The van drove through the rainy night for twenty minutes before finally pulling into an abandoned logistics warehouse. The inside had been converted into a temporary safe house. The lights were dim, and the air smelled of dust and motor oil. Su Ying pushed open the door and stepped onto the concrete floor, splashing stagnant water onto her boots. Wolf followed behind her with a backpack, the scanning equipment inside still faintly warm. Deep in the warehouse, an emergency light was on. A figure stood beneath it—Lin Xiao had arrived at the rendezvous point early. He looked at the two of them, soaked to the bone, without a smile on his face. He merely nodded. "Where's the data?" Wolf raised the backpack. "Right here, completely intact." Lin Xiao took it, his fingers lingering briefly over the cold waterproof fabric, then turned toward the temporary workstation in the corner of the warehouse. The data-reading equipment had already been connected there, its blue screen glaringly bright in the dim warehouse.
Nightingale's voice came through the communicator. "I've taken over the warehouse's local network and established an encrypted tunnel. Data transfer can begin."
Lin Xiao unzipped the backpack and removed the palm-sized directional scanning device. Rainwater still clung to its casing, and its metal surface reflected the emergency light. He carefully connected it to the data port on the workstation. The screen immediately flickered, and a progress bar began creeping upward.
Su Ying took off her drenched tactical jacket and hung it over the back of a nearby chair. Water dripped from its hem, forming a small puddle on the floor. She walked over to the workstation and watched the progress bar. "How long?"
"That depends on the amount of data and the encryption level." Lin Xiao stared at the screen. "Nightingale, can you see it from your end?"
"I can." Nightingale answered from the technical room at the base. "The data packet is around 3.7 GB. The encryption is... Triple DES, with a 168-bit key. It's not the highest level, but it won't be easy either. I need time."
Lin Xiao glanced at his watch. It was 2:17 a.m.
Outside the warehouse, the rain still fell heavily. Lightning occasionally tore across the sky, briefly illuminating the desolate industrial district beyond the warehouse's high windows. Faint thunder rolled in the distance like the beat of a muffled drum.
Wolf pulled out a canteen from the side pocket of his backpack and took a long drink. His fingers trembled slightly—not from fear, but from the physical aftereffects of adrenaline fading away. He wiped his face and said, "They reacted fast. If Su Ying hadn't spotted the ambush in advance, we might have been trapped in that factory."
"Ivan Vanko's people," Lin Xiao said. "That bearded man was probably one of his core team members. I remember seeing him in the files—Victor Petrov, former Soviet special forces. Skilled in close combat and explosives."
Su Ying recalled the scene in the factory. "He shouted something in Russian. 'You'll regret this'—those were his exact words."
"Just a threat." Lin Xiao's tone remained calm. "But we need to be prepared. They lost the data, so they'll definitely investigate. Nightingale, how is the cleanup of the surveillance footage along our escape route?"
"It's finished." There was a trace of exhaustion in Nightingale's voice. "I used three layers of relays and directed the trail toward a hacker group in Eastern Europe. Even if they have top-tier technical personnel, it will take them at least a week to trace it. But..."
"But what?"
"They may use more direct methods," Nightingale said. "For example, putting out a bounty through underground intelligence networks. Ivan Vanko has some influence in Riga. He knows plenty of people in the gray zones."
Lin Xiao fell silent for several seconds.
The progress bar on the screen reached forty-two percent.
"We need to move faster," he said. "Once the data is decrypted, assess its value immediately. If it's worth it, we need to extract everything useful before they can react."
Su Ying looked at him. "What do you expect to find?"
"I don't know." Lin Xiao told the truth. "But Ivan Vanko is a genius. Even if these are only his early design drafts, they may contain technical ideas we need. And..."
He did not finish.
And if they were lucky, there might be information about the Arc Reactor inside. Even if it was only part of it, even if it was merely preliminary reverse-engineering results, it would still be the key to Stark's core technology.
Time passed second by second.
The air in the warehouse grew stuffy. The emergency light emitted a faint hum, while the cooling fans on the workstation kept running, blowing out hot air that smelled of electronic components. Su Ying found a relatively clean folding chair, sat down, and closed her eyes to rest. Wolf leaned against the wall and checked his gear. Lin Xiao remained standing before the workstation, watching the progress bar.
Sixty-seven percent.
Eighty-nine percent.
One hundred percent.
"Transfer complete," Nightingale said. "Beginning decryption now. Estimated time... forty minutes."
Lin Xiao took a deep breath.
Forty minutes.
He walked to the other side of the warehouse, where several plastic storage bins were stacked. He opened one of them. Inside were compressed biscuits, bottled water, and basic first-aid kits. He took out three bottles of water, tossed one each to Su Ying and Wolf, then unscrewed his own cap and took a long drink.
The cold water ran down his throat, easing his taut nerves slightly.
"Do you think it's worth it?" Su Ying suddenly asked.
Lin Xiao looked at her.
"This operation," Su Ying said. "We exposed ourselves and made an enemy of Ivan Vanko. If what's in that data isn't important enough..."
"Then the loss outweighs the gain," Lin Xiao finished for her. "But that's venture capital. We're betting that Ivan Vanko's technical value outweighs the trouble he might bring."
Wolf cut in. "There must have been something important in that briefcase. Otherwise, they wouldn't have set an ambush—they were clearly worried the deal might go wrong too."
Lin Xiao nodded.
That was exactly what worried him.
If Ivan Vanko's team had been cautious enough to set an ambush at the deal location in advance, then what they possessed really was sensitive. And sensitive often meant valuable.
He returned to the workstation.
The decryption program was running on the screen, dense lines of code scrolling rapidly. Lin Xiao could not understand those algorithms, but he could read the remaining time beside the progress bar: thirty-seven minutes.
He pulled over another folding chair and sat down.
Waiting.
Thirty-seven minutes later, at 3:34 a.m.
"Decryption complete."
Nightingale's voice held obvious excitement. "The data packet is open. I'm doing preliminary sorting and organization now... Oh my God."
Lin Xiao immediately sat upright. "What is it?"
"A lot." Nightingale said, "I'll send the directory first."
The workstation's main screen flickered, and a file list appeared. The list was long, with only a tiny section of the scroll bar visible. Lin Xiao quickly scanned the filenames:
[ARK_Reactor_Reverse_ENG_Partial_v0.3.pdf]
[Whiplash_Mk2_Concept_Sketches.zip]
[Energy_Transfer_Coil_Calculations.xlsx]
[Hammer_Industries_Comm_Encrypted_Excerpts.msg]
[Payment_Account_Info_Partial.txt]
[Materials_Procurement_List_Q3.pdf]
Lin Xiao's breathing quickened slightly.
He opened the first file.
The PDF expanded across the screen, displaying a series of complicated engineering blueprints. They were clearly scanned copies. Some portions were blurry, and stains marked the edges. But the core content was unmistakable: a cross-sectional diagram of a ring-shaped structure, labeled with dense dimensional data and material specifications.
The Arc Reactor.
It was an early version, and an incomplete reverse-engineering result, but it was undeniably an Arc Reactor.
Lin Xiao slid his fingers across the touchpad, turning through the pages one at a time. The blueprints were incomplete—some pages were missing, while details of certain key components had been deliberately blacked out or cut away. Yet the overall structure was clear: an annular acceleration chamber, a magnetic containment system, energy output interfaces...
He saw familiar elements.
It was seventy percent similar to the Arc Reactor from Stark Industries that he remembered.
"This is the legacy Ivan Vanko's father left behind," Lin Xiao said quietly. "Anton Vanko and Howard Stark invented the foundational theory of the Arc Reactor together. But Stark monopolized the results and expelled the Vankos from the country. Ivan has been trying to recreate his father's work ever since."
Su Ying walked behind him and looked at the blueprints on the screen. "Can he succeed?"
"Sooner or later," Lin Xiao said. "He's a genius. Given enough time and resources, he'll definitely build a functional reactor. But the problem is..."
He switched windows and opened the file titled [Hammer_Industries_Comm_Encrypted_Excerpts.msg].
It was a collection of summaries from encrypted emails. The sender's email address ended in @h, while the recipient was an anonymous mailbox. After Nightingale decrypted and organized them, the key information was visible:
[...Regarding the cooperation proposal you presented, Mr. Hammer has expressed interest. However, we need to see a more concrete technical demonstration...]
[...The preliminary assessment indicates that your energy-transfer technology has military application potential. If testing is successful, we can provide research and development funding...]
[...The initial advance has been transferred to the designated account. The account information is as follows...]
Lin Xiao's gaze fixed on the final line.
There was a bank account number there, along with the name of the bank: Luxembourg International Commercial Bank.
The account holder's name was partially obscured. Only the words "V_Enterprises" could be seen.
"Victor Enterprises," Lin Xiao said. "It should be Ivan Vanko's shell company registered overseas. Hammer Industries transferred the cooperation advance into this account."
"What about the amount?" Wolf asked.
Nightingale answered, "The emails don't state a specific number, but based on Hammer Industries' usual practices, the initial advance for this kind of technical collaboration is normally between five hundred thousand and two million dollars."
Lin Xiao's mind raced.
Five hundred thousand to two million dollars.
To Hammer Industries, it was a drop in the bucket. To Ivan Vanko, it was vital startup funding. And to Lin Xiao...
It was an unexpected fortune he could intercept.
"Can you track the account's real-time balance?" he asked.
"I'll need some time," Nightingale said. "Luxembourg International Commercial Bank's security system is extremely tight, but I can try. Even if I can find it, though, we'll need their authorization key to move the money."
Lin Xiao smiled.
It was a smile Su Ying rarely saw on him—calm, sharp, and carrying the confidence of a chess player who had spotted the critical move.
"We don't need to touch the money already in the account," he said. "We just need to know when Hammer Industries will send the money, how much they'll send, and... whether we can transfer it somewhere else after it arrives but before Ivan Vanko can use it."
Nightingale fell silent for several seconds.
Then she said, "You mean... intercept it?"
"Exactly." Lin Xiao stood and paced through the warehouse. "Ivan Vanko should be busy tracing us and dealing with the fallout from the failed transaction. He won't touch that account anytime soon—especially if he believes the account information hasn't been compromised. But once Hammer Industries' money arrives, the bank system will automatically send a notification email. If we can take over that mailbox in advance, or intercept that notification email..."
"We can move the money before Ivan Vanko finds out," Nightingale finished. "But we need the complete account information, including the authorization key, security token, and..."
Her voice abruptly stopped.
Lin Xiao looked at the screen.
Nightingale had opened the [Payment_Account_Info_Partial.txt] file.
There was not much in the file, only a dozen or so lines of text. Most of it was basic account information: account number, bank name, SWIFT code... But at the end of the file was a string partially obscured by asterisks:
[Auth_Key: 7k8j3m2n9p0q*1r4s]
"That's part of the authorization key," Nightingale said. "Four characters are obscured. I need to crack the complete key."
"Can you do it?"
"I can try." Nightingale's voice turned focused. "Keys in this format usually follow a fixed algorithm. Give me... two hours."
Lin Xiao looked outside.
The rain had eased, though the sky remained dark. A faint gray-white glow was visible at the distant horizon—dawn was approaching.
"Start," he said. "Su Ying, Wolf, get some rest first. We need to stay in condition."
Su Ying did not object. She walked to a corner of the warehouse, where several simple sleeping mats had been laid out. She lay down and closed her eyes, but Lin Xiao knew she would not truly sleep—an agent's instincts would keep her half-awake.
Wolf also found a place to sit, leaning his back against the wall as he began checking his pistol magazine.
Lin Xiao returned to the workstation.
He opened the [Whiplash_Mk2_Concept_Sketches.zip] file.
After the compressed file was extracted, it contained dozens of design sketches. Some were hand-drawn, while others had been created in CAD software. The blueprints showed various Whiplash device designs: some emphasized energy output, some portability, and some even considered integration with powered exoskeletons.
Lin Xiao studied them one by one.
His memories compared them.
In the films from his previous life, the Whiplash device Ivan Vanko used to attack Tony Stark in Monaco was the Mk1 version. Crude, but immensely powerful. The drone army that later appeared at the Hammer Industries Expo was equipped with the improved Mk2 version.
And these blueprints...
Were early concept designs for the Mk2.
Some ideas were even more radical than what the films had shown. One sketch depicted a Whiplash capable of firing energy pulses. Its principle was similar to a stun gun, but its power was sufficient to disable armored vehicles. In another, the Whiplash was designed to be detachable in segments, with each segment containing an independent energy source. It could continue functioning even if part of it was damaged.
Genius designs.
Dangerous weapons.
Lin Xiao saved all of the blueprints.
Then he opened [Energy_Transfer_Coil_Calculations.xlsx].
It was a spreadsheet packed with formulas and data. Lin Xiao's mathematics was only average, but he could understand the table's structure: it was calculating the efficiency and thermal loss of energy-transfer coils.
The final few pages of the spreadsheet contained handwritten notes.
Russian.
Lin Xiao did not understand Russian, so he had Nightingale translate them in real time.
The notes read:
[The coil material needs improvement. The copper alloy currently in use has excessive thermal loss and overheats after more than three minutes of continuous operation. Silver plating was attempted, but the effect was limited. A better conductive material may be needed...]
[What material does Stark use? His reactor can operate continuously for years without degradation. There must be some technology we don't know about...]
[Father's notes mentioned "Vibranium," but that material is almost impossible to acquire...]
Vibranium.
Lin Xiao's pupils narrowed slightly.
Ivan Vanko knew Vibranium existed.
Of course, that was not surprising. Anton Vanko and Howard Stark were scientists of the same era, so they might have encountered some top-secret information. But Ivan listing Vibranium as a possible solution showed that he had already begun considering a breakthrough at the level of materials science.
That was a dangerous sign.
If Ivan Vanko truly found a way to obtain Vibranium, even a small amount, the power of his Whiplash devices would increase exponentially.
Lin Xiao kept this discovery in mind.
Then he returned to the Arc Reactor blueprints.
Incomplete blueprints.
Missing pages.
He opened a blank document and began typing.
Two hours later, at 5:40 a.m.
Nightingale's voice sounded again, carrying obvious exhaustion and a trace of excitement. "I cracked it. The complete authorization key is: 7k8j9d3m2n5x9p0q6z1r4s. Also, I infiltrated Luxembourg International Commercial Bank's system and found the account's real-time information."
Lin Xiao immediately asked, "What's the balance?"
"Zero at the moment," Nightingale said. "But there's a pending transfer record. The sender is Hammer Industries' overseas subsidiary, and the amount is... 1.2 million dollars. The expected arrival time is 9:00 this morning, Luxembourg time."
1.2 million dollars.
Lin Xiao took a deep breath.
To Hammer Industries, this money might be an ordinary advance payment for a technical partnership. To Ivan Vanko, it was research funding. But to Lin Xiao...
It was Continental Hotel's first pot of gold.
"Can we intercept it?" he asked.
"Yes," Nightingale said. "But I need your authorization. Once we touch this money, Hammer Industries will notice the problem soon enough. They'll investigate, and Ivan Vanko will be furious. That means making enemies of two forces at once."
Lin Xiao did not hesitate.
"Execute it."
"Understood," Nightingale said. "I'll launder the funds through seven different offshore accounts, then transfer them into the shell company account we established in the Cayman Islands. The entire process will take twenty-four hours. Twenty-four hours from now, this 1.2 million dollars will become 'legitimate' business investment funds."
"Was it clean?"
"Clean enough," Nightingale said. "At the very least, Hammer Industries' accountants will need several months to trace the final destination. And by then, we'll have already spent the money elsewhere."
Lin Xiao nodded.
"Let's begin."
He shut off the communication channel.
The warehouse fell silent.
Su Ying was already awake. She sat on the sleeping mat, watching Lin Xiao. Wolf had opened his eyes as well.
"Did it work?" Su Ying asked.
"It worked," Lin Xiao said. "1.2 million dollars. It'll arrive in twenty-four hours."
Su Ying was silent for several seconds.
Then she asked, "What are you planning to do with that money?"
Lin Xiao walked to the workbench and opened the document he had just created.
The document was titled: [Arc Reactor Technology Analysis Report (Supplementation and Projections Based on Reverse-Engineered Incomplete Blueprints)]
The document was thirty-seven pages long.
It did not contain complete reactor construction blueprints—Lin Xiao's memories were not enough to support recreating the entire system. But he had written down every key technical point he remembered, the approaches to material selection, and the energy output optimization plans. At the same time, he had marked the missing sections in Ivan Vanko's blueprints and proposed several possible solutions based on physical principles.
This was not a manufacturing manual.
It was a technical roadmap.
One that pointed out the direction, marked the pitfalls, and listed alternative solutions... a map for navigation.
"This is our second gain," Lin Xiao said. "The incomplete Arc Reactor blueprints, combined with my memories, amount to a... technical consulting report that can be sold to certain people."
"Sold to whom?" Wolf asked.
Lin Xiao looked at the screen.
On the final page of the document, he had written a brief summary:
[...In summary, reverse-engineering the Stark Arc Reactor faces three core bottlenecks: 1) magnetic field stability control in the annular acceleration chamber; 2) thermal management of the energy output interface; 3) material fatigue during reactor miniaturization. Possible directions for solving these issues include adopting a layered magnetic field design, introducing an active cooling circulation system, and exploring the application of new highly conductive, heat-resistant alloys...]
He saved the document.
Then he said, "Tony Stark."
Su Ying raised an eyebrow. "You want to sell this report to Stark?"
"Not sell it," Lin Xiao said. "Give it to him."
"Give it to him?"
"Yes." Lin Xiao shut down the computer. "The value of this report isn't how much we can sell it for. It's that it can help us establish contact with Stark. A mysterious ally who possesses part of the Arc Reactor's technical details and is willing to provide ideas for improvement free of charge... That's worth more than 1.2 million dollars."
Su Ying understood.
She looked at Lin Xiao and suddenly felt that this man was more farsighted than she had imagined.
He was not merely seizing resources.
He was also weaving a web of connections.
"What about the money?" she asked.
"We'll use it to reinforce our base," Lin Xiao said. "Purchase equipment, establish a secure communications network, recruit peripheral personnel. Grey Falcon has some channels in Eastern Europe. He can find reliable people with special skills. We need to expand the team."
"The Continental Hotel," Su Ying said softly.
"The prototype of the Continental Hotel," Lin Xiao corrected. "Now, we have funding, technical leverage, and an initial team. Next..."
He picked up the printed technical analysis report, the pages making a faint rustling sound in his hand.
Su Ying watched the light flickering in his eyes—a chess player's light when he saw the entire board, calm, sharp, and filled with an absolute desire to control the future.
She asked softly, "Who's the next target?"
Lin Xiao did not answer immediately.
He walked to the warehouse window and pushed open the rusted frame. Morning air poured in, carrying the fresh scent of rain-soaked earth. On the distant horizon, the sun was rising, its golden light piercing the clouds and illuminating the desolate industrial district.
"Wait until the money arrives," he said. "Wait until this report reaches the person it should reach. Then..."
He turned and looked at Su Ying.
"We'll know who the next target is."
Before you continue