Leaving

Leo watched the loving couple beside him and quietly stepped aside.

The twenty-odd Mark Armors around him also gathered together, hovering in midair.

Leo looked over.

Nearly all the remaining armors were basically crippled.

The Extremis Soldiers' exceptional Physical Fitness, combined with temperatures high enough to melt through the armor's outer layer—and the fact that most of the armors were support models—

had left the remaining Mark Armors battered and broken, their bodies covered in melted-through scars. Two of them had been reduced to only their upper halves.

The flames around them still burned fiercely, making the already dim sky seem even darker.

"J.A.R.V.I.S."

"What are your instructions, sir?" J.A.R.V.I.S. replied.

"You know what to do."

Tony's eyes held only Pepper, her hair a complete mess.

"Initiate the cleanup protocol, sir?"

"Whatever. It's Christmas. Yes."

Tony gently pulled Pepper into his arms. Though they had not gone through the realization born of a life-and-death separation, both of them had long known the answer in their hearts.

The panic in Tony's heart completely vanished the moment he saw Pepper.

Perhaps only at this moment did he truly understand his own heart.

The battered armors beside them rose into the sky with their final glimmers of light.

They blossomed in the air into the most beautiful and expensive fireworks.

A celebration of Iron Man's rebirth.

Leo watched the two embrace tightly, an unconscious smile appearing on his face.

Perhaps because he knew Tony's fate from his previous life, leaving Tony at this moment might have been the best ending he could give him.

Since arriving in this world, Leo had formed his deepest bond with Tony Stark.

Though he did have a selfish motive, using Tony's money to speed up his training.

Still, Iron Man had been Liu Chong's favorite superhero, and he was also the person Leo had most wanted to see after coming to this world.

From that day in Las Vegas onward, Leo had witnessed Tony's transformation—or rather, his growth—with his own eyes.

When Tony returned from Afghanistan, Leo still remembered what Yinsen had told him: "You have everything, and you have nothing."

Back then, he had still been a lonely billionaire.

Then Leo arrived, stirring a strange emotion in Tony's heart.

After several months together, Tony came to accept the little boy. Then came—

Obadiah's betrayal, the palladium poisoning, Whiplash's attack, and the Alien invasion.

Leo still remembered what Rogers had said to Tony aboard the Helicarrier.

"You're not the kind of man who makes sacrifices. You only care about yourself."

"Take off the armor. What are you?"

At the time, Tony had replied with a hint of stubbornness, "Genius, billionaire, playboy, philanthropist, scientist."

But later, he had helplessly said to Pepper, "I'm just a man in an iron shell."

But now, perhaps Tony had given the best answer possible.

Leo still remembered Tony's words as he carried the nuclear missile: "Use all the power to turn, J.A.R.V.I.S."

Rhodey's help, Pepper's concern, the profound love of his father that he understood through old recordings, and Leo's constant companionship.

Later, he had also made more new friends.

When they had returned to New York earlier, Leo had seen that the former Stark Tower had already been renamed Avengers Tower.

Like a child, Tony had told the whole world, Look, these are my friends.

At this moment, Tony was no longer alone.

Leo walked over and looked at the two of them, eyes closed as they embraced.

Golden Light flowed from his hand into their bodies, quickly healing Tony's minor injuries.

The two of them finally came back to their senses.

But Leo suddenly turned his head and looked into the distance, where several fighter jets were approaching.

It seemed that after the President returned, he had begun sending people to clean up the aftermath.

Leo smiled at them both.

"Alright, the trouble's been dealt with. I should go find my uncle and aunt. The higher-ups are here, so it looks like Christmas dinner is off today. We'll make plans another time."

"Wait, Leo."

Tony looked at Leo, who was preparing to leave.

"Take this. You can use J.A.R.V.I.S. to find their location directly. Once this is over, I'll treat you all to dinner."

"And thank you for protecting Pepper."

Leo accepted the Neural Sync Control Monocle Tony handed over.

"I'm leaving. Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas."

Leo fastened the monocle. Golden Light surged across his body as he spread his wings and shot into the sky.

He vanished into the clouds before the eyes of seven or eight fighter jets.

"J.A.R.V.I.S., do you know where Jenny and George are?"

"Stark security network verification. Retinal scan passed. Hello, Mr. Leo. Mr. Stark has granted you access privileges." J.A.R.V.I.S.'s voice sounded by Leo's ear.

"Locating Jenny and George."

"Location confirmed. They are currently in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, China."

"Hong Kong? Isn't that in Guangdong?" Leo asked, somewhat puzzled.

"Route analysis indicates that six days ago, the two began traveling through Shanghai and Guangdong. At eight last night, they went to Hong Kong and purchased tickets for a nine o'clock Beijing time flight to New York."

J.A.R.V.I.S. swiftly pulled up Jenny and George's data.

All the information was projected before Leo's eyes.

"What time is it in China right now?"

"December 25th, 6:43 in the morning."

Hearing the time, a faint smile appeared on Leo's face. Looks like I didn't miss Christmas after all.

With a beat of his wings, blue light flashed amid the clouds.

Leo appeared directly over Hong Kong.

Because just yesterday, after landing on Earth, Leo had come here first and learned of Mandarin's whereabouts.

It had been a dim night sky just moments ago, but here, the morning sun was already rising high.

Looking down at the city that had just awakened, Leo gave an awkward smile, turned, and vanished from where he stood.

He returned once more to the house in New York.

Leo first went to his room, intending to change out of the Meteorite Metal Suit he had been wearing for so long.

When he pushed open the door and saw the clean, tidy, familiar little room, Leo's face broke into a brilliant smile.

Even though Leo had been gone for nearly a year, there was still not a speck of dust in the room.

But after searching around, he could not find any suitable clothes.

All his old clothes were tight on him now, much too small.

Only then did Leo realize that he had grown quite a bit taller again.

At fifteen, he was already over 1.7 meters tall.

Looking at the clothes in the wardrobe, Leo could only close it, take out some cash, and prepare to go out and buy some clothes.

"Huh, does it feel like I've forgotten something?"

"Never mind. I'd better hurry and buy a couple of outfits that fit, then give Uncle and Auntie a surprise!"