The Legendary Mechanic in Marvel Universe

Chapter 261 New Year’s Party

After dealing with the positioning satellite, the next order of business was the communication satellite. 

Generally speaking, communication satellites are placed in geostationary orbits to ensure precise and rapid communication. A geostationary orbit, also known as a geosynchronous orbit, implies that an object in that orbit appears to be stationary relative to the Earth’s surface, experiencing zero gravity and moving in a uniform circular motion around the Earth.

It’s quite straightforward to analyze that the plane of this orbit must be perpendicular to the Earth’s axis, meaning it has an inclination angle of zero degrees. Hence there is only one geostationary orbit located directly above the equator, approximately 35,000 kilometers above the Earth’s surface.

Thus, if Leo wanted to install the add-ons onto the communication satellites, he would have to climb higher.

At this point, he deployed the three metal spheres again to determine the positions of the four communication satellites. Soon enough, he once again caught sight of the Stark Industries logo.

Having experienced installing the satellite add-ons twenty-four times before, he naturally proceeded without error.

Before long, he completed the installation of the add-ons for the four communication satellites.

Standing on the communication satellite, Leo, in a weightless state, whispered, “Steam, you up?”

“Buzz! Master, Steam’s here!” replied Steam with excitement as if it were the one floating in space.

In the next moment, “Buzz! Wow, the space is beautiful!”

Leo and Steam shared the same view, so they could witness the Earth in its current state. From this perspective, the Earth appeared as a sphere, adorned with shades of blue, green, and white. What a breathtaking sight.

“Let’s take a few photos of this beauty,” Leo granted Steam permission to activate the camera.

“Buzz! Affirmative!”

Under Leo’s continuous nurturing, Steam had grown increasingly intelligent. It controlled the camera module within the Viper’s visor and clicked away, capturing several stunning photos.

“Buzz! Happy!”

And thus, this marked the successful end of Leo’s space voyage and he was prepared to return. 

Casually chatting with Steam about random topics, he asked Steam to assist in recording the flight parameters of Viper for future improvements. Shortly enough, he found himself back on the rooftop of Erwin Research Center.

The chilly wind still swept across the rooftop, but the ground had been painted white as delicate snowflakes that resembled goose feathers gently landed on his head, melting upon contact with the residual warmth emanating from the armor.

A flicker of emotion stirred within Leo, prompting the armor to swiftly retract into his utility belt.

He tilted his head back, inhaling a breath of refreshing icy air, and proceeded towards the staircase, ready to continue his work inside the lab.

However, before he could descend the stairs, his phone suddenly rang. He took out his phone only to discover that it was a call from Natasha.

Pressing the answer button, he answered the call, “Hey, Natasha, what’s up?”

Natasha’s gentle voice came through the phone, “We’re having a party at home, Are you coming back?”

As Leo held his phone away, he checked the time before placing it to his ear, “It’s already half past ten. Why are you guys throwing a party in the middle of the night?”

“It’s a New Year’s party!” Natasha sounded surprised. “We thought you’d come home tonight! But it’s already 10:30 PM. What’s taking you so long? What are you up to?”

“Uh…” Leo was at a loss for words. He hadn’t expected that there would be a New Year’s party at home this year. Didn’t they skip it last year?!

But since everyone had already prepared for the party, he couldn’t possibly dampen the mood, so he decided to go back. As for searching the Kree spaceship in Earth’s orbit, his urgency had diminished after the two-hour space voyage he had just gone through.

Who knows at which altitude Mar-Vell’s laboratory was situated in Eearth’s orbit? With how vast the space is, it would be a miracle if Leo could find it!

No wonder the Skrulls had insisted on asking Carol for coordinates. Without them, the chances of stumbling upon Mar-Vell’s laboratory were lower than winning the lottery ticket!

Therefore, after this space voyage, he felt a mix of excitement, exhilaration, and joy from his first encounter with space, but also a newfound reverence for the boundlessness of space. And in the process, his confidence in finding Mar-Vell’s laboratory ahead of time had reduced greatly.

Ultimately, he had never been in space before, and his way of thinking about the situation in the past few days had been too presumptuous.

Leo had been lost in thought for so long that Natasha, who had been gripping the phone tightly, grew impatient. She raised her voice slightly, “Leo, are you coming back or not?”

“I am, I am. I’ll be back soon. Give me five minutes,” Leo hurriedly replied before hanging up the phone.

But he didn’t rush back right away. Instead, he walked back to the lab and picked up Steam, who was swaying at his side.

“Buzz! Master, what’s going on?” Steam asked.

“New Year’s party,” Leo said and took out a Forwarding Box, fitting Steam inside before storing the entire thing in his utility belt. Then, the Viper ejected, and instantly, Leo flew out of the Marvel Base and headed home.

One minute later, he arrived at his doorstep. Taking off the Viper, he took Steam out from the belt and cradled him in his hand.

“Buzz! Steam has become tiny,” Steam exclaimed as soon as it emerged from the Forwarding Box, marveling at the different perspective. Its bluish-purple head lit up with excitement.

Gently patting Steam’s head, he used “Mechanical Force – Relay” to instruct Steam to switch off the lights on its head. Then, he pushed open the front door.

Coincidentally, Natasha emerged from the kitchen while carrying a tray. She was wearing a white sweater, her blonde hair styled in wavy curls, and had an apron wrapped around her. Upon seeing Leo, she greeted him with a smile.

Then, she noticed Steam being dragged along in Leo’s palm.

“Hey there, Steam. Looking adorable today.”

“Buzz! Thank you for the compliment, Natasha. You look stunning today too,” Steam blinked its eyes.

“Quite a smooth talker!” Natasha immediately took Steam from Leo’s hand and handed him the tray.

Reluctantly, Leo accepted the tray and couldn’t help muttering, “Woman.”

He then focused his attention on the tray and found himself utterly bewildered. Calling out to Natasha, who was engrossed in talking with Steam, he said, “Natasha, there’s something wrong with this tray! Fresh vegetables, slices of lamb and beef, tripes, tofu skin… Are you guys having a hotpot?”

“Yup!” Bucky, with a pair of chopsticks in hand, peeked his head out from the living room. “We had a terrible time eating in Africa and just having Chinese food yesterday wasn’t satisfying enough. Since it’s New Year’s Eve tonight, we thought we could gather around to have another delicious meal. Plus, it’s snowing outside, and we can’t go to the square. And none of us here likes going to church, so why not celebrate the New Year at home with a festive atmosphere?”

Sitting beside Bucky, Matt immediately raised his hand, “I’d like to go to church.”

“But your wife doesn’t, your partner doesn’t and even your teacher, me doesn’t,” Bucky’s voice carried a hint of threat, making Matt quickly retract his hand.

Feeling a bit awkward from his angle as he could only hear their voices without seeing their faces, he took a couple of steps forward to get a better view of the living room.

In the spacious living room, there was a round table with six people, each seated on a plastic stool around it. In the center of the table, a hotpot was releasing steam, heated by an induction cooker.

Besides the few people living with Steam, there were also Matt, Heather, Foggy sitting around the table.