Inhumans

Xiao Han's gaze turned toward the grayish-white planet in the distance, the corner of his mouth lifting slightly.

"Tony, want to take a look at the moon?"

Tony had been admiring Earth's curve. At that, he curled his lip. "The moon? What's there to see in that bald place? I've seen it countless times in NASA photos."

"Photos can't show everything." Xiao Han smiled mysteriously and raised a hand, drawing a golden ring through the air.

The portal slowly unfolded, revealing the rugged craters on the far side of the moon.

"Wait, this is..." Tony's eyes widened. "You can even teleport across planets?"

"A little trick." Xiao Han made an inviting gesture. "Coming?"

Tony's armor thrusters adjusted slightly. "You said it! If you teleport me somewhere weird, Pepper will lose her mind."

The two passed through the portal one after the other, instantly arriving on the lunar surface.

Tony's armor automatically adjusted its gravity system and life-support functions. He carefully stepped onto the lunar soil, leaving clear footprints behind.

"Whoa..." Tony looked down at his footprints. "I know how Armstrong felt."

Xiao Han, meanwhile, hovered a few centimeters above the ground, his gaze sweeping across the surrounding terrain.

"What are you looking for?" Tony asked curiously.

"A hidden city." Xiao Han's eyes glimmered faintly gold as Super-Sight pierced through the lunar surface, searching for abnormal energy fluctuations.

"A city? On the moon?" Tony snorted. "Unless it's aliens... Wait, don't tell me you mean..."

Xiao Han suddenly raised his hand, and another portal opened. This time, however, the other side was not the desolate lunar surface, but a massive domed city brimming with futuristic technology!

"Holy shit!" Tony's breath caught for a moment. "That's impossible! How could the far side of the moon possibly have..."

"Welcome to Attilan." Xiao Han flew into the portal first. "The capital of the Inhumans."

Tony hesitated for a second before gritting his teeth and following. "JARVIS, record everything!"

The moment he passed through the portal, Tony's view opened up.

Towering spires gleamed beneath a pale blue energy shield, while floating vehicles traced elegant paths through the air.

Among the humanoid beings walking the streets, some looked no different from humans, while others possessed scales, wings, or other mutated traits.

"This... this..." Tony's faceplate retracted, revealing an expression of stunned disbelief.

"This violates every law of physics! How could a city this big have escaped our satellites?"

"A magical barrier combined with Kree Empire technology," Xiao Han explained. "The Inhumans have lived here for centuries."

Just then, a squad of guards in silver uniforms swiftly surrounded them, the energy weapons in their hands glinting dangerously.

"Intruders! Drop your weapons!" the lead guard shouted. A glowing crystal was embedded in his forehead.

Tony instinctively raised his repulsor cannon. "JARVIS, analyze those weapons!"

"Energy readings unknown. Recommend remaining vigilant, sir."

Xiao Han merely looked at them calmly. "We mean no harm. We only wish to speak with your king."

The guards exchanged looks, clearly not expecting the other side to speak their language.

Suddenly, the crowd parted, and a man in an ornate black robe and a red-haired woman stepped forward.

The man's eyes were an unnatural blue, and a faint energy field surrounded him.

"I am Black Bolt, and this is my wife, Medusa. For certain reasons, she will speak for me." The man gestured in sign language while the woman translated beside him.

"Why have you trespassed into Attilan?"

Xiao Han nodded slightly. "I've long heard of you, Black Bolt. I am Xiao Han, and this is Tony Stark. We come from Earth and wish to establish contact with the Inhumans."

Black Bolt's gaze lingered on the two of them for a moment, especially on Xiao Han's armor.

"Have Earthlings developed to this extent already?" Medusa translated beside him.

"Uh, actually, most people on Earth still don't know there's a city on the far side of the moon," Tony cut in. "To be honest, I only just found out myself."

Black Bolt's expression turned serious. He quickly made several gestures, and Medusa promptly translated, "Come with me. This is not the place to talk."

He turned and headed toward the central palace, while the guards motioned for the two to follow.

Tony leaned close to Xiao Han's ear and whispered, "You knew there was an alien city here all along? Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

"Surprise." Xiao Han chuckled. "Besides, some things are more impactful when you see them for yourself, aren't they?"

Tony rolled his eyes. "My worldview has taken a serious hit. I'll need to drink an entire bottle of whiskey when we get back to recover."

The palace interior was even more magnificent than its exterior, perfectly blending futuristic technology with ancient decorations.

"Welcome, visitors from Earth." Medusa looked at the two of them and smiled.

"Anyone capable of breaching our barrier is no ordinary person."

Tony could not help staring at her hair. "Whoa, that hairstyle is amazing! How do you do that?"

Medusa smiled faintly. "An Inhuman gift."

Xiao Han went straight to the point. "We came this time to discuss the possibility of cooperation between the Inhumans and Earth."

Black Bolt and Medusa exchanged a glance.

"We live in seclusion here precisely because we do not wish to become involved in Earth's conflicts," Medusa said.

"But Earth's crisis may spread to the moon," Xiao Han replied calmly. "The Kree Empire has already begun making moves. They are very interested in the Tesseract."

At the mention of the Kree Empire, Black Bolt's body visibly tensed.

Medusa's expression also grew grave. "You know the Kree?"

"We just drove off a scout ship." Tony said proudly. "Though Xiao handled it all by himself."

Black Bolt suddenly rose to his feet and walked up to Xiao Han, studying him at close range.

After a moment, he began signing. "You are not an ordinary human."

Xiao Han nodded. "You can call me Superman."

"Superman?" Medusa raised a brow. "That is quite an arrogant title."

"It fits," Tony cut in. "This guy can tear apart spaceships with his bare hands."

Black Bolt pondered for a moment, then suddenly raised a hand to signal the guards to withdraw.

"We need to talk." His expression was unusually serious.

"About the Kree Empire, the future of the Inhumans, and... the fate of Earth."

Xiao Han smiled slightly. "That is exactly why we came."

The conversation that followed lasted several hours.

Tony was like a child in a candy store, marveling at Inhuman technology, especially their Terrigen Mist technology.

Meanwhile, Xiao Han reached a preliminary cooperation agreement with Black Bolt: they would support each other when Earth faced threats and gradually promote exchanges between both sides.

Although Xiao Han felt that, with him around, they would not need much support, having one more friend was always better than having one more enemy.

When the two were preparing to leave, Medusa handed Xiao Han a crystal.

"This is a communicator. You can contact us whenever you need to."

Xiao Han accepted the crystal and nodded his thanks.

Tony, meanwhile, looked reluctantly at the floating vehicles. "Can I bring some research equipment next time? Your antigravity technology is incredible!"

Medusa chuckled softly. "Perhaps, Mr. Stark."

Before the portal back, Tony suddenly thought of something and turned around to ask, "Wait, do you have WiFi here?"

Black Bolt and Medusa looked utterly baffled.

"Never mind, forget I asked." Tony rubbed his nose awkwardly.

After passing through the portal and returning to the lunar surface, Tony was still immersed in shock.

"I can't believe it... There is actually a super-civilization hidden on the far side of the moon! All our astronomers should be fired!"

Xiao Han looked at him with amusement. "A magical barrier combined with advanced technology. It is perfectly normal that your telescopes couldn't detect it."

"That isn't scientific!" Tony waved his arms. "Such a huge city! So many people! What do they eat? What do they drink? Where does their oxygen come from?"

"Kree technology can solve those problems," Xiao Han explained. "The Inhumans are the result of the Kree Empire's early genetic experiments."

Tony suddenly stopped walking. "Wait, you're saying... those people are humans altered by aliens?"

"More or less."

"Whoa..." Tony whistled. "This is way more exciting than S.H.I.E.L.D.'s classified files."

Xiao Han raised a hand and opened a portal back to Earth. "Ready for more surprises? The universe is far bigger than you imagine."

Tony took a deep breath and stepped through the portal. "I suddenly feel like my armor still has a lot of room for improvement."

Their figures vanished from the lunar surface, leaving behind only two sets of footprints side by side, lying quietly in the silent lunar soil.