I Am Anthony Starr

Wait... could that bald bastard be trying to bluff me?

Hmm...

Heartbeat normal. Blood pressure normal.

But he was a professionally trained agent...

Fuck, if he dared bluff me, I'd shoot him to pieces on the spot.

It was decided. As an award-winning actor, he never easily passed up any opportunity to perform.

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

His smile gradually faded.

"Anthony..." he softly spoke the name, as if reciting a spell.

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

"Are you all right?" Steve Rogers keenly caught it, 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 one 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 has been dead for a year..."

"I'm not dead."

Homelander began his performance.

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

"I lost consciousness. I thought it was all over."

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

"What place?" Fury immediately pressed.

"A place with neither light nor darkness. I don't know how long I was there." Wu Yanzu began the "vague narrative" 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 hold back.

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

He raised a hand and looked at his palm.

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

"By the time I was conscious, 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 my home was..."

His performance entered its most crucial phase of "self-analysis."

"I became a monster, didn't I?" He laughed self-mockingly. "I discovered 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 'light bulb' 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, in the inner pocket of your coat, there's an FNP-9 pistol. Thirteen rounds, one chambered. And a pager? How retro."

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

The entire room fell silent again.

"I'm sorry." Homelander lowered his head. His exquisite acting made him seem 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 people... in my city."

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

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

"...the reason I came back was for this moment."

Silence.

A long silence.

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

He walked up to "Anthony." This man, who had awakened from the ice and been left behind by the times, saw a trace of himself in "Anthony."

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

He reached out and firmly placed a hand on Anthony's shoulder.

"You're a hero."

Ding!

A sound only Wu Yanzu could hear rang out.

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

Special Popularity Points gained: +10000!

Got one. Wu Yanzu felt smug inside, but his face showed an expression of "redemption."

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

Tony Stark stroked his chin, deep in thought.

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

"This script... feels kind of familiar." Tony muttered, but for now, he couldn't find any holes in it.

Only Natasha and Fury remained suspicious.

Natasha did not believe in coincidences that were too perfect.

And Nick Fury... never trusted anyone from Earth.

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

"Welcome home."

"We'll handle your identity issue. Your parents left behind a large inheritance, all of it in a trust fund. Your apartment on Manhattan's Upper East Side... has probably gathered a year's worth of dust."

Fury stood and walked over to Anthony.

"I apologize for my attitude earlier. S.H.I.E.L.D. will help restore your identity. You should know how difficult that is. But 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 begin the legal process to restore your legal identity. Your trust fund, your assets... they're all being unfrozen."

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

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

Wu Yanzu took the phone, though inwardly he did not care.

But he had only just arrived. There would be time for beef later; for now, he had 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 as though 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 turned into a streak of blue light and vanished from the Helicarrier.

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

"He might really be a hero, Tony," Steve murmured as he looked in the direction Homelander had gone.

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

"His irises have already been matched against the database. There shouldn't be a problem." Nick Fury answered with a dark expression.

He stared fixedly at the doorway. Although this Homelander had performed well, he could not shake the ominous feeling.

"I hope I'm overthinking it. I hope he's a real superhero, not some uncontrollable troublemaker."