I Am Anthony Starr

Wait... could that black boiled egg be bluffing me?

Hmm...

Heart rate normal, blood pressure normal.

But he was a professionally trained agent...

Fuck, if he dared bluff me, I'd blow his head off on the spot.

That settled it. As an award-winning actor, he never passed up an opportunity to perform.

Then, under the watchful eyes of Fury, Stark, Natasha, and the others, Wu Yanzu's expression changed.

His smile gradually vanished.

"Anthony..." he softly murmured the name, as though reciting a spell.

"No..." Wu Yanzu raised his head, revealing the bewilderment of someone "returned from the dead" to find that "everything had changed."

"Are you all right?" Steve Rogers keenly caught that, and his tone softened.

"I remembered something..."

"That's right... I am Anthony Starr."

The moment those words left his mouth, the air in the entire conference room froze.

Tony Stark slowly lowered his crossed leg.

Natasha leaned forward slightly.

Fury's single eye locked onto him, trying to find even the slightest flaw in his face.

"That's impossible," Agent Hill said quietly from behind them. "Anthony Starr died a year ago..."

"I didn't die."

Azu began his performance.

"I remember that storm..." His voice was low, filled with painful memories. "The yacht capsized, and freezing seawater rushed over me. I thought I was doomed..."

"I lost consciousness. I thought everything was over."

"When I woke up again..." He paused, creating enough suspense. "I was in a... uh, place I can't describe."

"What kind of place?" Fury immediately pressed.

"A place without light, but without darkness too. I don't know how long I was there." Wu Yanzu began the "vague narration" he was best at—the vaguer he was, the more they would fill in themselves.

"Then, something found me."

"What thing?" Even Tony couldn't help asking.

"I don't know." Azu shook his head in pain. "They erased most of my memories, including what they looked like... I only remember that they altered me, experimented on me, gave me this..."

He raised his hand and looked at his palm.

"...gave me this power. This 'curse.'"

"By the time I regained awareness, I was already on a deserted island... I don't know how long it took me to learn to control this power. I learned to fly, then flew back to the mainland."

"But I'd even forgotten where home was..."

His performance entered its most crucial stage: "self-analysis."

"I became a monster, didn't I?" He gave a self-mocking smile. "I found that I could hear heartbeats from miles away and see your bones."

He suddenly looked at Natasha. "Agent Romanoff, your heart rate is rising. Ninety-two beats per minute... you're nervous."

Natasha's expression changed instantly.

Then he looked at Tony. "Mr. Stark, that 'lightbulb' in your chest causes you a lot of pain, doesn't it? And your left knee has an old injury."

Tony's smile froze on his face.

Finally, he looked at Fury. "Director, there's an FNP-9 pistol in the inner pocket of your jacket. Thirteen rounds, one chambered. And a pager? How retro."

"Motherfucker! Enough!" Fury slammed his hand onto the table!

The entire room fell silent again.

"I'm sorry." Azu lowered his head. His exquisite acting made him look utterly innocent at that moment.

"I was afraid my power would hurt others. I was afraid this world... would see me as a monster. So I hid. Like a homeless man, I hid in the shadows of the city. Until today..."

He raised his head, and the light of "conviction" rekindled in his eyes.

"I saw the hole in the sky! I saw those aliens slaughtering my fellow citizens... in my city."

"I realized... maybe I'm not a monster."

"Maybe..." He paused and delivered the most crucial line:

"...the meaning of my return was for this very moment."

Silence.

A long silence.

Steve Rogers, the veteran hero, was the first to stand.

He walked over to "Anthony." This man, who had awakened from frozen sleep and become disconnected from his era, saw a trace of himself in "Anthony."

"...Kid." Steve's voice gentled. "You're not a monster."

He extended a hand and firmly placed it on Anthony's shoulder.

"You're a hero."

Ding!

A sound that only Wu Yanzu could hear rang out.

System Prompt: Recognition from the key figure "Captain America" detected! The "hero" persona has been initially established!

Special popularity points gained: +10000!

Got one. Wu Yanzu felt pleased with himself, but his face showed an expression of "redemption."

"...Thank you, Captain. You're the real hero!"

Tony Stark stroked his chin, pondering something.

He was deeply suspicious, but fuck, this story... was too bizarre! A rich second-generation kid survived a shipwreck, was altered by mysterious beings, hid for a year, and then returned triumphantly as a hero?

"This script... feels weirdly familiar." Tony muttered, but for the moment, he couldn't find any holes in it.

Only Natasha and Fury remained suspicious.

Natasha didn't believe in coincidences that were too perfect.

And Nick Fury... he never trusted any Earthling.

"All right, Mr. Starr." Fury leaned back in his chair again. He accepted this "setup," at least for the time being.

"Welcome home."

"We'll handle your identity issue. Your parents left behind a substantial inheritance, all in a trust fund. Your apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side... has probably been gathering dust for a year."

Fury stood and walked over to Anthony.

"I apologize for my attitude earlier. S.H.I.E.L.D. will help restore your identity, and you should know how difficult that is. In return, when we need you, I hope you'll remember that we helped you."

"Of course." Wu Yanzu nodded. "That's fair."

"Good." Fury nodded, then handed him a smartphone. "I've already had Agent Hill initiate the legal procedures to restore your lawful identity. Your trust fund, your assets... they're all being unfrozen."

Fury patted his shoulder. "This has the address of an apartment your parents left you. Go, kid. Get some rest. New York... thanks you."

"We'll stay in touch, right?" Fury said at last.

Wu Yanzu accepted the phone, though inwardly he didn't care.

Still, he had only just arrived. The beef could wait; for now, he needed to maintain the image of a sensible "good kid" on the surface. "Thank you, Director Fury. Thank you, everyone."

He stood and walked to the conference room door, then paused. Feeling that something was missing, he turned back and gave the Avengers a "sincere" smile.

"If you need me, you know how to find me."

Whoosh—!

He transformed into a streak of blue light and vanished from the Helicarrier.

"...Cool." Stark whistled. "I kind of like him..."

"He may really be a hero, Tony," Steve murmured, gazing in the direction Azu had left.

"He's a mystery, Nick," Natasha added. "Are you sure he really is this Anthony Starr? Plastic surgery isn't exactly difficult."

"We've already checked his irises against the database. There shouldn't be a problem," Nick Fury answered darkly.

He stared fixedly at the doorway. Though this Homelander had performed very well, he couldn't shake the ominous feeling.

I hope I'm overthinking it. I hope he's a real superhero, not some unruly ancestor.