John Li used ordinary metals to reinforce the steel bars up to 34% over these three months.
With the increasing strengthening, the change in body weight was noticeably felt. Despite being only 1.2 meters tall, John had gained 40 kilograms.
He also noticed a faster gastrointestinal digestion speed; his stomach seemed to upgrade from a small boiler to a smelting furnace, converting any food quickly into energy.
Therefore, John ate a box of snacks almost every day to maintain his body's energy consumption.
Glancing at today's date, he muttered, "Time should be almost up!"
...
Tony walked out of the cave wearing his armor. A large group of people had already gathered outside, a dozen rifles aimed at the cave entrance, ready to greet him.
The massive steel figure emerged. Before he could move, it was showered with hundreds of bullets. The impact of the bullets momentarily immobilized Tony.
After the volley ceased, Tony, unscathed, raised his hands and activated the flamethrower.
Two pillars of fire erupted, igniting the fuel-soaked surroundings, incinerating everything and everyone except for those screaming in agony. Stark's improvised industrial missiles added to the chaos.
As the flames spread and the temperature soared, the surrounding area quickly turned into a blazing inferno, reducing everyone inside to ashes. Only distant enemies remained with any capacity to resist.
Two hundred meters away, a heavy machine gun fired relentlessly at Tony, each bullet's impact making his movements more challenging.
Simultaneously, gunfire damaged the exposed conveyor belt on his leg, immobilizing his right leg.
The temperature continued to rise. Ammunition and equipment explosions triggered further blasts. Even nearby small missiles became increasingly unstable.
Realizing the time was nearly up, Tony activated the final escape equipment: an ejector and engine salvaged from a small rocket.
Just as Tony soared out of the valley, a massive explosion rocked the canyon, detonating all the ammunition.
The force propelled Tony farther away, pushing Mark One forward.
Exhausted of fuel, Mark One lost power mid-air, free-falling and crashing into the desert.
Tony struggled to remove his mask, blood in his mouth and scratches on his neck. Weakly, he stared at the sun he hadn't seen in two months.
"Not bad."
He forced himself to stand, assessing the direction, and swiftly departed.
Four hours later, Tony, exhausted and dehydrated in the 40-degree heat, had lost track of time and distance. His right arm was severely injured, blood flowing freely.
As he ran, Tony replayed Yinsen's final words in his mind, serving as his motivation to keep moving forward.
After an unknown distance, Tony's mind cleared, focused on his understanding of war and peace.
Across successive sand dunes, the sun began to set.
Traversing another dune, Tony was slow to react when two helicopters flew overhead.
"Hey!"
Waving his left hand, he shouted.
One of the helicopters was military, likely sent to find him.
Tony, nearing collapse, sank to his knees on the yellow sand, raising his hand weakly in surrender.
He recalled a photo taken with the soldier who had died protecting him in a jeep, saying, "Peace. I love peace. If it's peace, I don't work."
Now, the sentiment echoed in his heart, "I love peace."
Colonel Rhodes, who had been searching the desert tirelessly for the past three months, rushed forward and embraced Tony. "Next time, we ride together, okay?"
Tony melted into Rhodes's embrace, smiling contentedly.
...
Pepper received the news, covering her mouth as tears of relief and joy flowed freely. She leaned weakly against her desk and wept.
She had been under immense pressure, but finally, Tony was coming home.
On May 4, 2008, a military transport plane descended upon a US military base.
Pepper and Happy had been waiting anxiously.
As the hatch opened, Pepper's swollen, teary eyes fixed on the figure sitting in a wheelchair.
Supported by Rod, Tony, wounded and with scars on his face, descended slowly.
Pepper smiled through tears. From the depths of her being, she had never missed anyone more.
"Your eyes are red. Worried about your missing boss?"
"Relieved. I'll finally have a job again!"
"Yeah, the vacation's over!" Tony reaffirmed his original intentions.
Happy opened the car door, and Tony Stark climbed in.
"Where to, sir?"
"To the hospital!" Pepper insisted.
"No hospitals. I'm done with that," Tony retorted, staring at Pepper.
"Locked up for three months. Right now, I just want three things: a cheeseburger and..."
Pepper cut in, "Always so hungry!"
"It's not what you think. I want to hold a press conference!"
"A press conference? Why?"
"There's a fourth thing, Pepper. Help me find that kid in Asia. Happy's seen him! Alright, Happy, drive. Cheeseburger first."
The car set off slowly, leaving Pepper still puzzled. "A kid? What kid?"
...
Today was another quiet weekend. Jenny worked late, Uncle George had errands, and Aunt May took Peter to the amusement park.
"John, how did you know Tony Stark was back? I just found out they're preparing for a press conference somewhere!"
John's phone buzzed with a message from his friend.
"Send me the location. I promise to model it for you first!"
With that, John grabbed his small backpack and headed out.
Hailing a taxi, he instructed, "Hurry to this location, it's urgent!"