The Road Ahead (Skippable)

After asking, Tony worried Leon might resent it, so he even took the initiative to joke around.

"For example, actually becoming Superman and saving the world, dragging every nuclear missile into outer space to destroy them?"

"Or finding a few more girlfriends and passing down those powerful Superman genes of yours?"

"Come on, tell me. You don't look confused at all. You must have your own ideas. Satisfy your big brother's curiosity already!"

Tony coaxed him with "kindness."

"Anyway, if I had those abilities, I'd date ten cover girls in one night, then fly out of Earth and into the Solar System to see if there were any aliens. Better yet, maybe I'd run into some alien beauties!"

Leon could not help laughing. That really was something Tony would do.

"There probably aren't any beautiful aliens—just Facehuggers waiting for you."

He played along with the joke.

"I'm not quite like you. I don't really have that many ideas. I lived how I used to live, and I'll keep living that way in the future."

"Back then, I was the second young master of Stark Industries. Everywhere I went, people greeted me with smiles, and the whole world showed me kindness."

"Now I've become stronger, but that won't change any of that. I have absolutely no reason to do bad things, right?"

"Yes, very well said, kid." Tony nodded, his eyes full of the gratification of a parent seeing his child grow up.

Leon took a deep breath. "Tony, if you keep looking at me like that, I'll use the slippers Pepper just bought to beat your ass!"

"I'm only your younger brother. Stop always trying to treat me like your son, okay?"

Tony was unwilling to let that slide. "Leon, look at how sensitive you always are. Here, maybe clinking glasses will make you feel like you're already an adult."

"Listen to you. If someone like me isn't an adult, then are you?" Leon clinked glasses with Tony, but he did not fall for the trap in Tony's words.

He continued, "I wasn't finished just now."

"Although I don't plan to change my daily life, I'll also begin walking another path!"

"What path?" Tony splashed upright in the water.

"The path of pursuing greater strength." Leon drained the red wine in his glass.

"That's it? But you're already strong enough!"

Tony was utterly stunned.

"There's no Kryptonite in this world, and no one you can't beat. Why do you still want to become stronger?"

Leon smiled. "There isn't now, but there will be someday."

Tony neither agreed nor disagreed. "Then how do you plan to become stronger? Keep sunbathing?"

Leon shook his head.

"Of course I still need sunlight, but relying solely on sunbathing puts a limit on how far I can go!"

"So I plan to improve my strength from multiple angles!"

"I'll learn some magic, some qigong, and some scientific knowledge."

"Then, once I have enough knowledge, perhaps I'll be able to raise my body's limits through genetic research!"

The bright moon reflected in the water as Leon slowly clenched his fist beneath the surface.

"Genetic research? Super-Soldier Serum like Captain America's?" Tony had a bad feeling. "That stuff shouldn't work on you, right?"

"It really won't, but I want to study my own genes!"

Leon looked at Tony. "Kryptonian genes!"

Tony froze for quite a while, and his expression changed. "Are you sure you want to do this?"

"In the comics, everyone who studied Kryptonian genes ended up creating Doomsday!"

It was clear that Tony had indeed read quite a lot of DC Comics recently. He even knew about Doomsday.

"That was a Kryptonian biological weapon. It only knew slaughter and would only bring destruction to the world. Even Krypton itself couldn't control that power!"

Tony's expression turned grave. "This isn't an easy path, nor is it a broad road paved with success!"

"If Kryptonian genes were so easy to study, with all their Super-Brains, Kryptonians would have become gods long ago!"

"Leon, perhaps you should think it over again. You don't have to study genes. There are many ways to become stronger. I can search with you!"

Leon shook his head. "I'll try other methods, but I won't give up on improving my strength at its root through genetics."

Tony sank into the water with a headache and washed his face.

He now felt like a parent facing a rebellious teenage son, wanting to persuade him further but having no idea where to begin.

"How about this, Leon? Have you considered what would happen if something went wrong with the research and you became Doomsday?"

Tony guided him along. "We just said that no one on Earth could stop you. You could do whatever you wanted."

"And if you became Doomsday, what would happen to Earth?"

"Wouldn't destruction be its only possible ending?"

"You're being a little extreme right now, Leon!"

"Th-this..." Leon stared blankly at Tony and fell into thought.

In the original movies, Tony had actually been a rather aggressive person.

When it was time to forge ahead, he never backed down. When faced with major choices, he stuck to his decisions.

Like Ultron's birth, and the Avengers' civil war.

Part of the reason those events happened was because Tony's personality was too aggressive. Once he made up his mind, he never turned back.

And now, someone as aggressive as Tony was telling him that he was being a little extreme!

That forced Leon to start reflecting on whether he truly had become someone who disregarded the consequences for power.

"Alright, I admit it. Directly studying Kryptonian genes is indeed a little extreme."

After a long while, Leon slowly nodded, making Tony breathe a long sigh of relief.

But the next second, Leon changed course. "However, once I obtain some Kryptonite, I'll still begin this research!"

Tony's eyes widened. "Wait, Kryptonite? Our world has Kryptonite? Are you joking?"

"Of course our world doesn't." Leon gave Tony a strange look. "I mean going to the DC Universe and getting some Kryptonite."

Tony was completely confused. "Going to DC... No, no, are we about to start discussing what we dream about at night?"

"...I'm serious." Leon shook his empty wine glass.

"I have a feeling that my spacetime travel ability should allow me to travel to the DC Universe."

"So once I get Kryptonite, I'll leave it with you. If I really become Doomsday, you can take me out."

Tony directly ignored the latter half of Leon's words.

He was utterly bewildered. "Forget Kryptonite for now. Spacetime travel? You have that ability too? Could the DC Universe actually exist? Though theoretically, that really is possible..."

Leon's face darkened. "I remember telling you on my birthday that I awakened the Kryptonian Bloodline and spacetime travel abilities. You didn't believe either one?"

Actually, Tony had never believed that Leon had awakened the Kryptonian Bloodline.

He only thought Leon had undergone a genetic mutation that allowed him to grow stronger by absorbing sunlight.

It was only after Leon returned from space and displayed more and more abilities similar to Superman's that Tony finally believed it.

However, Leon's other ability—the travel ability he had mentioned from the very beginning—had long since been forgotten by Tony.