Chapter 10

**Thud!!!** The dull sound of metal impacting flesh was accompanied by the sickening crack of bones breaking.

Xu Nuo punched the short and stocky armed man, who had once grabbed his collar in the cave, sending him flying. The man’s agonized scream was cut off in his throat as he crashed into a nearby building, lifeless.

Xu Nuo was now wearing a suit of metal armor. Even if the people around him didn’t know its power, the sound alone was enough to make everyone’s legs turn to jelly and their pants wet.

"This feeling is amazing," Xu Nuo muttered to himself, his metal helmet covering his face as he watched his fist through the electronic monitoring system.

At that moment, Xu Nuo felt like he had just won the lottery. The sensation of being invincible in the super armor, ignoring bullets from all directions, and slaughtering at will made him lose himself. The desire for killing is an instinct passed down from the primitive era, suppressed only in modern society.

"Xu! What’s wrong with you?" Stark’s slightly anxious voice came through the helmet, instantly snapping Xu Nuo out of his daze.

Stark had seen Xu Nuo stand there, dazed, after punching the armed man, taking the barrage of bullets. Not knowing what had happened, Stark quickly called out. The armed men nearby were firing heavily, the bullets hitting their Iron Man suits with a metallic clatter.

"I’m fine," Xu Nuo shook his head, regaining his composure. "Let’s end this fight. These scum don’t deserve to live."

Killing is a serious matter for someone who has been educated in modern society and understands the severity of legal consequences. After all, murder is a crime that can cost one’s life. It’s a joke to think that a normal person can chat and laugh after killing someone. Many veterans who have seen blood in battle feel nauseous after calming down, let alone ordinary people in modern society.

Xu Nuo, due to his expertise in firearms, recovered quickly. After nodding to Stark, the two quickly cleared out the armed men in the town. These people, who cared nothing for human life, truly deserved their fate.

After dealing with all the armed men, Xu Nuo and Stark looked at the terrified villagers. Xu Nuo nodded to Stark, and the two activated their flight systems, soaring into the sky.

The fight wasn’t over; it was just an appetizer. In another nearby town, there were more armed men, equipped with M1A2 heavy main battle tanks and Stark Industries’ top military hardware, the Jericho missiles. But none of that mattered to the two Iron Men.

Without landing, Xu Nuo and Stark simultaneously launched small high-energy missiles from the sky. The tanks, Jericho missiles, and the armed men were all engulfed in the towering flames and smoke.

On their way back to Malibu Beach, they encountered U.S. Air Force F-22 fighters on reconnaissance. Without engaging in a dogfight, the two split up, using their speed and endurance to shake off the U.S. fighters and return to Stark’s villa.

"That was incredible, but the energy consumption was a bit high. Still, it’s incredibly addictive," Xu Nuo said, looking at the metallic Iron Man suit with a mix of longing and envy after removing it. His unspoken thought was that he wanted such a toy for himself.

"Hey, Xu," Stark, with a complex expression, came to Xu Nuo’s side and smiled. "I think we should get something to eat."

Xu Nuo’s eyes flickered, and he nodded with a light laugh. "Sure."

Stark, with his intelligence, couldn’t miss the meaning behind Xu Nuo’s words. However, the easy destruction of the armed men’s base in Afghanistan had made Stark realize that what he had created was not just a regular weapon but a superweapon with immense destructive power.

Although Xu Nuo was his good friend, Stark still had reservations about giving him such a superweapon. If Xu Nuo used it improperly, the thought alone made Stark shudder.

"Since that’s the case, let’s wait and see how the story unfolds," Xu Nuo understood Stark’s concerns. He knew that without Stark’s authorization to his AI, JARVIS, the Iron Man suit would never truly belong to him. In this situation, Xu Nuo decided to wait for the story to progress.

If he could help Stark when the main antagonist built his own suit and threatened him, it might dispel Stark’s last doubts.

Reflecting on his decision in the Afghan cave, Xu Nuo realized it was the right choice. If he hadn’t clung to Stark and worked hard to gain his trust, there was no way he could have obtained an Iron Man suit. More likely, he would have been given some money and sent away, or taken by SHIELD. Either way, he would have lost his chance to return home.

Now, to get the Iron Man suit and complete his mission, Xu Nuo was willing to do anything.

Like when he saw the antagonist enter the villa to harm Stark, he pretended not to know and hid. Only after the antagonist left did he reappear and save Stark’s life.

"Xu, my friend," after Xu Nuo replaced Stark’s damaged arc reactor with a spare, Stark, with a complex expression, held Xu Nuo’s hand. "You saved my life again. I owe you."

"No, no, my friend," Xu Nuo smiled, helping Stark up and looking at him calmly. "You don’t owe me anything. Tony, we’re friends. I’m your fan."

"Yes," Stark, emotionally moved, nodded heavily and patted Xu Nuo’s shoulder. "My friend, I’m sorry. But I won’t tell you why. Now it’s time to complete our mission. Your autograph is ready."

"Alright," Xu Nuo’s eyebrows lifted slightly, and he nodded. "As you wish."

The rest was simple. Unlike the original plot where Stark, using a first-generation arc reactor with insufficient power, was beaten up, the fully equipped second-generation Iron Man, with two suits, quickly defeated the antagonist’s giant robot after a fierce battle.

"Mr. Stark, the weapons you possess have affected national strategic security. I think we need to have a talk," SHIELD Level 8 Agent Phil Coulson, who hadn’t appeared during the fight, said to Stark.

"I don’t think we have anything to talk about," Stark raised his wine glass, a cold glint in his eyes. "You might have misread the word. That’s not a weapon."

"Alright, Mr. Stark," Agent Coulson glanced at Xu Nuo, who was holding a wine glass and talking to Pepper nearby, and lowered his voice. "Whether it’s a weapon or not, I hope you can control it perfectly. And one more thing," Coulson turned to look at Xu Nuo again. "Please don’t let it spread."

"Of course," Stark, with a flash of anger in his eyes, smiled and raised his glass in acknowledgment.

"Xu, my friend," later that night, in Stark’s workshop.

In a good mood from the earlier party, Stark, with a slightly flushed face, came to a Mark II suit. Turning to Xu Nuo, he spread his arms and smiled. "As a symbol of our friendship, it’s yours."

"Phew~~~" At that moment, Xu Nuo let out a long sigh of relief.

Since arriving here, he had been in a state of high tension. After all his efforts, he finally heard those words!

"Identity verification complete, authorization granted," JARVIS’s voice rang out, followed by the ring in Xu Nuo’s mind. "Mission completed, well done."

"Thank you, my friend. I genuinely appreciate your help," Xu Nuo reached out to touch the gold-titanium alloy surface of the Iron Man suit, feeling the cold metal, his thoughts swirling.

No matter what his initial intentions were, Xu Nuo was shocked to find that things were completely different from what he had imagined. The idea of easily sweeping through the world with his superpowers and knowledge of the plot was shattered on the first day.

Now, he was just a fragile ordinary person. Even the armed men could easily kill him, let alone SHIELD. Without Stark’s help, Xu Nuo wouldn’t just fail to complete his mission and return to the modern world; he would struggle to survive in this world.

If his false identity, created by the ring, was exposed, Xu Nuo might spend the rest of his life in a deep underground laboratory, only finding peace after revealing everything he knew, including who he spied on as a child.

Therefore, Stark’s help was invaluable. Although he couldn’t repay him now, Xu Nuo had secretly resolved to repay Stark’s kindness if he ever had the chance.

After a moment of silence, Xu Nuo turned to Stark. "My friend, thank you for your generosity. I know it might be hard for you to understand now, but your help has been decisive for me."

Looking at the confused Stark, Xu Nuo smiled and nodded. "No matter what, we are friends. It might be too early to say this, but I want you to know that I will repay your kindness one day."

"Alright, my friend. You’re confusing me," Stark shook his head. "I think we should have a few more drinks."

"Agreed."