Marvel: The Rise of Little Iron Man

The night breeze in Malibu, with the smell of the salty ocean, blew away the dry heat of the day.

On the terrace of the manor, the lights are bright, but there is no noise of the party in the past. A long table covered with white tablecloths, several exquisite meals, and three people sitting together.

Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, and Paul.

The swimming pool in the distance is sparkling, reflecting the stars in the sky.

"So, is this the 'surprise' you said?" Tony shook something in his hand, with a hint of his signature joke in his tone, but the smile in his eyes was very real.

That's a ceramic cup, which is simple and even a little clumsy. You can see the uneven traces left by fingerprints on the wall of the cup, and the color is also a little casual, blue and white, like a piece of sky in your hand.

"It took me three weekends to finish it." Pepper's cheeks were slightly red in the light, a little embarrassed, but more of an expectation, "I know you don't lack anything, so..."

Tony didn't say anything.

His slender fingers gently rubbed the cup.On the rough edge, the fingertips can clearly feel every force left by the producer when kneading the clay.

This thing is not perfect, and it can even be said to be ugly.

But it's very real.

It's warmer than any cold sports car in his garage, any set of sophisticated armor.

He remembered that in the cave, when Ethan handed him the bowl of unswallow paste, he was also using a worn-out pottery bowl.

The temperature of life always seems to be transmitted through this most rustic vessel.

"I like it very much." Tony raised his head and looked at Pepper with more serious eyes than ever. "I like it very much."

He picked up the champagne on the table, carefully poured half of it into the glass, and then lifted it up.

"To my forty-two-year-old bad life, and... the rest of my life after the robbery."

Pepper raised his glass with a smile, and the corners of his eyes and eyebrows were full of tenderness.

Paul also raised his juice cup, touched Tony's ceramic cup, and made a muffled sound.

"Dear old man, you are one year older and one step closer to receiving the pension."

"You bastard." Tony laughed and scolded, and drank the champagne in the glass in one gulp.

Putting down the cup, he looked at Paul and raised his eyebrows: "Ten me, what 'surprise' have you prepared for me? Don't tell me what kind of kidney deficiency diagnosis package is. My waist is very good now."

"Cut, vulgar." Paul curled his lips and snapped his fingers.

"Jarvis, set off fireworks."

As soon as the words fell, a dark, sci-fi helicopter hovered silently in mid-air over the manor. It has no loud noise from traditional helicopters, only a slight current buzzing sound.

The next second, dozens of launchers were opened at the bottom of the helicopter.

"Sing-sing-sing-sing-"

There was no deafening explosion, only a brilliant point of light rose to the night sky, and then "popped" and bloomed.

One, two, three...

Countless fireworks composed of light spots bloomed in the night, shining the entire Malibu beach as bright as day. They do not have the smell of smoke and sulfur of traditional fireworks, only pure light and shadow, building a dreamy visual feast.

What made Tony's eyes more condensed was the pattern of the fireworks in the air.

It's not a cheesy "happy birthday", nor a love.

It is an extremely complex mechanical structure diagram, from the cross-section of the Ark reactor, to the power skeleton of Paul-1 Armor, to the weapon mounting system of the war machine... A flash, and finally converged into a huge Iron Man avatar.

"How about it?" Paul was proud with the juice in his face, "Are these fireworks enough, Stark?"

Tony's eyes have been completely attracted by the helicopter.

"Quiet, efficient, multi-point delivery... Is this drone technology?" He muttered, with the light in his eyes flashing when the technology maniac saw his beloved toy, "No, no, its pneumatic layout is a helicopter, but what about the rotor blade... hidden?"

"It's called 'Tornado'." Paul introduced, "My birthday present."

"A gift?" Tony became interested, "So, it's not just a toy that can set off fireworks?"

Paul smiled mysteriously.

"Jarvis, mode change."

The "tornado" hovering in mid-air moved.

Its originally smooth fuselage suddenly cracked from it, and countless sophisticated mechanical components began to move, flip and reorganize.

"Click! Click! Click!"

The wings contracted, the head sank, and the thick robotic arms protruded on both sides. The rotor system folded into the back. The whole aircraft was quickly transformed from a helicopter into a nearly ten-meter-high humanoid mecha in the air in a dazzling way!

The mecha is dark, with strong lines and full of power. A blue energy lamp on the chest lights up, which is the same as Iron Man's Ark reactor.

"I'll go..."

An exclaim came from the side.

Rod didn't know when he walked to the terrace. He still had a glass of wine in his hand. At this moment, he stared at the huge thing in the sky in a daze, and his mouth was open enough to stuff an egg.

He had just finished processing some follow-up communications from the military in the distance, and as soon as he came over, he saw an unforgettable scene.

"What the hell is this? Transformers?" Rod's voice is trembling.

He remembered the scene a few days ago when Paul used that small cylinder to instantly turn a hundred-year-old oak tree into powder.

And now, this metal creation, which is bigger than an oak tree, is suspended above their heads.

"It's cool, isn't it?" Paul to Rod'sThe response is very satisfactory, "using memory metal and modular structure, it can quickly switch between helicopter form and combat form. The helicopter form is used for high-speed cruising and infiltration, and the combat form... Well, it is used for reasoning.

Tony's eyes were about to stick. He completely ignored Rod's shock and muttered quickly:

"How is the energy utilization rate made? Is the strength of the deformed joints sufficient? Is the control system independent or connected to Jarvis? Wait, what about its weapon system? I didn't see the obvious weapon mounting point..."

Like a curious baby, he asked a series of questions.

Paul just smiled and didn't answer.

Some things need to be discovered by himself to have fun.

The "Tornado" made a few flexible tactical actions in the air, then transformed again into a helicopter, and quietly flew to the apron behind the manor.

On the terrace, there was a strange silence.

Rod was still digesting the picture he had just seen. He felt that his worldview had been repeatedly crushed tonight. The father and son of the Stark family are simply walking humanoid natural disasters.

Pepper smiled helplessly. She was used to it. For her, as long as these two men don't demolish the house, it's not surprising that they can build anything.

And Tony, the excitement and excitement on his face slowly faded away, replaced by a complex contemplation.

He looked at Paul, the teenager who nominally was his son.

From the strangeness and alienation at the beginning, to the later cooperation and competition, to the tacit understanding and... dependence now.

He once thought that he was the center of the world and the pinnace of science and technology.

But now, he found that there was a brighter sun beside him than him.

Instead of being jealous of this, he felt unprecedented peace of mind and pride.

Maybe this is the father's feeling?

Tony suddenly felt a little funny. He saved the world, leveled the military, solved the palladium poisoning crisis, and even redefined clean energy, but it was not until today that he began to understand the meaning of the word "father".

He turned around and leaned back on the railing, looking at the night sky and the sea in the distance.

The waves beat tirelessly on the beach, making a monotonous and eternal sound.

"Paul." He suddenly opened his mouth, his voice was not loud, but it was clear.

"Hmm?"

"I want to... celebrate my birthday again."

As soon as this was said, Pepper and Rod were stunned.

Paul also raised his eyebrows and waited for his next step.

"My birthday shouldn't be today." Tony's eyes were deep, as if he had penetrated the night and saw the Afghan cave that he could never forget. "That Tony Stark, that arms dealer, that playboy, he has died in the cave."

He paused, with a trace of relief and newness in his voice.

"I really came back to life on the day I escaped from the Ten Precepts Gang."

"So, my birthday should be that day."

His voice was calm, but the power contained in his words shocked everyone present.

This is not a whim, nor a joke.

This is a declaration.

A declaration that is completely cut off from the past self.

Pepper's eyes were full of tears. She stepped forward and gently hugged Tony from behind. She knew that the man finally let go of the heaviest burden in her heart.

Rod looked emotional. He patted Tony on the shoulder, and everything was silent.

Only Paul looked at Tony's back with complicated eyes.

He knew that Tony Stark was completing the most important transformation on his heroic road.

After this transformation, he will no longer just help himself, no longer just to make up. He will really fight for protection.

"Ohay." Paul raised the juice and smiled at the corner of his mouth. "Then we will be able to receive two gifts every year from now on. It's not a loss."

The easy teasing dissolved the slightly heavy emotions in the air.

Tony also smiled. He turned around and rubbed Paul's hair.

"You little money fan."

He looked at the slow dissipation of the last fireworks in the night sky, which was the pattern of an ark reactor composed of countless light dots.

An unprecedented firmness flashed in his eyes.

Maybe it's time.

It's time to really do something crazy for the world.

Not just make a few "shields", but...

To truly create the "sun" that belongs to human beings.