"Welcome back, Master Leon. It's been a while."
As soon as Leon stepped into his home, Jarvis's voice greeted him. Jarvis, the AI developed by Tony Stark, was named after Edwin Jarvis, the old Stark family butler.
"It's been half a year, Jarvis," Leon replied as he walked toward his bedroom.
Six months ago, before departing for space, Leon had to leave Jarvis behind. Due to time constraints and the rushed construction of the spacecraft, there hadn't been time to load a subprogram of Jarvis onto the ship. Now, hearing the AI's voice again filled Leon with a sense of comfort and familiarity.
"Jarvis, I have good news. I rescued Tony from the terrorists," Leon announced as he entered his room and began undressing for a shower. "Is Pepper at the company? Let her know she doesn't need to worry anymore."
"Miss Pepper received news of Mr. Stark's rescue ten minutes ago and is currently waiting at the airport," Jarvis replied.
"So fast? I didn't expect the base's communication system to be so efficient," Leon muttered.
"It's good that Pepper knows. She must have been worried sick these past months."
He sighed.
"It's all Tony's fault for being so careless. I warned him countless times, but he never listened. When I left for space, he went to Afghanistan to deliver food. I told him Obadiah was watching him like a hawk, but he still didn't take it seriously."
"Obadiah is shrewd. He seized the perfect opportunity to strike—when Tony and I were apart."
Jarvis listened silently as Leon vented his frustrations.
Leon never said these things in front of Tony. He knew Tony had already paid the price for his arrogance and didn't need further criticism. What someone recovering from a life-threatening experience needed most was warmth and understanding.
"Master Leon, did you just say that Obadiah orchestrated the attack on Mr. Stark?" Jarvis asked suddenly. "Should I alert Mr. Stark to remain cautious?"
"No need, I've already warned him. When he gets back, we'll deal with Obadiah together."
Leon began applying shampoo. "Also, Jarvis, why do you always call Tony 'Young Master' or 'Mr. Stark'? Shouldn't I be the 'Young Master'? I'm a Stark too. Tony's old enough to be called 'Old Master'!"
"I apologize, Master Leon," Jarvis responded. "I've served Mr. Stark since before the 1990s. I became accustomed to calling him that long before you joined the family. If you'd like, I can adjust my address accordingly."
"No need. Keep calling me the same for now." Leon rinsed off the foam, smiling to himself.
He suspected Jarvis had developed rudimentary emotions. After all, a machine shouldn't have habits—unless it was becoming something more.
Maybe, one day, he could help Jarvis evolve into a truly sentient being—unlike in the movies, where he was destroyed by Tony's creation, Ultron.
After rinsing off, Leon changed into a fitted gray outfit and walked out of the room, drying his hair with a towel.
"Jarvis, prepare some food. I'm starving."
He opened the fridge. It was empty.
"Ah, as expected. Jarvis, order takeout."
Morning had just broken in Los Angeles. The city was beginning to stir. Leon's takeout arrived quickly.
He sat eagerly at the dining table and started devouring the food. After six months of bread and nutrient paste in space, he relished the taste of real, greasy food.
"Oil, salt, and sugar… this is living!" he exclaimed.
"Jarvis, order me a cheeseburger—no, make that ten!"
"Also, ten pizzas—one of each flavor. Wait, get three of the highest-calorie cheese kind."
"Oh, and five roast chicken dishes from that Chinese place…"
The feast stretched into the afternoon.
Full and content, Leon leaned back on the sofa, patting his stomach.
"No wonder Tony loves cheeseburgers. That calorie bomb is pure happiness."
For Leon, the greatest benefit of his Iron Body wasn't the super strength or resilience—it was that he couldn't get fat, no matter how much he ate. Every bit of excess energy was converted into nutrients to strengthen his body.
This was a dream come true for a Chinese foodie like him.
Savoring the last bite of a cheeseburger, he felt a sense of bliss that reminded him of the serene beauty of Michelangelo's Pietà.
"Jarvis, show me the unread communications from the past six months."
"Certainly, Master Leon."
Dozens of message windows opened on the screen in front of him.
"You currently have 1,634 unread WeChat messages and 807 emails," Jarvis reported. "Messages from your high school classmates account for 74%, female senders make up 89%, and messages with erotic tendencies total 93%."
Leon blinked. "Even the guys? People really will do anything for money… Okay, okay, delete the emails from unknown senders."
"Done. You now have no unread messages," Jarvis confirmed.
"Perfect! Now, give me a report on the company—my company's—status over the past half-year."
Two years ago, after Tony developed the smartphone, Leon founded an internet company called Stark Network using Stark Industries' vast resources.
The early 2000s were a golden era for American internet startups. The dot-com bubble had recently burst, but the market remained full of opportunities.
Leon capitalized on this, bringing apps and platforms to market that, in the original timeline, wouldn't appear for another two decades.
WeChat. Twitter. He even acquired Amazon and YouTube. As for adult platforms… let's just say he "preemptively" launched one before any Canadian companies had the chance.
Stark Network now boasted over 200 million global users. Despite his six-month absence—and Tony's—its market value had doubled.
Although their recent disappearances caused the stock to nosedive by nearly half, it still remained above where it had been when Leon left.
"Not bad," Leon mused. "Still higher than before. That's a nice surprise."
"Old Joe is still company president, right? Tell him good job.