Crossing the portal, Lin Feng returned to familiar surroundings.
His first villa in life was a gift from the magnate Tony Stark.
The crescent moon hung high in the sky. Glancing at his watch, it was already past midnight.
There were no lights in the villa. Lin Feng assumed Susan had already fallen asleep, but he couldn't hear any breathing or heartbeat.
Lin Feng's hearing was incredibly acute. With not a single sound in the villa, he deduced that Susan and Wanda were likely not present.
He opened the villa with his key and stepped inside.
"Susan! Susan?"
Lin Feng called out casually, receiving no response.
Indeed, neither of them were home.
Lin Feng shrugged and went to the kitchen to fix himself a drink.
He wasn't worried about Susan's absence. At this stage, there was nothing on Earth that could threaten Superman.
Besides, Susan had his life-saving trinkets, which practically eliminated any possibility of an accident.
Pouring himself a cup of hot cocoa, Lin Feng sat on the sofa and leisurely sipped it.
He didn't suffer from any delusions of persecution, constantly imagining accidents befalling his girlfriend.
However, Lin Feng was a bit curious about where they had gone.
After some thought, Lin Feng abandoned the idea of calling and instead extended his super hearing to cover the entire Earth.
Soon, Lin Feng located Susan and Wanda.
He could hear them giggling and playing, along with the sound of waves crashing on the shore and the calls of seagulls.
Hmm?
Lin Feng sat up straighter, closed his eyes, and a scene materialized before him.
Good heavens, seeing the scene clearly, Lin Feng felt a surge of blood rush to his head.
Sunlight, clear azure waters, seagulls soaring across the sky, and on the golden beach below, two magnificent figures were playing and frolicking.
"Mmm..." Lin Feng felt a warmth in his nose.
Still in bikinis!
Fortunately, he was Superman. A normal person would probably be bleeding from the nose by now!
That's right, Susan and Wanda had gone on vacation to the Maldives, the same place they had visited with Lin Feng!
It was the same familiar villa by the sea. Susan had booked the entire beach area and was happily playing with Wanda.
It was already past midnight in New York, but due to the time difference, it was still morning in the Maldives.
Lin Feng's mouth felt dry, and he felt an urge to immediately open a portal and go help the two apply sunscreen.
But after a moment's thought, he decided against it. Let them enjoy themselves.
With Wanda there, his presence might be a bit awkward.
Rubbing his nose, Lin Feng withdrew his power, no longer looking at the stimulating scene.
Knowing Susan was on vacation, Lin Feng stopped worrying about her.
Subconsciously, Lin Feng refocused his super hearing on Tony, wanting to know how the development of his nanotech suit was progressing.
After all, he had been away from the main universe for almost half a year.
Then, Lin Feng was surprised to discover that it was past midnight, and Tony was still awake.
He was in his workshop, wearing the Mark 85, sitting at his computer, researching something.
The suit only covered Tony's body; his large head was still exposed.
Multiple thumb-thick data cables were connected to the surface of the nanotech suit, seemingly transmitting data.
After some thought, Lin Feng left his home and flew towards Tony's villa.
For a Silver Superman, sleep was almost unnecessary, and Lin Feng didn't feel tired.
Furthermore, after seeing such a stimulating scene, Lin Feng doubted he'd be able to sleep anytime soon.
The night was long, and he had no desire for sleep.
"Sir, Mr. Lin Feng has arrived!"
The loyal Jarvis announced.
"Hmm?" Tony's eyebrows shot up, and he looked up to see Lin Feng walking in.
He had set up permissions for Lin Feng, allowing him to move freely throughout his villa.
Unbeknownst to himself, Stark had already come to regard Lin Feng as a close friend.
"Oh! Look who's back!" Tony said with feigned exaggeration.
"I envy you! A six-month vacation!" As he spoke, Tony tapped on his keyboard, automating the data transfer.
"Ah... there was a slight accident, and I returned a bit late," Lin Feng replied nonchalantly.
"And I wasn't on vacation, I was saving the world!"
Tony rolled his eyes, clearly not believing Lin Feng's words.
"Why aren't you with your little girlfriend at this late hour? Why come looking for me?"
"Susan and Wanda went on vacation! I just got back from out of town," Lin Feng told him the truth.
"Seeing you awake, I thought I'd come check on you."
"Hmm?" Tony's initial confusion turned into a knowing smile. "Wanda? Is that your new girlfriend?"
Lin Feng grinned. "Not yet..."
Mmm~~ Tony's smile held a significant implication.
The smile made Lin Feng feel antsy, so he quickly changed the subject.
"Let's not talk about that. Tell me about your suit. How's the development going?"
Hearing Lin Feng mention this, Tony perked up.
"Many breakthrough advancements! Although some formulas can be applied, there are still some compatibility aspects that need adjustment."
As he spoke, Tony pulled up a plethora of data to show Lin Feng.
"I don't understand any of that. Just tell me if you've made it or not..." Lin Feng rolled his eyes, feigning incomprehension.
In reality, it would be simple for Lin Feng to understand; after all, Superman's super-brain wasn't just for show. But Lin Feng was simply too lazy to bother.
He had no intention of ascending to mechanical godhood.
"Ahem..." Tony said sheepishly. "I've made a prototype. It only has 65% of the performance of the one you gave me."
"Do you want to see the prototype?"
Tony disconnected himself from the wires, and nanobots surged towards his chest.
He took out a prototype and prepared to demonstrate it to Lin Feng.
"Hmm?" Seeing Tony's suit recede, Lin Feng suddenly noticed something amiss.
"Tony, haven't you removed your arc reactor?"
Looking at the familiar arc reactor on Tony's chest, Lin Feng asked instinctively.
Seeing Tony's puzzled look, Lin Feng explained, "I mean, haven't you scheduled an appointment with a doctor to fix that big hole in your chest?"
In his memory, after the events of Iron Man 3, Tony should have contacted medical institutions in the East and surgically removed the shrapnel from his body, healing that cavity.
Yet, now, the arc reactor was still implanted in Tony's chest.
"Hmm? How did you know I made a doctor's appointment?" Tony asked, confused.
Lin Feng waved his hand. "Don't mind that. Since you made an appointment, why didn't you have the surgery?"
Hearing this, Tony's breathing became heavier. He then sighed and glanced hesitantly at the computer screen in front of him, which displayed the smiling face of his future daughter, Morgan.
"I was supposed to have the surgery, but I hesitated..." Tony subconsciously touched his chest.
"I want to live to see her. I don't want to gamble on that 1% chance..."
Tony's tone was melancholic, laced with worry.
Lin Feng nodded, he understood.
Tony was afraid that if the surgery failed, he would die and never get to see Morgan.
Tony didn't know that his future self had successfully undergone the surgery, and Lin Feng hadn't told him.
Indeed, knowing the future could inevitably lead to some changes, but most of the time, things would still return to the right track.
A thought flashed through Lin Feng's mind. He remembered the "souvenir" he had brought back.
"Tony."
"What if there was something like a parasite that could make your brain even smarter, grant you Hulk-like strength, and most importantly, cause you no harm and even heal the wound in your chest? Would you want it?"