"The Mandarin of the Ten Rings? I've heard of him."
Clark asked:
"Why did he ask you to bring Tony back? Logically speaking, he shouldn't have been interested in Tony before this."
This was also what Clark had been wondering about. According to the information he had received, the Ten Rings should not have been involved in Tony's kidnapping. So why was the latter involved?
The Sand King made no attempt to conceal anything:
"It's all for a deal! A deal between the Mandarin and the director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
The Sand King recounted the entire incident, revealing the Mandarin's true intentions.
Everything, everything, was for Shang-Chi's life!
Tony Stark stroked his beard and muttered to himself:
"Use me to trade for Shang-Chi? The Ten Rings are losing big time! Don't they know my worth? They actually trade me for such a piece of trash?"
In the eyes of a narcissistic man like Tony Stark, his own value is immeasurable!
Clark and the Sand King tacitly remained silent, making no attempt to boast.
Everyone wants to carry a sedan chair, but no one wants to carry Tony Stark's narcissism. He can only stand there awkwardly smiling and then fall silent.
...
Seeing that Tony had finally quieted down, Clark finally spoke:
"Your order is to take Tony back—but unfortunately, I'm the one taking Tony back."
Clark was very direct.
The Sand King nodded, showing no sign of frustration.
"It would be best if you took him back; Tony would be safer with you. If I were to take Tony back... I'm confident I can protect Tony, but I can't be too careful."
He shook his head:
"The second-in-command of the Ten Rings gang doesn't get along with me. He sometimes interferes in my affairs and causes trouble for me. I'm afraid he might do something underhanded and hurt Tony, which would be bad."
Clark had already grabbed Tony Stark by the shoulder, seemingly preparing to take the latter away.
The Sand King quickly asked the question he most wanted to know:
"Clark, don't leave so soon! I want to ask you something... How is the old headmaster's health? Has he been angered by those naughty students lately? Also, how has the old headmaster been eating lately? Can he still eat a medium-sized bread roll at a time like before?"
Clark froze, and Tony's previously playful expression instantly turned stiff and indifferent.
The somewhat chilly atmosphere instantly alerted the Sand King to something amiss.
He was about to ask a couple more questions.
Clark, however, had already chased after Tony's body and flown into the sky.
Before leaving, Clark floated in mid-air and left two sentences for the Sand King:
"The old man passed away recently. If you have the chance to go back, remember to visit his grave."
"The old man doesn't like the path you've chosen, so I won't be polite to you. I can pretend I didn't see you this time, but next time we meet, I'll give you a good beating."
A streak of light pierced the sky and vanished without a trace in an instant.
The Sand King's massive 2.5-meter-tall body stood motionless in place.
Just as the Sand King's men thought their leader had been ambushed and was doomed, the Sand King suddenly collapsed to the ground, his expression one of extreme grief.
If you have sensitive ears, you can also faintly hear some intermittent murmurs.
"Principal...Grandpa..."
He was extremely sad, but he did not shed a tear.
The Sand King's mutant abilities have caused him to lose his tear ducts.
...
...
When the Sand King stood up again, he had returned to his usual cold and silent self.
Whether it was just their imagination or not, the group of subordinates felt that the Sand King had become even more ruthless and cold-blooded. A glance from afar gave them an exceptionally chilling feeling.
Ignoring his subordinates, the Sand King took out his communicator and remotely dialed the Mandarin's signal.
The Mandarin's private communications are known to no more than ten people in the world.
The Sand King was one of them.
The Mandarin's slightly relaxed voice came through the communicator:
"Sand King? Did it succeed? Is Tony already obediently under your control?"
The Sand King truthfully stated:
"I failed. Tony Stark has been taken away."
The other end of the communicator fell completely silent.
After a long silence, the Mandarin's chilling voice rang out again:
"Sand King, you're not kidding me, are you?"
The Sand King replied:
"You know I never joke with you."
"Tony Stark and I went to and graduated from the same school, Mandarin. You should know how special that school is."
The Mandarin said:
"Of course, it's a household name! I even considered recruiting a group of mutant students from that school to work for me!"
The Sand King didn't waste any words with the Mandarin and explained the reason directly:
"Mandarin, it's good that you know about St. Kent Academy. The reason I didn't catch Tony is because the people from St. Kent found him beforehand and took him away—right in front of me."
"I watched him take Tony away, but I didn't stop him."
The Mandarin instantly flew into a rage:
"Right in front of you? Then why didn't you stop them? Because of that pathetic school friendship? Sand King, you have disappointed me greatly. In all these years with my Ten Commandments, haven't you seen through this false friendship yet?"
The Sand King remained silent for a long time, and when he finally spoke, he did not respond to the question.
He replied:
"I was no match for them, so I just watched them leave."
"How is this possible? Sand King, are you kidding me? Do you think I don't know your strength? You dare to say you're no match for a school student? Maybe it's a teacher? So what? You are the infamous Sand King!"
The Sand King impatiently interrupted the Mandarin's questioning:
"The truth is, I'm really no match for him."
"There is one more thing I need to report to you... Mandarin, I plan to return to the West for a while."
"I just heard the news… my old headmaster passed away recently, and I'm going back… to see him one last time."
Strictly speaking, Shah King's status within the Ten Commandments was that of a subordinate of the Mandarin, but both sides were aware that their relationship was one of cooperation.
The Sand King is indeed no match for the Mandarin, but the Mandarin would have to expend a lot of effort to defeat the Sand King.
Therefore, the Sand King has enough power to pay the price for his true intentions.
If you really can't get leave... then let's just part ways and "resign" from the Ten Commandments Gang!
The Mandarin's tone turned strange:
"Sand King, are you kidding me? Do you know who you are now? Here, no one can control you! But once you set foot on Western soil... you will be caught in a net of inescapable capture, and ultimately face the death penalty!"
Regardless of the choice the Sand King makes, he now has only one identity:
The third leader of the Ten Commandments Gang!
If law enforcement agencies from all walks of life in the West knew that the Sand King dared to set foot on Western lands, they would go crazy!
This is a merit that is right before our eyes. Although arresting the latter is dangerous, no one would refuse such a merit!
The Sand King of the Ten Commandments is a formidable opponent.
But Sand King, who had broken away from the Ten Commandments... well, he wasn't exactly a complete scoundrel, but he wasn't far off either.
What is human power compared to the might of the state apparatus?
Not everyone is Clark!
The fact that the Mandarin used such words to persuade the Sand King shows that he was genuinely trying to convince the latter.
This kind of kindness is very rare and unpredictable in Mandarins.
The Sand King looked up at the sky, his face resolute.
"I know all this…"
"But I still want to go."
The Mandarin, in an extremely rare display of kindness, offered some advice to the Sand King.
But the Sand King had made up his mind.
The sandstorms in the valley gradually became terrifying.
Clark's attack traces, under the influence of Sand King's mutated abilities, sank to the bottom of the water once again, unknown to anyone.
/-\
If you Like this story! Check out my other story's ! Teaching Ninjitsu at Hogwarts! and Danmachi!
~ +20 Advanced Chapters Available on my Patreon!
https://p-atreon.com/Its_Zack
(Just remove the hyphen to access Patreon normally.)
<><><><><><><><>
~# Keep the chapters coming - Support with Power Stones!
~# Every 50 Power Stones = Bonus Chapter
~# Every 10 Reviews = Bonus Chapter