Return to New York

The air was thick with the foul stench of blood. Seeing the horrific scene before them, Tony Stark and Yinsen both went pale with shock.

They had never imagined this was man-made, that humanity could wield such terrifying power.

Then they recalled what Harry had said: whenever he mentioned his teacher's name, his teacher would sense him.

They had thought Harry was joking before, but now it seemed very likely to be true.

A mere student possessed such power, let alone his mysterious teacher.

So Harry's teacher could truly roam freely through infinitely many multiversal dimensions?

Tony Stark felt as though his entire worldview had been brutally overturned.

Suddenly, Tony Stark noticed that although Harry had landed on the ground, the scarlet magic around him had not vanished. Instead, it was growing ever stronger.

Wrapped in that magic, Harry seemed to be in great pain. Tony asked worriedly, "Kid, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"

Yinsen wanted to examine Harry, but Harry stopped him. "No, don't come near me. This magic is dangerous. Let me be for a while. I'll be fine soon."

Harry did his best to calm the restless magic within him. To kill all the terrorists in one go, he had drawn upon more Magic Power than was safe.

The magic inside him was now even more chaotic, and there was a risk of it going out of control at any moment.

However, under his full suppression, the magic in his body gradually calmed down.

Ever since returning from the Wizarding World, his control over the magic within him seemed to have improved greatly. Otherwise, he would not have been able to settle the magical turmoil so easily.

With his previous level of control, he might already have lost control by now. At that point, he could only have tried to enter the Mirror Dimension to avoid hurting Tony Stark and Yinsen.

But even then, safety could not be guaranteed.

When he lost control, the Mirror Dimension was a very fragile thing.

As time passed, the Chaos Magic around Harry's body gradually returned to him, and Tony Stark and Yinsen both breathed a sigh of relief.

They did not want anything to happen to the person who had saved their lives.

"What should we do now?" Yinsen gazed blankly toward the distant desert.

"Go. Keep moving forward." Tony Stark was far more excited than Yinsen. "I'm not sure whether the military is still looking for me. We need to get a vehicle, head deeper into the desert, find some sign of civilization, and figure out a way back to New York. What do you think, Pajama Boy?"

Harry had a bit of a headache over Tony Stark's nickname for him. This richest man's personality was truly awful. No wonder so many people disliked him.

Still, since he was about to drop some gold, Harry would forgive him.

"My name is Harry, Harry Potter. Don't call me Pajama Boy. Let's do as you say. There's an intact off-road vehicle over in that corner." Harry pointed toward a corner, where a khaki-colored off-road vehicle was parked.

Once they were out of danger, Tony Stark returned to his carefree, cynical self.

Claiming that he had never touched any steering wheel other than those of sports cars, he refused to drive.

And as the combat powerhouse of their three-man team, Harry naturally could not let Tony drive and distract himself.

In the end, the honest Yinsen sat in the front and drove them deeper into the desert.

After gulping down several mouthfuls of bottled water they had found in the camp, Tony complained, "Damn it, shame it's not soda. It'd be nice if there were a cheeseburger. When I get back, I'm having two cheeseburgers. Mm, maybe a donut too."

Tony sniffed. He seemed to smell chicken drumsticks, but how could there possibly be chicken drumsticks in this endless desert?

He looked to the side, his expression freezing as he wondered if he was hallucinating.

Harry was happily eating, holding a Coke in one hand and a chicken drumstick in the other.

He asked in confusion, "What the F**k, where did you get that chicken drumstick?"

Harry transfigured a bottle of mineral water into a Spicy Chicken Leg Cheeseburger and handed it to Tony. "Like this. I made it with Transfiguration."

Tony's eyes lit up. He took the Spicy Chicken Leg Cheeseburger and began wolfing it down. He had never eaten such a delicious burger before.

As he swallowed, he mumbled, "Wizards sure are convenient. Transfiguration can even make food. Maybe I should hire you as my personal chef."

Harry shook his head and explained, "Transfiguration can change a target's form, appearance, or essential properties, so of course it can turn things into food. But because transfigured food will eventually revert to its original form, it can't be eaten."

"Cough, cough, cough..." Tony began coughing, staring at Harry in horror. Of course he understood what that meant. Simply swallowing it would not be fatal, but if it had been digested, there was a very high chance it would kill him outright!

Tony stuck out his head, trying to vomit up the burger he had eaten. "Why didn't you say so earlier?!"

Only then did Harry laugh at Tony's miserable state. "Of course, my Transfiguration is permanent. It won't revert, so you can eat it without worry."

Tony turned back and glared at Harry resentfully. You did that on purpose, didn't you? You definitely did that on purpose, didn't you?

The military took the missing billionaire Tony very seriously. Even after he had been gone for three months, they had never stopped searching for him.

An hour after Harry and the others began driving, a helicopter spotted them.

Five fully armed soldiers stepped down from the helicopter. The black soldier leading them came over to Tony and bumped fists with him. "Was the Jinghai Jeep comfortable?"

Tony raised an eyebrow and refused to be outdone. "The three of us were touring the desert, with delicious cheeseburgers too. That Jeep was an absolute joy to ride!"

Colonel Rhodes shook his head, patted Tony on the shoulder, and embraced him deeply. "Next time, ride in the same vehicle as me, okay?"

"Sure, but preferably there won't be a next time," Tony replied.

Seeing that Tony was unharmed, James Rhodes let out a sigh of relief. Tony was his best friend, and he did not want anything to happen to him.

Then he looked at Harry and Yinsen beside him, somewhat puzzled. "Who are they?"

Yinsen took the initiative to introduce himself. "My name is Yinsen. I'm a doctor."

Harry answered politely, "I'm Harry. I'm... a high school student?"

"What?" James Rhodes was somewhat confused. Yinsen was normal enough; he was probably a doctor kidnapped by the Ten Rings Gang.

But Harry was different. He looked clean, and his clothes were neat. He did not look like a captive abused by the Ten Rings Gang.

James Rhodes became somewhat wary. Just as he was about to question him further, Tony came to Harry's rescue.

"Rhodes, don't worry. Harry's a great kid."

James Rhodes looked at Tony, then carefully examined Harry before slowly relaxing. He trusted his brother.

Harry and the others boarded the helicopter and headed toward the nearest military base.

They would transfer there and take a plane back to New York.

On the helicopter, Tony kept wiggling his eyebrows at Harry, wearing a secretive expression.

Harry did not understand and asked with concern, "Do you have facial spasms? Perhaps I can help treat you."

Harry's concern had the opposite effect. Tony nearly choked, and could only whisper to Harry, "I know wizards all hide in the shadows of society and don't reveal themselves easily. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your identity."