Marvel: The Alchemist Just Wants a Peaceful Life...

However, Tony's relief didn't last long before turning into panic. It was actually quite simple; although his posture was a bit awkward, at least the thrusters under his feet were still pushing him forward.

But after a few loud bangs, the thrusters beneath his feet suddenly stopped firing!

The moment he lost power, Tony truly panicked. The heavy steel giant thrashed about in mid-air like a drowning fish, but it couldn't resist the immense force of gravity and crashed heavily to the ground.

The poorly made armor, by a twist of fate, became Tony's greatest lifesaver, as its crude construction allowed it to absorb almost all the impact of the fall.

Although the weapon still managed to throw Tony away after it was torn to pieces, compared to the normal outcome of being smashed to pieces, Tony was fortunate enough to only sprain his arm.

If there's anything amiss, it's probably that the 'locator ring' Tony had been keeping in his mouth was accidentally swallowed by him in the chaos.

Lying on the scorching sand, Tony hoped that even if the ring was still inside his stomach, it would still work. Having not eaten or drunk anything for a long time, Tony really didn't want to move anymore, so he just lay there idly, waiting for Sherlock and the others to come looking for him.

Under the sun's rays, Tony soon closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, as the past month had been incredibly tiring for him.

However, just as Tony was drifting off to sleep, the aroma of a cheeseburger, like a robber, kicked open Tony's nostrils and brazenly barged into his brain, making Tony almost instinctively open his mouth to take a bite, but unfortunately, he bit into nothing.

Just as Tony was getting angry, he heard a strangely familiar yet gloating voice in his ear.

"See? I told you this trick works!"

Tony struggled to open his eyes, and the scene before him even made him wonder if he was hallucinating.

In front of him stood a Raptor pickup truck, its elaborate patterns and gleaming paint clearly not something one would expect in this desert.

Inside the car, Sherlock was dressed in clean beach clothes, wearing sunglasses, and holding a fishing rod with a cheeseburger tied to the fishing line, dangling in front of him.

His young face was full of mischievous grins, like a little fox who had successfully pulled off a prank.

Meanwhile, in the driver's seat, the man named Zhao Weike was also dressed in beach clothes, wearing sunglasses, with his hands on the steering wheel, laughing so hard he was slapping his thigh as he watched Sherlock hook up with Tony.

Meanwhile, in the back of the raptor, Ethan, who had been neatly and cleaned up, was also riding in the back of the vehicle, looking at him with a smile.

Compared to the Ethan she knew, this Ethan was incredibly clean, and the smile on his face was much purer, as if he had regained his respectable identity as a doctor before he was arrested.

What truly made Tony believe he was hallucinating was that, in the back seat of the Raptor, he vaguely saw a woman watching the children's childish antics with a helpless expression.

On the car window closest to him, a distinctly different anime-style creature was peeking out, looking at him with a curious expression.

"A hallucination? It's not so bad."

In a daze, Tony mumbled something to himself and was about to close his eyes again when his lips touched something. The strong aroma of oil and the intense taste of cheese made Tony instinctively open his mouth and bite into it.

The instant Tony bit down, he felt his head being lifted up by a force, while the so-called 'hallucination' burst into even louder laughter!

"I caught it! I caught it! I'm the first man in the world to catch a fish named Tony Stark in the desert!"

As the familiar voice appeared, the laughter reached a new level. Both the force transmitted through the fishing line and the unique taste of the cheeseburger in his mouth clearly told Tony that this was not an illusion!

Tony suddenly opened his eyes and looked at the Raptor in front of him in disbelief. Almost instinctively, he sat up, pulled the cheeseburger off the fishing line, and ate it while watching the scene in front of him that he couldn't describe.

"Sherlock, stop playing around. Let Tony clean up properly, and then we need to get out of this godforsaken place as soon as possible. I'm already starting to miss the civilization of human society."

The woman sitting in the back seat said somewhat helplessly to the three men who were laughing very happily.

"Doro wants to go home too!"

The anime-like creature chimed in, which made Sherlock stop his playful antics, open the car door, get out, and walk up to Tony, saying something to him.

"Come on, our womanizer, get in the car so I can take you back and explain!"

Hearing Sherlock's words, Tony, who had just finished eating a cheeseburger, finally came to his senses. He smiled and looked in Sherlock's direction, saying to him.

"I'm going to stay in the back room with Ethan. Damn it, I've never missed the damn sun as much as I do now!"

Sherlock pursed his lips at Tony's request, rolled his eyes, and complained irritably.

"Well, another one who's gone insane from being locked up!"

Just as Sherlock was about to move Tony to the back compartment, Ethan's voice rang out.

"Sherlock, I think you should make Tony take a good shower and clean himself up. My god, this smell is really unbearable!"

Ethan practically covered his nose as he complained to Sherlock.

Before Ethan could have spoken, Sherlock also sensed the intoxicating scent emanating from Tony. He immediately distanced himself from Tony and gave Ethan a thumbs up.

"You're right!"

As Sherlock finished speaking, a simple bathroom rose from the ground before Tony's incredulous and bewildered gaze.

Looking at the bathroom that had suddenly appeared in front of him, and the scene he saw, Tony's lips twitched for a long time before he finally broke down and asked.

"Don't tell me you all came to me after you had showered and tidied up!"

"You guessed right, our genius!"

Inside the car, Zhao Weike answered Tony's question with an exceptionally wicked laugh, earning a glare from Helen in the back seat, but in return, Sherlock and Ethan burst into hearty laughter, while Tony stood there, completely disoriented.

Chapter 23 You Should Actually Call Me Dad

Tony, who is always the center of attention and the main character, felt ignored for the first time. However, when faced with the gleaming bathroom in front of him, Tony finally gave up the fight and obediently went in to take a comfortable shower.

After showering, Tony changed into the same beach clothes that Sherlock had prepared for him and Ethan, and also put on a large pair of sunglasses. He climbed into the back of the Raptor and lay down on either side of Ethan, waiting for the ride to begin.

With the roar of the engine, the Raptor started up again, and the group finally embarked on their journey home. Tony and Ethan couldn't get enough of looking at the endless yellow sand and the azure sky.

Although these things seemed somewhat monotonous to Sherlock, everything was wonderful to the two unfortunate souls locked in a dark, sunless cave. Even the scorching sun that could make a person's skin oily seemed lovely to them.

Despite the extremely bumpy ride in the desert, especially for the two unfortunate men in the back seat whose bottoms were practically crushed, they were still happy to endure it, even shamelessly claiming that it gave them a sense of being alive.

Sherlock and his companions rolled their eyes so hard they almost reached the sky.

Compared to when we were looking for Tony, the return trip was undoubtedly much faster.

When Sherlock's Bird of Raptor once again flew into the military base, Tony in the back cabin attracted the attention of almost the entire base's soldiers. If Rhodey hadn't stepped forward at that moment, Tony would probably have been stared at like a monkey at the gate for quite a while.

As for Rhodes, after making a joke about Tony's "happy car," he had the doctor give Tony a quick check-up and then prepared to put Tony on a plane and send him back to the US.

After all, with Tony here, Rhodes really couldn't worry about anything. Heaven knows how much Rhodes had been suffering during this time.

As for Ethan, Tony originally planned to take Ethan back to the United States, but Ethan refused. In Ethan's own words, this is his home, and he would rather stay here and become a doctor without borders than go to the United States.

Tony could only offer his heartfelt wishes to Ethan and tell him to call him if he had any problems. Ethan did not refuse, and of course, they parted ways at the base.

The only problem arose with Sherlock and his group.

It's important to know that Sherlock and his group were invited back by S.H.I.E.L.D. Now that the mission to find Tony is over, they should logically find a S.H.I.E.L.D. plane to return to New York.

Just as Sherlock and Zhao Weike were about to leave on the plane arranged by S.H.I.E.L.D., Tony insisted that Sherlock come with him and that he would take Sherlock and his group back to the United States.

Not only that, Tony offered a deal that no one could refuse.

Tony promised Sherlock that he would modify Sherlock's Raptor, guaranteeing comfort while vowing that he could make it even more awesome than a Baja race car.

Tony promised Zhao Weike and his wife an unforgettable trip, with all expenses covered by Tony, so they could have a romantic honeymoon in LA.

As for Doro, Tony simply offered him a gourmet feast and a family photo of oranges. Doro, the little foodie, was so tempted by Tony's offer that his mouth watered, and naturally, he didn't refuse.

Thus, under Tony's allure of the power of money, which he called capital, almost the entire Sherlock group defected and decisively boarded Tony's plane.

Even after Tony's plane took off, Hawkeye, who was still waiting for Sherlock and his group in the cabin, was extremely puzzled. Why hadn't Sherlock and his group boarded the plane yet? Were they really not in a hurry to go back?

Meanwhile, Hawkeye was still waiting for Sherlock and his group in the cabin, his mind still preoccupied with the task Egg had given him to win Sherlock over. On the other side, Sherlock was sitting in the plane that had already taken off, curiously looking around and touching everything, looking like he had never seen anything like it before.

It's no wonder Sherlock reacted this way, after all, this was the first time in both of his lives that he had ever seen such a sight!

After all, Sherlock had seen this private jet in novels and movies in his previous life, so he was naturally extremely curious.

However, after Sherlock had toured Tony's private jet with Doro in his arms, all Sherlock could think was, "Fuck you rich people!"

Sherlock thought he was rich enough because he was financially independent, but he never expected that Tony would be the classic example of a rich scoundrel!

Who would have thought that there would be a bedroom inside that airplane?

Most importantly, judging from the signs of use, Tony, that bastard, may have actually played with air-shaking!

So much so that when Sherlock looked at Tony sitting opposite him after visiting the plane, his eyes were filled with nothing but contempt!

The words "big dog" were practically etched into Sherlock's face; anyone could understand what he meant without him even having to say a word.

Compared to Sherlock's behavior, Zhao Weike and his wife were undoubtedly much more normal, or to put it bluntly, the two of them were completely immersed in their own world of two thanks to the expensive drinks provided by Tony.

If it weren't for the presence of Sherlock and Doro, and the fact that Tony, the plane's owner, was in the cabin, the two might have already run to the bedroom at the back of the plane.

Tony naturally understood Sherlock's look, and after hesitating for a long time, he finally spoke to Sherlock.

"Sherlock Flamel, first of all, can you please stop looking at me like that? Secondly, I'd like to know what your relationship is with Anne Flamel and Nick Flamel?"

Hearing Tony's words, Sherlock did not stop looking at Tony with the same disdainful gaze one would give a dog, but a hint of doubt crept into his expression.

What happened to my parents?

Sherlock chose to skip Tony's first question and simply answered Tony's second question.

Upon hearing Sherlock's answer, Zhao Weike and his wife, who were engrossed in their own world, also perked up their ears, since this was the first time Sherlock had spoken about his family.

As for Tony, after receiving Sherlock's reply, Tony's gaze towards Sherlock sitting in front of him became increasingly complicated. After taking a deep breath, Tony continued to ask Sherlock.

"Do you remember if your parents used to work for Stark Industries?"

"Of course!"

Sherlock did not avoid the question, but answered Tony frankly. After all, his parents had passed away, so Tony couldn't possibly make a fuss about it, could he?

But reality slapped Sherlock in the face. After hearing Sherlock's easy answer, Tony's expression became increasingly frozen. After opening his mouth several times, he took a deep breath and continued.

"Your parents worked for Stark Industries and had a good relationship with me, so whether you believe it or not, I became your godfather at your parents' invitation when you were born."

"After your parents died in the plane crash, I actually had custody of you..."

"What??" *3

Before Tony could finish speaking, he was met with gasps of surprise from the three people present, especially Sherlock, whose gaze toward Tony began to change after hearing his words.

Chapter 24 You wouldn't even call me Godfather

"So, legally speaking, should I call you father?"

Sherlock's face was full of speechlessness as he pointed to himself with one hand and Tony with the other, asking.

As it turns out, people really do want to laugh when they're speechless to the extreme. Zhao Weike and his wife are the best example. If it weren't for the seriousness of the matter itself, the two of them would probably have been laughing so hard they were doubled over.

Even so, the two of them had an even harder time suppressing their smiles than AK did after the shock. After all, who would have thought that Sherlock, who was forced to go on a mission, would actually end up with a nominal father?

Seeing Sherlock's completely bewildered expression, Tony smiled and nodded to Sherlock without hesitation, even speaking to him with a hint of pride.

“From a legal standpoint, you should indeed call me father.”

Tony's words only made things worse. After he said them, Sherlock felt his blood pressure spike. Looking at Tony's face in front of him, with his smug expression and the twitching mustache from his smile, he felt a surge of anger.

Sherlock swore that this was the first time in his two lives that he had felt such an urgent urge to engage in a pure physical fight with the person opposite him.

Seeing Sherlock's disgusted expression, Tony felt he had finally gotten revenge for the torment Sherlock had inflicted on him in the Middle East. He shamelessly pretended to be dejected and continued speaking to Sherlock while sitting in the luxurious airline chair with his head bowed.

"You won't even call me Godfather..."

As soon as Tony uttered those movie-like lines, Zhao Weike and Helen couldn't hold back any longer and burst into laughter, clutching their stomachs.

Amidst their laughter, Sherlock's face flushed red, and without a word, he lunged at Tony across from him.

After a period of playful banter, Tony and Sherlock, both with bruised and swollen faces, sat down in their respective seats again, each with a person sitting next to them.

Sherlock was with Zhao Weike, and Tony was with Helen.

What they had in common was that both Zhao Weike and Helen wore suppressed smiles, giving the impression that they wanted to watch the show but had to stop it.

Doro, however, was oblivious to what was happening. He sat on the table, happily eating the fruit in his hand, looking completely satisfied.

After finally calming Sherlock down, Tony covered his dark circles under his eyes, which were caused by Sherlock's punch, and continued to speak to Sherlock.

"That's enough joking. I'm sorry about your parents' passing, but what I just said is true..."

Before Tony could finish speaking, Sherlock tried to stand up again, almost to fight Tony, but Zhao Weike forcefully pressed him down.

Seeing Sherlock being pressed down again, Tony breathed a slight sigh of relief and continued speaking to Sherlock.

"The reason I'm telling you this is because I've noticed that people from S.H.I.E.L.D. have started to appear around you."

Listen, Sherlock, the deaths of your parents are not as simple as a plane crash. There are too many mysteries involved, and too many people are involved.

The reason I haven't fulfilled my guardianship duties even once over the years is this: too many people are watching me.

I don’t know how you acquired such extraordinary abilities, but what I do know is that if you really don’t want to get involved in trouble, you should stay as far away from organizations like S.H.I.E.L.D. as possible.