After asking his question, Tony grew slightly uneasy, afraid Leon might take offense. He quickly tried to defuse the tension with a joke.
"For example, are you really planning to become a Superman—like literally save the world, dragging all the nukes into space and blowing them up?"
"Or maybe… find a few more girlfriends to pass on those powerful Superman genes of yours?"
"Come on, don't act like you're clueless. You definitely have your own plans. Stop teasing me and just tell me already, old brother!"
Tony coaxed him in a "friendly" tone.
"If I had your powers, I'd probably date ten cover models in one night, then shoot out of Earth's orbit and see if there are any alien babes in the solar system. Hopefully some hot ones too!"
Leon chuckled. That was exactly something Tony would say.
"I'm afraid you'd only find Xenomorph facehuggers waiting for you out there—not exactly the 'alien beauties' you imagined."
He joined in the joke.
"I'm not like you, though. I don't really have that many wild ideas. I've lived a certain way all my life, and I plan to keep living like that."
"Before this, I was the second young master of the Stark Group. Wherever I went, people smiled at me. The world treated me kindly."
"Now that I'm stronger, those things don't change. There's no reason for me to go bad, don't you think?"
Tony nodded, visibly satisfied. "Well said, my child."
Leon took a deep breath and warned, "Tony, if you look at me like that again, I swear I'll whack your butt with the slippers Pepper just bought."
"I'm your brother. Stop treating me like your son, alright?"
Tony looked wronged. "Leon, you're too sensitive. Come on, how about a toast? Maybe that'll make you feel like an adult."
Leon clinked his glass but didn't fall for the bait. "If I'm not an adult now, are you?"
He smirked and took a sip.
"But I haven't finished what I wanted to say."
"Although I don't plan to change my daily life drastically, I'm also preparing to set foot on a new path."
Tony straightened up in the water with a splash. "What kind of path?"
"The path of becoming stronger." Leon finished his wine in one gulp.
"That's it? But you're already insanely strong!" Tony was shocked.
"There's no Kryptonite in this world. No one can beat you. Why keep pushing?"
Leon smiled. "There isn't any Kryptonite now—but who knows what might appear in the future?"
Tony shrugged. "So, what's your plan? Keep soaking in sunlight?"
Leon shook his head.
"Of course I'll continue basking in the sun. But relying on that alone has its limits."
"I'm planning to improve from multiple angles."
"I want to learn magic. Then study Qi Gong. Then dive into science."
"And eventually, when I've gathered enough knowledge, maybe I can study my own genes and enhance myself even further."
The moonlight shimmered on the water's surface. Leon clenched his fist beneath the ripples.
"Study your genes? Like the Super Soldier Serum that made Captain America?" Tony frowned. "That stuff shouldn't do anything for you, right?"
"It's not about that serum. I want to study my genes."
Leon looked at Tony with determination.
"The genes of a Kryptonian."
Tony's eyes widened. His face stiffened.
"Are you sure about this?"
"You realize that everyone who studied Kryptonian genes in the comics… ended up creating Doomsday."
It was obvious Tony had recently read a lot of DC comics—he even knew about Doomsday.
"That's a Kryptonian bioweapon. All it does is destroy. Krypton itself couldn't even control it!"
Tony's tone turned serious.
"This path you're considering isn't easy. It's not broad or safe."
"If Kryptonian genes were that easy to master, their geniuses would've turned every Kryptonian into gods long ago!"
"Leon, maybe you should reconsider. You don't have to go down the genetic route. There are many other ways to get stronger. I'll help you find them!"
Leon shook his head.
"I'll try other approaches too, but I won't give up on genetics. I believe the real limit-break lies there."
Tony dunked himself underwater, then came back up, rubbing his face with both hands, looking exhausted.
Now he seemed like a parent trying to reason with a rebellious teenager—full of worries but not sure where to begin.
"Leon, have you thought about what could happen if your experiments go wrong? What if you do turn into Doomsday?"
Tony's voice turned more earnest.
"You said it yourself—no one on Earth can stop you."
"If something goes wrong, and you lose control… then what?"
"You'd become the world's greatest threat. Earth might not survive it."
"You're being a bit extreme here, Leon."
Leon stared at Tony, falling into deep thought.
In the movies, Tony Stark was always the aggressive, decisive one.
He never backed down when he felt he was right. Whether it was creating Ultron or siding in the Avengers' Civil War—his choices were bold, and his resolve unwavering.
Yet here he was, the one warning Leon about being too extreme.
That contradiction hit hard.
"Okay, I admit it. Jumping straight into Kryptonian gene research is a little extreme."
After a long silence, Leon nodded slowly, and Tony breathed a visible sigh of relief.
But then Leon added calmly:
"However, once I get some Kryptonite, I'll start the research anyway."
Tony nearly dropped his glass. "Wait—Kryptonite?!"
"You're joking, right? There's no Kryptonite in our world!"
"Of course not." Leon looked at him like it was obvious. "That's why I'll go to the DC Universe to get it."
Tony was stunned. "To DC—wait, are we about to start dreaming now?"
"I'm serious." Leon gently shook his empty glass.
"I've got a hunch. My time-travel ability should let me enter the DC Universe."
"So once I get Kryptonite, I'll give it to you."
"If I ever become Doomsday, you'll know what to do."
Tony ignored the last part entirely.
"Hold on—time travel? You can actually travel to different worlds? And the DC Universe actually exists?"
"Well… theoretically it could exist, I guess…"
Leon frowned. "I did tell you on my birthday that I awakened the Kryptonian bloodline and time-travel ability."
"So you didn't believe either?"
In truth, Tony never really believed Leon had "awakened Kryptonian blood."
He just figured Leon's power came from some rare mutation that let him absorb solar energy.
Only after Leon came back from space—displaying more and more Superman-like powers—did Tony start to take it seriously.
But the whole time travel thing? Tony had completely forgotten about that.
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