"Uh... FBI?" Liam feigned ignorance and asked.

  "Yes. He spoke highly of you, so we had to come and see what this is all about. We've already looked through your patent. The government would like to invest in you," Rumlow said.

  "You mean Hydra," Liam thought to himself but didn't say aloud. It was fine if SHIELD invested in his company, but he would need to ensure the contracts wouldn't come back to bite him once Hydra was taken down.

  Even though Liam wasn't thrilled about SHIELD showing interest in his tech, there was nothing he could do. Remaining professional, he gave Rumlow a rundown of his invention.

  "So your code is what's important for the whole device. Did I get that right?" Rumlow asked. Liam wasn't surprised that Rumlow knew what was truly essential. One could easily make a sonar device, but processing the information and projecting it was the challenging part.

  "Yes," Liam admitted.

  "The authorities will get in touch with you soon. Get yourself a lawyer," Rumlow said after inspecting the setup.

  "Dude, he was jacked," Chris commented, noting Rumlow's visible biceps and abdominal muscles through his tight-fitting shirt. Liam only smiled, knowing he was almost as fit—though not as bulky. Liam was more on the leaner side now, thanks to the new game.

  The Science Expo lasted over four hours. By the time they returned to their hotel, it was evening. Though exhausted, they were overjoyed. Numerous people had promised investments and taken their contact details.

  They would soon be establishing a company and couldn't wait to be rich. Chris and Bonnie later convinced Liam to celebrate with a small party at a local pizza shop. By the time they returned to their rooms, both of them crashed onto their beds, leaving Liam awake.

  "Take me to Ernest Debs Park."

  "Eh, so late? You won't find a taxi back at this hour," the taxi driver said.

  "You don't have to worry. I have a friend waiting for me there," Liam replied. He had ventured out late at night to catch a taxi.

  "Okay," the driver said, deciding not to pry. It was LA, after all, and asking too many questions could be unwise. In about half an hour, the taxi reached the destination. The park, located on the outskirts of LA, was a popular tourist attraction.

  But at night, the entrance was closed.

  "Are you sure you won't need a ride back?" the taxi driver asked, noting Liam's generous tip.

  "No. You should head back. This place isn't safe," Liam reminded him.

  "Where does this teenage kid get the audacity to say such big words to me?" the taxi driver thought but kept his thoughts to himself.

  It was easy for Liam to sneak into the park, as he was now wearing his pilot suit. Though BT wasn't with him, he was capable enough to handle things alone, thanks to the new game world he had been thrust into.

  "I should have brought a sword. My hands feel empty," Liam thought as he found an open area suitable for his operation. It was late at night, and the elevation allowed a clear view of the glowing city below. The stars shone brightly in the clear sky, away from the light pollution.

  But Liam didn't have time for stargazing. He proceeded to summon his first ally.

  A hornet—a sleek, angular aerial craft with twin rotors on its sides resembling butterfly wings. Its fuselage, painted in muted tones of iron and shadow, was equipped with rapid-fire cannons along its underbelly and missile pods tucked beneath its sharp wings. The Hornet was both hunter and harbinger.

  Liam climbed into the cockpit.

  "I'm home."

  He started the engine, and thanks to its VTOL capabilities, the plane took off. Within seconds, it picked up speed. Fortunately, the system allowed him to refill the fuel tank once stored in his personal space; otherwise, refueling would have been a hassle.

  His destination was far, so he ascended high into the sky. It took him two hours to reach his target.

  Gulmira, Afghanistan.

  The same place where Yinsen, Tony's ally, had been held captive and where Iron Man first debuted. Liam didn't land the plane directly in Gulmira. Instead, he hovered mid-air and jumped out of the cockpit. Wearing his pilot suit, he easily landed using its thrusters.

  He landed on the outskirts of the town, where no one from the devastated area could see him. The location was surrounded by hills, making it easy to stay hidden. After landing, he proceeded to summon BT.

  "Hello, BT."

  [Hello, Liam. It's nice to meet you.]

  "Nice to meet you too. Do you have any previous memories of me?" Liam asked. This was the first time he had summoned BT, so he needed to understand its programming.

  [Negative, Liam.]

  "Hmm. What is your mission?"

  [My first mission is your safety and support in times of need. My second objective is to safeguard humanity.]

  "What if I want to end humanity?"

  [Then I will prioritize your safety and security. The first objective will always take precedence.]

  "Good. Stay here. I'm going to infiltrate the town. By the way, can you speak all human languages?"

  [Yes, I am well-versed in all human languages.]

  "Perfect. Stay put. I'll be back soon."

  The first rays of dawn peeked over the rugged hills, casting long shadows across the dilapidated town of Gulmira. The place was a shell of its former self, with crumbled buildings and burnt-out vehicles scattered throughout. It was a town that had fallen to a band of militants— The Ten Rings.

  From his concealed position on a ridge outside the town, Liam watched through the enhanced optics of his Pilot suit. The HUD highlighted movement patterns: armed men patrolling in sporadic shifts, some half-asleep and others carelessly chatting. These weren't trained soldiers but opportunistic thugs who had taken advantage of chaos.

  Liam's target was the leader of this group—a man holed up in what remained of the town's administrative building.

  Gulmira's defenses were sloppy at best. The barriers were little more than stacked sandbags, and the patrols were irregular and lazy. Liam smirked as he activated his Phase Shift, phasing into an alternate dimension for a brief moment. The familiar tingling sensation rippled through him as the real world faded, replaced by a muted void where time felt suspended. This technology was something Liam was able to wrap his head around, but it did allow him to be invisible and move for a few seconds. This allowed him to pass some terrorists easily without any problems.

  Reemerging behind a crumbled wall, Liam crouched low and observed the main street. A pair of guards leaned against a rusty pickup truck, their weapons slung haphazardly over their shoulders. They were laughing at some crude joke, entirely unaware of his presence.

  Liam moved with the precision of a ghost. He activated Cloak, blending seamlessly into his surroundings as he advanced. Crossing the main street, he used his Grapple to silently scale the side of a partially collapsed building adjacent to his target.

  Soon Liam reached the rooftop from the blind spot where the leader was barking orders at his men. The terrorists in the room were distracted, shuffling weapons and maps. Liam knew he had seconds to act.

  He threw a smoke grenade inside. The device instantly filled the room with smoke, but it was no ordinary smoke. The name of the smoke grenade was an electric smoke grenade, and once someone passed through it, they would receive a shock. This grenade was taken from BT, as it was an exclusive thing of Titans.

  The militants screamed in pain, and all of them lost consciousness. Liam leaped through the window silently, his Pilot suit dampening the sound of his impact. The leader had already passed out. The screams were loud enough, and men started running toward the main building.

  Liam hoisted the unconscious leader over his shoulder and phased into Phase Shift. Of course, the man couldn't enter the alternate dimension, but it did null the sound of his running. His HUD was fully functional, as the escape route for him was planned by BT.

  Before entering the town, his HUD had already been analyzing, and BT from afar had been keeping an eye on the militants.

  [

  Duck under the rubble and wait for 3 seconds.

  ...

  Go towards northwest for a distance before I tell you to stop

  .....

  Hide beside the broken car...

  ...]

  It took him about 3 minutes to find his way out of the chaos. There were people too in the town, but BT made sure that none of them could see him. At one point in his escape, some children saw him, but they didn't seem to react at all. Seeing the children made Liam freeze, but seeing that none of them reacted, he continued to sprint and escape.

  Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.

  Thankfully, the guards in the area were too slow to react; by the time they realized something was wrong, Liam was already beyond their reach. They weren't even able to secure the borders of the town fast when their leader vanished.

  [Welcome back. Congratulations on safely executing the mission.]

  Liam was amazed that he didn't need to kill anyone in this small mission that he had given himself. He didn't have any goal to avoid killing, as he thought he might have to use the pulse blade, but the security was so slow and lax that it was not needed. But at the moment, Liam was huffing a bit. The stress and the weight of the man on his shoulders made him a bit tired.

  Though Liam was at the peak of human ability, at the end of the day, he was still 16.

  "Thanks." Liam sat down to catch his breath.

  After a period of rest, he finally entered the cockpit of BT and then ran into the ridges and mountains with BT holding the unconscious body of the leader. Liam kept a very safe distance away from the town, and now it was finally time to work.

  "BT, wake him up."

  [Roger.]

  BT proceeded to give him a small shock, which instantly broke his unconsciousness. The leader woke up with a start and then started screaming. He tried to get away from the hold of the mechanical monster's hand, but he couldn't. The look of horror and confusion on his face was apparent.

  But after some time, tears started to roll down his eyes, and he began constantly mumbling, holding his hands in a prayer stance, and looking at Liam.

  "What is he saying?"

  [He is praying to us. He thinks we are Djinns.]

  Liam just rolled his eyes.

  [Ask him where Tony Stark is. Ask him for the exact location.]

  BT spoke in the same language as theirs. And surprisingly, the man spoke out everything. BT specifically asked him for coordinates as he showed him a holographic map, and the man pointed it out.

  "BT, isn't he speaking too enthusiastically?"

  [Liam, he is in deep fear and thinks we are the evils of the world. He also has a deep fear of death.]

  "Ugh... Just take him with us. We will dispose him once we confirm whether what he says is true or false."

  [Will follow your command.]

  The man didn't try to wiggle his way out and accepted his fate while praying to whatever god he believed in. Liam didn't care, and after an hour of running in sand and rugged terrain, Liam was sitting inside BT and asking about all the functions that could be done and what couldn't.

  Soon they reached the place, and Liam could see a small circular mound, and from afar, one could tell that the surrounding territory was very well guarded. Unlike the previous town, this small place was filled with guards and even had small towers.

  The only reason they weren't able to see Liam and the huge BT was because the wind was blowing at high speed, carrying sand with it. But this problem wasn't an issue for Liam, as they were using high-resolution cameras and lenses to look further.

  Liam got out of the pilot seat, and when the man who was being held saw this, he opened his eyes. He had been silent, but just as he was about to scream, Liam threw a Pulse Blade right at his throat.

  Liam was fast and decisive.

  Blood poured out of the man's throat like a fountain had just been opened, and his helmet now had droplets of blood on it. This was his first official kill. He didn't even get the chance to speak to his first kill.

  [Is this your first kill?]

  "How do you know?"

  [Your heart rate is elevated, and your pupils are dilated.]

  Liam was silent and didn't answer. He just looked at the man's life pouring away. After mourning for a minute, he steeled his heart. This was his first kill, but it wouldn't be his last, for sure. This world would force him to kill many—be they human beings, aliens, or maybe even gods.

  "BT, stealthily keep the perimeter clear. I will go inside alone."

  [But Liam, there are many people inside.]

  "And that is the reason I should do it alone. Once they realize that you have infiltrated, they will kill the men I want to free. Don't make people feel too desperate. Give them hope."

  [I understand. I will make sure no men come close.]

  BT moved back and soon vanished into the sand dunes and ridges, taking the corpse away too.

  Liam crouched low behind a jagged dune, his breathing slow and steady. His high-resolution HUD scanned the perimeter of the heavily guarded circular mound in the distance. The sandstorm provided natural cover, but the border guards' elevated towers and roaming sentries posed a significant challenge. The mound—he could recognize some parts of it.

  He tapped his forearm panel, activating Cloak. His body shimmered, blending seamlessly with the sandstorm. He moved forward, light-footed. The first guard was perched in a tower, casually scanning the horizon with binoculars. Liam silently scaled the back of the tower using the suit's built-in Grapple. As he reached the top, the guard turned too late. With a flick of his wrist, Liam deployed his Pulse Blade. A precise strike to the back of the guard's neck sent him to the halls of death after gurgling a bit, and Liam gently lowered the body to avoid noise.

  He scanned the camp again. Two guards stood by a small guard post near the main entrance. Their rifles were slung lazily over their shoulders, their conversation lost in the wind. Liam crouched low, analyzing their patterns. He rushed toward the first guard, disarming him with a swift twist and landing a clean blow with the hilt of the Pulse Blade. The second guard barely had time to react before Liam disabled him with a calculated strike to the leg, followed by a sharp jab to the shoulder.

  This time, there was noise from the man's mouth. Seeing no other choice at the moment, Liam snatched the AK the man had strapped to him and shot at the others.

  "Ah, fuck!" Liam cursed. He wanted to take down the guards stealthily, but that was now out of the window. As soon as Liam killed the two men, he went into Phase Shift and ran in another direction. The men from inside the mound came pouring out toward the sound of the gunshots.

  Liam climbed the side of the mound away from the entrance. As he climbed over, he finally got to see what was happening inside. There were multiple machine guns pointed at the entrance, and inside the mound—which also contained the entrance to the cave—there were guns, ammunition, missile heads, incendiaries, and all kinds of weapons, courtesy of Stark Industries.

  The militants came to see what was going on, and soon many of them were shouting and yelling, confused about what had happened here. This small movement showed that even if they were better than the ones in Gulmira, they lacked proper training to deal with such situations.

  Liam proceeded to kill the two sentries with machine guns using the Pulse Blade. The blade not only struck their necks but also ensured they couldn't utter a noise as the blood rushed out.

  "Time for some fun," Liam said as he took out a small disk and threw it on the ground. The disk proceeded to open a semicircular light shield—the A-Wall. It deployed an invincible particle wall, destructible only at its small circular base, that blocked incoming shots and amplified outgoing ones.

  As soon as the A-Wall came up, he started firing at the men. Liam was in Cloak mode, so it was already hard for them to spot him, even though they were on alert after Liam came out of Phase Shift. The small bunch of men who were on alert were instantly downed, and the other bunch retaliated when they noticed Liam.

  But the A-Wall made sure that none of the bullets could even come close to Liam. As Liam was killing these men, BT sent him a message.

  [The radar has picked up a small explosion inside the cave.]

  "What?"

  This made Liam, who had just killed these men, move in a bit of a hurry. A small explosion could mean anything inside. And thus, after dealing with them, he used Cloak mode again and made a run inside.

  There were men guarding the tunnels, and Liam had to use his gun or his Pulse Blade. The Pulse Blade came in very handy as it allowed him to target enemies that couldn't be positioned through his eyes. BT helped navigate by analyzing the terrain and ensuring he was on the right path to the location.

  As he came close, he suddenly heard more gunshots further inside the tunnel. This made him sweat, and he broke into a faster and more frantic run. Liam burst into the final chamber of the cave, heart pounding and blood roaring in his ears. His HUD painted a grim picture: six hostiles, all armed, their weapons trained on a frail, bearded man—Yinsen. The man was on his knees, with his borrowed gun pointing at them.

  He wasn't ready to give up just yet.

  One of the militants cocked his rifle, stepping forward to finish the job.

  Liam didn't hesitate. He darted beside Yinsen, his hand shooting to his belt. With a flick of his wrist, the A-Wall disk flew across the room, skittering to a halt between Yinsen and the gunmen.

  A burst of blue light erupted as the A-Wall activated, the shimmering particle shield splitting the room. The militants shouted in confusion, their bullets ricocheting harmlessly off the barrier. Liam, now fully visible, stepped into the room, his weapon raised.

  "Get down!" Liam barked at Yinsen.

  Yinsen didn't need to be told twice. He hit the ground as Liam opened fire, each shot amplified by the A-Wall's energy field. The militants had no chance—their return fire was futile, their bodies falling one by one under Liam's precise aim.

  The last man standing dropped his weapon and turned to run, but Liam was faster. He Phase Shifted, his body disappearing into another dimension for a split second, only to reappear directly in front of the fleeing militant. A quick strike with the Pulse Blade ended the threat.

  Breathing heavily, Liam turned to Yinsen, who was staring at him in a mix of shock and awe.

  But Liam's small respite was short-lived as he felt a wave of heat strike his face, forcing him to dodge and sidestep. Liam spun around, furious, only to see a huge armored man standing to the side, pointing a metal-covered hand at him. Under the arm was a nozzle that had just tried to incinerate him.

  "Tony, no! This person saved my life. Don't attack him!"

  Yes, it was the famous Tony Stark—the Tony Stark who had just built a suit while in a cave.

  "Eh... I'm sorry. I noticed colors and thought it was some Mario Party, so I took action. Hope you're not hurt," Tony said, his voice laced with a bit of guilt and hoarseness.

  "Use better visors next time, Stark," Liam snapped, annoyed that he had almost been scorched. Thanks to his training, his senses were honed; otherwise, it would've been a different story altogether.

  "Did the military send you? They're a bit late. Tell them I don't owe them any money for saving me since I'm saving myself here." Tony tried to steer the awkward conversation away. Now in better light, he could see Liam's suit more clearly.

  He also noticed the shield shimmering on the side.

  "I'm not here for you, Stark. But since you've got quite an armor, why don't you lead the way while we follow behind you? You're bulletproof, aren't you?" Liam asked.

  "Yes, that'll be my pleasure," Tony replied, seeing they couldn't linger here. Not until they were in a safe place. Tony didn't disappoint. He took the lead while Liam followed behind, with Yinsen at the rear. Now that Yinsen had been saved, he didn't need to give his life away.

  As Tony led the way, stray militants occasionally attacked. Liam dealt with them, staying in Tony's shadow for cover. Tony noticed the corpses littering the ground, amazed by the man who had appeared out of nowhere.

  Liam's suit looked futuristic, but Tony was certain Stark Industries had never created such a thing. He knew the military's capabilities and research, and exosuits were definitely not their forte.

  And then there was that shield Liam had used. Tony had caught a glimpse of its effectiveness and knew it was high-tech. Questions swirled in his mind, but answers would have to wait. He led them to the cave's exit, only to be met with a barrage of gunfire. Machine guns rattled, and bullets ricocheted wildly.

  Of course, Liam had already warned Tony about this, staying much farther back. Yinsen shook as the gunfire echoed, flinching every time a bullet struck Tony's suit.

  "Don't you think we should help him?" Yinsen asked, seeing Liam remain calm.

  "Believe in Tony. Weren't you ready to give your life in your belief in him?" Liam replied.

  "I didn't mean to... I..." Yinsen stammered.

  "You don't have to explain anything, Yinsen. We all choose our own path," Liam said.

  "You know me?" Yinsen asked, confused.

  Before Liam could answer, Tony returned, his strides loud and confident.

  "I've sent them their New Year's gift. We can leave this hellhole now," Tony announced.

  As they emerged, the aftermath was clear. Tony had torched the entire place with his flamethrower. Guns and missile heads burned under rubble.

  There were supposed to be more people, but Liam had killed many in the tunnels. Bodies lay charred beyond recognition, and the fire still raged, but the three of them made it out alive.

  "After this, I need to find a cold place to rest my body," Yinsen muttered, trying to break the silence. Though these militants deserved death, they were still people. Living beings. It was the first time for both Tony and Liam.

  Yinsen's words brought them back to reality. They found a shaded area and sat down to rest.

  "Can we know who you are? If it conflicts with military protocol, forget I asked. But thank you for saving me, regardless," Tony asked, his curiosity evident.

  "I never said I'm with the military, Stark," Liam replied, removing his suit. Yinsen and even Tony stared in awe as Liam's suit disengaged in a second, revealing a teenager clad in a sleek bodysuit that accentuated his well-built figure.

  "And I never said I came here to save you. My name is Liam Woodworth, from NY. You can look up my credentials once you're back, but I'd like to keep my identity secret. I hope you both will honor that."

  "Didn't come to save me? Then why are you here? And are you a teenager? Did I get saved by a teenager?" Stark asked.

  "Yes I am a teenager but that didn't stop you from passing MIT, did it? So stop being on the high horse. The military will be here soon as we have just blasted their hideout." Liam said. This shut Tony up.