Return to the Overworld

"Holy crap! A Scroll of Town Portal!!!"

Seeing the light gray item in Steve's hand, Fang Mo couldn't help but exclaim.

Fang Mo knew he'd eventually be able to go back, but he never expected to get this lucky so soon and return right away. Honestly, it felt almost unbelievable.

If it weren't for the fact that he hadn't had a single dream since awakening his Stand, he'd think he was still dreaming.

"Finally, I can go back..."

Staring at the Return Scroll in his hand, Fang Mo couldn't help but recall that blocky world. Honestly, it felt like a lifetime ago.

He could even feel that world of his calling out to him.

This feeling made him not want to stay a single second longer.

But considering the unique nature of The Lost Cities Mod, Fang Mo had a hunch he might come back later, so he had to grit his teeth and tie up loose ends first, to avoid causing trouble for himself down the line.

After making himself a simple breakfast, Fang Mo walked to the living room, sat down at the coffee table, and ate while watching the news.

The commotion last night had been huge, and the media was now covering it nonstop, especially the monster battle between the Abomination and the Hulk. Of course, Fang Mo had been caught on camera too. He had no idea what the average citizens of the Marvel world were thinking—their lives were on the line, yet they still dared to stay put and film.

But although these videos and images had leaked, the whole process wasn't complete. It basically ended around the point where Fang Mo and the Hulk attacked the Abomination together.

Fang Mo guessed the Military and S.H.I.E.L.D. were deliberately interfering. Besides, the scene at the end of the fight was genuinely dangerous, so those citizens probably didn't dare keep filming.

Even so, the monster battle still sparked fear and debate among the American people.

They naturally wanted to know where these monsters came from. After all, the Military had been running experiments for ages, and everyone had their guesses—maybe this was another bioweapon cooked up in some secret experiment.

Beyond that, they also wanted to know who that mysterious figure who suddenly appeared was. Was he a superhero? Or another freak the Military had created?

Aside from this, Stark Company was undergoing massive changes too.

First, there was Obadiah. The official story now was that he'd died in an experimental accident. Just gone.

With such a huge incident at the company, Tony Stark had no choice but to hold a Press Conference, no matter how much he didn't want to. At the press conference, he explained that Stark Industries would be pivoting—no more weapons, ever. He'd never make weapons again in his life. They'd probably transition into an energy company.

But for now, this was just a plan. After all, a behemoth like Stark Industries couldn't just switch overnight.

At the press conference, many reporters had gathered information about the Iron Armor and immediately fired questions at him—like what that flying robot was, and what it had to do with Stark Industries. Since the Abomination had gone rogue earlier, they wanted to know if Stark Industries was also collaborating with the Military on some project.

Yes, even though Fang Mo's influence had prevented Obadiah and Stark from having a mech battle in New York like in the original story, Stark's flashy, arrogant personality meant he was always flying around in his armor. It was only natural for people to catch glimpses and piece things together.

After all, the guy never even tried to hide himself, right?

Of course, the Military and higher-ups had figured this out too and handed Stark a stack of scripts to explain things.

But what they didn't expect was that Stark barely glanced at the speech, instantly lost patience, tossed the papers onto the table without a second thought, and blurted out the most iconic line in Marvel: "The truth is... I am Iron Man."

The media below erupted at those words, flashlights going off like crazy, desperate to land a big scoop.

"This guy is so reckless."

Seeing this, the agent on site slapped his hand over his face. "I had fifty witnesses ready for him, why couldn't he just stick to the script..."

As for Stark himself.

Right after he said those words, he suddenly frowned, as if something had just occurred to him.

Then his mind jolted, and his eyes went wide in disbelief.

Yes, the second after he uttered that classic line, Stark suddenly remembered—the moment he first met Fang Mo, the guy had directly blurted out 'Holy crap, Iron Man.'

Thinking back to Fang Mo's usual remarks, Stark realized Fang Mo seemed especially biased against Palladium. From the very start, he'd been making radiation jokes, and last night he'd even pointed out the danger of his Arc Reactor, saying that if Stark got sick of drinking Chlorophyll, he could come find him.

Stark naturally knew Chlorophyll could suppress heavy metal poisoning, and his reactor did have the defect of excessive Palladium concentration. But how did Fang Mo, a Wizard who knew nothing about science, know all this?

Suddenly, an indescribable sense of absurdity washed over Stark.

At that thought, Stark didn't even want to continue the Press Conference. Without a word, he turned and left.

He had too many questions he needed to ask Fang Mo face-to-face. Before, his mind had been completely consumed with building the Iron Armor, and he hadn't thought about this at all. But now, carefully piecing things together, Stark found Fang Mo was riddled with suspicious points—whether it was the things he'd said, the way he looked at him, or his tone and attitude.

It was as if... the guy knew him inside and out.

"Hey, Tony, where are you going?"

Seeing Stark suddenly leave the Press Conference, Pepper Potts and Colonel Rhodes quickly followed. "What's wrong?"

"I just remembered something urgent I have to deal with immediately."

Stark said as he got into the car. "Pepper, handle those reporters for me. Happy, drive."

"Boss, where to?" Happy asked dutifully.

"To find Fang Mo!"

Stark said at once. "He should still be home!"

Without a word, Happy floored the gas pedal. The car engine roared, and in an instant, they were speeding toward the outskirts of New York City.

But when Stark arrived at Fang Mo's place.

He happened to see Nick Fury walking out with a dark expression.

"Tony Stark, the famous Iron Man." Seeing Stark, Nick Fury immediately approached. "Looks like you're here for Fang Mo too. But unfortunately, we're both too late."

"Too late?"

Stark was taken aback. "He went out?"

"No." Nick Fury shook his head. "He's already left this place, but no one knows exactly where he went—maybe the cosmos, maybe another dimension. We're not sure either."

Hearing this, Stark didn't know what to say. He only felt a tightness in his chest. Now, so many things he wanted to ask had no place to be asked. A flood of questions bottled up in his mind—for someone like him, that feeling was truly unbearable.

"But even though he's gone, he left something behind for you."

Just then, Nick Fury suddenly spoke.

"What?"

Stark was startled.

Nick Fury said nothing, only silently pulled something out from his chest.

It was a golden apple, pure in luster.