It was 11:00 PM.
Leo Vance sat curled up in front of his computer, clutching a bucket of fast food.
*Iron Man* was playing on the screen.
He had lost count of how many times he had rewatched it.
Some people listened to music before bed.
Others scrolled through short videos.
His favorite pre-sleep ritual was looping Marvel movies like a continuous television series.
The reason was simple: safety.
Every time he watched, he knew exactly who was going to die.
No unexpected heartbreak.
…
On the screen, Tony Stark sat in the back of a military transport, munching on a burger with an annoyingly smug expression.
The soldier beside him looked on in pure admiration.
“Mr.
Stark, could I get a picture?”
Between bites, Tony smoothly signed a photograph of a missile.
Leo gnawed on a fried chicken drumstick and offered his commentary.
“Look at that classic capitalist face.
Other people sign posters; he signs missiles.
Anyone who didn’t know better would think he’s the official brand ambassador for arms dealing.”
A second later, on-screen Tony raised his glass.
Leo chimed in right on cue: “One minute left.
One minute until the fun ends.
Welcome to the Afghanistan nightmare dungeon.”
Sure enough, the scene shifted, and a missile trailing fire roared in from the distance.
Leo shook his head.
“Young man, remember this for the future: never smile too brightly at the start of a movie.
Directors love to make you laugh first, only to stab you right in the gut.”
He grabbed another piece of fried chicken and continued his critique.
“Obadiah, that old fox, can really act.
Best veteran actor in the whole MCU.
When he accepts an award, they ought to weld the villain trophy right to his hands.”
The scene progressed.
Leo sighed.
“Ho Yinsen was such a shame too.
If he had survived, Iron Man wouldn’t have been so lost later on.
In Marvel’s top ten most tragic figures, he definitely deserves a spot.”
Right at that moment, the computer screen went pitch-black.
*Snap.*
The entire display went dead.
Leo blinked.
“Power outage?”
He looked up.
The air conditioner was still blowing.
The lights were on.
The green lights on the router were blinking steadily.
Only the computer was black.
“Great.
Don’t tell me it blue-screened again.”
Just as he reached for the power button, a line of crimson text suddenly lit up in the center of the display:
[Would you like to experience the true world of superheroes?]
Leo stared.
“Huh?”
After two seconds of silence, he chuckled.
“Adware pop-ups have rituals now?
What’s next—asking me to recharge six bucks to unlock an Iron Man skin?”
There was no close button.
No back option.
Only two choices:
[Yes]
[No]
Leo stroked his chin.
“Interesting.
Let me guess.
If I click ‘Yes,’ does it redirect to some trashy web game?
‘Click here for the Dragon-Slaying Saber’?
Or make me download some ultra-fast browser?”
He sneered.
“Amateurs.
I’ve been surfing the web for over twenty years.”
With a click of the mouse, he selected:
[Yes].
The reason was simple: he wanted to see what kind of cheap trick it would pull.
The next instant, blinding white light erupted from the monitor.
“What the—”
Leo only managed half a curse before the entire room began to spin.
The desk.
The computer.
The ceiling.
Everything tumbled wildly, as if tossed into a front-loading washing machine.
Countless voices seemed to roar in his ears all at once.
*Bzzzz—*
A sensation like a heavy hammer slamming into his skull hit him, and his consciousness rapidly faded into darkness.
…
He didn’t know how much time had passed before he slowly opened his eyes.
The first sound he heard was not the hum of an air conditioner, but a conversation in English.
“Come on!”
“Haha!”
“Tony!”
Underneath it was the low rumble of a vehicle’s engine.
Leo’s first thought was: *Is the foreigner next door throwing a party?*
The next second, a cold bottle was thrust in front of him.
The hand holding it wore an expensive luxury watch, its fingers slender and well-kept.
The timepiece on that wrist was worth more than Leo’s entire life savings.
Leo followed the hand upward with his gaze.
Then, his entire body froze.
Burgundy suit.
Sunglasses.
An unmistakable, iconic goatee.
That face…
he had just seen it in a movie yesterday.
No.
To be precise, he had been watching it only moments ago.
Tony Stark.
A living, breathing Tony Stark.
Leo was speechless.
Tony took off his sunglasses and shook the water bottle.
“Buddy, you’ve been staring at me for thirty seconds.
I know I’m handsome, but keep looking like that and I’ll start wondering if you’re trying to jump ship to be my bodyguard.”
The surrounding soldiers burst into laughter.
Leo couldn’t muster even a hint of a smile.
He slowly turned his head.
A military Humvee.
A desert.
An American military convoy.
Desolate mountains in the distance.
The air was thick with grit and the stench of diesel fuel.
This scene…
was identical to the opening of the movie.
The corner of Leo’s mouth twitched slightly.
“Wait…
No way…”
He looked down at himself.
Unfamiliar clothes.
An unfamiliar body.
An unfamiliar environment.
He looked back at Tony, at the military vehicle, and at the desert.
Only one thought looped frantically through his mind:
*I transmigrated?*
*And…
directly into the opening scene of Iron Man 1?*
Leo took a deep breath, trying his best to stay calm.
Transmigrating wasn’t the terrifying part.
The truly terrifying part was that he knew exactly what was about to happen.
One minute.
In less than a minute, a missile would strike.
The vehicle would blow up.
Tony would be captured by the Ten Rings.
Ho Yinsen would appear.
The Mark I armor would be forged.
Thinking of this, Leo’s first reaction was not fear, but an instinctive glance at Tony, who was casually laughing beside him.
He sighed inwardly.
*Brother, you’re laughing happily now, but you won’t be in a minute.
And Ho Yinsen…
What a pity.*
At that exact moment, Leo noticed something.
On a distant hillside, a piercing flare of light ignited.
It looked like a shooting star, or perhaps a firework.
Anyone familiar with the movie knew that was no firework.
That was—a missile!
Leo’s pupils contracted violently.
*It’s here!
Wait, I’m not a viewer anymore!*
Almost simultaneously, Tony seemed to notice something as well, his smile fading.
*Boom!!!*
A deafening explosion ripped through the desert.
The shockwave instantly flipped the military vehicle into the air.
Flames erupted skyward, hurling shattered stone, twisted metal, and scorched earth in all directions.
Leo felt a crushing pressure slam into his chest as he was violently thrown, and his vision plunged into blackness once more.
Just before losing consciousness entirely, a cold, mechanical voice echoed faintly in his mind:
[Host detected…]
[God-Level Role-Play System, binding initiated…]