Who Has the Wisdom of a Mortal?

When Leon entered the lab, he found that aside from several Arc Reactors and a stack of DC Comics on Tony's desk, there was nothing particularly unusual.

Even Tony was nowhere to be seen.

"Tony?" He looked around. "Where are you?"

Leon's super-hearing was not constantly switched on.

Just like Superman in the movies.

He had to focus and filter out most external information with his mind before he could live in a quiet world.

Receiving no response, Leon tilted his head slightly and listened for Tony. "So he's in the garage. But why does it sound so noisy?"

When Leon found Tony in the basement.

He had deep dark circles beneath his eyes, yet he was full of energy.

He wore mechanical shoes with exposed wires on his feet, gripped controllers in both hands, and directed the little assistants.

"U, keep filming. Dum-E, move a little farther that way. Yes, right there. You're in charge of putting out fires."

Tony then stood in the middle of the temporary testing platform he had built and took several deep breaths.

"Alright, let's try it. Start with ten percent thrust. Prepare for liftoff. Haaah..."

Tony shook his shoulders and took another deep breath to steady himself. "Alright. Three, two, one!"

He pressed the control device in his hand, and powerful jets of flame immediately blasted from the iron shoes beneath his feet.

Hiss!!

The ferocious thrust launched Tony straight into the air.

Then he slammed heavily into the ceiling with a loud thud. It was obvious he had hit it hard.

"Ow!!" Tony cried out in pain as he fell to the floor.

The intelligent robotic arm beside him judged that the situation matched its instructions and immediately released fire-suppression foam.

"Oof, that must have hurt." Leon leaned his head back as he looked at Tony covered in white foam.

"Leon?" Hearing him, Tony turned his head. His cheeks were scrunched together from pain as he twisted his shoulders on the ground. "Come give me a hand. I think my ribs are about to break."

"Coming... Maybe next time, you should have Dum-E prepare a crash mat for you." Leon stepped forward and helped Tony into a chair.

His eyes swept over Tony. "Very good. Just superficial injuries. You can keep doing that extreme sport you were doing."

"That wasn't an extreme sport." Tony rolled his eyes. "I'm building the Mark II armor!"

"You mean your second suit of armor is this pair of shoes? Are you hoping everyone will shoot at your feet? Don't be ridiculous. These shoes aren't Captain America's shield." Leon teased.

"Of course not! I'm testing the propulsion system right now. Once this part is finished, the later stages will become much more efficient."

Tony immediately refuted him, not forgetting to sneer, "Of course, an ordinary person with average grades like you probably can't understand the logic behind it."

Now it was Leon's turn to roll his eyes. "I got into Columbia University, you know. Don't you have a slight misunderstanding of what an ordinary person is?"

"Oh? Is that so? Well, it can't be helped. By the time I was your age, I'd already graduated from MIT years ago and earned three doctoral degrees from Cambridge. I really can't understand what it feels like to be ordinary."

Tony smugly waved a hand. "But it should all be about the same. Once you get to Columbia, you'll find that your professors won't understand my armor either."

"Then I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I'm majoring in business. My professors will probably understand the economic benefits of your armor just fine."

Before Leon awakened his abilities, he could only develop in the direction of managing companies, so naturally he had applied for a business major.

But things were different now.

He tapped Tony's iron shoes. "And the past is the past, while the present is the present. Don't forget what kind of ability I awakened."

"Ability? What ability? Isn't it just getting stronger by basking in the sun?" Tony asked, puzzled.

"It's Superman's abilities!" Leon emphasized. "Whatever Superman has, I have too!"

"So what? Are you here to confess that you're actually a Kryptonian, and yesterday your Kryptonian dad, who became a super artificial intelligence, came looking for you and told you to put on red underwear and save the world?"

Tony spoke with an exaggerated expression. "Or did your Kryptonian cousin receive a spaceship signal and decide to come arrest you tomorrow, so you came to me for help?"

Leon was speechless. "Tony, when did you come up with so many childish theories? I'm obviously from Earth. You took me for so many physicals when I was little. Don't you know that?"

Leon was undoubtedly an Earthling.

Nineteen years ago.

He had transmigrated into this world as a baby.

By a twist of fate, he had been adopted by the Starks.

Although he had no memories from before he was one year old and did not know whether he had biological parents in this life.

His appearance, which was not too different from his previous life, along with blood tests that had never shown anything unusual from childhood to adulthood.

All proved that he was a native-born Earthling.

"Also, you've been reading too many DC Comics lately! Our world doesn't have DC's darkness!" Leon complained.

"Then what are you trying to say?" Tony tilted his head.

"What I mean is, Superman also has an ability called Super-Brain. I have that too."

Super-Brain would allow him to achieve far more in engineering, even easily reach the very pinnacle.

Leon pointed at the iron shoes. "So now, I can completely understand your research, and even surpass you."

"Surpass me?" Tony raised his chin. "Leon, April Fools' Day has already passed this year. You can save that lame joke for next year."

He narrowed his eyes. "And I don't remember Superman having that ability. If he had a Super-Brain, would he still charge in and throw punches every time he encountered an enemy in the comics?"

Leon smacked his lips. "Maybe... his Super-Brain tells him that, when facing difficulties, he should first learn to believe in his super strength?"

"Isn't that just a brute's brain?" Tony concluded. "So you still can't understand my armor."

Leon did not want to argue anymore. "Enough! This meaningless argument ends here! People like you, who only read half a comic, are the most annoying. Go finish Superman's comics properly before you come back to refute me!"

Before Tony could argue back.

Leon said directly, "With your mortal wisdom, since you say I can't understand your armor, do you dare let me study beside you?"

Leon raised one finger. "Just one day. Your knowledge will become my knowledge."

"And three days from now, I'll build armor better than yours!"

"What did you say?"

Now Tony was no longer sleepy.

What he could not stand most was someone challenging him in his professional field.

Especially when that challenge came from his stupid younger brother.

"This is the funniest joke I've heard in 2008."

As if his chest no longer hurt in an instant, Tony jumped off the bed and stared directly into Leon's eyes.

"I accept your challenge."

He declared his victory. "The wisdom of a mortal? Hmm? Three days from now, I'll give that title right back to you."

"Come with me."

With a wave of his hand, he returned to the testing area and began directing the intelligent robotic arms.

"Dum-E, clean up the site. U, go get the materials. The rest of you, wait until I design a new propulsion structure."

Leon narrowed his eyes at Tony, who stood before him with fighting spirit blazing, and his own competitive fire ignited as well.

"JARVIS, send all knowledge related to exoskeleton mechs to my Stark Pad. I want to understand Tony's blueprints within half an hour."

"Certainly, Master Leon." JARVIS agreed first.

Then it asked, "However, Master Leon, do you still remember why you came to find Tony, as well as Miss Pepper's earlier request?"

"Pepper? What about Pepper? Forget it for now."

Leon rolled his arms. "Today, I'm going to show Tony what a Super-Brain is."