Purely military research institutions are often located in remote areas for security reasons.
However, if they are not so pure, such as some institutions that also conduct research and development for civilian products,
or if they want to save time and cost in transporting materials, or to attract outside investors to visit, they often won't be too far from the city. In fact, they might even choose to settle down directly in the most bustling downtown areas.
Sitting in the car, Shi Xiaolei observed the soldiers' expressions and figured they most likely wouldn't answer his questions, so he didn't proactively ask about their destination.
However, he was secretly keeping track of his pulse, counting how many times it beat while estimating the distance they had traveled.
It had been about twenty minutes since he got in the car.
A faint glimmer of street light seeped through the tightly drawn curtains. By observing the intervals between the flashes of streetlights, he roughly estimated the car's speed. Combined with the time estimated from his pulse count, Shi Xiaolei had some idea.
The destination shouldn't be in the city, at least not on Manhattan Island.
Where exactly were they going?
Although the soldiers had just revealed their identities, claiming to be sent by the military, Shi Xiaolei, from his perspective, wouldn't fully accept that statement.
After all, he was a transmigrator and had previously had contact with S.H.I.E.L.D. So, another possibility came to mind: perhaps it was Hydra, hidden within S.H.I.E.L.D? With their capabilities, it wouldn't be difficult for them to find people to impersonate soldiers, or to secretly send a team of real soldiers who were unaware of the true situation.
'It better not be Hydra.' The thought of Hydra made Shi Xiaolei feel annoyed.
If it was truly an independent action by the military, with S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark stepping in, it wouldn't be difficult to resolve. But if it were Hydra... he could easily guess that there would be a lot of trouble afterward, and the kind of trouble that S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark couldn't immediately deal with. If he got involved, his peaceful life would definitely be disturbed, and he might even be gone forever.
The more he thought about it, the more his head ached. In his carelessness, Shi Xiaolei forgot to control his expression, revealing a hint of impatience.
Noticing the change in Shi Xiaolei's expression, the squad leader sitting opposite him tightened his grip on his rifle, silently warning Shi Xiaolei.
'...' Shi Xiaolei looked up at the squad leader, suppressed his inner dissatisfaction, and once again pretended to be the timid person he was before.
He thought, 'Once I figure out what's going on, I'll make you pay.' But what Shi Xiaolei never expected was that just as this thought crossed his mind, a huge explosion suddenly erupted outside.
There were four cars in total. The lead car, which was clearing the way, was hit by a rocket launcher from an unknown direction.
A violent flash of fire accompanied by a thunderous explosion. Under its own inertia, the light jeep rolled through the air and crashed squarely into a lamppost by the roadside.
How could a mere lamppost withstand several tons of impact?
With a screech, the metal lamppost snapped, sending a shower of electrical sparks, and fell into the middle of the road. Along with the wreckage of the jeep, which occupied half the path, it blocked the way for the cars behind.
And that wasn't all. The car at the tail of the convoy, responsible for covering the rear, also came under attack from two rocket launchers.
Another two bursts of fire soaring into the sky... Although it wasn't a jeep with an exposed driver's seat, and the car had a layer of armor, its defensive capability was still lacking, at most only able to defend against gunfire. Under the attack of these two armor-piercing rockets, it was like paper, its fate not much better than the lead jeep.
The situation unfolded too quickly and too suddenly. In an instant, two cars and a small portion of the team were lost.
Both startled and angry, the squad leader immediately shouted, "Return fire~! Call for backup~!"
No one dared to stay in the car. All the soldiers jumped out, using the vehicles as cover, and returned fire against the suddenly appearing enemies.
Only Shi Xiaolei was left, locked inside the car by the last soldier to get out.
"Hey, hey~! You can't do this, let me out too~!"
"Shut up~!" Without time to argue with Shi Xiaolei, the squad leader locked the car door while raising his rifle and firing a burst of bullets.
There was only a palm-width observation port on the back door, so Shi Xiaolei couldn't see what was happening outside. Conversely, the soldiers outside, busy engaging the enemy, also couldn't see what he was doing inside the car.
To save his own life, Shi Xiaolei unhesitatingly put on his equipment—two cars had already been blown to smithereens, a vivid example right before his eyes. Compared to the car's built-in armor, he trusted the iron shell he had bought with real money more.
But to his surprise, the gunfight lasted five or six minutes, and the guys who had suddenly appeared never used rocket launchers to attack the car he was in.
It felt a bit like a movie scene. After a moment's thought, Shi Xiaolei understood. Clearly, those people's target was also him.
Whether it was out of good intentions to rescue him, or for some ulterior motive, there was only one reason not to continue attacking with rocket launchers: to ensure he survived the gunfight.
Since that was the case, there was no need to rush.
Thinking that the soldiers outside were not on his side and there was no need to jump out and help them, Shi Xiaolei composed himself, sat steadily in the car, crossed his legs, and closed his eyes as if listening to a symphony, leisurely listening to the sounds from outside the car.
The saying "the emperor is not anxious, but the eunuch is" perfectly described the current situation.
Shi Xiaolei, inside the car, wasn't anxious at all, while Stark, who was rushing from Los Angeles, was so anxious he was getting worked up.
That's right, because of his previous instructions, J.A.R.V.I.S. had been tracking the convoy's whereabouts.
Although the gunfight's location was no longer within the city, and there were no traffic surveillance cameras for J.A.R.V.I.S. to use, it still captured the scene via satellite in the sky and reported it to Tony Stark immediately.
"Damn it~! J.A.R.V.I.S., focus power on the thrusters."
"Sir, prolonged overloaded propulsion will cause irreparable damage to the thrusters..."
"I can't worry about that now, do as I say~!" Stark gritted his teeth and gave the order.
"As you wish." J.A.R.V.I.S. accepted the command: "Please prepare for impact. Acceleration countdown: 5, 4, 3, 2, 1~."
As the countdown ended, the flames beneath Tony's feet suddenly thickened, and the Iron Man suit's speed dramatically increased.
The sonic boom and the G-force from the sudden acceleration made Stark, encased in the armor, quite uncomfortable.
However, to reach New York as quickly as possible and rescue his friend who was in danger, he endured the discomfort, his face showing a resolute and determined expression.