Tony took the file and quickly scanned the names on it.
Black Widow, Hawkeye, his gaze lingering for a moment on a pending candidate, Bruce Banner.
"Interesting roster." Tony tossed the file back to Fury.
"Though I have a question. Who commands this team? S.H.I.E.L.D.? The World Security Council? Or some secret organization I don't know about?"
Fury's expression turned inscrutable. "Under special circumstances, the team will have autonomous decision-making power."
"Which is to say, in the end, we still have to listen to you guys."
Tony shook his head. "Sorry, Nick. I'm not good at following orders, especially when the leader is a self-righteous old man."
Tony paused, hesitating slightly, before finally saying, "Besides, I'm even less fond of working in an organization where over half of it has been thoroughly penetrated by Hydra."
Nick Fury's single eye narrowed. "Hydra? How do you know that?"
"Xiao." Tony lied flatly. "He has a... special ability, one that can see right through disguises. He says at least a third of the agents in S.H.I.E.L.D. are working for Hydra."
The laboratory plunged into a dead silence.
Fury's expression grew extraordinarily solemn, and Tony could tell he was evaluating the credibility of this intelligence.
"Even if this is true," Fury finally spoke, his voice low.
"It precisely proves why we need someone like Xiao to join. His abilities can help us purge the spies."
Tony walked back to the window, gazing at the New York night view. "Xiao isn't the kind of person you can control, Fury. His power is far beyond your imagination."
"No one is uncontrollable, Stark." Fury's voice carried a dangerous undertone.
"Including you."
Tony turned around, locking eyes with Fury. "Threats don't work on me, Director. I have better partners now."
The air between the two seemed to freeze.
Ultimately, Fury took a step back and put away the projection device. "We'll continue to investigate your partner, Stark. If we find that he poses a threat to the public—"
"Save it, Nick." Tony waved a hand impatiently.
"Instead of wasting time investigating Xiao, you'd better check your own base. I hear Agent Sitwell has been particularly interested in the Tesseract lately?"
Fury's expression turned instantly alert.
Sitwell was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent in charge of multiple classified projects.
Tony intentionally mentioned that name precisely to verify the intel Xiao Han had deliberately given him regarding the Hydra infiltration.
"Thanks for the... reminder," Fury said finally, turning toward the elevator.
"But our conversation isn't over, Stark. S.H.I.E.L.D. will be keeping an eye on you."
After the elevator doors closed, Tony let out a long breath and sat down in his chair.
JARVIS reported immediately, "Sir, thermal signals detected still on the top floor. Someone is lurking in the ventilation system."
Tony sneered. "Black Widow, I'm guessing? Let her stay; she won't find anything anyway."
He walked over to the hidden safe, took out that vial of modified serum, the blue liquid glowing with an alluring light under the lamps.
"JARVIS, prepare the injection procedure." Tony's voice grew firm.
"If S.H.I.E.L.D. is already making a move, we need to pick up the pace."
"Sir, are you certain you want to use an untested biological agent?" JARVIS asked.
"According to the protocol—"
"I wrote the protocol, JARVIS." Tony cut him off.
"And... I trust Xiao's technology."
As soon as the words left his mouth, even Tony himself was somewhat surprised.
He had never easily trusted anyone, let alone an alien with unknown powers.
Yet a certain intuition told him Xiao Han was being sincere, and that serum really was a gift as he claimed, rather than a trap.
"Additionally," Tony continued, "initiate the Iron Legion Initiative. I want all Mark Series armor to enter combat readiness."
"Executed, sir," JARVIS replied. "However, based on the analysis of Mr. Xiao's capabilities, our weapons systems are practically ineffective against him."
Tony looked at the liquid in the test tube, the corners of his mouth curving into a smile. "Who said it was meant for dealing with Xiao?"
He placed the serum into the auto-injector, his gaze growing sharp.
S.H.I.E.L.D.'s sudden visit confirmed his suspicion; Fury would not easily let go of an existence like Xiao Han.
And if Hydra truly had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D., then an even more dangerous enemy might already be operating in the shadows.
"Prepare the holographic projection; I need to redesign the Mark Armor." Tony rolled up his sleeves.
"Also, contact Rhodey, tell him the weekend gathering is canceled, I have more important things to do."
As the auto-injector pushed the blue liquid into Tony's veins, a strange warmth instantly spread throughout his entire body.
He felt muscle fibers reorganizing, nerve conduction speed accelerating, and his senses becoming extraordinarily acute.
"Vital signs stable, all metrics significantly enhanced," JARVIS reported. "Preliminary testing indicates a 240% increase in muscle density, an 180% increase in skeletal strength, metabolism—"
"Based on muscle density analysis, you can deliver a strike of 16.7 tons at full power."
"Sir, you have surpassed Captain America..."
Tony stood up before hearing the end of it, feeling the surging power within his body.
He picked up a metal wrench casually and squeezed it gently; the hard steel deformed just like modeling clay.
"Whoa." Tony murmured softly, excitement flashing in his eyes. "Xiao wasn't lying, this really is version 3.0."
He walked to the center of the laboratory, suddenly burst into a sprint, turning into a blur of a shadow to ordinary eyes, and then easily leaped three meters high, landing steadily on the workbench.
"Sir, your heart rate is slightly elevated," JARVIS reminded him.
"That's because I'm too excited, JARVIS!" Tony laughed as he jumped down. "This feeling... is incredible!"
Yet soon, his expression grew serious once more.
The enhanced physical prowess was only the beginning; he needed much more preparation to deal with the storm that was coming.
Whether it came from S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, or an even more dangerous enemy.
"JARVIS, send a message to Xiao." Tony walked toward the armor assembly area. "Tell him... I accept his gift, and I can't wait to see what surprise number two is."
Outside the window, the night sky of New York was shrouded in dark clouds, and a storm was brewing.
Inside Stark Tower, a brand-new Tony Stark was also being born—no longer simply a technological genius, but a true superhuman in every sense.
Tony knew that from this night onward, everything would change.
S.H.I.E.L.D., the Avengers Initiative... these once-crucial terms all became far less critical after Xiao Han's appearance.
"With this kind of power and technology..." Tony looked at his tightly clenched fist, speaking softly to himself. "Maybe we really don't need S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore."