An Uninvited Guest

Malibu mornings always carried the dampness of sea mist and the clarity of sunlight. Xiao Han was already seated on his designated cushion, facing east like a statue drawing in the sun.

Tony had spent the entire night tinkering in the underground workshop and was now sprawled across the sofa, dozing, red marks from his goggles still on his face.

The villa was quiet, save for the steady crash of waves against the cliffs and the faint hum of JARVIS occasionally adjusting the air conditioning.

This calm lasted until 10:17 in the morning.

"Sir, there are unannounced visitors." JARVIS's gentle voice rang out, waking both Tony on the sofa and Xiao Han in meditation.

Tony jerked upright, his goggles slipping down around his neck. "Who?" he asked, rubbing his eyes, his voice hoarse.

"A standard S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle, but it is not on today's visitor list. The license plate is registered to the logistics department, but the engine model and exterior do not match. It is a specialized high-end field model."

"There are three people in the vehicle, all armed. Biometric identification indicates extremely high clearance, but an abnormal delay occurred while matching them against the database."

Tony was instantly awake. He looked at Xiao Han, who did not even raise an eyelid, still immersed in his sunbath.

"Stop them. Activate Defense Protocol Beta." Tony spoke quickly as he pulled up the gate's surveillance feed.

On the screen, a black SUV had stopped outside the villa gate. Three people in S.H.I.E.L.D. uniforms stepped out, their posture precise and expressions calm. But Tony noticed that their seemingly casual positions actually covered every possible counterattack angle.

"Mr. Stark, Director Fury sent us to deliver an urgent document," the leader said to the security camera, raising an encrypted briefcase. "Your biometric signature is required for confirmation."

Tony frowned. "Fury just spoke to me. He didn't mention this."

The man's expression did not change. "The situation is urgent. The director believes communications may be monitored. This concerns the follow-up handling plan for 'Paperclip.'"

The word made Tony's heart tighten. He glanced at Xiao Han and found him still utterly unmoved.

"Put the documents in the secure drop box at the entrance. I'll retrieve them." Tony decided to proceed carefully.

The man shook his head slightly. "Sorry, Mr. Stark, but our orders are to deliver it in person. It involves the highest level of secrecy and cannot pass through any intermediary device that might be intercepted."

Tony was about to refuse when Xiao Han, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke.

"Too noisy."

His voice was not loud, yet it carried clearly through the entire living room. Tony froze for a moment and looked at the surveillance feed—the three people had neither spoken nor made any sound.

"What's too noisy?" Tony asked instinctively.

Xiao Han finally turned his head slightly, his gaze seeming to pass through layer upon layer of walls and settle on the gate. "Their heartbeats," he said blandly. "Too fast. Liars are always like that."

On the surveillance feed, the three people seemed to sense something and exchanged a glance. That tiny movement put Tony on guard—they were too professional, too synchronized, unlike ordinary office staff.

Suddenly, JARVIS issued a warning: "High-frequency signal transmission detected. Attempting to breach the first firewall. Source: beneath the visitor vehicle."

Tony cursed and immediately activated the full defense system. Concealed weapon platforms rose around the villa, and laser targeting dots instantly locked onto the three visitors.

They reacted quickly. Almost the moment the defense system activated, the three retreated to the vehicle and pulled out heavy weapons—models that were absolutely not standard S.H.I.E.L.D. equipment.

"Stark, we only want to peacefully retrieve what you brought back from the offshore platform today." The leader's voice turned cold. "Hand over the data, and we'll leave immediately."

Tony laughed angrily. "You came to my house to threaten me? Do you know who I'm living with right now?"

Their gazes turned toward the main villa building in unison. Obvious apprehension flashed across their faces, but it was quickly replaced by resolve. "Our orders are to obtain the data at any cost. Even if... extreme measures are required."

"Extreme measures?" Tony raised his voice. "Hey, buddy, do you know the last guy who said that is still floating around in outer space?"

At that moment, Xiao Han slowly rose to his feet. Tony instinctively took a step back to make room for him.

"Troublesome." Xiao Han said only that one word, then stepped forward.

Just one step.

The next second, he was standing at the gate before the three uninvited guests, as though he had been there from the beginning.

The three recoiled in shock and raised their guns at once, forming a practiced triangular attack formation. But their hands were trembling slightly.

"Hand over the data, or we will take action." The leader forced himself to remain calm, but the tremor in his voice betrayed him.

Xiao Han's gaze swept over them before falling on the weapons in their hands. "Toys," he assessed, then looked toward the villa. "Tony, your security system has flaws."

Watching through the surveillance feed, Tony could not help retorting, "Hey, those are the latest models—"

Before he could finish, Xiao Han casually raised a hand and gave it a light wave.

There was no sound, no flash, nothing at all.

But the weapons in the three men's hands suddenly turned into fine metallic powder, flowing down between their fingers and scattering like dust in the sea breeze. Every electronic device on them—communicators, trackers, even the circuitry in their watches—became useless scrap at the same time.

The three men froze in place, their faces pale as paper.

Xiao Han seemed to consider something, then blew out a breath.

That breath seemed to carry all the biting chill of a Siberian winter. The three were instantly frozen in place, their horrified expressions preserved as they became three ice sculptures. Sunlight struck the ice, refracting dazzling brilliance.

"Too bright." Xiao Han frowned slightly and waved his hand again.

The three ice sculptures were swiftly covered in a layer of metal oxide, becoming matte gray statues that no longer reflected light.

Having finished all that as though he had completed some trivial household chore, Xiao Han turned around, took another step, and returned to the cushion in the living room. He sat back down and resumed his sunbath.

The entire process took less than ten seconds.

Tony stood with his mouth open, staring through the surveillance feed at the three humanoid sculptures by the gate, unable to speak for a long while.

At last, he swallowed and quietly told JARVIS, "Send Fury a message. Tell him his people turned into abstract art exhibits outside my house, and tell him to come collect the trash."

Then he cautiously walked over to Xiao Han. After hesitating for a while, he finally said, "Um... thanks?"

Xiao Han did not respond, as though he had fallen asleep.

Tony stood there for a moment, then suddenly remembered something. "Right, how did you know they were lying? Because of their heartbeats?"

Xiao Han still had his eyes closed, but he answered blandly, "Heartbeats, blood flow speed, glandular secretions... lies have their own scent."

Tony nodded thoughtfully, then suddenly grew excited. "Wait, you can detect physiological changes that subtle? That ability is incredible!"

"Can you teach me? Or at least let me run some tests? I want to know the biological mechanism behind it..."

"Too noisy." Xiao Han cut him off.

Tony immediately shut up, mimed zipping his lips, and quietly backed away.

He returned to the workshop and looked at the three gray statues in the gate surveillance feed, unable to stop himself from laughing. It seemed Hydra still had not figured out what they had provoked.

Then his smile gradually faded and his expression turned serious. "JARVIS, fully upgrade the security system. Add physiological indicator monitoring. Also, send Pepper a message. Tell her not to come over today. Say... I'm conducting dangerous experiments."

He looked at the three statues on the screen and muttered softly, "The game has begun, assholes."