Chapter 37: Aren't You Afraid I Won't Pay?
Raza and the others' bodies fell to the ground with a thud.
Tony and Yinsen were completely stunned.
From the moment he appeared until now, Russell's actions had been increasingly surprising.
First, he disregarded the threat and even manipulated the members of the Ten Rings to kill Tony.
Then, he further provoked the Ten Rings members, making sure they opened fire.
Finally, he unexpectedly killed the Ten Rings members directly.
Was this guy crazy?
'Wasn't he afraid that the Ten Rings members would actually shoot me?'
Tony stared at Russell with an intense glare, as if he wanted to devour him.
"Don't look at me like that, I'm not a good person either."
"If you keep looking at me with that expression, I might end up doing what they should have done."
Russell pointed at the bodies of Raza and the others.
Then, in front of Tony and Ethan, he reverted from his Venom form, took the handguns controlled by the black tendrils into his hands, and revealed his true appearance.
After hearing Russell's threat, although Tony became even more displeased, his survival instinct kicked in, and he suppressed his angry glare.
"Take a seat."
Russell pointed his gun at Tony and Yinsen and said.
"Who exactly are you?"
Sitting down, Tony immediately asked.
"My name is Russell Bradley. I'm a private detective and assassin living in New York."
Russell said with a smile.
Tony hadn't expected that Russell would actually answer this question and reveal his real name and occupation.
"A private detective and assassin?"
"So, are you a detective or an assassin right now?"
After a few seconds of contemplation, Tony continued to ask.
"Whether I'm a detective or an assassin depends on whether you can get out of here alive."
"If you manage to get out alive, then I'm a private detective."
"If you die, then I'm an assassin."
Although Tony was a genius, he couldn't keep up with Russell's train of thought at the moment.
From his appearance, Russell was just a handsome young man in his twenties, seemingly harmless.
But it was this young man who had single-handedly stormed the Ten Rings' stronghold, killed terrorists who had taken them hostage without any change in expression, right under their noses.
"Do you want money? How much? Name your price. No matter how much you want, I can fulfill it."
Tony quickly said.
"I do indeed want money. After all, I've traveled a long way to Afghanistan, and it's cost me a fair amount of money and time."
"But how much money it takes to let you go will be decided by others."
With Tony's wealth, he could certainly offer a tempting reward.
But Russell had principles.
"What do you mean?"
Tony didn't want to speculate on what Russell was thinking at the moment. He asked directly.
"You'll know in a moment. By the way, let me tell you some inside information: Obadiah arranged this kidnapping."
"As for why, you should be able to guess the reason easily."
While answering Tony, Russell took out a satellite phone.
Under the watchful gaze of Tony and Yinsen, he dialed a number.
Beep... Beep... Beep...
After dozens of seconds, the call was picked up.
Before the person on the other end of the line could speak, Russell spoke first, "Mr. Stane, good afternoon!"
"No, wait, Afghanistan is 12 hours and 30 minutes ahead of Los Angeles, so it should be late at night now. Mr. Stane, if you don't mind, you can take a bathroom break."
Upon hearing the word "Afghanistan," Stane on the other end of the phone dismissed the idea of hanging up, thinking this might not be a random call.
"Who are you?"
Whether it was due to being woken up in the middle of the night or sensing something was off, Obadiah's tone sounded rather grim.
Russell pressed the speaker button so that Tony could hear. He also signaled Tony not to speak.
"I'm not important; what's important is that Tony Stark is in my hands right now."
"Mr. Stane, since you orchestrated this kidnapping, I believe you shouldn't mind spending some money to eliminate Stark." Russell's tone was composed.
"I don't know what you're talking about. If you're the one who kidnapped Tony, and you want ransom, I can provide it. But you must ensure Tony's safety." Obadiah stated firmly.
"If you don't know what I'm talking about, then you should contact the military."
"Stark Industries has a good relationship with the military. You should be able to easily contact the commander of the U.S. military base in Afghanistan."
"By the way, Stark's good friend, Colonel Rhodes, is also in Afghanistan. You can contact him." Russell said with ease.
"Who are you, and what do you want?" Obadiah's tone turned even colder.
"I already said I'm not important; what's important is how much money you're willing to spend to eliminate Tony Stark."
"You could pay the Ten Rings a large sum of money to hire killers. Surely you wouldn't be unwilling to spend any money on me, would you?"
"If you really don't want to spend a single penny, that's fine too. I believe Tony Stark wouldn't mind spending a hefty sum to buy back his own life."
"I'll give you ten seconds to think. I hope you can come up with a price that both parties can accept."
"10, 9, 8, 7..."
Russell began counting down directly.
Just as he was about to reach the final second of the countdown, Obadiah finally gave a response.
"Three hundred million dollars!"
"I can give you three hundred million dollars. How do you want to receive it—bank transfer, bank draft, bearer bonds, or equivalent items?"
Tony had still held onto a tiny sliver of hope for Obadiah.
But now, that last sliver of hope shattered.
Looking at Tony, Russell said slowly, "Bank transfer."
After saying that, he provided Obadiah with a foreign bank account that had never been used before, and wasn't even under his own name.
As an assassin, he knew where to find the people who provided his meals, as well as how to manage his compensation.
The United States' IRS was no joke!
It was an amazing department that dared to pursue taxes from drug dealers, and it even had its own armed organization, prison cells, and courtrooms.
In this world, only death and taxes were eternal!
This saying originated from the United States' IRS.
"I need some time to arrange this!" Obadiah said slowly.
"Fine!"
After saying that, Russell hung up the phone directly and tossed it to Tony.
This guy had a strange quirk of not taking things directly from others' hands.
That's why he chose to throw the phone to Tony instead of handing it over.
"Obadiah is willing to spend 300 million dollars to buy your life. So, you shouldn't mind spending 600 million dollars to buy back your own life."
Although 600 million dollars might seem like a lot, it was only true for others.
For Tony, his life was worth far more than 600 million dollars.
"Do you also want me to transfer the money to your account?"
Tony asked.
"No need. The phone is for your rescue."
"You know my real name and occupation. I'll be waiting for you and your 600 million dollars in New York."
Russell stood up and smiled as he said this.
"Aren't you afraid I won't pay?"
As he watched Russell stand up, Tony suddenly asked.
"600 million dollars isn't a large sum for you."
"Also, if you don't pay, I'll personally come after you. You wouldn't want to meet me in that kind of situation."
After saying that, Russell turned and walked away.
Just as he was about to leave the cave, Tony stood up and shouted at him, "What about Obadiah? You took his money. Are you just going to do nothing?"
Hearing Tony's words, Russell shook his head helplessly and said without looking back, "He won't transfer the money."
"He needs time to arrange it, not for a transfer, but to find someone to take care of both you and me."
"If you don't want to die here, it's best to contact your good friend, Colonel Rhodes, as soon as possible."
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