Mandarin—the supposed leader of the legendary terrorist organization, the Ten Rings.
The Ten Rings emblem appears on the movie screen after the black-and-white flash, ten rings forming a circle in various colors.
It's worth mentioning that the official Ten Rings were the ones who kidnapped Tony in Afghanistan.
And why did they kidnap Tony?
In truth, there was no personal hatred. The key reason was that Obadiah Stane hired the Ten Rings to do it.
They took the money and did the job.
Now, the situation is similar.
Of course, the "Mandarin" in front of me is only an actor. The real villain remains hidden in the shadows and won't reveal himself yet.
After all, the Ten Rings are a massive organization, and their true leader is far more dangerous. If the Hand—those five deadly fingers—were to clash with the Ten Rings, they'd likely get beaten senseless.
That's how ruthless they are.
Blaine shook his head.
Seeing a terrorist attack so early in the morning was unpleasant.
He decided to return to the villa for a couple of days.
Not because of the terrorists, but because he had already planned to take a short break once the money came in—play for a day or two at the villa before taking on new assignments. The bounty hunter would return to the game.
After all, he had been silent for too long.
If he didn't take on jobs again, people might start thinking he was dead.
But after being comfortable for so long, Blaine had grown a little lazy. So, he chose to retreat to the villa for a couple of days.
What if Gali had returned there already?
—Noon—
Happy Hogan felt that Aldrich Killian was up to no good, especially when it came to Pepper Potts. What if Killian was trying to steal Tony's girl?
And the men Killian brought with him looked really suspicious.
Happy, though currently serving as Stark Industries' Head of Security, had once been Tony's personal bodyguard.
Yes, Iron Man's bodyguard. People might laugh when he said it now, but it was true.
Even today, Happy still carried out bodyguard duties—like tracking Aldrich Killian and his associates.
As the trusted head of Stark Industries security, and with his history as Tony's personal protector, Happy had real authority and real skills.
Yesterday, he had already photographed Killian's license plate. All he needed now was J.A.R.V.I.S. or another contact to trace it.
Sure enough, his people delivered. They quickly found the location.
It was the Chinese Theater in Manhattan—one of the few places left untouched by the Chitauri invasion.
{TN: It was truly Chinese Theater as per the movies and not nationalism.}
Apart from that, some of Killian's men seemed headed toward Queens, though their exact destination was unclear.
Squinting at the address in front of him, Happy made his decision.
If you suspect someone, you follow through. He would see exactly what Aldrich Killian was planning.
Queens could wait. First, he needed answers.
—Night—
Chinese Theater.
Happy slipped inside under a false identity.
And just as he expected, Aldrich Killian's men arrived. One of them carried a briefcase and headed straight toward a nervous man sitting in a chair, sweating profusely.
The exchange was quiet—too quiet for Happy to hear. He had no superpowers, after all, so he could only observe from a distance.
Killian's subordinate handed over the briefcase.
The man receiving it looked thrilled, eagerly opening it to check the contents.
At that moment, Happy acted.
He walked over, pretending to bump into the man by accident.
The briefcase spilled to the floor.
"Sorry, bro."
Happy immediately knelt to help him gather the contents.
Nothing inside looked suspicious. At least, not at first glance.
But when Happy glanced up, he froze.
The man's body suddenly radiated intense heat. Beneath his skin, molten streams—like magma—seemed to flow. His flesh almost looked translucent.
Happy stood, confused, still holding one of the briefcase's gadgets in his hand.
What was going on with this man?
Another superhuman incident?
Within moments, someone else bumped into Happy—hard.
It felt like colliding with an iron wall. Grunting, Happy turned and saw one of Killian's men.
"Hey, brother!"
The man grinned knowingly, as if they were old friends. "Watching a romantic movie alone on a warm night?"
"Yeah. Just winding down after work," Happy replied coolly, eyeing the bald man. "The leading roles are you and the girl you're chasing. Here—take your ticket."
As he spoke, he flashed a small vial marked 283.
"Just kidding. This isn't yours."
Killian's man's expression darkened instantly, reaching to snatch it back.
But though Happy was a bit heavier than in his bodyguard days, his strength hadn't faded. Otherwise, he never would have been Tony's protector in the first place.
With a swift move, he tucked the vial behind his back.
Killian's man looked startled. This "fat guy" actually had skills?
Before he could react further, Happy swung his free left fist straight into his face.
"Wham!"
The punch landed, but the man barely staggered.
Both men stepped back.
Happy blinked in disbelief.
Since when did his punches feel so weak?
Was it because he used his left hand?
Without hesitation, Happy switched to his right, catching his opponent off guard. He clenched his fist and struck again.
Bang.
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