Renovations and S.H.I.E.L.D. Express Delivery

The sea breeze howled through the huge hole in the studio wall, making Tony's hair even messier. He stared at the impossibly smooth-edged opening for a long while before finding his voice again.

"JARVIS, call the renovation crew. Wait..." He rubbed his temples. "First, give me an estimate. How much will it cost to repair an entire wall of bulletproof glass?"

"Based on previous records, a single installation of this type of custom bulletproof glass wall costs approximately one hundred and twenty thousand dollars, sir."

Tony turned toward the living room and raised his voice. "Did you hear that? One hundred and twenty grand! Taking it out of your ice cream budget!"

A lazy reply drifted over from the living room. "Whatever. You're paying for it anyway."

Tony choked up for a moment, then decided not to argue with someone who had no concept of money. "JARVIS, put the bill on... S.H.I.E.L.D.'s tab. Write, 'reasonable property damage incurred while preventing a nuclear missile attack in the line of duty.'"

"Director Fury may raise objections, sir."

"Let him object." Tony waved away the remaining holographic displays, then suddenly remembered something. "Wait, that... thing from earlier, it's not going to fall down and hit someone, right?"

Xiao Han's voice drifted in from the living room. "Relax, I threw it toward the sun. Even if it didn't burn up, that'll be millions of years from now."

Tony opened his mouth, then ultimately decided not to ask how Xiao Han had managed such a precise throw. "Fine. At least we won't be getting any space junk complaints anytime soon."

He walked over to the edge of the hole and carefully leaned out to look below. "By the way, why did you have to tear down the wall? JARVIS clearly has a ventilation system."

"Trouble." Xiao Han had somehow already wandered back to the studio doorway, holding a fresh tub of ice cream. "This was faster."

Tony turned and looked him over. "So not only can you casually throw nuclear missiles, you can also precisely control the range of destruction? The edges of this hole are as clean as laser cuts."

Xiao Han scooped up a spoonful of ice cream. "Is controlling power difficult? You mortals really are troublesome." He glanced at Tony's workbench. "Those tin cans of yours are what I'd call crude."

"That's high-tech armor!" Tony protested. "Every inch has been precisely calculated!"

"Calculated to make yourself more conspicuous?" Xiao Han raised a brow. "Red and gold? Afraid your enemies won't be able to find the target?"

Tony was about to continue the argument when JARVIS interrupted him. "Sir, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s task force has arrived at the entrance. Agent Romanoff is leading them."

"That was fast," Tony muttered. "Let them in. It's not like we have a door anymore."

Natasha led a squad of fully armed agents briskly inside. When she saw the enormous hole in the wall, she visibly froze for a moment. "Stark, your decorating style is becoming more and more... open."

Tony spread his arms theatrically. "Welcome to Stark's open-concept studio. The latest design, complete with ocean views."

Natasha ignored his teasing and walked straight toward Xiao Han. "Mr. Xiao, Director Fury would like confirmation that the... projectile from earlier won't cause any further consequences."

Xiao Han licked his ice cream spoon. "Unless the sun retires early."

Natasha seemed to relax slightly before turning to Tony. "We need to collect missile fragments and residual energy data."

Tony pointed toward the ocean. "Go fish them out yourselves. They probably sank about three hundred meters offshore." Then something occurred to him. "Wait, how did you know so quickly? Don't tell me you were sightseeing nearby."

"We tracked every anomalous energy signal." Natasha gestured for her subordinates to begin working. "We have records of everything, from the missile's launch to its... disappearance."

Xiao Han raised a brow. "So you watched the missile fly over, but didn't warn us in advance?"

Natasha looked slightly embarrassed. "By the time we confirmed it, the missile was already close to the coast. And..." She glanced at Xiao Han. "We believed you could handle it."

"Such reliable allies," Tony said sarcastically. "Next time, remember to send a text in advance."

An agent suddenly cried out, "Ma'am, come look at this!"

Everyone gathered around. The agent was scanning the edge of the hole with an instrument. "The molecular structure here... has changed. The glass wasn't shattered. It was instantly restructured into some kind of crystalline formation."

Natasha looked at Xiao Han. "Did you do this?"

Xiao Han had already finished his ice cream and was idly playing with the empty tub. "Who else? Had to save the renovation crew some work."

Tony suddenly grew excited. "Wait, this kind of molecular restructuring ability... can you teach me? Or at least let me collect a few samples!"

Xiao Han tossed the empty tub neatly into a distant trash can. "Teach you how to tear down walls?"

"No! It's a revolution in materials science!" Tony's eyes gleamed. "Imagine it. If we could master this technology..."

"Imagine if you could be quiet." Xiao Han cut him off. "I'm going to take a nap."

Natasha hurriedly said, "Mr. Xiao, Director Fury would also like to ask whether you would be willing to assist us in locating other Hydra bases. Since you can sense..."

"No." Xiao Han refused decisively. "Too much trouble."

"But Hydra may continue attacking this place," Natasha tried to persuade him. "For your safety..."

Xiao Han snorted. "My safety?" He pointed at the hole in the wall. "They're the ones who should be worried about safety."

Tony chimed in. "He's right, Romanoff. Instead of making him raid Hydra's headquarters, it'd be better if Hydra got so scared they never dared come again."

Natasha was about to say something else when JARVIS suddenly sounded an alarm. "Sir, multiple aircraft are approaching. Their models match... S.H.I.E.L.D. transport aircraft?"

The holographic screen showed three Quinjets approaching, but their flight paths were abnormal.

Natasha's expression changed. "Those aren't ours!"

The moment she spoke, the transport bays opened, and dozens of small drones swarmed out, diving straight toward the villa.

"Again?" Tony complained. "Do these people not watch the news?"

Xiao Han sighed, looking deeply impatient. "Can't there ever be a moment of peace?"

He did not even stand up. He merely glanced at the drones. In an instant, every drone froze in midair, then crumpled as if crushed by an invisible hand, turning into heaps of metal fragments that clattered into the sea.

The three transport aircraft immediately turned and attempted to flee, but it was already too late.

Xiao Han gently blew a breath. The transport aircrafts' engines instantly froze. Having lost power, they plunged straight toward the sea, only to be completely encased in a shell of ice one second before hitting the water, floating there like three enormous modern art sculptures.

The entire process took less than five seconds.

Tony whistled. "Looks like the renovation crew will have to clean up the beach while they're at it."

Natasha and her agents stood rooted to the spot in stunned silence, their instruments still raised in midair.

Xiao Han stood and stretched. "I'm going upstairs to sleep for a while. If anything else flies over..." He glanced at Tony. "Remember to wake me up for meals."

After he left, Natasha finally found her voice. "Is he always like this?"

Tony shrugged. "He was actually pretty restrained today. Last time, he turned three Hydra agents into decorative statues by the front door."

An agent asked quietly, "Ma'am, the pilots inside those transport aircraft..."

Tony walked over to the workbench. "JARVIS, scan for life signs."

"There are life signals within the frozen transport aircraft. All occupants are unconscious, but their vital signs are stable."

Tony looked at Natasha. "See? He even thoughtfully left you survivors to interrogate. Can you tell your boss to stop sending people here to die now? My Sun's Son gets cranky when he wakes up. Next time, he might not be so gentle."

Natasha took a deep breath and opened her communicator. "Director Fury, did you hear all that? I recommend reassessing every operational plan involving Malibu... yes, including surveillance."

Tony nodded in satisfaction. "Smart. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to study this molecular restructuring technology." He picked up a sampling tool and walked toward the hole in the wall. "Oh, and remember to tow those three 'ice sculptures' away when you leave. They're blocking the ocean view."