Raza looked at Ethan with eyes that were frighteningly calm.
There was no anger.
No excitement.
No hatred.
Just indifference.
It was that emotionless stare that crushed Ethan's chest like a mountain.
After a long, silent moment, Raza lowered his gun. He pointed two fingers at his own eyes, then at Deadpool.
"I'll be watching you. No tricks."
Then he turned and walked out.
Before leaving, he dropped one final sentence into the cold cave air:
"If he dies… both of you die."
The armed men followed behind him.
The iron door slammed shut.
Only then did Ethan collapse onto the ground, breathing hard. His back was completely soaked in cold sweat. His heart pounded so loudly it felt like it might break through his ribs.
But he didn't have time to recover.
The man on the bed suddenly coughed violently.
Blood spilled from his mouth and nose.
Ethan scrambled to his feet and rushed to the bedside.
The surgical tools had already been delivered by the terrorists. Everything he needed was on the table.
He picked up the scalpel—
And realized his hand was trembling uncontrollably.
Suddenly, a warm and strong hand grabbed his wrist.
The shaking stopped.
Deadpool's voice came lazily from beside him.
"Come on. They're just a few poorly trained gunmen. You're shaking like you saw a ghost."
Ethan exhaled sharply and pulled his hand free.
"I saved your life," he replied firmly. "If I hadn't stepped in, your head would be a stain on the wall."
Deadpool pouted.
"No. You saved their lives. Thirty seconds. That's all I need to clean this cave."
It was not a joke.
If Ethan hadn't intervened, Deadpool would have killed them.
Of course…
That would have consequences.
The man on the bed—still unconscious—might die.
And that would erase something important.
Deadpool's eyes drifted toward the wounded figure.
A dangerous thought surfaced.
If Tony Stark died here…
Then there would be no Iron Man.
No Avengers.
No cinematic universe.
No Marvel Jesus.
And that meant—
Deadpool gasped dramatically.
"I could be the only one."
On his left shoulder, a tiny Devil version of Deadpool appeared.
"Yes," it whispered. "Kill him. Become the one and only."
A beam of imaginary light blasted the devil away.
On his right shoulder, a tiny Angel version of Deadpool adjusted a halo.
"Without Iron Man, the entire franchise collapses. Do you want to be Fox Jesus instead?"
Deadpool shuddered violently.
"Absolutely not. That sounds terrible."
The angel vanished.
Deadpool returned to reality.
He looked at Ethan seriously.
"Even though you were shaking like jelly… you're definitely a hero."
Ethan ignored him and focused on the surgery.
"First, I was not shaking like jelly. Second, I'm not a hero."
He worked quickly, carefully removing metal fragments embedded in the man's body.
The cave echoed with metallic clinks.
Finally—
Silence.
The worst was over.
Hours passed.
Then—
"Welcome our greatest inventor ever…"
Voices echoed faintly in Tony's fading consciousness.
Luxury cars.
Champagne glasses.
Missile demonstrations.
Explosions.
Then—
Boom.
Pain.
Darkness.
Suddenly—
The man on the bed jolted upright, gasping violently for air.
Tony Stark was awake.
He looked down.
A metal device was embedded in his chest. Wires extended outward, connected to a heavy battery.
Panic flashed in his eyes. He reached toward it instinctively.
"If I were you," Deadpool said calmly from the table, "I wouldn't touch that."
Tony turned sharply.
He saw two men sitting nearby—one thin and tired, the other scarred and wearing an unsettling grin.
"What happened? Where am I?"
Both Tony and Ethan asked the question at the same time.
Deadpool blinked.
"Ask something useful."
Tony pointed at the device on his chest.
"What is this?"
"Your remaining lifespan."
Tony stared at him.
"What does that mean?"
Ethan stepped forward and held up a glass container filled with small metal fragments.
"When you were brought here, you had more than a dozen pieces of shrapnel inside your body. I removed most of them. Some were too close to your heart."
He gently shook the jar. Metal clinked inside.
"These fragments are slowly traveling toward your heart through your bloodstream. The device in your chest is an electromagnet. It prevents them from reaching it."
Tony's face went pale.
Ethan continued calmly.
"The battery can sustain the magnetic field for approximately seven days."
Tony studied the device carefully.
"The principle of electromagnetism. I understand."
He forced a small, bitter smile.
"This thing is ugly."
Deadpool raised a hand eagerly.
"I offered to decorate it. Flames. Maybe glitter. He refused."
Ethan ignored him.
Tony leaned back weakly against the wall, staring at the ceiling.
Before he could process everything—
Footsteps thundered outside again.
Ethan's face changed immediately.
"Follow my lead."
He turned to Deadpool—
And saw that Deadpool was already crouching with hands over his head.
More professional than Ethan himself.
Ethan blinked.
Coward.
The iron door burst open.
Armed men flooded into the cave.
Without Raza present, the bearded lieutenant stepped forward arrogantly.
Abu Bakaar swaggered toward Tony like an old friend.
He wrapped an arm around Tony's shoulder and spoke loudly in another language.
Ethan translated quickly.
There was not much substance.
Flattery.
Praise.
Tony Stark, greatest inventor of all time.
Creator of weapons that made these men powerful.
A battlefield butcher who never touches the battlefield.
They admired him.
They even joked that he was their "Jesus."
Tony's expression shifted from confusion to disbelief.
"What are they talking about?" he whispered to Ethan.
Ethan hesitated.
"They have your weapons."
Tony frowned deeply.
"That's impossible. Stark Industries sells to governments."
The bearded man laughed loudly and gestured toward the outside.
His men dragged Tony to his feet.
A hood was forced over his head.
They began pulling him out of the cave.
Ethan followed.
Deadpool attempted to stand—
A rifle pressed against his forehead.
He raised both hands lazily.
"Fine. I'll stay. It's not like I don't know what happens next."
The men ignored him.
The iron door slammed shut.
Deadpool was left alone in the cave.
He sighed.
"Uncultured fools. Calling those rusty missiles 'big treasures.'"
He lay back on the iron bunk.
Outside, Tony Stark was about to witness his own weapons used in ways he never intended.
And inside—
Deadpool stared at the ceiling.
History was moving.
The birth of Iron Man was close.
And this time—
Deadpool was in the cave when it happened.
--------------------------------------------------
100+ chapters available in patreon
patreon.com/Dragonscribe31🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
----------------------------------------------------- .