The next day, Kara took the opportunity of delivering food to walk toward Stark’s cell again.
Over the past two days, she still hadn’t found any trace of that sorcerer.
magic was simply too convenient—neither Super Hearing nor X-ray vision could penetrate that invisible Barrier.
For now, Kara could only take it one step at a time.
Entering the cell, she found that Stark’s armor was only one step away from completion—putting it on.
There wasn’t much expression on Stark’s face, but Kara could see his tension.
He knew that once he put on this iron suit, it meant facing a life-or-death battle with an uncertain outcome.
This pre-battle anxiety made him appear somewhat restless.
Kara handed him an energy bar, hoping it would calm him down a bit.
Stark took it, took a bite, and suddenly looked up to ask: “How many people are waiting outside to meet us?” Kara almost laughed.
Right now, no one in the World knew where he was; where would backup come from?
“There is no backup, Mr.
Stark,” she answered truthfully.
“How is that possible?” Stark’s voice rose unconsciously.
“The CIA must have notified the Military, right?” “Who told you I was with the CIA?” Kara countered, finding it a bit amusing.
“Not CIA?
Then are you Navy?
Or some Special Forces?” Stark frowned.
“It couldn’t possibly be Mossad, could it?” “I’m not with anyone,” Kara said calmly.
Stark’s expression changed.
“Then who exactly are you?” If she was on the side of the Terrorists, then all his plans would be completely exposed.
“Don’t be nervous,” Kara’s tone softened.
“I’m a reporter.
A reporter for the Daily Bugle.” “The Daily Bugle?” Stark breathed a small sigh of relief.
“That newspaper that publishes gossip all day?” “To be precise, I am Kara Danvers, the new columnist for the Daily Bugle,” she introduced herself.
“Miss Kara,” Stark still found it hard to understand, “what is a reporter like you doing in the Middle East desert?” “For a big story, of course,” Kara said as if it were obvious.
“The famous Tony Stark kidnapped—is there any headline bigger than that?” “Then how did you find this cave?” Stark continued to press.
“I followed you all the way from New York,” Kara casually made up a plausible explanation.
“I was even watching from a distance when you were captured, and I followed you right into this place.” Stark was speechless for a moment.
Are reporters these days…
this hardcore?
Daring to break into a Terrorists’ nest all by themselves?
Stark opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he just shook his head and stuffed the last bite of the energy bar into his mouth.
“A reporter…
fine.
So, Reporter Kara Danvers, what’s the plan for later?
Once I put this thing on,” he patted the crude metal armor beside him, “do we fight our way out together?
Have you…
prepared any weapons?” Kara looked at her empty hands, then pointed to herself with a meaningful smile.
“My weapons are right here, Mr.
Stark.
But more than that, there’s something else you need to worry about.” “What?” “There aren’t just Terrorists with guns here.” Kara lowered her voice, her gaze sweeping across the dim corridor outside the cell.
“There is a sorcerer who has cast a Barrier over the entire cave.
I can’t see him or hear him, but he definitely exists.
Your armor might handle bullets, but against magic…” She didn’t finish, but her meaning was clear.
Stark’s face darkened.
As a staunch scientist, words like magic and sorcery originally only existed in his fantasies or low-budget movies.
But Kara’s expression told him this was no joke.
“What do you suggest?” he asked bluntly.
“The plan remains the same.
You must put on the armor and cause chaos; it’s our only chance to get out.
But I will try my best to hold off that sorcerer—if he can be held off.” Kara took a Pendant from her pocket and pressed it into Stark’s palm.
“Crush it to deploy a protective shield.
It should block one magical attack.
Use it as you see fit.
Remember, this is a last resort.” Stark looked at the crudely made Pendant in his palm, which faintly glowed with light, and for the first time, he looked at Kara with true seriousness.
“Who exactly are you, Miss Danvers?” “Just a reporter who happens to know a bit more than most.” Kara glanced at her watch.
“There are forty minutes until the next ‘meal’ is delivered.
How long do you need to get ready?” “Thirty minutes.” Stark took a deep breath, his eyes becoming sharp again.
“In thirty minutes, I’ll be one with this iron shell.” “Good.
I’ll cut the power at the thirty-fifth minute, just like before.
Then you’ll have one minute to start the armor and burst out of the cell.
I’ll cause even more chaos in the main corridor to draw most of the fire.” Kara spoke rapidly.
“What about you?” Kara smiled and didn’t answer.
“Good luck, Mr.
Stark.
I hope tomorrow we’ll be on the front page of the Daily Bugle as survivors, not in the obituary column.” She turned and left the cell, the heavy iron door closing behind her.
The corridor was still thick with the smell of dust, sweat, and low-grade fuel.
Kara pushed the food cart, slowly walking back the way she came, while her Super Hearing spread out like an invisible net, catching every abnormal vibration.
Still nothing, not a single ripple.
It was too quiet…
Kara’s heart sank slightly.
Either the other party was so confident they didn’t care about any internal movement, or they were waiting for something.
Time passed minute by minute.
As usual, Kara returned the food cart to the crude kitchen, nodding to a few familiar Terrorists and even chatting idly about the weather.
Every one of her movements was perfectly natural, as if she had lived here for weeks.
At the thirty-fourth minute, she used the excuse of checking the circuits—having “enthusiastically” helped repair them several times after previous outages—and went to the power distribution room near the cave entrance.
There was only one guard there, dozing against the wall.
Kara approached silently, and with a precise hand-chop, the man slumped to the ground.
Her finger pressed down on the main switch.
Meanwhile, inside the cell.
Stark and Dr.
Ethan were making their final preparations.
Crude metal components were being fastened onto Stark’s body one by one, wires were connected, and the Arc Reactor, emitting a faint blue light, was carefully slotted into the chest piece.
Heavy footsteps began to echo within the cell.
“Remember the route?” Stark’s voice came through the prototype faceplate, sounding somewhat muffled.
“I remember,” Ethan nodded, clutching a rusty wrench he’d found somewhere.
His face was pale, but his eyes were determined.
Stark looked at the two Pendants in his palm and stuffed them into a small, temporarily welded compartment on the outside of the armor’s arm.
He didn’t understand magic, nor did he believe in it, but at this moment, he had to grasp any extra bit of hope.
Exactly at the thirty-fifth minute.
The cave suddenly plunged into darkness as all the lights went out simultaneously.
Familiar cursing and the sound of chaotic footsteps echoed from all over the corridors.
“Now!” Stark growled.
Dr.
Ethan yanked open the cell door—the lock had already been quietly sabotaged by Kara.
The heavy Mark 1 Armor, burning with a sense of primitive industrial beauty, took its first step, its metal feet clanging against the rocky ground with a dull thud.
“Alarm!
The prisoner has escaped!” a shout came from the distance.
Gunfire erupted almost the next second, bullets sparking as they hit the armor.
Stark raised his arm, and the crude Flamethrower mounted on the front of the armor spat out a tongue of searing flame, temporarily repelling the enemies at the corner.
“East!
The main corridor!” Ethan shouted, pointing in the direction Kara had told them.
The armor took large strides, smashing through all obstacles in the narrow corridor as it charged toward the light at the cave entrance.
Ethan followed closely behind.
Kara was no longer in the power distribution room.
She moved through the corridors at a speed invisible to the naked eye.
Wherever she passed, wires short-circuited, guns jammed, and the weight-bearing structures of several key locations groaned ominously as she created as much chaos and obstruction as possible.
Suddenly, she stopped.
A bald man wearing a strange scarf blocked Kara’s path.
On his arms were nine rings emitting a faint blue glow—this was undoubtedly the sorcerer Kara was looking for.
He had arrived just in time; any later, and Kara would have had to fight her way out alongside Stark.
Kara wasn’t sure of the extent of this sorcerer’s power.
That was exactly why she had helped Stark build the Mark 1 Armor—as long as she could hold this man back, Stark would have a chance to break through the surrounding bandits.
magic was a power Kara always had to treat with caution; it was almost one of her fatal weaknesses.
Magical energy would disrupt the energy balance within her body.
Gentle natural elements were fine, at most being impossible to absorb; but if she encountered malicious offensive magic, it would certainly cause her real harm.