Well, Cat.

The three rested where they were for a while. Yinsen was the one who really needed the rest. Leon went without saying, and Tony's injuries weren't that serious either. This time, he hadn't fallen from the sky like he had in the original plot.

Still, Tony was ridiculously tough! Falling from that height while wrapped in a layer of heavy metal—forget sand, he would have been dead even if he'd hit water.

What else could anyone say?

Because it was fiction! Because of protagonist plot armor! Because Marvel physics!

You deserve it!

Along the way, Tony kept probing for information about Leon's origins and past. Even Yinsen could tell that Tony was incredibly curious about this talking cat.

Yinsen was fine with it. After all, he had just walked back from the brink of death and escaped that hellhole where he'd been imprisoned for years.

That cat had saved him. Yinsen knew it.

So if it wanted to talk, it could talk. Even if it suddenly flew up or turned into a person, Yinsen wouldn't care.

Tony's questions came one after another as though he never got tired, and they were all bizarre in their own ways.

He went from asking whether a talking cat could order for itself at a restaurant to whether humans could learn cat language. Then he moved from the structure of a cat's vocal cords to whether Leon had ever caught a talking mouse.

Tony talked a lot and asked plenty of questions, but Leon didn't hold back either.

He told Tony that he had always eaten out by himself, and he also helped restaurant kitchens deal with their mouse problems to pay for his meals.

Humans could learn cat language. After all, how did you know whether your meow meow meow was any different from a cat's meow meow meow? When it meowed, you just meowed right the hell back. One meow from it, one meow from you—couldn't be more harmonious. People all over the world did it!

Of course there were talking mice too. Leon told him about a mouse named Mickey. Not only could he talk, but he even kept a dog! Then he added that if they shouted his name right now, people from Mickey's company might show up immediately.

Tony was very curious why. Could that be the mouse's special ability?

Mystic Cat Leon shattered Tony's romantic fantasy.

"No. Mickey is the mascot for a huge company. If we did that, they'd see it as copyright infringement. Mickey's company has never lost a case!!"

Tony looked thoughtful upon hearing that. He felt that the cat had already given him enough information. It shouldn't be hard to find out what he wanted to know, right?

A company like that definitely wouldn't be unknown!

The two kept chatting back and forth. They weren't tired, but poor Yinsen was stuck between them.

The old man had not been in great shape to begin with, yet he had to endure the two of them constantly bombarding him with words. In a desert pushing forty degrees Celsius, with one talking on his left and the other on his right, nobody could take that.

"If you married a human girl, would you talk in English or cat language?"

Listen to that! Was that even a serious question?!

An hour!

A full hour!

That human and cat never stopped talking! All kinds of bizarre questions, all kinds of even more bizarre answers!

Yinsen even wondered whether it might have been better if he had stayed unconscious the whole time.

Just after answering Tony's question about whether cats watched cat videos or ***, Leon suddenly stopped. He stood where he was and looked around as though searching for something.

Tony immediately stopped as well and fell silent. Only when Mystic Cat looked at him did he ask again, "Did pursuers catch up to us?"

Tony had finally asked a serious question for once, but Yinsen couldn't feel happy about it at all. He had no desire to be captured again.

"Someone really did come looking for you."

Mystic Cat Leon answered Tony first, then continued as Yinsen's face immediately turned even paler. "Congratulations. Your friend came to save you."

The last half of that sentence was directed at Tony.

Thanks to his powerful five senses—or rather, because the four Black Hornet clones circling overhead had spotted him.

Colonel Rhodey.

The man who had picked Tony up in the original plot, Tony's good friend, and the pilot of the Iron Patriot armor.

Rhodey's appearance basically confirmed that Tony was completely safe. Leon didn't want to deal with the authorities for now, nor did he have the time to appear before the world as Mystic Cat.

Just imagine if he went back with Tony now. It might turn into something like this.

"I am Iron Man!"

"And this... strip... cat beside me! Is Meow Meow Man!"

There was no need to doubt it. Tony was absolutely capable of doing something like that.

So Leon should leave first!

"My friend?"

Because of his "battle of wits" with Leon, Tony couldn't immediately remember whether he really knew a friend like that. After all, even now, he couldn't recall whether he knew someone named Robert Downey...

Yet in his daze, he inexplicably felt like he really did know such a person—or rather, that he should know such a person!

It was just so strange~

"Whether he's your friend or not, you'll know when you see him." Leon reassured Tony.

Then his entire feline body floated into the air. "My mission is complete, Tony Stark. It was nice meeting you. Goodbye!"

"Wait! You're leaving just like that? You don't want that double payment anymore?!" Watching Mystic Cat suddenly rise into the air to leave, Tony had no interest in wondering why a cat could fly. As Leon slowly ascended, Tony suddenly felt that this cat got along with him rather well!

Mostly because his imagination could run completely wild around this cat, since the cat's imagination was even wilder than his!

A true friend was hard to find in life. Though they had only spent a little over an hour together, if they counted all their questions and answers, they really did have a bit of that kindred-spirit feeling!

That was why Tony said it instinctively. Deep down, he also wanted Leon to stay.

Hearing Tony's attempt to keep him, Leon laughed. "Don't worry. I'll come back to collect my payment someday. I hope you won't be disappointed when that time comes!"

With that, Leon activated the second level of the Sky Dance Technique at full power and vanished directly into the sky.

Perhaps it was an illusion, but Tony seemed to hear a few voices saying something...

Didn't even say goodbye...

Just flew away all of a sudden... Bees can't fly that fast... What do you mean, we're hornets!

Things like that. But when he listened closely, the voices were gone again.

Just as Tony gazed sorrowfully at the sky at a forty-five-degree angle, a familiar voice came from beyond the distant sand dunes.

"Tony! Tony, is that you?! God bless us! It really is you!"

Rhodey!

It really was his friend Rhodey!

Rhodey ran over and caught the two men, who had suddenly relaxed and nearly collapsed.

"I saw two people down in the desert from the plane just now, and I knew it might be you!"

After briefly introducing Yinsen and Rhodey to each other, Rhodey showed heartfelt gratitude toward Yinsen, who had saved Tony's life. He and Tony were true friends, after all.

Together with the rescue team, they helped the two weakened men aboard the plane. Yinsen's injuries were more serious in the end. After finally relaxing, he fell unconscious again and was taken inside for treatment.

Rhodey helped Tony sit down, and the two talked about what had happened over the past few days. Tony was exhausted beyond measure, and Rhodey could see the weariness in his old friend. He suggested that Tony get some sleep first.

Tony agreed.

Rhodey patted Tony on the shoulder and turned toward the cockpit. Then he seemed to remember something and asked, "When I was up in the air, I thought I saw a small animal beside you?"

Tony smiled when he heard that. "Yeah, a cat that suddenly showed up. Haha, that cat really helped a lot. It was my lifesaver too! No, that's not right! It was my life-cat! Hahahaha!"

Rhodey could tell Tony was genuinely in a good mood, and he smiled in relief before finally leaving.

Tony couldn't hold on any longer either. He pulled a blanket over himself and fell asleep.