Marvel Cybernetic Girl

— Outside the Ten Rings' Base Cave Entrance

Thanks to the incredible combat capabilities of the Mark I Iron Man suit, Tony Stark easily made his way to the entrance of the cave, dispatching enemies without breaking a sweat.

The remaining members of the Ten Rings, filled with fear and panic, fled their own cave and began hastily assembling a final line of defense outside.

Maybe a coordinated volley from a dozen men could pierce the Iron Man suit's defenses?

Well, that's what soldiers probably thought when the German army first encountered those "big iron cans" in the Somme, right?

Tony turned to Yinsen and said, "Alright, no matter what, we made it. Now, the final step..."

But then he paused and asked, "Wait, where's Kagura?"

"About that..." Yinsen hesitated, as if trying to find the right words. "Some of the militia flanked us from behind. She stayed behind to make sure you could get through the front enemies without interference."

"Why didn't you tell me sooner?" Tony shouted, panicked. "Where is she? We need to go back and save her! How could you leave a girl behind?!"

"Sorry... I couldn't convince her," Yinsen said with his head lowered, sounding apologetic. "I just couldn't change her mind... I'm really sorry, Tony."

At that moment, there was a loud noise, followed by frantic gunfire and the sound of something heavy hitting the ground.

"Don't come any closer! Don't come any closer!!! Ahhh—!"

"Boom—!"

A terrified militia member was sent flying out of the cave and crashed to the ground, spitting out blood and rolling around.

"Ah, thanks for worrying about me, Mr. Stark."

From the shadows, Kagura appeared, walking casually with her usual relaxed pace. Her shirt and skirt were splattered with blood, her long, pale legs stained with crimson.

She held a stolen HK45, shooting three quick rounds without even glancing at the fallen Ten Rings member: one in the abdomen, one in the chest, and one in the forehead.

The last armed militia member inside the cave dropped dead instantly.

"But don't worry, I've had military training," Kagura said casually, tossing away her empty weapon. She flashed a cute smile. "See? I'm back safe and sound."

Both men stood in stunned silence, completely bewildered.

This wasn't some fragile assistant needing protection—this was a fearless and capable female agent!

"Stark."

Yinsen nudged Tony's armor with his elbow.

"Uh?"

"Where did you find her? Navy SEAL? Delta Force? SAS?"

"Well..." Tony gulped nervously. "Honestly, I don't really handle recruitment... so... yeah."

"Kagura, we don't have much time. Let's move."

Kagura smiled at the two of them, signaling it was time to keep going.

"You're bleeding," Tony pointed to her cheek. "Are you hurt? Does it hurt?"

"Huh?" Kagura tilted her head in confusion before wiping her cheek. "Oh, no, no. It's not my blood..."

"That's a relief," Tony sighed. "I really don't want to feel guilty about this. Let's not do anything so reckless again. I don't want to lose my new family."

"Mhm."

Kagura nodded and quietly agreed, "I feel the same."

The trio then split into two teams as per the plan.

Outside the cave, the remaining Ten Rings armed members had already set up a tight defense. While those light weapons posed little threat to Tony Stark, it would be dangerous for Yinsen and Kagura to move out carelessly.

Based on Yinsen's intel, Kagura had found a light off-road vehicle inside the cave, one perfect for traversing any terrain. It could comfortably fit all three of them.

According to the plan, Tony would make a breakthrough, while Yinsen and Kagura would use the opportunity to escape in the vehicle.

The Mark I Iron Man suit had short-range flying capabilities, so they planned to meet at a designated landing spot and ditch the suit, driving off together.

"Alright, I'm going ahead. You two be careful on the road," Tony said, powering up the Iron Man suit and heading toward the cave entrance.

Outside, the sound of gunfire echoed.

After a few harmless "clinks" and "clangs," Tony Stark dramatically said, "Alright, my turn!"

Then, huge flames shot from the suit's arms, and the air was filled with the screams of the militia members.

"Alright, we should head out too," Kagura said, getting into the driver's seat of the off-road vehicle with the help of the UI system, starting the engine. "Oh, by the way, Yinsen, can I ask you something?"

"What is it?"

Yinsen settled into the passenger seat, buckling his seatbelt.

"Have you ever gone for a joyride?"

"...Huh?"

Seeing Yinsen's confused face, Kagura grinned mischievously.

"Whooooaaaa!!!"

"Oh! Oh! My God!!! AHHHHH! I think my heart's about to stop! AHHHH—!"

On the vast desert plains, the light off-road vehicle kicked up a huge cloud of dust as it sped down the terrain.

Kagura hummed a little tune, her foot on the gas pedal, as the speedometer danced between 200 and 210 km/h.

It wasn't too fast, but it sure felt exhilarating.

The sense of freedom was unmatched. Now Kagura understood why Tony Stark liked driving so fast.

Meanwhile, Yinsen, sitting in the passenger seat, had a terrified expression, his face pale and sweaty.

"So, Yinsen, wasn't that awesome?" Kagura teased, her grin widening. "I told you, Mr. Stark loves to drive too. But I'm not sure if he's ever driven an off-road vehicle like this!"

"Can we... not do this?! Kagura!" Yinsen shouted. "We've been away from the Ten Rings base for a while now! Can we take it easy?!"

"Alright, we're almost at the meeting point," Kagura said, performing a quick drift as she brought the vehicle to a stop. Then she stepped out, looking up at the sky.

There had been a huge explosion behind them, so Tony Stark was probably close by—flying in... or rather, falling.

"We... we're here?"

Yinsen stumbled out of the car, following Kagura's gaze to the sky. He then suddenly bent down and retched, "Ugh!"

"Yep, we're here."

A bright streak shot across the sky, followed by a large metal object plummeting from above...

[Additional Task: Ensure Yinsen's Survival During the Operation/Completed]

[+10 QP]