America's New York, renowned throughout the world as an economic capital.
Skyscrapers stood in neat rows, and LED billboards dazzled the eye.
Today was another peaceful day—my ass!
On the bustling city streets, locally distinctive sirens blared every half hour, and the air was filled with the passionate atmosphere of "freedom."
In truth, ever since Tony Stark publicly revealed that he was Iron Man over a year ago, New York, where Stark Industries headquarters was based, had become much safer. After all, before committing a crime here, criminals could never be sure whether that billionaire playboy would suddenly don his damnably cool Iron Suit and descend from the sky at Mach speed to blast them straight up to meet God.
Although everyone knew Tony Stark rarely stepped in to punish "petty crimes" like bank robberies, the hopeless gap in power—where getting caught meant there was absolutely no chance of escape—still struck fear into many criminal gangs.
Just as the current slogan went: "In 2011, technology makes the world a better place!"
Iron Man was the crowned king of groundbreaking technology.
The immense deterrence he wielded as a superhero was, in some ways, even greater than that of an entire city's police force.
At that moment.
Tony Stark, the man known as Iron Man, playboy, billionaire, and countless other titles, was in a famous New York nightclub, surrounded by dancers and models with voluptuous figures and very little clothing.
"Tony, could you maybe stop picking places like this whenever we need to discuss something serious?"
His friend and U.S. military colonel James Rhodes looked utterly speechless as he tried to squeeze through the crowd of women to reach Tony Stark. His neat, imposing officer's uniform was completely out of place in the current setting.
Still, the rank of colonel was intimidating enough. Once Rhodes arrived, the women finally drifted away from Stark, who attracted them like bees to honey.
"Changing locations is impossible. Never happening in this lifetime. You, on the other hand, could you maybe stop wearing that outfit every time? It really kills the mood." Stark teased as he casually picked up a glass of red wine and swirled it.
"I just slipped out of the base."
Though Rhodes said that, he still took a glass of red wine from a passing server's tray and clinked it with Stark's.
Lights flashed everywhere, and the music pounded.
After drinking, Rhodes wore an intoxicated expression, swiftly embracing the moment like he'd always loved it.
"What did you suddenly call me for in the middle of the day?" Stark asked casually.
"Right, I almost forgot the serious business!"
Rhodes jolted upright. Looking solemnly at his friend, he lowered his voice. "Haven't you spent the past six months looking for people with exceptional talents or incredible powers?"
"That is true."
Stark nodded frankly. He had never hidden his plan to create a superhero team from his friend. If Rhodes did not have a military position that made it inconvenient for him to act independently so often, he would certainly have been one of them.
"How's the progress?" Rhodes asked curiously.
"Not bad, I suppose. I've already got two or three candidates."
Although Stark's tone remained casual, Rhodes could hear the helplessness beneath it.
In reality, Stark had only found one candidate, and he had only found that person in the past few days.
The other two had been suggested by the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Fortunately, the person Stark had found was beyond comparison with ordinary people, whether in intellect or strength.
That was the only thing that brought Stark any comfort.
The world might have been vast, but humans with strength beyond that of ordinary people were still exceedingly rare.
"What do you think of the new superhero in Washington, the Silver-Haired Goddess? She defeated Abomination, the Hulk clone!" Rhodes asked with great interest.
"Of course. I had Jarvis investigate her that very night." Stark spread his hands and narrowed his eyes. "There isn't much information, but I can confirm that she lives in Washington."
Times Square's streets were packed with people. Christmas tree decorations could be seen everywhere, and the festive excitement blanketed the entire city.
"Xi Nian, what do you think of this one?" Gwen asked, wearing a Santa hat as she tugged on Xi Nian's sleeve.
Xi Nian: "Looks good."
"Senior, what about mine?" Kara touched the reindeer bell around her neck, making it ring with a clear, pleasant metallic chime.
Xi Nian: "Looks good."
Throughout the entire trip, Gwen and Kara led the tool-man Xi Nian around the bustling shopping streets, while the two beautiful girls themselves became a lovely sight in the city.
Though being surrounded by beautiful girls was quite a nice experience, Xi Nian had not forgotten the real business.
When they reached an intersection, Xi Nian suggested, "All right, I'll take this street, and you two can go down that one."
"Huh?" Gwen's smile vanished.
"Why?" Kara also looked completely confused.
"Gwen, did you forget? You came here early to do tourism research." Xi Nian gestured around them. "The streets are so huge that we could never finish exploring them all. Why don't we split up? You can go with Kara, and that will ensure your safety too."
Gwen's mind immediately went blank. She had never expected the excuse she had made up earlier to come back and bite her.
"Senior, I..." Kara looked up, wanting to say something, but met Xi Nian's smile. "Then I'll leave it to you, Kara. You and Gwen, take care of each other's safety."
Kara's lips parted. She really wanted to say, You're the one who's least safe on your own, aren't you?
But she could not bring herself to refuse and could only agree helplessly. "All right."
"Then it's settled."
With his backpack in his arms, Xi Nian headed alone down one of the streets.
The two beautiful girls left behind, Gwen and Kara, stared at each other.
How had things ended up like this?
Xi Nian walked down the street in one direction, taking photos and recording things on his phone. He did not know how long he had walked until a building caught his attention.
It was a memorial hall.
Adult tourists regularly entered and exited with their children, while some of the children held plastic Pentagram Shields in their hands, their eyes brimming with excitement and longing.
Seeing such a distinctive sight, there was no need to ask what kind of memorial hall it was.
The Captain America Memorial Hall.
As the first superhero ever created in human history, Captain America's influence in this country was beyond question, even though he had died in a plane crash more than half a century ago. Even now, many American soldiers still regarded him as the model and idol of a soldier.
Xi Nian had only heard about it before. This was his first time seeing the Captain America Memorial Hall.
It was one of New York's landmark tourist attractions.
Xi Nian stood before the memorial hall's entrance steps, hesitating over whether to go in for a visit, when a tall young man walked out from inside.
The white young man wore casual pants and a jacket, along with a baseball cap pulled so low that his face could not be seen as he kept his head slightly lowered. Yet Xi Nian stood below the steps, looking up from an angle that let him see the man's features clearly.
"Mr. Rogers?" Xi Nian asked in surprise.
The white young man froze for a moment, then looked at the boy before giving a slight nod.
The man who had just secretly slipped out of the memorial hall was none other than the person the hall commemorated—Captain America, Steve Rogers!
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