You Can Call Me Superman

Universe-19999

New York

The atmosphere in the S.H.I.E.L.D. helicarrier's conference room was as heavy as lead.

Loki's sneering face had just vanished from the holographic projection, leaving behind a suffocating silence in the conference room.

Tony Stark leaned against the table, anxiously tapping his fingers against the metal surface. His armor's helmet had been tossed aside, and there were still traces of scrapes on his face.

"So that bastard's going to my place to throw a party?" He let out a cold laugh. "He sure knows how to pick a venue."

Steve Rogers frowned deeply. The tactical tablet in his hand displayed a live feed of Stark Tower. "Loki's target is the Tesseract. He needs a high-energy source to activate the teleportation device."

"And Stark Tower's Arc Reactor fits the bill perfectly." Black Widow added as her gaze swept across the group.

"We're out of time."

Thor tightened his grip on Mjolnir and said solemnly, "Once Loki's army arrives, Midgard will face total destruction."

"An army?" Doctor Banner pushed up his glasses, his voice trembling slightly.

"You mean an alien fleet?"

"The Chitauri." Thor nodded. "A bloodthirsty horde of interstellar marauders. They answer only to Thanos."

Tony looked puzzled. "Thanos? Who's that?"

"This isn't the time for jokes, Stark!" Steve barked.

"I wasn't joking!" Tony snatched up his helmet.

"JARVIS, activate Mark 7. We need to crash that party before those alien scumbags get started!"

"Sir, Mark 7 has not completed its final calibration." JARVIS's voice came through the speakers.

"We don't have time. We'll make do!"

High above New York, Xiao Han hovered among the clouds, the golden patterns on his black armor gleaming in the sunlight.

His Super-Sight pierced through the clouds, taking in the entire city.

"System, what time is it?" he asked inwardly.

[Beep! The current date is May 4, 2012, three minutes before the Chitauri invasion begins]

The corners of Xiao Han's lips lifted. That was enough time to prepare.

He adjusted his Super Hearing, picking up unusual sounds throughout the city.

Soon, several familiar voices reached his ears.

"Top floor of Stark Tower. Abnormal energy readings!" Black Widow's voice came through the S.H.I.E.L.D. channel.

"Fury, we may need an evacuation plan." Captain America's tone was grave.

"I'm on my way. This thing looks like some kind of portal." Tony's flippant tone carried a hint of tension.

Xiao Han turned his gaze toward Stark Tower.

Sure enough, on the platform at the top of the tower, Doctor Erik Selvig was calibrating a strange machine, while Loki stood nearby with his scepter in hand and a smug smile on his face.

"Let's observe for now." Xiao Han decided not to reveal himself yet. He flew higher, concealed himself above the clouds, and quietly waited for events to unfold.

Time passed second by second. As Selvig activated the machine, a blue pillar of energy shot into the sky, tearing open a massive spatial rift above New York.

In the pitch-black expanse of space, the menacing outline of the Chitauri Mothership was faintly visible.

"It's started." Xiao Han spoke softly.

The first wave of Chitauri soldiers poured out of the wormhole like locusts, riding their skiffs and wreaking havoc over New York.

The sounds of explosions and screams instantly rang throughout Manhattan.

The Avengers quickly assembled.

Iron Man intercepted the skiffs in the air, Captain America organized evacuations on the ground, and Black Widow coordinated attacks with Hawkeye.

The late-arriving Hulk rampaged through the streets like a human tank.

Xiao Han watched it all, assessing the battle.

The Avengers worked together seamlessly, but there were simply too many Chitauri.

A Leviathan broke through the defensive line, smashing through several buildings and triggering even greater panic.

"It's time."

Xiao Han took a deep breath and dove down from the clouds.

He deliberately controlled his speed, letting himself streak across the sky like a black meteor. As he neared the ground, he suddenly braked, and the shockwave flipped more than a dozen Chitauri soldiers into the air.

"What is that?"

Captain America, who was evacuating civilians, suddenly looked up. Sunlight flashed off his shield.

Xiao Han landed on the roof of a partially destroyed building, his black armor standing out clearly in the sunlight.

He swept his eyes across the surroundings and locked onto several of the fiercest battlefields.

"Let's start with the biggest one."

He bent his legs slightly and instantly launched himself toward the rampaging Leviathan.

As he flew, his eyes began to glow with a searing red light.

Zzt!

Two beams of Heat Vision struck the Leviathan's head with laser-like precision.

The beast let out a painful roar as its metal shell was sliced open like butter.

Xiao Han did not stop. His Heat Vision carved down the Leviathan's spine, splitting it in two.

Boom!

The Leviathan's remains crashed into the street, sending dust billowing into the sky.

"JARVIS, what is that?" Iron Man hovered in the air, Tony Stark's eyes widening behind his helmet.

"Unknown target, sir. Its energy readings exceed the measurable range."

On the ground, Black Widow and Hawkeye had just finished off a squad of Chitauri soldiers back-to-back. They, too, were stunned by the sudden assistance.

"Fury, we've got a new player in the game." Black Widow pressed her earpiece and reported.

Xiao Han ignored their reactions and continued into action.

He flew beneath the wormhole, where a huge number of Chitauri troops had gathered.

Taking a deep breath, he expanded his lungs, then—

Whoosh!

Freeze Breath swept across the entire area. Hundreds of Chitauri soldiers were instantly frozen into ice statues, then turned to powder in the breeze.

"Good Lord!"

Hawkeye lowered his bow and stared at the scene in disbelief.

Xiao Han did not pause. He flew toward the wormhole, his Super-Sight analyzing its energy structure.

"Energy with the same origin as Loki's scepter. It can be closed."

At that moment, Fury's voice came through the communications channel. "All units, pay attention. The council has decided to launch a nuclear missile."

"What?" Captain America roared. "There are still civilians here!"

Xiao Han's brow furrowed.

A nuclear missile? That hadn't been part of his plan.

His Super Hearing locked onto the missile's launch point, and he instantly broke the sound barrier as he shot into the sky.

A few seconds later, he intercepted the nuclear missile that had already been launched, easily altering its trajectory and carrying it straight toward the wormhole.

"Gentlemen, he's carrying a nuclear missile into space." Black Widow's voice was laced with amusement.

Xiao Han carried the nuclear missile through the wormhole and arrived in the space where the Chitauri Mothership was located.

He released the missile and watched it detonate on the mothership before swiftly turning back.

At the other end of the wormhole, the Avengers waited tensely.

"If that nuclear missile explodes over there, won't the shockwave—"

Captain America did not finish. A black figure had already flown out of the wormhole.

Xiao Han returned without a scratch, while the wormhole behind him began to fluctuate violently.

He landed on the platform atop Stark Tower and faced Loki directly.

"You... who are you?" Loki took a step back, pointing his scepter at Xiao Han.

"Get on your knees!"

Xiao Han let out a cold laugh. Ignoring the energy wave from the scepter, he grabbed Loki by the throat and hoisted him into the air.

"You know, I could crush your neck right now, but someone might object."

Loki struggled, his face turning red. "You... can't..."

Xiao Han easily snatched the scepter away with his other hand, then tossed Loki aside like a piece of trash.

His Super-Sight pierced through the platform and found the Tesseract device still operating below.

"Let's end this."

He gripped the scepter and walked toward the device.

The tip of the scepter precisely pierced the energy barrier, and the device immediately stopped operating.

The wormhole overhead began to collapse, eventually vanishing without a trace.

New York returned to peace, leaving behind only devastated streets and the Avengers' stunned faces.

Tony was the first to land on the platform. His helmet flipped open. "Okay, whoever you are, I have to say, nice work. But could you introduce yourself first?"

Xiao Han turned to face the members of the Avengers.

Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye arrived one after another. Hulk growled in the distance, while Thor helped the battered Loki to his feet and watched Xiao Han warily.

"My name is Xiao Han." He spoke calmly.

"You can call me Superman."