The Whole World Is Looking for Him

S.H.I.E.L.D., Helicarrier.

The atmosphere in the conference room was suffocatingly oppressive. On the enormous holographic screen was a frozen, blurry photograph.

It was the last image captured by satellite: a lean blue-black alien with a conical head, vanishing into the end of the street as a blur.

In the lower-right corner of the photo was an M1 main battle tank with its tracks removed and a huge smiley face drawn on its cannon barrel in marker.

"Can someone tell me what the hell this is?"

Nick Fury pointed at the screen, dangerous light flashing in his one eye. "A fire man who can breathe flames, a four-armed giant with strength comparable to Hulk, a diamond man who can create crystals, and a speedster so fast even satellites can't keep up."

"And according to Natasha's report, these four completely different species were actually the same person?"

Agent Maria Hill hugged a folder to her chest, her face somewhat pale. "Sir, the data analysis team is practically losing their minds. This violates every known theory of biological evolution. The only explanation is..."

Hill paused and brought up another enlarged image.

It was a close-up of the black-and-green watch on the protagonist's wrist before he transformed.

"That watch," Hill said. "Every transformation occurred after he touched it."

"Advanced technology."

Nick Fury took a deep breath, his black trench coat fluttering sharply. "This isn't merely a superpower. This is technology—a kind of genetic technology far beyond Earth, perhaps even beyond Asgard."

He turned and looked at the clouds outside the window.

"Classify it as Level Ten. Codename... Omni."

"Mobilize every agent. I want him found within twenty-four hours. Remember, if he truly transforms through that watch, then he commands an alien army."

"This power must be in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s hands."

Meanwhile, Malibu Beach, California, at Tony Stark's cliffside villa.

"JARVIS, rewind that."

Tony Stark held a glass of awful chlorophyll juice, staring at the holographic projection with a deep frown.

On the screen was the exact frame where XLR8 had instantly dismantled the tank's tracks.

"Sir, calculations indicate the target's instantaneous speed reached Mach 3.5," JARVIS's electronic voice said. "Even more remarkably, he produced no sonic boom cloud whatsoever. His body structure appears capable of perfectly neutralizing air resistance."

"That isn't scientific, JARVIS."

Tony set down his glass, competitive fire blazing in his eyes. "Even my Mark 3 makes a disturbance at full speed. This guy ran that fast on the ground? And he even scribbled all over my tank?"

As one of the smartest minds on Earth, Tony Stark could not stand being crushed in the field of technology.

"Did you identify him?"

"Running facial recognition... Match confirmed."

JARVIS displayed an ID photo. "Jiang Li, sixteen years old, of Chinese descent. An orphan. The trust fund left behind by his parents was sufficient for him to live on, but he suddenly disappeared three days ago."

"A sixteen-year-old high school student?"

Tony raised an eyebrow. "Interesting. Looks like there are geniuses in this world besides me. Or rather... other alien inheritances."

He snapped his fingers. "JARVIS, lock onto his position. I think it's necessary for me to meet this 'Quicksilver Two' and teach him that scribbling on someone else's tank is rude."

"Oh, and get the Hulkbuster Armor blueprints ready... No, I might need to design an anti-alien armor set."

Queens, New York.

At that moment, Jiang Li, the "Omni codename," was facing the greatest crisis since crossing over.

It was not S.H.I.E.L.D.'s pursuit, nor was it an alien invasion.

It was—being broke.

"Grrr..."

His stomach protested again. Jiang Li stood outside a burger shop, breathing in the delicious aroma within. He touched pockets cleaner than his face and sighed.

Though he had legal identification, his bank card was not on him, and his phone had been destroyed in the earlier battle. In New York, where every step cost money, having no cash meant being unable to move an inch.

"I need to get some money. Legally, and quickly."

Jiang Li squatted by the roadside and looked at the Omnitrix on his wrist.

Then inspiration suddenly struck him.

"Wait... what was the thing I transformed into earlier?"

Diamondhead!

A Petrosapien!

That species' entire body was made of indestructible organic crystal. Though it was not diamond formed from Earth's carbon, its appearance and hardness were even more perfect than diamonds!

"I'm a man with an unlimited diamond generator! Why the hell am I worrying about money?"

Jiang Li slapped his thigh, looked around, and slipped into an empty alley.

"Hero Time!"

Green light flashed. The towering Diamondhead appeared once more.

Jiang Li raised his right hand, and a thought crossed his mind.

"Crack!"

An azure crystal as thick as a finger grew from his palm, transparent and glistening. He snapped it off with force.

He canceled the transformation.

Jiang Li held an azure "diamond" the size of a pigeon egg, reflecting brilliant light.

[System Notification: A high-purity Tiden Crystal has been detected separating from the main body. Its structure has solidified and will not disappear when the transformation is canceled.]

"Perfect!" Jiang Li's grin nearly reached his ears.

Though this thing was essentially an alien silicon-based mineral, in the Marvel universe, as long as it was hard, shiny, and beautiful, it was a gemstone!

Twenty minutes later.

Wearing the hood of his hoodie, Jiang Li entered a pawnshop that looked rather lavishly decorated.

"Boss, I'm selling it outright."

Jiang Li lowered his voice and slapped the azure crystal onto the counter.

The pawnshop owner was a fat middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses. He had initially seemed indifferent, but the instant his gaze landed on the item on the counter, his eyes went wide.

Trembling, he picked up a magnifying glass and examined it again and again.

That clarity, that refractive index, that unprecedented azure gleam...

"Th-this... what kind of gemstone is this? It looks like a top-grade emerald, but this hardness..." The owner swallowed and looked greedily at Jiang Li. "Kid, where did you get this?"

"A family heirloom," Jiang Li said calmly. "Name a price. I want cash."

The owner's eyes darted around.

An ordinarily dressed teenager holding a peerless gemstone. Wasn't this the legendary fat sheep?

"Ahem, kid, although this looks shiny, the material is unknown. It might be artificially synthesized..." The owner pushed up his glasses and held up two fingers. "Two thousand dollars. No more than that."

Jiang Li laughed in anger.

Two thousand? This was a Tiden Crystal, a rare mineral of the universe!

"Two thousand?" Jiang Li's smile vanished as he lightly tapped the solid wood counter with a finger.

Though the Omnitrix transformation had been canceled, the "Four Arms genetic enhancement" mentioned during the earlier system settlement had made his ordinary strength far exceed that of a normal person.

Without another word, he extended one finger and gently pressed it onto a stainless steel coin at the edge of the counter.

"Creak—"

Under the owner's horrified gaze, the coin crumpled like soft clay in Jiang Li's hand, becoming a roll and embedding deeply into the solid wooden counter!

"Boss, be honest when you do business." Jiang Li leaned closer, showing a mouthful of white teeth. "I'll give you one more chance to reconsider your wording."

Cold sweat instantly broke out on the owner's forehead.

A mutant! Definitely a mutant he could not afford to provoke!

"F-fifty thousand! Fifty thousand dollars!" The owner was so terrified his voice cracked. "That's all the cash in the shop! It really is all I have!"

A moment later.

Jiang Li walked out of the pawnshop carrying a heavy black backpack.

He also held a freshly bought double cheeseburger, which he took a huge bite from.

"Now this is living."

Chewing his burger, Jiang Li looked at the distant spire of Stark Tower. Fifty thousand dollars was enough for him to stay at the best hotel for a while and buy some electronics on the side.

What he did not know was—

The instant he used the Omnitrix to create the diamond, the faint energy fluctuation had already been detected by two systems.

One was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s satellite.

The other was JARVIS.