Follow-up

The battle ended.

"Ah!" Colonel Rhodes growled as he yanked the folded spear from his right shoulder with his left hand. He turned to Tony Stark and saw that Iron Man was still staring at the shattered corpse before him, his expression complicated.

"I never would've guessed that a black-hearted capitalist like you would have an employee willing to risk his life for you." Colonel Rhodes grimaced and struggled to his feet.

"He's not my employee." With Pepper supporting him, Iron Man staggered upright. He turned Fu Qinghai's body over, revealing the ID badge on the front of his suit. "He was just... just an intern."

"A-Luo, A-Luo, wake up... Come on, wake up." A clear female voice called out.

"Ugh..." Fu Qinghai's consciousness was hazy. He felt as though he was lying in bed. He struggled to open his eyes, but all he could see were yellow spots of light and a human-shaped shadow. Someone was shaking him hard by the shoulders.

"A-Luo, are you awake?" The speaker finally stopped shaking Fu Qinghai.

Fu Qinghai blinked, and his vision gradually cleared. A girl with an oval face and short chestnut hair was looking down at him with concern. Her eyes were a vivid blue, like the blue lagoons of a Pacific atoll. She had healthy, light honey-colored skin, slightly wavy short hair, and a pert nose.

Seeing that Fu Qinghai still looked dazed, the girl began shaking him hard again. "A-Luo, what's wrong? Why are you acting like an idiot? Did you hit your head?"

[Welcome to the Main Reincarnation World, Warhammer 40K Universe—Rank SSS]

Hearing that familiar, icy voice, Fu Qinghai came fully awake.

[Since you died in the previous Reincarnation World, you have been given a new identity. Skills automatically loaded: High Gothic Proficiency, Low Gothic Proficiency]

[Your faction has been randomly selected—the Emperor's faction storyline]

[Begin your reincarnation adventure!]

Just as Fu Qinghai came to his senses, a sudden wave of pain shot through his brain, and he passed out.

His eyes rolled back, and he fainted again.

Marvel Cinematic Universe, Earth, New York, top floor of Stark Tower.

Tony Stark rested his right hand on his chin, staring intently at the computer screen in front of him.

Happy Hogan, his portly driver and assistant, walked over and set a file beside Tony Stark's desk. He said quietly:

"Tony, we've confirmed it. His identity was real, but his education and internship experience were fabricated."

"Fabricated?" Tony Stark asked from his seat at the desk, then turned his gaze back to the screen.

"So, Tony, have you figured out what happened that day? Did you find out who they were?"

Captain America, Steve Rogers, approached from behind in civilian clothes and asked in a solemn voice.

Iron Man was focused on the screen in front of him and seemed unwilling to answer the Captain's questions. Pepper Potts stepped forward and explained to Captain America:

"Captain, based on our analysis afterward, one member of the group was an invisible alien who used a melee weapon. He infiltrated Stark Tower first and killed a security guard on the first floor."

"Right after that, a group of mercenaries broke into the lobby on the first floor. They had military-grade firepower and were excellent shots. They caused killings and explosions on the lower floors to draw our attention. When we received the alert, Stark and Colonel Rhodes hurriedly put on their suits and went downstairs to investigate. While the mercenaries' explosions distracted us and Stark and the Colonel were checking downstairs, the invisible alien used the guard's access card to reach the 45th floor and infiltrate the penthouse, where he took me hostage."

"During the battle that followed, their white-haired young man, who was probably a Mutant, unleashed tremendous power on par with an Alpha-level Mutant. He fought two opponents at once, and they also used me to make Stark and Colonel Rhodes hold back, preventing them from fighting at full strength. In the end, the white-haired Mutant defeated them."

"They said they were after an isotope of the Tesseract," Pepper added.

Tony Stark seemed unmoved by the conversation behind him. He studied the screen in front of him, where a security recording was playing on a loop.

In the footage, a young Chinese man in a suit sat on a small room's couch, speaking at length.

"Lastly," the black-haired Chinese man concluded, "I greatly admire and look up to Mr. Tony Stark. That's why I chose to join Stark Industries right after graduating."

"Nearly every applicant is a fan of Mr. Stark." The middle-aged white woman sitting across from him smiled dismissively.

Tony Stark watched the footage in silence, his brow furrowed. He said nothing for a long time.