Fully Insured Semi-Truck, and I'm Off to My 8 A.M. Class!

Meanwhile.

Afghanistan, Bagram Air Base.

At this American weapons testing ground nicknamed the "Trash Can," Tony flawlessly demonstrated his newly developed Jericho Missile to the military.

Both sides were very satisfied, and the champagne had already started flowing.

For every deal worth over $500 million, a case of champagne was included. It was Tony's habit, a way of showing respect and appreciation for major clients.

"To peace!"

"To peace!" ×N

Tony raised his glass in celebration, and the officers present responded one after another. The atmosphere was exceptionally lively.

"Tony."

Obadiah called via video.

"Hey, Obie, what are you doing?"

Holding up his swivel-screen phone, Tony stepped aside. On the other end, Obadiah leaned against the headboard, looking as though he had just woken up.

"I couldn't sleep without knowing the result. How did it go?"

"When Tony takes the field, there are no surprises."

"It's as lively here as Christmas. Look."

Tony flipped his phone around and showed Obadiah the scene.

"Then I can rest easy."

After ending the call, Tony casually got into an armored vehicle heading back. However, this was not the vehicle originally intended to carry him.

Rhodes suggested that Tony ride in the same vehicle as him, but Tony refused on the grounds of, "I'm already in the car, and you're telling me this now?"

Rhodes could not argue with Tony and could only let him have his way. Surely no one would be bold enough to kidnap this world-famous weapons supplier near an air base.

However.

Reality was just that absurd.

On the way back.

The armored convoy Tony was in really did come under heavy fire.

Rat-a-tat! Rat-a-tat!

Boom—bang!!!!!

Most of the soldiers in the convoy were riddled with armor-piercing rounds before they could even react.

Tony barely escaped through the door on the other side and tried to call for help, only to find there was no signal at all. The people ambushing him had clearly come prepared.

"Shit!"

"Can someone tell me what the hell is going on?!"

Tony cursed furiously. Then, with a bang, a missile landed beside him. His pupils contracted in terror as he saw the words "Stark Industries" printed on its casing with extreme irony.

"Leon, you damn jinx!"

That was all Tony had time to shout before the explosion sent him flying.

Because he had been too close, scattered shrapnel pierced his bulletproof vest.

Before long, blood poured from Tony's chest, and he soon lost consciousness.

Under the deliberate efforts of certain people, news that "Tony Stark had been attacked by terrorists, his fate unknown" quickly spread.

And Pepper, who had been keeping a close eye on Tony, learned of it immediately.

The seaside villa.

Leon, still sleeping soundly in bed, was awakened by the sound of sobbing.

"JARVIS, what happened?"

"Sir..."

Before JARVIS could finish answering Leon's question, Pepper, already crying her eyes out, threw herself into his arms as if clutching at a lifeline.

"Leon, Tony, he... he might already be... sob...!"

Pepper was crying too hard to speak.

JARVIS took over and informed Leon that Tony had been attacked by terrorists and might already be dead.

"What?!"

He had just woken up, and the sky had fallen.

Leon's expression was terrifyingly calm.

He truly could not imagine how shitty the future would be without Tony!

"Pepper, don't worry. A bastard like Tony will definitely be fine. I'm going to find Stane right now."

"Sob... mm..."

Pepper was so panicked that she could barely walk.

Leon carried her to the living room sofa to rest, then drove his sports car at full throttle toward the Stark Industries Building.

"JARVIS, call Stane."

"Certainly, Young Master Leon."

Beep beep beep—connected!

"Hey, Leon."

"Stane, you should have learned about Tony immediately, right? Is there any news yet? I'm on my way to the company..."

Leon was still speaking.

When he saw a fully insured semi-truck loaded with cargo driving against traffic straight toward his sports car.

"!!!"

Leon immediately yanked the wheel and braked with all his strength in a sideways drift.

JARVIS also controlled the servo system installed in the sports car, doing everything it could to keep the vehicle balanced.

Screech! Squeal!

The brake discs and tires of the sports car let out piercing shrieks under unbearable strain, but it ultimately managed to stop.

Yet the cargo truck seemed to have singled Leon out and had no intention of stopping.

"Shit!"

With a deafening crash, the truck violently rammed Leon's sports car off the cliff.

The airbags deployed immediately, but Leon had already lost consciousness before then.

"Boss, the target has been dealt with."

Looking at the sports car still tumbling below the cliff, the masked driver of the cargo truck immediately called someone.

"Are you sure he's dead?"

A skeptical voice came from the other end.

"I'll go down and put a few more rounds into him. Don't worry."

"Hurry up. The police will arrive soon."

"Yes!"

After hanging up, the assassin rode down on an amphibious jet ski that had been prepared in the truck's cargo compartment. He discovered that Leon still had a faint breath left in him.

To make absolutely sure, he dragged Leon out of the wreckage and emptied the magazine of a .50-caliber Desert Eagle directly into his head.

He was in such a horrific state,

that even his own mother would not have recognized him.

Then, the assassin used the jet ski to carry Leon's corpse far out to sea. He tied a rock to him with an iron chain and sank the body straight to the ocean floor.

That way,

by the time the police followed the trail here, Leon's corpse would have long been devoured by bloodthirsty fish, leaving behind only the remnants of their digested waste.

But what the assassin did not know was that after he left, Leon's heart never stopped beating beneath the sea, as though it were being protected by some mysterious force.

The power of the system, kid!

[Ding, congratulations, Host. You have completed the system unlock mission: "Get rammed by a fully insured semi-truck twice." The Daily Check-in System has been activated, and novice protection has been enabled.]

[Question: Is the Host willing to bind with this system? Please answer yes or no.]

*Or?*

[...]

[Detected that the Host has suffered severe head trauma. His self-awareness is unclear, and he lacks the ability to think and choose independently. The Daily Check-in System will bind by default.]

[Ding, binding complete.]

[Drawing your novice gift pack...]

[Ding, novice gift pack draw complete. Congratulations, Host. You have obtained the "Soldier Boy Template," along with one Soldier Boy Suit, including a bomb-proof tactical uniform and a Tungsten Steel Alloy Shield.]

[Notice!]

[Novice protection will expire once the Host's consciousness fully awakens.]

What the hell...

Leon's consciousness briefly awakened before quickly sinking back into darkness. Without novice protection, even after merging with the Soldier Boy Template, he would have died instantly.

The injury to his head was simply too severe. In the literal physical sense, bullets had blown it open like a flower.

However.

Under the combined effects of Soldier Boy's regenerative ability and the system's novice protection, Leon's fatal injuries began to slowly heal.

During that time.

The memories of Leon's previous life, which he had forgotten, were also recovered through the system's immense power.