…
Pacific Ocean – Deep Sea Floor
The place where Leon's body had once sunk.
A flash of white light—
And Leon reappeared at the exact point of departure, wearing nothing but his Ultra-Elastic Fiber Undergarment.
The crushing pressure of the deep ocean instantly jolted him awake. He reacted on instinct—rocketing upward through the water, blasting apart the sea surface in a spray of towering waves before shooting straight into the sky.
Then—
"WHAT THE HELL?!"
"System—where's my Compound V?!"
Losing his clothes was whatever.
But the vials of Compound V in his pocket? Those were meant as a gift for Tony!
How was he supposed to explain this now?!
[Notice: During interdimensional travel, only the Host and System-produced items may pass safely. All other entities or objects are treated as foreign contaminants and eliminated.]
"Are you kidding me?!"
"Why didn't you tell me something that important earlier?!"
Now it made sense.
When he first crossed over, his clothes had vanished, leaving only the System-issued undergarment. He'd assumed it was some default "Soldier Boy Template" setting.
Turns out—
Everything non-System was purged during transit.
"…Great."
Leon did not possess the expertise to synthesize Compound V from scratch. And a normal souvenir? Tony wouldn't even glance at it.
After all, Leon had promised to bring back something Tony would absolutely love.
"Wait."
A thought struck him.
He hurriedly summoned Arcee from the System Storage Space.
"Yaaawn~"
"Leon? What is it?"
Even within the System Space—an infinite white void isolated from other inventory slots—Arcee retained full consciousness. Since there was no energy consumption or wear inside, she typically entered standby mode to pass the time.
Thus, upon materializing in Partner Mode, she let out a very human yawn.
"Arcee! Do you have the data on Compound V?!"
Leon asked urgently.
"Ah… yes, I archived it. But—"
"YES!"
"Arcee, you're a goddess!"
Overjoyed, Leon grabbed her by the shoulders and planted an overly enthusiastic kiss on her demonic-temptress-styled cheek—so forceful it dented slightly.
…
Meanwhile – The Marvel Universe
While Leon had been playing nuclear fireworks in The Boys' world—
Tony Stark was dying.
Palladium poisoning had progressed steadily. The Arc Reactor embedded in his chest was keeping him alive—but at a cost.
Blood toxicity: 53%.
Believing his time was limited—and unable to locate his mysteriously absent brother—Tony transferred operational control of Stark Industries to Pepper Potts.
Then, determined to enjoy whatever time he had left, he set out to squeeze joy from every remaining day.
If he could just hold on until Leon returned…
Tony was currently in Europe, attending a high-profile event at the Monaco racetrack. Officially, it was a celebrity gathering.
Unofficially?
He was here to race.
While Pepper Potts was deep in conversation with Elon Musk, discussing electric engines and future rocket launches, she suddenly caught sight of something horrifying on a wall-mounted television.
Tony—
Wearing full racing gear—
Walking toward an F1 car.
"Oh my God."
"Tony, what are you doing?!"
Cutting her conversation short, Pepper rushed out, dragging along Happy Hogan, who carried the sleek silver suitcase containing the Mark V Armor.
The broadcast was live.
Even Justin Hammer, CEO of Hammer Industries, was momentarily speechless while being interviewed by journalist Christine Everhart.
Driving an F1 car as a normal human?
That was suicide.
Hammer couldn't openly celebrate, but inwardly he was laughing himself sick.
He'd never dare touch Tony directly—
But mock him? That he could do all day.
Pepper hurried across the marble flooring in high heels, turning anxiously to her newly hired assistant.
"Natalie, did you know about this?"
"I only found out just now, Ms. Potts."
Natalie Rushman(Natasha Romanoff's alias)—
Better known as Natasha Romanoff, the Black Widow.
Her mission: assess Tony Stark's character and determine whether he truly possessed the moral fiber required of a hero.
Secondary objective: monitor his palladium poisoning and intervene medically if necessary. S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't afford Stark collapsing in public.
Her role mirrored Sharon Carter's former assignment with Leon—
Though Sharon had long since become overworked under Leon's relentless supervision.
Now, with Leon gone, S.H.I.E.L.D. had shifted its focus squarely onto Tony.
Pepper's voice trembled with frustration.
"Tony, you better not get yourself killed. Otherwise—"
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