Ten minutes later.
"So, Tony, how does it feel to be leaving your temporary home for the past few months? Feeling a bit reluctant?"
León, with Tony and Yinsen in tow, hovered above the cave.
He joked, "This is the kind of unforgettable experience most people wouldn't have even once in a lifetime. Don't you want to talk about your feelings?"
Tony's hair was tousled by the wind. "You call this a wonderful experience? Damn it, León. If you weren't Superman now, I'd make sure you got the same 'wonderful' treatment when we got back."
"Alright, alright, you're clearly not in the mood. My bad. I'll shut up." León zipped his lips.
Yinsen spoke up at just the right time. "Um… Mr. León, may I ask, what do you plan to do with the base down there? Will you leave it to the Americans?"
Yinsen harbored no goodwill toward the U.S. government.
In his mind, their carelessness or complicity had allowed the terrorists to thrive.
Before León could respond, Tony spoke coldly, "Destroy it. Destroy all these… Stark weapons."
He stared grimly at the crates marked with the "Stark" logo. His expression was as cold and still as water.
"No problem," León replied, lifting them higher into the sky.
Once they were a safe distance away, he fired a pair of blazing heat rays from his eyes. They hit the explosives below, igniting them instantly.
Boom!
Explosions erupted across the base, one after another, a domino effect of destruction.
Flames spread rapidly, consuming everything. A mushroom cloud rose dozens of meters into the sky, dark smoke billowing outward.
In mere moments, the large terrorist compound had been reduced to a flaming memory.
"It's terrifying… but it's finally over," Yinsen murmured. The heat from the explosion scorched his cheeks.
"Yes, it's over," León said softly. "Your nightmare ends here."
"Next, I'll send you to the military base in Afghanistan."
"Tony has an old friend stationed there who can get you back to America safely."
León turned midair and started flying away from the burning ruins. "But I won't go with you. For now, it's better not to link my identity to these events."
Yinsen seemed to want to say something, but one glance at the ground far below made him bite his tongue.
Tony, whose expression had remained somber since the escape, suddenly paused.
He hesitated, then asked, "You said 'for now.' So… are you planning something later, León?"
León nodded. "Yes. There are things I've wanted to do for a long time, but I didn't have the strength before. Now I do."
His tone was calm and resolute. "When I return, I'll take the chance to show my power and deal with these matters."
"That way, even if my identity is eventually exposed, no one will dare act against me recklessly."
"Like even Superman has to deal with Lex Luthor constantly stirring up trouble. Me? I've only been sunbathing for half a year. I'm not invincible yet."
He knew full well that once the world caught wind of his abilities, every ambitious power would start circling like vultures.
Only by displaying overwhelming strength—and an iron will—could he keep them at bay.
Most people respect power more than they do principles. That much was clear.
"What, are you going to advise me not to make too much noise?" León asked, glancing sideways.
"No," Tony said quickly. "I just…"
He hesitated again, then let out a long breath and said awkwardly, "León, I… I want to say I'm sorry. For not listening to you when you told me to shut down Stark's weapons division."
Tony's voice was low, filled with deep regret.
It wasn't an apology for León's sake—it was for the countless people harmed by Stark-made weapons.
More than a year ago, when Stark Industries' electronics were flourishing worldwide, León had urged Tony to end the arms business.
Back then, Tony had dismissed him. He figured León was just an idealistic adult, inexperienced, too sentimental.
He brushed him off with a few casual words.
Now, that memory stung.
Tony felt nothing but overwhelming guilt and self-reproach.
"There's no need to apologize…" León looked slightly surprised, though not entirely.
He'd known Tony would eventually shut down the weapons division, but he hadn't expected a heartfelt apology.
God knows how rare that was.
Tony Stark didn't apologize.
Even when he messed up, he'd rather silently fix things or buy his way out than say the words.
But this time, it was different.
Clearly, this ordeal had changed him.
"The past is past," León said gently. "As the saying goes: better late than never."
"You can still make things right, Tony."
"And the small arc reactor you created—if you can make it widely available, it could become a revolutionary energy source."
"I truly believe the world will become a better place because of you. So yes, feel guilt—but don't let it chain you."
Tony listened quietly, unusually so. He didn't interrupt.
When León finished, Tony gave a wry smile. "Maybe you're right… Also, about Obie—"
"Obadiah's definitely got something going on," León interrupted. "But if I tell you now, you'll just hesitate. I'll wait for you in Los Angeles, and then we'll deal with him together."
Tony opened his mouth as if to argue, but stopped.
A part of him still clung to hope that Obadiah Stane, the man he'd called uncle for so long, wasn't truly corrupt.
But deep down, he knew.
So he just nodded quietly. "I'll listen to you."
León smirked.
Looked like this experience had earned him some serious say in Tony's decisions.
There's a saying: people can't teach people, but experiences can.
And it was absolutely true.
After a while, León descended with them into the desert.
"Alright, this is where I leave you. The military base is about eight kilometers ahead. Here—this is a flare gun. Fire it into the sky after I leave. Someone will come get you."
He handed Tony a flare gun, looted earlier from the terrorist base.
Just as he was preparing to fly off—
"Wait!" Tony shouted. "I forgot—make sure to bring my armor back! And the blueprints, if they weren't destroyed!"
"Son of a—Why didn't you mention that while we were still in the cave!?"
"I figured your hands were full and you couldn't carry more. That's why I'm saying it now."
"Tony, you got me good!"
León flipped him the finger and blasted off into the sky, breaking the sound barrier with a thunderous boom.
The two left on the ground stared up at the trail he left slicing through the clouds.
They looked at each other and shrugged.
"Won't your brother be discovered flying so close to a military base?" Yinsen asked.
Tony raised an eyebrow. "Brother? What brother? Wasn't that just some guy calling himself Superman who rescued us? We never saw what he really looked like."
Yinsen's eyes widened in realization. "Ah, I see… So that's how we escaped? That Superman fellow is really a kind-hearted person!"