Stan Lee's Gaze

As soon as the two entered, they saw a white-haired old man chatting with three beautiful women. Tony walked up and patted the old man on the shoulder. "You're looking lively," he said, then headed inside. They seemed to know each other well.

The old man turned around unsteadily and happened to see Xia Yu following Tony through the door. He froze for a moment, as if he couldn't believe his eyes. Then his gaze suddenly became incredibly deep and piercing. Xia Yu felt as though he were facing a real Mount Tai bearing down on him. He couldn't even breathe, let alone move, and broke out in a cold sweat.

The white-haired old man was none other than Stan Lee, who made cameos in the movies. Only after he had stared at Xia Yu for a few seconds did the oppressive pressure dissipate, though Xia Yu felt as if centuries had passed. The pressure was gone, but Stan Lee's gaze had become immensely complicated. There seemed to be joy, loss, relief, and more in it. Xia Yu had never seen such a complicated look before, and he stood rooted to the spot, afraid to speak.

Stan Lee reached Xia Yu in two steps and gently patted him on the shoulder. "This is good, very good. Remember, young man, don't worry about too much. Follow your heart." With that, he paid no further attention to the women and walked unsteadily out through the front door.

Only then did Xia Yu come back to his senses. He asked in his mind, Tmall, what just happened? Was that Stan Lee? Isn't he a cameo character?

"Master, your authorization is insufficient, so I can't answer you either. But rest assured, Master, it's not a bad thing." After explaining, Tmall fell silent.

Xia Yu hurried to the bar inside, ordered a full glass of beer, and downed it in one gulp. Only then did he feel a little better. "Hey, relax, Xia. We're here to have fun, not drink our sorrows away. Waiter, get my friend here something a little smoother," Tony said.

"Tony, who was that old man you patted at the door?" Xia Yu asked.

"What old man? What's wrong, Xia? I might have patted a beautiful woman," Tony said.

"When we came in, you said hello to an old man. He had white hair, a cigarette in his mouth, and a bathrobe on, and he was surrounded by three beautiful women," Xia Yu said, gesturing.

"You're remembering wrong, Xia," Tony said seriously.

Xia Yu felt a chill shoot up from the soles of his feet. Just what kind of person had he met? What role did he play in this world, and what did his words to Xia Yu mean?

Xia Yu stood there in a daze. Tony was just about to ask whether he hadn't recovered or was feeling unwell when a voice interrupted them.

"Hello, Mr. Stark and Mr. Xia. I'm Agent Coulson from the Strategic Enforcement and Logistics Division, Domestic Strategic Intervention Section. I'd like to ask you both for details about what happened in Afghanistan," Coulson said.

"You should change that name," Tony said.

"That's what everyone says." Coulson nodded in agreement. The name was so long that introducing himself was exhausting.

"I have something to take care of. Let's arrange another time. You can start by asking Mr. Xia about it." With that, Tony walked over to Pepper Potts in the crowd.

Xia Yu approved of Tony abandoning a friend for a woman. If Natasha were here, he would do the same. Thinking of Natasha, who was Coulson's colleague, he felt he should show Coulson a little more courtesy. Smiling, he said, "Well, the big shot has run off. If you don't mind, how about I help you get started?"

"Not at all. In fact, we're more interested in you than in Tony Stark, Mr. Xia. I hope you don't mind me interrupting your evening at the party," Coulson said sincerely.

Looking at Coulson's face, the most honest and trustworthy in all of Marvel, Xia Yu thought, An honest face really is an advantage. At least when you open your mouth, it's hard to make a bad impression.

"I mind even less. In fact, I don't know anyone here except Tony and Pepper. If you hadn't come over to talk to me, I'd have been bored to death," Xia Yu said with a shrug.

"That's for the best. But this isn't a convenient place to talk. If you don't mind, shall we go somewhere else?" Coulson said.

Xia Yu looked up at Tony, who was dancing energetically with Pepper. He decided not to stay and play the third wheel, especially now that a free chauffeur had shown up. He said to Agent Coulson, "Let's talk at my place. All the liquor there came from Tony, and it's expensive. We can try some together, and I can catch a ride home while we're at it."

"It would be my pleasure." Coulson smiled and gestured for him to lead the way.

The two drove toward Xia Yu's home. All the way there, Xia Yu's mind was occupied with the last few things Stan Lee had said to him.

When they arrived, Xia Yu took a bottle of red wine from the liquor cabinet. After a moment's thought, he put it back and took out a bottle of whiskey instead, then brought out two glasses and a bucket of ice.

"I prefer sitting outside at this hour. You don't mind, do you?" Xia Yu invited Coulson to sit by the pool.

"What do you want to know about Afghanistan? I don't mind." Xia Yu got straight to the point. He no longer intended to hide certain things. He remembered the old man's words: don't worry about too much, follow your heart. In that case, he would take the initiative and get involved, starting with S.H.I.E.L.D.

A little surprised by Xia Yu's straightforwardness, Coulson was equally direct. "You're more direct than I expected, Mr. Xia. I was going to talk to you about your house first. In that case, I'll ask outright. We want to know who the man in black robes you fought in the desert was, and who exactly you are, Mr. Xia."

Seeing the confusion on Xia Yu's face, Coulson took out his phone, pulled up a photo, and handed it to him. Xia Yu saw that it showed the moment he and The Mandarin had first begun fighting, since the vehicle Tony had been riding in was still in the picture. The photo was blurry, taken from the air, and the people in it were barely visible.

"You knew it was me just from this?" Xia Yu asked curiously.

"A Department of Defense satellite happened to take this photo. In fact, we only managed to identify Tony Stark sitting in the jeep. Just as we reached that conclusion, Stark was in Afghanistan asking the U.S. military to send people to find you," Coulson explained.

Seeing Xia Yu nod, Coulson continued, "In fact, we sent a team of experts there the next day. They found traces of energy fluctuations where you fought. We're very professional in this area. We also found the wreckage of the other four jeeps. Later, Stark brought you back to the country to recover from your serious injuries."

By this point, it was all clear. S.H.I.E.L.D. had analyzed the traces of the battle and determined that the power involved was superhuman. As Coulson said, they were very professional in this area. Ever since Captain Marvel's time, Nick Fury had been working to establish an organization of superpowered humans to protect Earth, and heaven knew how many secrets S.H.I.E.L.D. held.

Xia Yu remembered that when he watched the Iron Man movie, there had been a post-credits scene at the very end. Nick Fury had gone to Tony's home and told him he wasn't the only superhero. The appearance of Hulk and Tony Stark must have prompted him to quickly prepare to launch the Avengers Initiative. Xia Yu figured he had probably already come to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention by now, which suited him just fine. He had already planned to reveal himself anyway.

"I don't know who that man in black robes was. He appeared out of nowhere. I only wanted to rescue Tony. As for me, couldn't you find out who I am?" Xia Yu said.

"Of course we know your name, your Social Security number, even your grades from childhood onward and how many girls you've had secret crushes on. But clearly, we still don't know enough about you," Coulson said.

Xia Yu shrugged, stood up, and said to Coulson, "People always believe what they see with their own eyes, right?" With that, he walked slowly to the edge of the pool and struck out with a palm. An invisible, palm-shaped force howled through the air and slammed into the surface, blasting a column of water three or four meters high. With a splash, the water rained down, soaking the entire yard.

Xia Yu crossed his hands behind his back. The falling droplets bounced off the Internal Energy he had deliberately released around himself, and the wind on the rooftop stirred his hair as he struck the pose of a master. Having watched so many martial arts shows and movies as a child, Xia Yu had long wanted to try sending a column of water exploding upward with a palm strike. Today, he had finally found the chance.

Coulson said nothing for a long time. Xia Yu held his pose, waiting for him to ask a question. He hasn't said a word in so long. Did I scare him stupid? Xia Yu thought.

He looked back to see that Agent Coulson was soaked from head to toe, still holding his wineglass. It had been half full, but now it was full to the brim.

"Sorry, sorry! I forgot you were behind me. My apologies." Xia Yu scrambled to fetch a towel.