Tony Attacked

New York

midnight

Rain enveloped the entire city, but the glass towers of S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters remained brightly lit in the night.

Tony Stark pushed open the door, and a cold wind carrying rain rushed towards him. Although he was immune to the cold, he still subconsciously tightened his suit jacket.

"This awful weather!" he muttered, walking quickly toward the black sedan parked by the roadside.

The car door opened, Happy Hogan's familiar face popped out. "Boss, get in, the rain is too heavy."

Tony climbed into the back seat, casually flicking the water droplets from his hair. "Thanks, Happy. Today was tough; those Hydra spies were better at hiding than I thought."

Happy started the car, the wipers tracing regular arcs on the windshield. "Boss, I heard the cleanup in Europe is almost done too?"

"Hmm, Adam's been quite efficient." Tony leaned back in his chair, closing his eyes to rest.

"However, I still feel that Hydra won't just admit defeat like that."

The car slowly drove into the rainy night street, its tires splashing through the puddles.

Tony gazed at the blurry neon lights outside the window, his thoughts drifting away.

Sudden

"Squeak!"

Happy slammed on the brakes, but Tony's body reacted quickly enough, and he remained firmly seated.

"What's going on?" he frowned.

Happy stared intently ahead, his voice tense. "Boss, there are people ahead."

Tony looked up.

In the rain, a tall figure stood in the middle of the road, blocking their way.

The person wore a mask, revealing only a pair of cold eyes; their long, golden hair was soaked by the rain and clung tightly to their shoulders.

What's even more striking is his left arm, made of metal, which gleams coldly under the streetlights.

"Hydra." Tony narrowed his eyes.

Happy's hand was already reaching for the pistol at his waist. "Boss, I'll go down and take a look."

"No." Tony pressed down on his shoulder.

Stay in the car.

"But..."

"Trust me, Happy." Tony opened the car door, and rain immediately soaked his suit.

He stood in the rain, staring directly at the Winter Soldier ahead, his voice calm.

"Who are you? Hydra agent. What do you want? Money? Freedom? I can give you anything."

The man did not answer.

He simply raised his metal arm slowly, holding a long sword in his hand, the scabbard gleaming coldly in the rain.

Tony sighed, his right hand discreetly pressing against his watch as the Nanotech Armor rapidly covered his arm. "Looks like the negotiations have failed."

The next second.

"Bang!"

The Winter Soldier suddenly charged forward, his longsword flashing from its sheath, tearing through the rain, and aimed straight for Tony's face!

The man's long sword was firmly gripped by his mechanical hand, remaining completely still.

"Looks like your knife isn't sharp enough," Tony said with a hint of sarcasm.

The man's eyes turned cold, and he suddenly exerted force to try and pull out the knife, only to find that the blade seemed to be welded to Tony's hand and he couldn't pull it out at all.

His pupils contracted slightly; this person's power was off.

Without hesitation, the Winter Soldier immediately changed tactics, gathering power in his metal left arm and slamming it towards Tony's chest!

"Bang!"

Tony's other hand swiftly rose and precisely gripped his metal fist.

The two enormous forces collided, creating a shockwave that sent raindrops flying in all directions.

That man, the Winter Soldier, was utterly shocked.

His metal arm is a product of Hydra's most advanced technology, powerful enough to tear apart tank armor.

But now, Tony Stark caught it with one hand?

"Surprised?" Tony sneered.

"I'm not the same ordinary person who used to just hide inside my armor anymore."

The Winter Soldier reacted incredibly fast, raising his right leg sharply and slamming his knee into Tony's abdomen!

But Tony was faster than him.

"Smack!"

He released his longsword, grabbed the Winter Soldier by the throat with his right hand, and lifted him up!

The Winter Soldier's knee strike came to an abrupt halt in mid-air, leaving his legs dangling and unable to struggle.

"Game over," Tony said coldly.

The next second

"Boom!!!"

He swung the Winter Soldier and slammed him hard into the ground!

The asphalt road cracked instantly, and the Winter Soldier grunted. Before he could even recover, Tony's Iron Fist had already slammed down!

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Each punch carried the force of over ten tons. The Winter Soldier's mask shattered on the second punch, revealing an unfamiliar face.

That was a blond man Tony had never seen before.

Tony's fist paused for a moment, but he quickly continued swinging until the other man was completely unconscious.

"JARVIS, scan his identity." Tony stood up, shaking the blood off his hands.

"Target not identified, sir. No matching record found in the database."

Tony frowned, then pressed the communicator. "All Avengers, assemble at S.H.I.E.L.D.. immediately. Someone attacked me, and it seems to be Hydra."

Natasha's calm voice came from the other end of the communicator. "I'll be there in ten minutes."

Tony looked down at the unconscious attacker, his eyes cold.

"Hydra, how many more trump cards do you have left?"

Long Island Villa

underground laboratory

Xiao Han stood in front of the experimental table, his Super-Sight penetrating the microscope to see the molecular structure of the Skrull gene sample clearly.

His Super Brain was working at lightning speed, analyzing the arrangement and combination of every base sequence.

"As expected, the Skrull ' cells have Superman," he muttered to himself, his fingertips lightly tapping the table.

On the holographic projection in the laboratory, footage of Tony Stark being attacked was playing silently.

Xiao Han had already overheard the contents of Hydra's meeting, but he did not interfere.

If he can't even solve this little problem, then Tony wouldn't be the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.. for anything.

His gaze returned to the experimental data.

"Genetic recombination, memory replication, plus the compatibility with Kryptonian Cells."

Time passed, but the laboratory lights remained bright.

Finally, Xiao Han's fingertips stopped, and a drop of golden liquid shimmered slightly in the test tube; it was the serum he had just prepared.

"Perfect."

The serum can perfectly fuse with Kryptonian Cells and grant him the power to replicate the abilities of others.

Of course, this is on the premise that he has had contact with the target, and that his ability to copy will have certain limitations.

For example, he cannot copy magical abilities, nor can he copy external forces, unless the other party's power originates from their genes.

He picked up the syringe and injected the serum into his arm without hesitation.

The golden liquid seeped into his veins. Xiao Han closed his eyes, sensing the changes within his body.

But surprisingly, I felt nothing.

There was no pain, no burning sensation, not even the slightest abnormality.

He opened his eyes, frowned slightly, then relaxed.

"That's true. Kryptonian Cells are inherently powerful; with this level of genetic compatibility, there wouldn't even be a rejection reaction."

Just then, the laboratory's communicator rang.

"Mr. Xiao, it Tony Stark calling," Turing's voice rang out.

Xiao Han casually waved his hand, and the holographic projection unfolded, showing Tony's face on the screen against the backdrop of a S.H.I.E.L.D.. conference room.

His expression was serious, his brows furrowed.

"Xiao, I was just attacked."

"I know," Xiao Han said calmly.

Tony was taken aback. "You know?"

"Mm." Xiao Han nodded.

"The Hydra faction is just a scapegoat."

Tony paused for a moment, then took a deep breath. "I've knocked that guy unconscious, and he's in the S.H.I.E.L.D.. interrogation room now. However, his identity hasn't been confirmed yet."

Xiao Han glanced at him and said directly, "Kill him."

Tony was stunned. "What?"

"He is one of the murderers of your parents," Xiao Han revealed a big secret.

Tony's pupils suddenly contracted, and his breath hitched.

"What... what did you say?"

"On December 16, 1991, Howard Stark and Maria died in a car accident." Xiao Han stared directly at him.

"That wasn't an accident; it was an assassination attempt by Hydra. And the person who attacked you today is the same assassin who carried out that mission back then."

Tony clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles turning white.

His voice was deep. "You knew all along?"

"Ten minutes ago," Xiao Han lied.

"Okay, is all of this true?"

"It's absolutely true, Tony."

Tony fell silent, his chest heaving violently.

A few seconds later, he took a deep breath and said in an icy voice, "Thank you, Xiao, I understand."

Communication cut off, screen turns off.

Xiao Han withdrew his gaze and shook his head.

He looked down at his palm, his fingertips twitching slightly.

A faint golden halo appeared on the skin's surface, a sign that the serum was beginning to take effect.

"Next," he murmured to himself.

"It's time to try out this new ability."