Stark sat on the edge of the bed, using a small mirror to observe what was on his chest.
In this dangerous situation, something like porridge was cooking in a pot, and Dr.Yinsen continued to whistle leisurely.
Yinsen put the shrapnel he had taken out into a small glass bottle and handed it to Tony.
Yinsen even said to Stark, "In our village, there are many people like this. We call them the living dead because, within a week, shrapnel will enter their vital organs!"
Even with this explanation, Tony, confused about the situation, didn't grasp the gravity of Yinsen's words.
"What is this?"
"An electromagnet! Connected to a car battery, it can prevent shrapnel from entering your heart!"
Stark's brain worked frantically, analyzing everything around him, and he tied his dirty shirt over his chest.
Yinsen, in a full suit with a neat bow tie and a small scarf peeking from his left pocket, looked completely different from the disheveled Tony in the dim cave.
But he taught Tony to stay calm and look at the surveillance camera, "That's right smile."
This relaxed state made Stark suspect the man in front of him was sent by his kidnappers.
"We met at the Berne Technology Conference in Switzerland, in 1999."
"I don't remember."
"Of course, you don't. If I drank like you, I couldn't stand up, let alone give a speech on integrated circuits!" Yinsen's faint smile brought Stark a bit of peace.
Before he finished speaking, there was a shout from the door, and Yinsen instantly became nervous.
He hurried to Stark's side, pulled up the anxious Tony, and calmly said, "Follow me, just follow me!"
The bearded deputy leader came in with a few gunmen.
Through Yinsen's translation, they learned their purpose was to make Stark build the Jericho missile that had just been tested.
Stark refused but was pushed into a bucket, forced to hold his breath, water splashing on the electromagnet on his chest, causing a small short circuit.
A talented scientist who became famous as a teenager and billionaire Tony Stark had never experienced such treatment.
Repeatedly pressing his head into the water, as if he were dead, a voice from Pepper Potts echoed in his head, 'Tony!'
Yinsen watched helplessly, unable to intervene.
Exhausted and clutching the car battery to save his life, Stark felt unprecedented humiliation and shame.
'I have to carry this bulky battery to sustain my life!'
Then, Stark was dragged out of the cave, seeing the heavy weapons, missiles, rockets, bombs, and other armaments scattered everywhere outside. All the weapons bore the logo "Made by Stark."
Even the guns in their hands were made by "Stark."
The short and chubby Afghan bearded deputy leader seemed proud and said to Tony, "What do you think?" (Translated by Yinsen)
"You have many weapons I made!"
"We have all the materials needed to make Jericho missiles. You make a list!"
He continued, "You will start manufacturing right away, and when you are finished, I will let you go!" After speaking, he extended a hand.
Tony, desperate to survive, heard the last part of Yinsen's translation, put his hands up, and smiled at the beard, but said in English, "I will do it"
Yinsen also looked at the deputy leader with a smile and replied, "Yes, he will do it"
Seeing the smiles of the two, the bearded leader laughed too.
...
In the cave, only Tony and Yinsen remained, with a pile of wood burning for light and warmth.
Stark stared blankly at the burning flames, remembering better times, wrapped in an old and dirty blanket, shivering.
Yinsen looked at Tony and said, "I know your people must be looking for you, Stark! But they will never find this deep mountain!"
He squatted down and looked at Tony, "You just saw it, those are your heritage, Stark!"
Stark did not respond, sitting motionless.
"Your life is in the hands of these murderers, don't you want to give up?" Yinsen's voice grew louder, "Is this the last resistance of the great Tony Stark?"
Ethan finally stared at Tony and said loudly, "Or tell me what you want to do!!"
Stark's mind flashed with countless images: Pepper's smiling face, his old car, and Obi's voice.
The countless models he had slept with, the last cup of coffee that Pepper handed him, the small model he gave Pepper, the electromagnet on his chest, the giant reactor in his company, and the last time he saw the sun at the cave's entrance.
Recalling the last smile he gave Pepper with the model, his eyes shifted from her face to her hand, the little model.
He moved unconsciously, remembering the shape of the model, as if a three-dimensional drawing appeared in his mind, gradually breaking down into parts, colliding with a buried idea.
A strange light appeared in Stark's eyes, and a thought he had forgotten resurfaced.
"Okay, let's get to work!" Stark stood up again.
Seeing Stark regain his fighting spirit, Yinsen showed a trace of relief and smiled.
...
One day later, in the cave, all the necessary equipment was brought in. Under the bright lights, the simple cave finally looked somewhat suitable for work.
Stark carefully disassembled a missile warhead and took out an internal detonator.
Yinsen came up, "If I help you during the preparation process, it will be more efficient."
Stark didn't respond, taking out a thin piece of metal with tweezers from the device and discarding the rest behind him.
"What is this?"
"This is palladium metal, 0.15 grams. We need at least 1.6 grams, so go dismantle the other eleven?" Stark looked at Yinsen.
Yinsen didn't understand but followed Tony's instructions, smiling again.
Finally, it was time to melt the palladium metal in a crucible, pour it into a mold, and let it cool. This step was critical, as Stark was hindered by the battery on his chest and could only rely on Yinsen.
Yinsen used tongs to hold the crucible and walked slowly towards the mold, with Stark holding the battery aside, emphasizing, "Be careful, be careful, we only have one chance!"
"Don't worry, my hand is steady. Otherwise, how do you think you survived?" Yinsen smiled and steadily poured the liquid palladium into the mold.
"What's your name?" Stark finally asked.
"Call me Yinsen!" Yinsen continued pouring the palladium.
"Yinsen, nice to meet you!" Stark expressed his approval.
"I'm glad to meet you too!" Yinsen smiled happily.
Soon, a small ring of palladium metal appeared in Stark's hand.
...
Three days later, a small round mechanical device appeared on the table. When powered on, it emitted a bright blue and white light.
The surrounding circuit voltage became unstable, and the lights flickered. Stark looked at the small model, only focusing on it, his lips trembling slightly.
Yinsen came to the side, "Does this look like a Jericho missile?"
"This is a miniature arc reactor. I have a big one at home that powers my factory." Stark touched it lightly.
"This should prevent the shrapnel from entering my heart!"
"How about its power generation capacity?"
"If I haven't miscalculated, 3 billion joules per second!"
"Enough to keep you alive fifty times over!" Yinsen sighed.
"Yes, or for fifteen minutes for a big guy!" Stark said calmly, thinking about the plan.
"How did you think to compress it so small?" Yinsen asked, looking at the reactor.
Stark's thoughts flashed back a few days. He took the reactor in front of him and rubbed it inch by inch. "Yinsen, the day before I came to Afghanistan, a kid gave me a model!"
"What model?"
"Just like this!" Stark raised the reactor in front of him. "It's very similar but more refined. The funny thing is, I didn't think about it at the time!"
"So strange." Yinsen didn't expect it either.
"If I can go back, I will find that kid, for sure!"