Howard Stark

Early the next morning, Han Lin got up early and went out to buy five portions of steak, eggs, milk, and some other food. For breakfast, he made steak and eggs, eating them with rye bread and milk. At last, he satisfied his body's demands.

For the past two days, Han Lin had only eaten vegetables and potatoes, and waves of hunger kept coming from his body, as if he needed to keep eating constantly. Today, after eating four portions of steak, his body finally stopped sending him hungry signals.

Steve stared at Han Lin in astonishment as he wolfed down the food piled across the table. For one breakfast, Han Lin ate nearly four portions of steak, more than a dozen fried eggs, an entire loaf of rye bread, and two liters of milk.

"Where did you get the money to buy all this food? I haven't had beef this good in a long time. It must have cost a lot." Steve looked at Han Lin in confusion.

"I robbed a gang boss." As he spoke, he opened the newspaper he had bought that morning and turned to a small section. It read: Brooklyn's biggest gang leader attacked.

That had triggered a chain of events. Marcus Helen had originally needed to split the profits with the director of the Trade Bureau, but the director suddenly discovered that Marcus Helen had been crippled.

Wanting to take the smuggling route for himself, he handed over Marcus Helen's evidence of criminal activity. The gang boss, who was still in the hospital undergoing amputation surgery, was sold out completely by his own partner without even knowing it. Murder, **, smuggling, slave trafficking, and countless other crimes.

Once the evidence came out, he was placed under police control in the hospital.

Han Lin was rather surprised as well. He had not expected that he had done a good deed last night.

When Steve first heard that Han Lin had gone out robbing people, he frowned slightly. But after seeing the gang boss's criminal evidence, he said nothing.

"Why did you suddenly decide to rob a gang?" Steve asked in confusion.

Han Lin smiled. "You've seen how much I eat. I've been starving for the past two days. If I didn't get some food soon, I felt like I would starve myself to death. But I couldn't exactly rob a bank, so I went and did a good deed.

"Besides, I need bargaining chips to negotiate with Howard Stark... so I went out and did a good deed!" As he spoke, he pointed at the leather bag behind Steve.

Steve picked up the bag, which was somewhat heavy for him. The instant he opened it, his mouth fell open. Steve had never seen so much cash and gold in his life.

"Then you're rich now. As long as you buy more than a hundred thousand dollars' worth of war bonds, getting legal identification will be easy." Steve said it calmly.

Han Lin smiled and shook his head. "No, Steve. Where do you think my abilities would be best used? The gold and most of the cash in there are for a deal with Howard Stark.

"I'll find a way to enlist with you. That way, I won't let you die alone on the battlefield. Believe me, brother. I may not be a good person, but I'm not a bad one either! I hope that on the battlefield, I can learn to control myself!"

Steve abruptly raised his head and looked at this mysterious Easterner he had known for only two days. He felt that he might have taken in someone extraordinary. After a long silence, he gave a quiet "Mm."

At two in the afternoon, Han Lin stepped out of a taxi in a newly bought, well-fitted suit. Carrying the leather bag in his hand, he headed toward the Waldorf Hotel, where the lobby manager had already been waiting at the entrance for quite some time.

When he saw Han Lin arrive, he respectfully said, "Hello, Mr. Han. Mr. Howard has accepted your request for a meeting. He is dining in the restaurant now. He said that if you don't mind, you may join him for a meal. Would you like to go up?"

Han Lin nodded and slipped a hundred-dollar bill into the lobby manager's breast pocket. "Lead the way."

After bowing in thanks, the lobby manager led Han Lin toward an upscale French restaurant.

Since it was past mealtime, only a few tables in the restaurant were occupied. Han Lin was led before a handsome young man: Howard Stark, a genius in physics and mechanics, one of the key members of the Strategic Scientific Reserve. All the equipment used for Super Soldier enhancement, including the Life Ray and the experimental chamber, had come from this super-genius.

After all, the future Iron Man, Tony Stark, had only been able to create a new element with the help of his father, Howard Stark, leading to the later third- and fourth-generation Arc Reactors.

That alone showed that he was a genius physicist no less capable than Tony Stark. If he and his son had lived in the same future era, his achievements might have surpassed Tony Stark's.

Howard Stark looked curiously at the young Chinese envoy brought over by the lobby manager. He had been told that a prince wanted to meet him. Such a figure would stand at the very top in China, so why would he want to see him?

Seeing that the other man had no intention of speaking, Han Lin smiled and said to the lobby manager, "Bring me the same meal as Mr. Stark, preferably a double portion. I have a large appetite. I'll settle the bill later."

The lobby manager bowed and withdrew. Only then did Han Lin turn back to Howard Stark. "Mr. Stark, you don't mind if I call you that, do you? My name is Han Lin. You can call me Lin. First, I need to explain something. I'm not an envoy of a Chinese prince. I simply didn't know what identity would allow me to meet Mr. Stark, so I told a harmless lie. I hope you can forgive my presumption?"

Howard Stark smiled as he watched this young Chinese man calmly admit that he had deceived him. "Then, Mr. Lin, can you tell me why you wanted to see me?" After wiping his mouth, Howard Stark savored a glass of expensive red wine and tilted his chin toward Han Lin.

Han Lin nodded and organized his thoughts. "I know that you're participating in a military scientific experiment. I hope to exchange some secrets for ten percent of Stark Industries' shares. As long as I don't die, I can ensure the Stark Family prospers in the future. Your family has a great fortune, after all, and I believe I can fulfill my promise. I wonder whether Mr. Stark is interested in making this deal."

Howard Stark's expression changed the moment he heard the first sentence. Watching Han Lin speak so eloquently across from him, Howard Stark could not quite grasp what the other man was thinking.

The current Howard Stark had not yet experienced many major events. Hearing a young Chinese stranger, young to an absurd degree, reveal the military's recent secret research left an unmistakably unsettled expression on Howard's face.

"How do you know about the military experiment? Are you a spy?" Howard Stark rose to his feet and shouted at Han Lin agitatedly. Everyone in the sparsely occupied restaurant turned to look at their table.

Han Lin raised the red wine poured by the waiter and took a light sip. Then he said softly, "Calm down, Mr. Stark. If I were a spy, I wouldn't openly come to meet you, a military partner. I wouldn't be looking to get myself killed, would I?

"You should be able to tell that I'm Chinese. Chinese people possess a secret art that allows us to see the future. So I hope to trade the future I have seen for ten percent of your company's shares.

"Of course, that is only if you find my words credible. I know that the military project you are involved in belongs to a mysterious department called the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Its main research is the Super Soldier Serum. The research team consists of you, Dr. Abraham Erskine, Colonel Phillips, and Agent Carter.

"They are now looking for an experimental subject. Among the new recruits at your World's Fair of Tomorrow, one person will become the first test subject for the Super Soldier Serum. Am I right?"

As Han Lin ate the large steak brought over by the waiter, he slowly laid out the events that would later lead to Captain America, then watched the stunned Howard Stark and waited for his response.

After Han Lin revealed such a long list of things that would happen in the future, Howard Stark was already halfway convinced by his claim that he could see the future. As for the other half, Howard was unsure whether one of the four of them might be a spy who had completely exposed those secrets.

After thinking for a long while, Howard finally spoke slowly. "I need to verify what you've said. And from now on, I need to have someone monitor your every move. Until I confirm that you are telling the truth, you cannot leave my sight. What do you think?"