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But again, as the saying goes, anything that can be solved with money isn't really a problem for Tony himself.
Therefore, he didn't care at all about the billion he had just transferred. Instead, he hurriedly asked, "You're also a Hired Assassin. Do you know if there's a guy in your underground assassin World with a mechanical left arm?"
Ryan certainly knew.
Furthermore, he knew that the guy Obadiah mentioned wasn't some enemy of Howard's at all, but a HYDRA assassin... the Winter Soldier, or rather, James Buchanan Barnes!
The World War II veteran affectionately called Bucky by Captain America!
But Ryan couldn't say that directly to Tony, so he shook his head decisively:
"No. In our line of work, losing a hand usually means immediate retirement. No one would be willing to replace it with a heavy mechanical arm that would drag them down during operations..."
Upon hearing this, the light in Tony's eyes slowly faded...
"But..."
Ryan's 'but' sent Tony's sinking heart right back up into his throat!
"I have actually heard a legend about a mysterious assassin with a mechanical arm..."
Tony took a deep breath, his voice trembling slightly: "What... what is his name?"
Ryan shook his head: "He doesn't have a real name, only a code name: the Winter Soldier."
"Winter Soldier? Then do you know where he is?"
Tony savored the name, his eyes filled with bone-deep hatred.
Ryan shrugged: "I wouldn't know that. Like I said, he's just a legend. No one can even be sure if he's real..."
"Because he hasn't just become active recently; he's been active in the World since the end of World War II. His presence has been felt all over the globe, yet no one has ever captured a real image of him. I've heard that everyone who has seen his true face is dead. He's like a deadly ghost that comes and goes without a trace..."
Ryan wasn't lying to Tony.
It was true that he knew the Winter Soldier was Bucky thanks to his knowledge of the plot.
But as for where Bucky was right now, he truly didn't know.
After all, Bucky spent most of his time frozen in a HYDRA secret Base.
"Enough!" Tony reached out to interrupt Ryan, his voice low: "I don't care if he's a man or a ghost. I just want to know: if I commission you, can you help me find that guy and take him out?"
Hearing this, Ryan thought for a moment, then nodded and shook his head.
Tony frowned: "You nodded, then you shook your head. What does that mean?"
Ryan spread his hands: "A nod means yes, a shake means no. I nodded to say I can take him out, and I shook my head because I can't find him."
Tony didn't believe him and slapped the table: "I'll give you another five hundred million!"
Ryan looked a bit conflicted: "It's not a matter of money..."
Tony understood; it was just that the money wasn't enough. So he slapped the table again and raised the stakes: "Five billion!"
Ryan leaned back tactically at the figure!
Tony, however, was relentless: "I'll add another 5% stake. You help me kill that guy, and along with the 5% I promised you last time, I'll give you a total of 10% of Stark Industries!"
"And I can tell you in advance that these 10% shares will increase in value several times over once I enter the energy market in the near future!"
"One word: do you take the commission or not!"
Ryan had no doubt about Tony's claim that the 10% stake would appreciate in value.
After all, Tony's arc reactor was practically a dimensional strike against the energy market!
But he actually really wanted to say that when Tony said five billion, he already couldn't help but agree. In the end, Tony directly upped the ante to a 5% stake!
What else could he say...
Ryan gripped Tony's hand tightly: "Deal!"
"Boss, do you want him alive or dead? If dead, how many pieces should I cut him into, and how well-done? Or you can customize the way he dies!"
Tony silently pulled his hand back. After a moment of reflection, he still decided he wanted him alive:
"Same as Obadiah, I want him alive. I want to kill that guy myself to avenge my mother!"
"Don't forget your dad..." Ryan added quietly.
Tony:...
"Roughly when can you bring him in?"
Ryan shook his head: "That's really hard to say. It could be within a year, or it could take several years..."
"After all, a ghost isn't that easy to catch. Of course, it depends on whether you're willing to wait. If you aren't, then there's nothing I can do about this mission..."
While the Winter Soldier wasn't particularly strong to Ryan, he was truly hard to find.
Because except during missions, the Winter Soldier was kept in a freezer by HYDRA in a HYDRA Base.
He couldn't exactly storm a HYDRA Base to bring someone out just for Tony's 5% stake, thereby offending the entire HYDRA organization... that really wouldn't be worth it at all...
So even if he were to catch the Winter Soldier, he'd have to wait for the Winter Soldier to come out on his own.
Hearing Ryan's words, Tony nodded helplessly:
"Fine, if I have to wait, I'll wait. Besides you, there's probably no one else in this World who can find that ghost, and I don't trust anyone else anyway..."
"The mission reward remains the same. As for the timing, just let it be. At least give me some hope..."
"I'm tired now. Help me take care of Stane. As for the shares, I'll notify you to sign the transfer agreement once I've handled the company matters..."
Hearing the weary Tony's obvious dismissal, Ryan, who also wanted to go home and catch up on sleep, didn't stay long. He picked up the dying Obadiah and left Tony's Villa.
He also drove away one of Tony's cars.
Specifically, the sports car he had used to bring Obadiah over.
Tony said the car was stained with blood and he didn't want it anymore, so he just gave it to Ryan.
This made Ryan exclaim about how rich he was—giving away a limited-edition sports car worth at least tens of millions of dollars just like that. Tsk tsk...
As for how to handle Obadiah?
That was simple...
Ryan drove to a random, secluded cliff. He bound Obadiah's limbs with Spider Silk and sealed his mouth and nose. Then, grabbing his head, he threw him like a shot put into the vast sea hundreds of meters away.
The moment he let go, Ryan clearly heard a crisp 'crack' from Obadiah's neck—his cervical spine had snapped.
Combined with being bound by Spider Silk with the strength of steel wire, having his mouth and nose sealed, and being thrown with great force by Ryan into the deep sea hundreds of meters away...
If Obadiah could still survive under all these conditions, then Ryan could only say that he truly was a legendary King of Survival!