I Know Who You Are Now

Thor, Asgard's eldest prince and the God of Thunder, stood awkwardly beside his brother.

He held Mjolnir in one hand and a container glowing blue in the other. Inside was the Tesseract.

"We're leaving." Thor looked at everyone present. "Thank you for your help. Asgard owes you a favor. I'll deal with the Tesseract and... him."

A muzzle bound Loki's mouth, leaving him able to make only muffled, furious sounds.

"Okay, take care, Blondie." Tony waved. "Next time you bring your Bambi brother around, remember to bring Christmas presents."

Steve nodded solemnly. "He has to pay for what he did."

"He will." Thor's expression was grave.

He activated the Tesseract, and blue light enveloped the two of them.

At the very instant the light reached its peak and they were about to teleport, Loki's gaze passed over everyone before finally locking onto Homelander's back.

In those eyes, beyond hatred, there was also... fear hidden deep within.

The light flashed, and Thor and Loki vanished.

If Loki had been the "external problem," then the room was now left with only an "internal problem."

Everyone's eyes—Stark, Steve, Natasha, Clint, Banner—were fixed on that red-and-blue back.

"All right, the star of the blockbuster is gone." Stark walked over, folding his arms. "Now then, Stars-and-Stripes boy... shall we talk?"

Wu Yanzu slowly turned around.

"Of course, Mr. Stark." His voice was gentle and magnetic. "I'm guessing you have a lot of questions."

"Oh, you got that right." A deep voice came from nearby.

Nick Fury, director of S.H.I.E.L.D., strode in wearing his signature black trench coat.

His single eye locked onto Wu Yanzu like an eagle's.

"The people of New York thank you for your 'performance,' Mr. Homelander." There wasn't a shred of gratitude in Fury's tone. "But I don't like surprises."

"And you," Fury narrowed his eye, "are today's biggest surprise."

"Sir." Wu Yanzu smiled and nodded in greeting. "Nice to meet you. I'm guessing you're the boss around here?"

"My name is Nick Fury. Come with me." Fury did not waste another word and directly extended an invitation. "Let's talk somewhere else."

Helicarrier, circular conference room.

At that moment, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top brass and the Avengers' core members sat around the conference room's long table.

Fury sat at the head of the table, his single eye especially sharp beneath the lights.

Agent Maria Hill stood behind Fury.

Tony Stark sat with one leg crossed over the other, his face practically saying, Go on, put on your show.

Steve Rogers sat upright, his expression stern.

Natasha Romanoff was like a black panther poised to strike. She said nothing and merely observed.

Bruce Banner and Clint Barton did not attend. They needed rest and evaluation.

"Today's performance was truly impressive, Mr. Homelander..." Fury's tone was neither warm nor cold. "Such a perfect hero. So perfect it almost seemed fake."

"Director Fury," Wu Yanzu said, still smiling, "I merely did what I should have done."

"Is that so?" Fury sneered. "Then you sure had an awful lot that you 'should have done.'"

"All right, Nick." Tony Stark was somewhat dissatisfied with Fury. "Don't be so cold-blooded. This guy, no matter how much he loves stealing the spotlight, did save my life and this city. So... Homelander, who exactly are you? Where did you come from? And who designed that outfit? Nice material."

"I came to help, Mr. Stark." Homelander began the story he had prepared. "I come from a very distant place..."

"A very distant place?" Fury cut him off. "Smallville, Kansas, or somewhere called Krypton?"

"Nick!" Steve spoke up in warning. He clearly disapproved of Fury's interrogative attitude. "He saved everyone. We should at least show him respect."

"Respect means honesty, Captain. I can see through falsehood and sincerity at a glance." Fury's single eye turned toward Steve, then returned to Homelander's face. "I'm asking you questions. Are you an alien? S.H.I.E.L.D. has never discovered anyone on Earth with abilities like yours. Who do you work for? What is your purpose in appearing here?"

The air around them seemed to freeze.

"Director Fury," Wu Yanzu broke the silence, his voice calm. "You mentioned fighting for something just now. When the Chitauri Leviathans were ravaging the skies above Manhattan, was what you called fighting for something launching a nuclear missile at those millions of civilians?"

Fury frowned, unsure how to respond.

"I was in the sky, catching falling slabs of buildings. I was in the streets, blocking lasers fired at children."

Wu Yanzu leaned forward slightly and stared directly into Fury's single eye. "And you were hiding in your ship, using your distrust and suspicion to interrogate someone who just finished cleaning up your mess."

"Is this how S.H.I.E.L.D. operates?" Azu swept his gaze over the room before returning it to Fury, mockery on his face. "If so, then I have to say... that's truly disappointing."

The room fell silent for several seconds.

"Well said."

Tony Stark let out a loud whistle, breaking the deadlock. "Honestly, Fury, I like what he said. Compared to him, that council that wanted to nuke New York sounds more like a top-tier threat."

Steve Rogers looked at Wu Yanzu, and there was now an additional note of approval and respect in his eyes.

He stood and walked to Wu Yanzu's side, facing Fury. "Fury, he's right. We're Avengers, not interrogators. He proved his worth—with his actions."

Fury's expression darkened.

As the King of Spies, he was accustomed to controlling everything, accustomed to using intimidation and authority to crush people.

But today, he had encountered someone tough. This Homelander... was unexpectedly skilled at steering public opinion.

He knew he had lost this round. If he remained forceful, he would only drive the Avengers apart.

"All right, perhaps my attitude was a little too aggressive." Fury's voice softened. "But S.H.I.E.L.D. has to know where you came from. I hope you understand..."

"I..." He had just been about to begin fabricating that classic story about the "M78 Nebula."

"Sir!"

Agent Maria Hill hurried over, holding a tablet in her hand, her expression extremely strange.

"Sir, you need to see this."

Fury impatiently took the tablet, but when his eye swept over the screen, it suddenly widened.

"What did you find?" Stark curiously leaned over. When he saw what was on the screen, he froze as well.

"Whoa... this is... damn."

"All right. I know who you are now." Fury's voice was filled with pressure.

—??

Wu Yanzu's mind went blank for half a second.

What?

He knew?

Knew my ass! I'm a transmigrator!

"So explain it, Mr. Homelander."

Nick Fury tossed the tablet onto the table with a slap. It slid before Wu Yanzu.

On the screen was a file.

Wu Yanzu's pupils contracted slightly.

The file contained an ID photo.

The man in the photo had the exact same blond hair, the exact same handsome face, and the exact same azure eyes as him.

The only difference was that the man in the photo wore a Columbia University T-shirt, and his smile... was very youthful.

Name: Anthony Starr

Date of Birth: October 25, 1992

Status: Missing, presumed dead

Background:

Columbia University, Department of Literature, first-year student.

Parents: Edward Starr, Martha Starr (founders of Starr Group; both died in a plane crash three years ago).

Incident Record: On October 25, 2011, Anthony Starr encountered a sudden storm while attending a private yacht party in Hampton, Long Island. The yacht sank. Of all passengers and crew members, only Anthony Starr's body... was never found.

Wu Yanzu's brain stopped functioning in that instant.

Anthony Starr...

Anthony Starr?!

Wasn't that fucking name the actor who played Homelander in The Boys in his world?!

When he had still been an award-winning actor in his previous life, he had even studied this fellow actor's performances!

"Fuck..." he cursed inwardly.

"Parallel worlds... this is the real fucking parallel world! This world doesn't just have Marvel, it also has people exactly like those from my world!"

All of this happened in the blink of an eye.

Wu Yanzu's mind spun thousands of times within that single second.

"The original Space Guard script... is scrapped!"