Spider-Man

New York was at dusk, and the lights of Stark Tower had just come on.

Xiao Han landed outside Tony's private laboratory. Through X-Ray Vision, he saw Tony bustling around the workbench, the new reactor on his chest radiating a soft blue glow.

"Is this what life is like for billionaires?" Xiao Han's voice suddenly rang out in the lab.

Tony spun around, and the tool in his hand fell to the floor.

"Damn it! Couldn't you use the front door?" He patted his chest. "My heart can't take a scare like that."

Xiao Han smiled. "The front door isn't suitable for me."

Tony looked Xiao Han up and down, his brows gradually knitting together. "You... look different."

Indeed, several dozen hours of sunbathing had brought subtle changes to Xiao Han's appearance.

A golden glow faintly flowed beneath his skin, his eyes naturally emitting a dim light in the dark. His entire presence had become even less human.

"I went out to get some sun," Xiao Han said casually.

Tony poured himself a glass of whiskey and downed it in one gulp. "Let me guess—not an ordinary sunbath in the Hamptons?"

"Something like that." Xiao Han walked over to the holographic display. "I flew into the sun."

Tony's glass stopped halfway to his mouth. "You... what?"

"Literally." Xiao Han held out his hand, and a miniature plasma sphere appeared in his palm—the precise simulation of the matter inside the sun.

"My energy reserves are now ten times what they were before."

Tony set down his glass, his expression turning serious. "I need to redesign the anti-Superman armor."

Xiao Han raised an eyebrow. "It's only been a few days, and you've already started researching this kind of armor?"

"Scientific instinct." Tony shrugged. "But judging by things now, I'll have to increase the power by several orders of magnitude."

Xiao Han laughed. "I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with. But for now..."

He looked toward the New York skyline outside the window.

Just then, sirens and explosions rang out in the distance. Xiao Han's superhuman hearing picked up the details of a bank robbery and a firefight between the police and the robbers.

"New York is never peaceful. Might as well test my abilities." Xiao Han walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window. "Want to take a look, Tony?"

"Hold on. You need to put on something suitable." Tony's voice was filled with excitement.

"Unless you want to keep wearing that outfit while saving the world?"

Only then did Xiao Han realize that he really did not have a proper battle suit.

Three seconds later, Xiao Han landed in the Stark laboratory.

His gaze was immediately drawn to the black armor displayed in the center.

Its pure matte-black surface was traced with golden lines that resembled flowing lava. The overall design was both simple and full of power.

Superman Armor

"Like it?" Tony spread his arms. "Dark Guardian Special Custom Model. It won't interfere with your abilities, but it'll make you look..."

He paused. "More professional."

Xiao Han approached the armor and lightly touched its surface with his finger.

The tiny components immediately began assembling.

The armor fit perfectly against every curve of his muscles, and its weight was almost imperceptible.

Xiao Han stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, looking at his reflection.

The black made his already imposing figure look even more formidable. The golden lines appeared and vanished beneath the lights, and the lack of a faceplate left his entire face exposed, adding a dangerous charm instead.

"Why black?" Xiao Han asked.

Tony shrugged. "First, you're not the kind of Boy Scout who wears a red cape. Second, I noticed you like black. Third..."

He flashed a sly smile. "It suits your temperament better—powerful, mysterious, unstoppable."

Tony glanced back at his own armor. "I'm still used to making an entrance in armor. You go ahead. I'll be there shortly."

Xiao Han nodded, then lightly leaped through the glass window and flew into the night sky.

As he passed through it, the glass rippled like water without shattering in the slightest.

Tony watched Xiao Han's departing figure and said quietly to JARVIS, "Record the data—the energy readings, flight mode, Biofield performance. Record everything."

"Already recorded, sir," JARVIS replied. "However, I must remind you that according to current data analysis, the success rate of any defensive measure against Mr. Xiao Han is below 0.0001%."

Tony gave a determined smile. "Then move the decimal point a few places to the right."

The area outside the Third Bank in Queens was already a complete mess.

Peter Parker frowned slightly, his homemade Spider-Man suit damaged in several places.

The monster before him had swollen to three meters tall. Its muscles had torn through its skin, exposing blood-red fibers.

"Buddy, you really need to calm down." Peter shot webbing at the other man's eyes, gluing them shut.

"We can talk this out."

The mutant roared and tore away the webbing, then punched at Peter.

Peter quickly dodged, and the concrete wall collapsed with a thunderous crash under the blow.

"Okay, looks like negotiations have broken down." Peter quickly retreated and inspected his suit.

"I've only had this uniform for three days. You're paying for it."

The mutant grabbed a steel beam and was about to hurl it at Peter when suddenly—

A black figure descended from the sky, and the steel beam turned to dust in midair.

As the dust cleared, a tall figure hovered in the air, his black armor gleaming coldly beneath the sunlight.

"Step back, kid," Xiao Han said, his voice low and powerful.

Peter's eyes widened. "Whoa! Are you new? I'm Spider-Man. You're..."

"We'll chat later." Xiao Han fixed his gaze on the mutant.

"Tony, take the kid to a safe distance."

"All right, Dark Knight." Tony landed beside Peter.

"Come on, Pajama Boy. The professionals are taking over."

Before Peter could react, Iron Man carried him to the roof of a nearby building.

"Wait! That guy injected some kind of drug. He's still getting stronger!" Peter struggled. "I can help!"

Tony set him down. "Just watch, kid. Today, you get to witness true power."

Below, the mutant seemed to sense the threat, and his muscles swelled further.

He grabbed a police car and hurled it at Xiao Han with all his strength.

Xiao Han did not move. At the instant the police car was about to hit his face, he gently blew out a breath.

Whoosh!

The police car instantly froze into a block of ice, then shattered into countless ice crystals.

The mutant froze, instinctively taking a step back.

"It's over," Xiao Han said. His voice was not loud, yet it carried throughout the entire neighborhood.

He instantly appeared in front of the mutant, moving so fast that even Peter's enhanced vision saw only a blurred afterimage.

A gentle knife-hand strike landed on the mutant's neck.

Crack!

The sound of breaking bones rang out clearly. The mutant's eyes rolled back, and he crashed to the ground.

The entire battle had lasted less than three seconds.

"That... that's it?" Peter's mouth hung open.

"I kept him busy for fifteen minutes!"

Tony patted Peter on the shoulder. "Welcome to the world of top-tier combat power, kid."

Xiao Han examined the unconscious mutant. "This wasn't a natural mutation. There are signs of organized experimentation."

The sirens drew closer, and Peter suddenly grew nervous. "Uh, I should go. There's someone else I need to pick up."

"Wait, Spider-Man." Xiao Han called out to him. "You were very brave."

Peter froze. "Really? I mean... thanks! Uh... what should I call you?"

"Xiao Han." The black armor shimmered faintly beneath the sunlight. "You can call me Xiao."

"That's so cool!" Peter jumped excitedly. "Is your power the armor? Is it... I mean..."

Tony rolled his eyes. "Give it a rest, kid. Now get lost. The police are here."

Before shooting out his webbing and swinging away, Peter turned back and shouted, "Mr. Xiao! Your armor is awesome!"

Xiao Han watched the red-and-blue figure disappear between the buildings, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly. "Interesting young man."

"A vigilante in pajamas." Tony said it with his mouth, but admiration showed in his eyes.

"But he definitely has potential. So, how does the armor feel?"

Xiao Han lowered his head and looked at it. The black armor appeared both understated and imposing beneath the sunlight, perfectly matching his temperament.

"Very good." He gave a brief assessment, then shot into the sky. "I'm going to patrol the city."

Tony watched the black figure vanish into the horizon and murmured to himself, "Looks like I'll need to prepare more replacement materials. That guy looks amazing in everything he wears."