On his eighteenth birthday, Leon rolled over in bed and accidentally collapsed the edge of it.
Everything in the house seemed fragile, breaking with the slightest touch and cracking at a mere brush.
It felt as if, overnight, he had entered a world made of hydrogen, where every brick and tile was as thin as paper.
When Tony heard the noise, he kept exclaiming, "Oh my God!" amid the mess. He abandoned his plans for a birthday party and quickly gave Leon a full-body check-up.
The force was thirty tons, the speed was one hundred meters per second, and the body was invulnerable to swords!
Everything had changed overnight!
And the changes didn't stop there.
Leon could feel himself growing stronger in the sunlight.
Tony confirmed through research that Leon's cells would remain active, showing rapid improvement with continued exposure to sunlight.
"This is simply Superman!" Tony exclaimed in astonishment. "I wouldn't be surprised if you used a heat ray tomorrow."
Leon paused, then suddenly understood the changes in himself and nodded. "Tony, you're right—I'm really a superman now!"
A clear message appeared in his mind.
—At eighteen, Leon's adulthood unlocked abilities from his original world: the Kryptonian bloodline awakened, along with the ability to travel through time and space!
No need to elaborate on the Kryptonian bloodline, the iconic race from the DC universe known for growing stronger in the sun.
Unfortunately, it seemed Leon had only the blood of an ordinary Kryptonian.
Simply basking in the sun would likely never reach the levels of Silver or Gold Krypton.
The time and space travel ability was as described: as long as he had enough energy reserves, he could travel through different times and dimensions.
Whether it would allow him to travel within the Marvel Universe—or escape it for a broader universe—remained to be seen.
But, in any case, his golden finger had finally arrived!
Leon's joy was overwhelming, and he embraced Tony, cheering.
Unfortunately, Tony promptly broke two ribs and his shoulder blade in the process, earning a trip to the operating room that day.
That night, Leon stayed by Tony's side, regretting his carelessness and wondering how his golden finger could still deliver on time according to adult timing.
He'd wasted eighteen years of his life!
Had he awakened his bloodline and basked in the sun as a child, maybe he could've done anything by now.
Perhaps, when he was one year old, during the assassination of Howard and his wife by Bucky, he could've used that moment to strike back!
Could it be that Gold Finger had rules preventing minors from becoming overpowered?
But, having lived more than twenty years in his previous life, how was he still considered a minor now?
Leon was puzzled.
Three months later, after consulting Tony, Leon applied for three years of delayed university admission.
He boarded a spacecraft built by Tony and flew into deep space.
The spacecraft orbited between Earth and the sun.
Here, there was no day or night—only sunlight, minute by minute, second by second.
Half a year passed.
One hundred and eighty days.
Leon tethered himself to a titanium plate, facing the sun's rays the entire time.
He could feel the surging power coursing through his body, building waves with every heartbeat.
Even his breath carried the force of a mighty wind and thunder!
"The original plan was to bask in the sun for two and a half years, just before the Chitauri invasion. That way, I should have enough strength to protect myself."
He clenched his fists. "But now, even if it's only half a year, it's still too late. That's enough!"
Leon spoke cautiously.
More than a decade of anxious experiences under the watchful eye of the Space-Time Administration had instilled in him a fear of being underpowered.
Whenever he left, he wished he could hire a squad, armed with machine guns and bazookas.
After the Kryptonian bloodline awakened, he had the potential to seek out power.
He even considered diving into the sun, sleeping for ten or eight years, and emerging stronger.
Now, he wasn't seeking truth but pursuing power, like an ascetic monk, ever diligent.
"Become stronger! Keep getting stronger! Become stronger than everyone else!"
More than ten years of anxiety had built an intense desire for power in Leon's heart.
"No, it's not enough. It's far from enough!" Leon denied the complacency that had briefly surfaced in his mind.
His marble-like muscles knotted as he clenched his fists tightly. "I've only been in the sun for half a year, and I'm already feeling complacent. Damn it!"
"The power of a Kryptonian isn't enough. I only have the blood of an ordinary Kryptonian. There's a limit to how much the sun can give me!"
To grow stronger, he wouldn't settle for just Kryptonian blood. "My next step is to find other sources of power besides sunbathing!"
"Magic, technology, martial arts—whatever I can find on Earth, I'll try it all!"
After six months of exposure, Leon had unlocked all the powers of Superman, the Man of Steel.
Heat vision, freezing breath, bio-fields… and even a super brain!
With his super brain, Leon now learned at an unprecedented speed.
Reading books or acquiring skills was like copying data from an electronic disk.
From now on, his only limit was the speed at which knowledge could be input—understanding and mastery would be instantaneous.
Leon could now proudly say: "The speed at which language transmits knowledge is like a snail crawling on the ground!"
"But before that..." Leon tilted his head, casting a thoughtful gaze towards Earth.
His ears perked, and his sight shifted toward Tony's location. Passing through barriers—walls, atmosphere, dust—nothing but lead could block his view.
In less than a second, he saw Tony, currently resting in a cave in the Afghan desert.
"Obadiah, Bucky, Hydra... it's time to put these things to rest."
After eighteen years of being submissive, his blood awakened. The dust had cleared, and the light was born. Now, he knew who he truly was.
With strength came confidence.
Though he knew deep down that his power still wasn't enough, Leon was now certain that he was capable of doing "small things" on Earth.
"Tony, I'm here to save you." Leon whispered softly.
He casually grabbed a floating pair of pants, dressed, and then floated forward, gently pushing his hand ahead.
Everything was silent in the vacuum.
Without a sound, the spacecraft's hatch—unbreakable by even the most massive forces—slowly opened like a thin black dress, drifting away into the vast universe.
Leon lowered his head, stepping out of the cabin.
He stood between the Earth and the Sun.
Golden sunlight bathed him.
The Earth lay below, blue and serene.
He looked up at the Sun and down at the Earth, as if a god capable of holding the world in his hands.
But Leon knew it was all an illusion.
He still had a long way to go.
Suppressing the rising passion in his heart, he leaned forward, paused for a moment, then broke through the air in an instant, heading straight for Earth.
...
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