Chapter 6 — Appearance Is the Finale
As time passed, Tony Stark—imprisoned inside the cave—gradually succeeded in assembling the prototype of the first-generation Iron Man armor, exactly as depicted in the original movie.
With the help of Dr. Yinsen, an applied physics scientist who was also being held captive, Tony used the crude components and devices supplied by their captors—materials originally meant for manufacturing missiles—to piece together the combat suit.
Unfortunately, even though the bandits had been careless for a long time, they eventually realized what Tony and Yinsen were truly planning.
At this very moment, a large group of armed men was rushing toward the room where they were confined.
Outside the cave, Blake Thorne—who had been quietly observing everything—slowly shook his head and let out a small chuckle.
There was no denying it. Tony Stark was a true genius. With nothing but scrap materials scavenged from his captors, he had created a weapon powerful and durable enough to rival a U.S. military main battle tank.
And just as expected—thanks to that armor, Tony managed to break through the armed encirclement and nearly escape.
Unfortunately, in the movie's version of events, Dr. Yinsen had to sacrifice his life to buy Tony time to activate the suit. He died inside that cave, becoming an unsung hero.
But now, with Blake present, he would not allow such a tragedy to repeat itself.
Blake stepped forward calmly, clapping his hands together while casually spitting out the sunflower seed shells he had been chewing. Then, with an unhurried gait, he walked toward the cave entrance.
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Several armed guards immediately shouted at him from a distance. Blake merely shrugged and replied in a thick London English accent,
"Sorry, I don't understand what you're saying. Please make way, gentlemen. I have no intention of killing anyone…"
Before he could finish his sentence, the bandits—apparently enraged by the unfamiliar language—pulled the triggers of their AK-47s all at once.
The moment bullets rained toward him, Blake stopped considering international consequences.
His figure vanished in the blink of an eye—and instantly reappeared right in the middle of the guards.
Like a tiger leaping into a pen of sheep, he weaved and moved with terrifying speed, knocking down more than a dozen armed bandits with crushing punches and devastating kicks before a single bullet could land.
With steady steps, he advanced deeper into the cave, activating his Infinity Perception System.
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Inside the cave, Dr. Yinsen—eyes bloodshot, his face filled with resolve—picked up the AK-47 lying beside him and slung its strap over his shoulder.
In a firm voice, he spoke to Tony Stark, who was still bound inside the armor.
"Tony! Time's up. I'll buy you time—activate the suit, now!"
Without waiting for a response, Yinsen charged out of the room, fully prepared to sacrifice himself.
From behind, Tony—still trapped inside the half-finished armor—shouted in desperation,
"Dr. Yinsen! Come back! Follow the plan!"
But only a few seconds after Yinsen stepped out, he was already back—supported by Blake, who had casually draped an arm over the doctor's shoulder.
"Oh, Dr. Yinsen," Blake said with a smile, "that thing isn't a toy for you."
He gently removed the AK-47 from Yinsen's shoulder.
Not because he feared the weapon, but because he was worried the doctor might accidentally fire it and hurt himself.
However, just as Blake was lowering the rifle, Tony's Iron Man armor finally finished charging.
The moment the suit powered up, Tony Stark shouted with burning excitement,
"Get down, Doctor!"
Then, without a second thought, he threw a powerful punch straight at Blake.
In his panic and fear, Tony mistook Blake for one of the terrorists.
Yinsen, witnessing everything, froze completely—unable to say a single word. Even Tony's shouted warning for him to get down went unheard, his shock overwhelming him.
Tony's punch flew forward—and in a fraction of a second, his eyes widened. He realized he couldn't stop it.
The armor he built possessed terrifying power, but its control was extremely limited. On top of that, this was Tony's first time using it.
In that tense instant, Tony closed his eyes, unable to bear witnessing what might happen next…
"CRASH!"
A thunderous impact echoed throughout the cave.
When Tony opened his eyes, it felt as if he'd been hit by a speeding express train.
His entire body—along with the heavy steel armor encasing him—was sent flying, smashing into the rock wall on the opposite side of the cave and embedding itself deep within it.
"Oh my God!" Dr. Yinsen shouted, clutching his head in shock.
This isn't real… This has to be a hallucination! What did I just see?
As one of the armor's designers, Yinsen knew exactly how terrifying Tony's punch truly was.
With that level of force, even a fully grown African elephant could be killed in a single blow.
And yet—before this young Asian man—that power meant absolutely nothing.
Meanwhile, Blake scratched his head awkwardly.
He actually had countless ways to stop Tony's punch.
But out of curiosity, he wanted to see just how strong Tony's armor really was—so he let the punch land before striking back.
Unfortunately, the result was catastrophic.
Iron Man's first armor… was completely destroyed.
Fortunately, Blake was a Master-Class Martial Arts Expert—his control over strength had already reached perfection.
Though his counterattack looked overwhelming, he had deliberately directed most of the force into the outer shell of the armor, never letting it reach Tony's body inside.
If Tony had died from that single punch… the entire course of Marvel history would have been rewritten.
Calmly, Blake spoke as he walked toward the rock wall.
"Don't worry, Dr. Yinsen… Tony Stark is fine."
Blake slid his hand into the stone, grasped Tony's embedded body, and effortlessly pulled him free.
Unfortunately, Tony's first armor—so legendary in Marvel history—was now completely ruined.
The suit was permanently crushed into the rock wall, becoming an unofficial monument to the first meeting between Tony Stark and Blake Thorne.
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