Druid in the Marvel Universe Chapter 48: I, Stark, Also Have My Pride

Under the glow of the fire, Stark's face was full of exhaustion. He was desperate now; although he had survived, was he really going to live the rest of his life with a car battery?

Ethan comforted Stark from the side, saying, "Mr. Stark, I'm really sorry. I'm just a physicist and have no way to remove those shrapnel pieces. This is the only method I could think of."

Stark held his head in pain, feeling a mix of blame and gratitude, and said, "Buddy, I have to thank you for saving my life!" He then looked at the car battery between his legs with extreme disgust, "Your method is really, well, physicist-like."

Stark spoke while staring at the fire in front of him, muttering, "Before I came to this damn place, I had just met an interesting friend. This guy is a jerk, with a foul mouth. I still remember he warned me, saying Afghanistan is a dangerous place."

Stark covered his face with his hands, leaving only his eyes exposed, and said desperately, "I can't imagine what he would say if he knew I had to rely on a car battery to live."

He then mimicked Alvin's tone, saying, "Oh~ Mr. Stark, is this the latest fashion for genius inventors? Your heartbeat needs to be charged by a car battery?"

Ethan burst out laughing. He found it amusing. The person Stark was talking about must be an extraordinary guy because he could actually become friends with Stark, and Stark seemed to be a bit afraid of him.

Ethan comforted Stark, saying, "Maybe your friend is on his way to rescue you."

Stark glanced at Ethan and said sadly, "That's exactly what I'm worried about. Given the choice between death and being mocked by that jerk for the rest of my life, I'd rather die in this hellhole."

Ethan looked at Stark in surprise and said, "You must be joking!"

Stark tightly covered his face with his hands and said desperately, "No, if you knew him, you'd understand. He's a very characterful, acid-tongued bastard. Unfortunately, I used to admire his way of speaking."

Stark let out a long sigh and looked at Ethan, who was staring at him, and said, "Buddy, don't look at me like that. I must look terrible right now!"

Ethan looked at Stark in surprise and said, "The bird on you is strange. What's it holding in its beak?"

Stark was startled and turned to see a crow perched on his shoulder. The crow was holding a paper roll in its beak, curiously looking at him. From its crimson eyes, Stark clearly saw a greeting from Alvin, as he always saw the same crow whenever he went to the restaurant.

Stark took the paper roll from the crow's beak, opened it, and his expression changed from ecstatic to terrified. He hugged the car battery and rushed to the prison door, banging on it loudly, shouting, "Get your boss here, tell him I agree, I'll help him build the Jericho missile."

Ethan watched the frantic Stark, curiously picked up the paper roll that had fallen to the ground, and read it by the firelight. It said, "Dear Mr. Stark, my honorable principal, I'm here to rescue you! I hope you don't look too bad right now! For safety reasons, when I come to rescue you, you need to find a safe place and hide. If you're ready, write me a letter! Oh, I brought a camera, we can take a photo to commemorate your adventure!"

Ethan was very curious about who Stark's friend was. From the looks of it, he was really interesting! Look, Stark was so happy he went crazy!

...

Alvin was on a hidden sand dune, reading Stark's reply with amusement, "Alvin, buddy, I'm happy to see you're here to rescue me, but you'd better wait for a while. I already have a plan. Although it may not be safe, with your cooperation, it will definitely succeed. Wait for my signal, buddy, don't rush in, wait for my signal."

Alvin could imagine that this prideful guy, no matter what, didn't want Alvin to see him in his current state.

Through the crow, Alvin could see and hear Stark's appearance and situation. He never expected that he would ignite Stark's fighting spirit, turning him into the future Iron Man. A prideful person's strength can sometimes be limitless.

Alvin was, of course, willing to wait for a while. After all, he had become the catalyst for Iron Man, and waiting a bit longer was worth it.

For the next month or so, Alvin settled down about ten kilometers away from the terrorists' base. With ample supplies he brought, he leisurely camped in the Afghan wilderness, waiting for Stark's signal.

During this period, Alvin continuously observed Stark's progress through the crow.

Stark, worthy of being "cursed with knowledge," took just a week to use the metal "palladium" from dismantled missiles and some rudimentary electronic coils to create a fusion energy reactor for himself, freeing him from the car battery.

Stark's hands-on ability left Alvin in awe. He could never achieve that level in his lifetime. Alvin sometimes needed Jessica's help to change the oil in his old Ford, and he had been mocked for it.

Perhaps Alvin's arrival stimulated Stark's potential, making the prideful Stark burst with immense energy, like many novels describe, where a person explodes with power after being provoked.

Alvin, who knew nothing about cutting-edge technology and mechanical engineering, watched as Stark, with Ethan's assistance, used rudimentary tools to create an extremely ugly suit of armor. Alvin swore it was nothing like the one he saw in the movies in his previous life.

The current suit was filled with a terrifying Soviet-style mechanical exoskeleton, covered in messy wires, powered by the fusion reactor in Stark's chest.

A huge, person-tall shield made of uneven iron plates pieced together. Imagine Stark charging with this rough mechanical exoskeleton and shield in a while.

Alvin loved it. This was Alvin's favorite style, even more than the future Iron Man armor. It didn't need to look good; it just needed to fully unleash mechanical violence. If it had a big axe, it would be perfect! This was Alvin's definition of mechanical armor.

Very tough, very violent!

This was the result of Stark's labor over more than a month. Who knows what sweet talk Stark used to fool those terrorists into providing enough materials for his escape. Building a missile required so many motors, and they believed it?

Alvin didn't understand the world of illiterates. In the future, Ginny must go to college, or she might suffer at the hands of someone like Stark.

Alvin stood on a sand dune, holding Stark's letter.

Stark's words were filled with pride in his achievements over the past few days, setting a jailbreak time with Alvin and promising a surprise when they met, showing Alvin the miracle a genius scientist created in an Afghan black prison!