that this Iron Man was not here with good intentions, recognizing him as an enemy.
The closest thug, who was about to execute the father, turned his gun and started shooting at Iron Man.
Bullets splattered on the metal armor like raindrops, a layer of fine electric light flickered on the armor, causing the bullets to lose momentum and fall softly to the ground.
Iron Man took advantage of the thug's moment of shock after shooting, landing a punch on him.
The mechanical strength far exceeded human levels, so in an instant, the thug flew out like a kite with a broken string.
After this move, Iron Man turned around, and the two launchers in the center of his palms immediately fired blinding high-energy beams, taking out several nearby thugs one by one.
This clean and swift killing method terrified the remaining terrorists, who all instinctively and skillfully pointed their guns at the hostages around them.
With hostages as a threat, Iron Man couldn't use the flashy high-energy beams anymore.
Seeing the energy devices in Iron Man's palms gradually dim, the remaining terrorists breathed a sigh of relief, preparing to capture the Iron Man who had slaughtered many of their men.
Suddenly, two rows of small launchers emerged from Iron Man's shoulders, and tungsten steel bullets were fired instantly. These bullets were incredibly fast, piercing into the terrorists' bodies almost in the blink of an eye.
In this short time, none of the terrorists had time to react, being completely taken down before they could respond.
"What the Fing Hell is this thing?" The bearded man hid behind a wall, watching Iron Man effortlessly deal with his men, feeling a sudden urge to pee, almost scared enough to wet his pants.
"This is..." The bearded man looked at the gold and red Iron Man, his pupils shrinking. He had seen this kind of armor before, collected by his boss, though not as sleek and lightweight.
"No, I have to report to the boss." He pulled out a communicator, just about to contact his leader.
Suddenly, the wall beside him exploded, and a metal-covered arm reached out, hooking the bearded man's body and pulling him through to the other side of the wall.
Iron Man grabbed him, and with a single-handed toss, threw him into the midst of the refugees.