Chapter 2 – The Great Escape
" Yinsen, you two are just flesh and blood. Trust the great Tony Stark! He and his armor will get you and the Dragon Country boy out safely!"
Tony tried to keep his voice low, but his arrogant excitement was impossible to hide.
Yinsen pushed up his glasses, worry still clear on his face. "Tony, I believe in you and your armor, but it's too dangerous." He pointed at the crude arc reactor in Tony's chest. "What worries me is this."
Tony glanced down and frowned slightly. "Don't worry. This little guy is the culmination of my life's work."
Yinsen didn't look reassured. Tony thought he was worrying too much.
"If they discover us before the armor even starts up, we might all die," Yinsen added, voicing another concern.
Tony fell silent. The startup sequence was indeed a big problem. The control program had been written by the Dragon Country boy — Chen Tian. After three people had reviewed it, they all agreed it was solid.
But they had built the armor under extreme time pressure. Nothing had been properly tested. Every part was made separately to avoid suspicion, and the program had never been run in the actual suit.
Chen Tian, listening to their conversation, finally understood.
This scene wasn't in the movie, but this was now reality. Maybe in the original timeline, Tony and Yinsen had discussed the same issue. Yinsen's sacrifice had probably been caused by the armor's slow startup sequence — he had rushed out to buy time.
Chen Tian stepped closer and slapped Yinsen on the shoulder.
Yinsen looked at him in confusion.
Chen Tian grinned. "Yinsen, even if you don't believe me, believe in yourself and Tony. The startup program was verified by both of you."
He turned to Tony. "I believe genius Tony Stark wouldn't make a rookie mistake, right?"
Tony raised an eyebrow, his signature narcissistic smile appearing. "Dragon Country boy, you finally said something intelligent."
He turned dramatically to the workbench and unfolded the crumpled blueprint with a flourish. "Look at this — a creation by the greatest genius in history, Tony Stark. How could there be any low-level errors?"
Chen Tian barely resisted rolling his eyes. "Yes, yes, Tony Stark never makes mistakes."
"Hey!" Tony suddenly spun around, pointing a finger dangerously close to Chen Tian's nose. "Don't talk to me in that 'talking to a child' tone, Dragon Country boy."
"Cut it out. You're the one who keeps calling me 'Dragon Country boy.' By the way, do you even remember our real names?" Chen Tian muttered.
Yinsen adjusted his glasses, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "Alright, you two, we don't have time—"
Tony was about to reply when Chen Tian quietly interrupted him.
"You two ever heard of 'repairing the plank road openly while secretly crossing at Chencang'?"
Tony and Yinsen exchanged a glance. Neither understood the phrase, but Tony crossed his arms with an arrogant "I know everything" look.
"What does that mean?" Yinsen asked, knowing Tony had no idea.
Chen Tian smiled slyly. "It's an old Chinese saying. What we're doing right now is exactly that."
"We're pretending to build a missile for those bastards, but we're actually preparing our escape."
Tony and Yinsen nodded, still not seeing the point. They stayed quiet because they could tell Chen Tian wasn't finished.
"Although our plan is almost ready, we need to make sure it executes perfectly. So…" Chen Tian looked at Tony. "Tony, we need you to work a little harder."
Tony's lips curved up. "Go on, Dragon Country boy. What do you need?"
Chen Tian sighed helplessly. "Stop calling me Dragon Country boy." He stood up and walked to the workbench. Yinsen followed.
Looking at the scattered parts, Chen Tian said, "Tony, can you use these scraps to make a few more bombs?"
Tony narrowed his eyes, scanning the parts on the table. His fingers tapped the metal surface unconsciously. Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. "Ha! These scraps are enough for three 'Stark Special Welcome Bombs'." He picked up a discarded car battery. "This can make a perfect trigger…"
Yinsen pushed up his glasses worriedly. "Tony, detonating explosives in a confined space…"
"Don't worry, Doctor," Tony said as he quickly began disassembling parts. "I'll set them for directional blasts. All the force will go toward the entrance—" He suddenly paused and stared at Chen Tian. "Wait, Dragon Country boy, why do you want bombs? We already have an escape plan."
A sly glint flashed in Chen Tian's eyes. He lowered his voice. "We need to create a chain of traps. The first bomb goes on the door. When the guards break in — boom! That gives us at least a 30-second window."
Chen Tian grinned wickedly. "Then, while they're in chaos, we plant the other two bombs right outside our door. After 30 seconds, the second wave will buy us even more time."
He pointed at the armor. "I believe three bombs will make them think we have even more. That hesitation will let us finish starting up the armor. If we only use two, we can dig up the last one after the armor is active and throw it like a grenade."
Tony's eyes lit up as he listened. He stroked the stubble on his chin, a playful smile forming. "Dragon Country boy, I'm starting to suspect you were in special forces." He turned and began digging through the scrap pile. "Chain-reaction explosion traps… I like it!"
Yinsen's eyes behind his glasses showed surprise and admiration. "This plan is much safer than relying only on the armor. The three bombs will create psychological pressure and make the enemy miscalculate our strength."
"Not just that," Tony said, already tearing apart the car battery. "We can make a fake detonator too." He picked up an old radio. "Modify this into a remote receiver. Let them think we can blow up the entire cave at any moment!"
Chen Tian nodded. "Exactly. Psychological warfare. Because they have Tony — the genius weapons expert — they'll be terrified, wondering how many bombs he actually made."
Yinsen poured cold water on their excitement. "But… they have heavy weapons. What if they panic and just blow up the whole cave?"
Tony and Chen Tian looked at each other and laughed. Tony crossed his arms again and nodded toward Chen Tian, letting him explain.
Chen Tian shrugged. "Yinsen, did you forget? Everything we're doing is to ensure Tony's armor can start up successfully. The main plan hasn't changed. We're just adding a small insurance policy to the escape."
Yinsen slapped his forehead and smiled. "Right, right. My brain has been slow lately."
Chen Tian looked around and lowered his voice again. "The bald guy gave us until the day after tomorrow, but they won't expect us to move early."
He quietly pointed an iron rod at the small window on the heavy iron door. "We don't know the exact time, but from their patrol intervals, we can tell day from night."
"We'll assemble and start the armor during their longest gap between patrols."
Tony snapped his fingers excitedly. "Brilliant! Those idiots will think we're just working overtime on their missile."
He rubbed his hands together. "When they're sound asleep, we'll give them a big surprise!"
The three refined the plan further, then focused on double-checking the armor. Everything moved in order. Success or failure would be decided tomorrow night.
On the sixth day, only faint metallic sounds echoed in the cave.
Using the sparks from welding as cover, Chen Tian glanced at the small window on the iron door. The guards hadn't patrolled for two hours.
"Now," Tony whispered, his hands moving incredibly fast. Like magic, he pulled the core components of the armor from the missile parts. "Yinsen, help me secure the chest plate."
Yinsen's hands trembled slightly, but his movements stayed precise. He carefully connected the arc reactor to the armor's power system. A blue glow lit up the dim cave.
"Startup sequence check," Chen Tian said, squatting in front of the computer, fingers flying across the keyboard. His brow furrowed. "Tony, there's a problem with the left leg hydraulic control."
Tony swore and yanked off the newly installed armor plate. "Damn it, this bearing is the wrong size!" He grabbed a file and began modifying the part, metal shavings flying in the firelight.
Yinsen suddenly raised a finger. "Shh—"
Footsteps approached. The three froze instantly. Chen Tian switched the computer screen, Tony pretended to weld a missile casing, and Yinsen picked up his notebook, pretending to record data.
A guard yawned and opened the small window, shining his flashlight across the workbench. "Not done yet?"
"Almost finished," Tony replied without looking up, deliberately making the welding arc flash brightly. "If you disturb a genius at work and the missile misfires tomorrow, don't blame me."
The guard grumbled and left. Once the footsteps faded, Tony dropped the act. "How much time left?"
Chen Tian checked his makeshift water clock. "At most four hours until sunrise." He turned back to the computer. "Program fixed, but it needs recalibration."
"Then hurry!" Sweat covered Tony's forehead. The light from his arc reactor flickered unsteadily.
Yinsen glanced at him worriedly but said nothing, simply handing over tools.
The three worked like a well-oiled machine. Tony assembled the main frame, Yinsen handled wiring, and Chen Tian continuously debugged the control program.
Time ticked away. The temperature in the cave seemed to rise with the tension.
"Final step," Tony panted, lifting the helmet. "Dragon Country boy, is the program ready?"
"Call me Chen Tian!" Chen Tian gritted his teeth, still typing. "Last bit of code… done!" He wiped his sweat. "In theory, cold start should take 12 seconds."
Yinsen suddenly grabbed Tony's arm. "Wait!" He pointed at the ankle. "This hydraulic tube is installed backwards!"
Tony sucked in a sharp breath and quickly disassembled it. Chen Tian watched the water level in the clock drop, his heart pounding.
"Done!" Tony finally straightened up. The armor gleamed coldly in the firelight. He looked at his two companions with a rare serious expression. "Ready, guys?"
Chen Tian checked the detonators one last time. Yinsen strapped the medical kit to his waist. The three exchanged smiles and fist-bumped under the dim light.
Tony climbed into the armor. As Chen Tian tightened the final bolt, loud shouting and the sound of guns being cocked suddenly came from outside.
"They found us!" Yinsen's face turned pale.
The moment he spoke, violent banging and angry shouts erupted at the door.
Chen Tian instantly pressed the detonator. A deafening explosion rocked the cave. Rocks fell from the ceiling and alarms blared.
"Startup sequence! Now!" Chen Tian shouted as he flipped the switch. He grabbed the remaining two bombs and handed one to Yinsen. The two rushed out the door.
They didn't go far. Right outside, they planted the bombs, then quickly retreated behind the door.
Moments after they hid on either side, two explosions rang out — the incoming terrorists had stepped on the buried bombs.
At the same time, the armor finished its startup. Yinsen and Chen Tian hurriedly unlocked the chains holding it in place.
Tony's confident voice echoed from inside the suit. "Haha, guys! Follow me! Let hero Tony Stark lead you back to daylight!"
The armor made heavy metallic footsteps as Tony strode out of the stone chamber.
Chen Tian and Yinsen followed closely. To their surprise, the entire cave passage was empty.
"Strange…" Tony's voice came through the armor with a metallic echo. "Where did all those lunatics go?"
Chen Tian scanned the area warily. Torches on the walls were still burning. With all that noise, the terrorists should have reacted.
"Tony, watch for ambush," Chen Tian warned quietly.
The three moved cautiously down the main tunnel. Tony's bulky Mark I armor scraped against the narrow rock walls, making loud screeching sounds.
Clack… Clack… Clack…
Several objects bounced off the walls.
"Get down!" Tony shouted. He spun around, using the armor to shield Chen Tian and Yinsen.
Several grenades exploded in the tight passage. The shockwave made their ears ring.
Shrapnel and dust flew everywhere. Tony's armor was scratched with deep gouges.
"Damn it!" Tony growled from behind the faceplate. "They set an ambush at the entrance!"
His words were proven right. A dozen terrorists burst out from the corner amid the chaos, opening fire with their AKs.
Bullets rained down on the armor like a metal storm, sparking wildly. Tony quickly turned, using his back plating as a steel shield for the other two.
"Stay behind me!" Tony's voice buzzed through the armor.
He raised his right arm. A small rocket deployed from the gauntlet. Because the Mark I was crude, aiming was done by eye.
In the hail of bullets, Tony could barely see. He fired on instinct.
Boom!
Lucky shot. The rocket exploded in the middle of the group, sending over a dozen terrorists flying. The gunfire stopped instantly.
"Haha! Lucky! A genius's luck is never bad!" Tony laughed triumphantly.
"Tony! Dodge!" Chen Tian shouted suddenly.
Tony jerked sideways. An RPG rocket grazed the armor and exploded at the far end of the tunnel.
"Fuck! You dare ambush a hero?!" Tony roared, cold sweat dripping down his forehead. Without Chen Tian's warning, the primitive armor might not have survived that hit.
Furious, Tony charged at the terrorist who had fired the RPG. The man dropped the launcher and ran around the corner.
Tony pursued, skidding to a halt at the bend. His metal boots scraped loudly against the stone.
At the cave exit, over a dozen terrorists had set up heavy machine guns on the ground, with several more aiming RPGs straight at him.
"Whoa…" Tony's voice turned dry inside the suit. "This doesn't look good."