Pepper's Excitement

Pepper gazed joyfully at the battered helmet in her hands and hugged it to her chest.

She felt how wonderful life was. At the very least, Tony was fine. He was safe now.

Her vision blurred, and a small figure appeared before her.

"Pepper? Where are Aunt May and Uncle George? I went home, but I didn't see them. It looks like no one's been living there for days."

Leo looked at Pepper, who was holding Mark VII's damaged faceplate, then at the ruined wreckage around them.

"Where's Mr. Stark? He's all right, isn't he?"

No one around them noticed Leo's arrival. His speed was too fast and his movements too silent for anyone to notice him.

Startled by Leo's sudden appearance, Pepper took several steps back.

But when she recognized him, surprise and a radiant smile appeared on her face once more.

"L-Leo? You're back?"

"How did you get back? You've been gone for ten months."

Pepper stared at Leo in surprise, then walked up to him excitedly and gave him a gentle hug.

Happy's severe injuries and Tony's disappearance—everything that had happened one after another had left her completely without a Sense of Security.

Leo gently hugged Pepper as well and patted her back. "The Mandarin did all this? Mr. Stark is okay, right? Are you all right?"

Seeing that Pepper was in relatively good condition, he guessed that she knew Tony was safe too.

Pepper looked around. At the moment, she was the only one who knew Tony was still alive.

At the same time, she understood that the public must not learn this news, and that she could not betray Tony's intentions or his plan.

"Leo, I'm so happy you're back. I think Tony will be even happier when he sees you."

She set the faceplate aside and looked at Leo with delight.

She knew more than the public did. Pepper understood just how powerful Leo was. At a time like this, only Leo could help Tony and ensure his safety.

"Yes, I just got back to Earth. By the way, where's my family? Where did Aunt May and the others go?"

Having just arrived from New York, he immediately asked.

He had returned home full of anticipation, only to find it completely empty.

The house was deserted, with signs that no one had lived there for several days. It made him anxious.

If anything had happened to his uncle and aunt during this time, Leo would never be able to bear it!

"I remember Tony telling me that May and George seemed to have gone to China a few days ago for a trip. They haven't come back yet."

"They went to China? All right."

Leo thought about it, then nodded. Although he was disappointed that he could not see them immediately upon returning, learning that they were in China put him somewhat at ease.

At least it was better than them being in New York.

"Let's go. We should find somewhere safe to stay first. This attack was very strange."

Seeing Leo's return, Pepper was delighted and prepared to find a place first so they could have a proper talk.

"Yeah, let's go."

"Leo, where have you been all this time? Tony has been looking for you. Ever since what happened in New York, he's changed a lot. He's been in a bad mood the whole time."

The two quietly left without attracting anyone's attention. Everyone was focused on the ruins, seemingly expecting something to be dug out of them.

The injured Maya was also standing nearby, waiting for Pepper to arrive.

Pepper drove Maya, whose body was covered in injuries, and Leo toward the city.

"Why did you come looking for Tony? What could be so important?"

Pepper asked Maya in the passenger seat, while Leo sat in the back, watching the traffic through the window.

Maya had two bloody wounds on her face from the fall, and her hair was a mess from the attack. She was in poor condition.

She glanced at Leo in the back. Since Pepper had let him into the car, he had to be someone trustworthy.

She was flustered, yet also held a trace of hope. Her eyes widened as she looked at Pepper.

"My boss might be working for the Mandarin."

Pepper's eyes froze slightly as she glanced at Leo.

"So, if you want to keep talking, I suggest we find somewhere safe first."

Leo looked at Maya in the front seat and frowned slightly.

I remember Pepper seemed to have been captured by that guy in the end too. How did she get captured? It's a little fuzzy.

"What's your boss's name?"

"Aldrich Killian." Maya spoke the name.

Pepper was completely stunned, because only yesterday, she had spoken face-to-face with that familiar name.

But now they had learned that he worked for Mandarin—and Mandarin had tried to kill them.

Pepper quickened her pace slightly and found a luxury hotel.

She planned to ask Maya properly about Mandarin. With Leo by her side, she felt a strong sense of security, and the panic that had gripped her gradually settled.

After arriving at the hotel, Leo ordered a pile of delicious food to satisfy his tongue.

Pepper and Maya sat in the room, discussing the situation.

Meanwhile, Mandarin once again broadcast his terrorist declaration across every television channel, holding a government official captive beneath his foot.

Holding a pistol, he announced to everyone that if the President did not call the phone beside him within thirty seconds, he would kill the official in front of the entire nation.

At the same time, Mandarin's team hacked into the President's phone, making a number appear on its screen.

The President dialed the number, and the phone beside Mandarin began to ring.

But in the next moment, before viewers across the nation, Mandarin shot the man dead without hesitation.

The entire country was shocked.

Killian, who had orchestrated all of this, looked at a location marker on his phone and hurriedly left, heading there in person.

Biting into a hamburger, Leo carried a large bag of food into the room.

Pepper sat by the bed, listening as Maya, who had just showered and cleaned her wounds, talked about Killian.

"Do you two want some?"

Leo looked at the two women and lifted the food in his hand as he spoke.

But the two seemed to be discussing something that struck a chord with them.

Pepper looked at Maya, whose eyes were brimming with tears, and patted her.

"Maya, don't blame yourself. You only handed your research over to a think tank."

"But Killian's think tank was funded by the military," Maya said.

"We used to do the same."

Pepper looked at Maya. "Don't blame yourself."

Maya leaned against the headboard, looking at Pepper with gratitude in her eyes. "Thank you, Pepper. Thank you so much."

But Leo walked over. "It's not the same!"

"In this attack, three armed helicopters got so close to the villa without any word from the military. Even the last remaining helicopter vanished without a trace."

"Mandarin must have military intelligence behind him. Killian isn't that simple either."

Pepper turned back to look at Leo, who was holding a pizza, and nodded. She had the same doubts.

Knock, knock, knock.

Several knocks came from the door.