The Ten Rings mercenaries were in a state of sheer panic.
On their radar screen covering a two-kilometer radius, a tiny red dot was bouncing around like a pinball, flashing from east to west in the blink of an eye.
The bandit who first spotted the intruder had barely put down his walkie-talkie after raising the alarm before checking the radar again—only to discover that the target had already completed a full lap across the two-kilometer perimeter and was currently standing right at their front door.
After taking out a few snipers, Quinn scanned the surroundings.
The enemy headcount was surprisingly high: about thirty stationed at three outposts, a quick reaction force of ten, plus patrols and sentries—nearly fifty men in total, all to guard Tony alone.
Talk about a grand reception.
Thoughts aside, he still had a job to do.
Quinn had already spotted what looked like a command center.
To kill a snake, you hit it at the seven-inch mark—it only made sense to take out the enemy’s head first.
Veiled by the darkness, he glided like a dark wolf, slipping effortlessly through a breach in the cave wall.
The first thing in view was a table lined with electronic gear.
Quinn kicked it forward, sending the heavy table and its tangled web of wires flying straight into the faces of several Ten Rings bandits sitting behind it.
Before they could react, Quinn surged forward, striking left and right.
He executed a practical Bajiquan technique known as the Three Point Strikes of Yama, targeting the throat and face with ruthless precision.
Two punches, two men down.
Rolling to dodge a hail of bullets, he rose directly at another guard’s feet.
As the bandit brought his rifle down like a club, Quinn didn’t flinch.
He blocked with his left arm, clenched his right fist, and leveraged his rising momentum and divine strength to blow right through the man’s guard, unleashing an uppercut that sent the opponent flying into the air.
A moment later, Quinn vanished into another tunnel opening in the wall.
In terrain as complex as this, encountering a Bajiquan master like Quinn was a nightmare for any squad.
Whenever they crossed paths in narrow corridors, Bajiquan was all about closing the distance for explosive, close-quarters combat—every move lethal.
His high-speed raiding tactic ensured he could achieve maximum results in minimal time without being surrounded, allowing him to pull back immediately.
As a result, the Ten Rings bandits kept running into Quinn everywhere.
Once he closed in, a flurry of heavy slaps left them dizzy and disoriented.
By the time they tried to retaliate, Quinn was gone, leaving only distant screams from their comrades.
When they rushed over to help, all they found were men lying severely injured on the ground—and just as they tried to catch their breath, Quinn was upon them once again.
Quinn launched an Iron Mountain Bump, sending a Ten Rings bandit flying back into several others behind him.
Taking advantage of the chaos, he closed in and flattened them one by one.
Scanning the area and finding no remaining threats, he listened carefully—hardly any were left.
Speeding up his pace, Quinn spent another few minutes rounding up the rest.
His “stealth” operation was complete.
The whole affair had taken over half an hour, cutting his stamina in half.
The main issue was that he couldn’t tank bullets or grenades yet.
If he were invulnerable, he wouldn’t bother with hit-and-run tactics at all—why fear stray bullets when you could just stand your ground and smash through?
*Man, I really wish I had a bullet-attracting shield right about now,* Quinn thought.
He twitched his lips in mild annoyance.
Searching around the center of the Ten Rings’ defense perimeter, he finally found the cave where Tony was held captive.
Pulling down his half-face mask, Quinn stood outside and knocked on the door.
“Senior Tony, are you in there?
I came to find you!
You’re not asleep yet, are you?
Senior Tony?
Stand back, Senior Tony—I’m opening the door.” Hearing footsteps retreating inside, Quinn kicked the cell door open.
He had no intention of stepping inside—he couldn’t stand the stench.
Quinn waited a moment, and a glowing iron gauntlet appeared at the threshold first.
“Hey, hey, hey!
Don’t shoot!
It’s me, friendly!” Quinn quickly called out, raising his hands to show he meant no harm.
“I don’t know you.
Who sent you?
The United States military?
No, you don’t look like a soldier.
Mercenary?” Tony stepped slowly out of the cell, fixing his gaze on the young man before him.
Looking past Quinn, he could see a heap of bodies laid out behind him—all Ten Rings bandits.
Tony didn’t lower his guard; his left iron gauntlet remained raised, powered by wires linked to the reactor on his chest, ready to fire at any second.
“Relax, Senior.
Allow me to introduce myself: MIT freshman, majoring in biology with a minor in electrical engineering, Quinn Vance.
Pleased to meet you.” “So are you a mercenary?
Who hired you?
What’s the objective?” “Nobody.
I came alone.
I heard you were kidnapped, so as your fellow alumni, I took advantage of my break to drop by and see how you were doing.
Clearly, they haven’t been giving you the five-star treatment you deserve.
I take it you’re ready to quit?” Tony lowered his armored gauntlet—mostly because he liked the way Quinn talked, definitely not because the guy had just soloed fifty men and made the gauntlet feel redundant.
“Okay, so let me get this straight.
You took out an entire garrison single-handedly just to drop by on your break, say hi to a fellow MIT alumnus, and check if I landed a sweet job offer?” Quinn shrugged and stepped aside.
“What else?
It’s not like I have any use for missiles.” Tony stared at Quinn, then glanced back at Ho Yinsen, making up his mind instantly.
“Alright, listen, junior.
I need your help.
Can you fetch me some explosives?
I need to blow this cave to kingdom come.
Then I’ll need you to escort me back to New York.
As for compensation, I promise you won’t be disappointed.” Quinn was already plenty satisfied.
He just loved Tony’s habit of throwing money at problems.
Turning back, Quinn searched the Ten Rings’ stockpile, grabbed some C4 explosives, and handed them to Tony.
As a tech guy, Tony was far more adept at handling explosives than a biology major like Quinn.
Standing at a safe distance, Tony detonated the charges, demolishing everything he had experienced and created over the past month.
The only thing he kept was his left gauntlet.
As Tony walked away without looking back, Quinn called after him.
“Senior, your head.” “My head is fine—oh shit, my *head*!” Tony stared with a complex expression at the Mark 1 iron helmet Quinn was holding up.
He hadn’t even noticed Quinn bringing it out.
It wasn’t that Quinn had any weird fetish; he just felt that for the prototype armor, keeping just a hand was a bit nonsensical.
Keeping the head made for a proper souvenir, so he grabbed it on his way out.
Guiding Tony a few hundred meters away, they found a vehicle parked in a ravine.
Ho Yinsen offered to drive, being a local who was familiar with the roads.
Quinn sat in the passenger seat, chatting with Tony.
“So you’re saying you’re currently staying alive thanks to an electromagnet?” Quinn gestured toward his chest.
Naturally, he already knew the full story, but he couldn’t act like a prophet—he still had to put on a show.
“It’s temporary.
The medical facilities around here leave a lot to be desired.
Once we get back to New York, a top medical team will take care of my injuries.” “Whoa, I love that ‘everything’s under control’ tone of yours, Senior.
By the way, do you know who arranged for you to be kidnapped in the first place?” Tony froze, staring at Quinn.
“The Ten Rings weren’t just after missiles?
There’s a mastermind behind this?” Genius prodigies from MIT really were something else—a single sentence was enough for him to pinpoint the key issue.
“Who is it?
If you know, I can pay you to track him down and bring him to me.” Tony was genuinely furious this time.
He had suffered terribly; a playboy like him, forced in a godforsaken wasteland to build missiles by hand—it was an utter humiliation.
“No, no, no…” Quinn waved his hand, turning down Tony’s request.
Just as he was reluctant to get involved with Asgard, he had no desire to poke his nose into Tony’s family drama.
Besides, once they returned, Tony would notice Obadiah’s suspicious moves anyway, and Pepper would hand over the evidence.
Quinn didn’t need to waste his energy.
“Fifty million dollars.” “I refuse!” “One hundred million!” Quinn rolled his eyes.
“To be honest, I really dislike interfering in other people’s family business.
But since I’ve already opened my mouth, please make sure that hundred million is wired to me on time once we get back to New York.” Quinn scribbled a bank account number on a piece of paper and handed it to Tony.
“Obadiah Stane has been illegally selling weapons to the Ten Rings and other terrorist organizations while you were kidnapped.
They’ve been in constant contact, and the missiles flying over the Middle East right now are all Stark Industries weapons.
Whatever your plans are once you get back, keep a close eye on Obadiah in secret.
He’ll give you quite a surprise.” Tony tightly clutched the slip of paper Quinn had shoved into his hand, remaining silent.
Feeling a bit guilty for taking so much money so easily, Quinn patted Tony on the shoulder.
“Taking a hundred million from you like this feels a bit dirty.
How about I just handle him for you?” “No, that’s enough.
That’s more than enough.
Once we’re back in New York, I’ll transfer the full amount along with your payment for this rescue.” Since Tony insisted, Quinn didn’t push it further.
Later on, when Tony’s new energy business boomed, money would be the absolute least of his worries anyway.
“Oh, right, Senior.
There’s a personal matter I wanted to mention.” “What is it?” Tony’s attention was caught by Quinn’s sudden change of topic.
“I’m getting engaged at the end of May.
Remember to come—I’ll send you an invitation!” “Maybe pass on that?
I’ll be pretty swamped after I get back, so I might not have time—” “Come on, I’ll give you a surprise.
A huge surprise.” “Fine!” The three were soon intercepted on the highway, and the big event escalated from there.
The United States military dispatched three helicopters—one in front, one behind, and the three of them in the middle.
They left the vehicle for the soldiers to return, and upon arriving at the airfield, chartered a direct flight back to New York.
Quinn couldn’t be bothered dealing with the bureaucracy, so the moment they landed in New York, he slipped away.
Nobody could catch him anyway, and in New York, he was a law-abiding citizen—no one was going to restrict his freedom.
Five days had passed since he left school until landing back in New York.
With two days left of his vacation, Quinn had to balance spending time with Kagome while considering Uncle Ben and Aunt May’s feelings.
He decided to just take Uncle Ben, Aunt May, and Peter out to the farm to discuss the May engagement.
Tony had already wired the money over, so Quinn wasn’t feeling strapped for cash in the slightest.
Upon arriving at the farm, he discovered Aunt Tina was there as well.
Not only Tina, but also someone he was meeting for the first time: Uncle Charles Dyson, a New York State Senator—a fact Quinn only learned later.
Seeing Quinn, Aunt Tina pulled him aside for a quiet word.
She had come specifically for him.
“Hey, kid.
Your file landed on my desk last night.
Charging into Afghanistan solo, saving Tony Stark, walking away with two hundred million dollars…
When did you start taking mercenary work, Quinn?” Tina was clearly upset.
Mercenary life was far too dangerous, and what Quinn did technically counted as unlicensed operations.
Strictly speaking, it was illegal, and the FBI could easily prosecute him and seize his illicit earnings.