Nick Fury

The laboratory fell into a brief silence.

Tony's gaze shifted back and forth between the test tube and Xiao Han before finally settling on his calm face.

"Why?" he asked softly. "This goes far beyond the terms of our deal."

Xiao Han placed the test tube in a portable cooler and pushed it toward Tony. "Because it's interesting."

Xiao Han casually came up with an excuse. He had made this decision while Tony was unconscious.

He suddenly wanted to see what kind of impact a Tony Stark with a physique beyond that of an ordinary human would have on the Marvel world.

Of course, the most important reason was that, as Superman, he would definitely obtain the Silver Superman Template from the system eventually.

His goal was to travel through the various worlds.

With the Marvel world as his base, he definitely needed a powerful ally to watch over it for him.

And right now, Tony was the best choice.

"Interesting?" Tony frowned. "What's interesting?"

"That armor." Xiao Han casually offered another excuse.

"Or rather, you could have used every available resource to research countermeasures. But you chose to trust me."

Tony opened and closed his mouth, momentarily at a loss for words. He looked down at the cooler, then suddenly laughed. "So this is your return gift? Turning me into Captain America 2.0?"

"3.0," Xiao Han corrected him. "And you can choose not to use it. It's just insurance. Besides, this is only one of the surprises."

Tony picked up the cooler and felt its icy surface. "After I inject it, will I become overflowing with righteousness like Rogers?"

"No." Xiao Han shook his head. "It will only enhance your physical abilities. Your will, personality, and moral values will still be decided by you."

Tony placed the cooler in the safe beneath the workbench. The fingerprint lock gave a confirming beep.

When he turned around, his usual devil-may-care smile had returned. "So, are we true partners now?"

"If you're willing to be." Xiao Han walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window as New York's morning light began to redden the skyline.

"Still, I suggest you undergo a thorough physical examination before injecting it. Although I removed the side effects, everyone's constitution is different."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. You talk as much as my old man..." Tony waved a hand, then suddenly remembered something.

"Wait, you said this was one of the surprises? There are other gifts?"

A mysterious smile curled up at the corners of Xiao Han's mouth. "You'll have to wait until you've used the serum before I can show you that."

Tony narrowed his eyes. "I want to know now."

"Patience is a virtue, Mr. Stark." Xiao Han began floating out through the window.

"Remember to complete the injection within seventy-two hours, or the active ingredients will degrade."

"Hey! Wait!" Tony reached out to grab him, but Xiao Han had already flown away.

Xiao Han's final message echoed through the laboratory:

"See you in three days. I hope I'll see an upgraded version of you by then."

Tony stood where he was for a long while before finally shouting at the empty laboratory, "JARVIS! Prepare an analysis."

"Very good, sir." JARVIS paused. "Would you like me to contact the medical department now and have them prepare a physical examination?"

Tony stared at the safe, his fingers tapping the workbench unconsciously.

In the end, he took a deep breath. "Contact Pepper first... no, wait.

"First, pull up everything related to the Super-Soldier Serum, especially Doctor Erskine's original research notes from 1943."

A holographic screen unfolded before him, but Tony's gaze kept drifting toward the safe.

A long-forgotten curiosity and anticipation, almost childlike in nature, stirred in his chest.

He had not experienced that feeling in a very long time—not since his father's death.

Outside the window, sunlight pierced through the clouds and gilded Stark Tower in gold.

Tony was still standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, lost in thought, when JARVIS's voice suddenly shattered the laboratory's silence.

"Sir, an unauthorized landing has been detected on the rooftop helipad."

Tony raised an eyebrow. "A media helicopter? Tell them this is private airspace."

"Not the media, sir." JARVIS's tone carried a rare trace of wariness. "The identification signal indicates a S.H.I.E.L.D.-modified Quinjet."

Tony's expression instantly turned cold.

He turned and walked toward the workbench, quickly pushing the cooler into a hidden compartment. The molecular structure of the serum vanished from the holographic screen as well.

"Activate the defense protocols. Lock down all research data related to Xiao Han," he ordered quietly while straightening his wrinkled shirt.

"Let our one-eyed guest in."

The moment the elevator doors opened, Nick Fury strode into the laboratory, his black leather coat trailing behind him as he swept his one eye across the room.

Two fully armed agents followed behind him, standing guard at the elevator entrance.

"Stark." Fury's voice was low and direct. "We need to talk about your new friend."

Tony leaned against the console and casually picked up a glass of whiskey, deliberately acting unconcerned. "Nick, coming in person this late at night? Are you looking to invest in my clean-energy project?"

Fury ignored his teasing and walked straight to the central holographic projection area.

With a flick of his wrist, he dropped a miniature projector onto the table. It immediately displayed surveillance footage from a Queens bank several hours earlier.

The entire process of Xiao Han, clad in black armor, effortlessly subduing the mutant.

"Explain this, Stark. Who is this man wearing armor you designed and possessing supernatural abilities? Don't tell me he's Superman." Fury's one eye locked onto Tony.

"He has no record in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s database."

Tony took a sip of his drink, his gaze lingering on the footage for a moment. "Correct. He is Superman."

After a pause, Tony looked at Fury, who still wore a stern expression. "Fine. It's a trade secret, Nick. Stark Industries' new security consultant. That's all."

"Security consultant?" Fury let out a cold laugh and swiped a finger across the projection, switching the display to a set of energy readings.

"One casual strike from this consultant during the battle carried enough force to destroy Stark Tower. What would happen if he went all out?"

Tony set down his glass, and the devil-may-care expression gradually faded from his face. "So you've been monitoring me?"

"We monitor all potential threats." Fury took a step forward, abruptly shortening the distance between them.

"Especially when a certain billionaire suddenly starts working with an unknown superpowered individual."

The atmosphere in the laboratory instantly grew tense.

Tony could feel the pressure radiating from Fury, but he did not retreat in the slightest.

"Listen, Fury." Tony's voice turned cold. "Xiao Han is my partner. The source of his abilities and the purpose of his actions are my private affairs. S.H.I.E.L.D. has no jurisdiction here."

Fury narrowed his one eye slightly. "Any supernatural phenomenon falls within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s jurisdiction, Stark. Especially when it may threaten national security."

"National security?" Tony scoffed.

"You're the greatest security threat of all. I've seen S.H.I.E.L.D.'s containment measures—studying the Tesseract like a toy, even though I have no idea what that toy can do."

"But as far as I know, Hydra used the Tesseract to commit evil."

Fury's expression shifted slightly. "How do you know that?"

"I know far more than you imagine, Director." Tony cut him off and walked toward another holographic terminal.

"For example, your twenty-four-hour surveillance of the green giant."

Fury fell silent for several seconds before suddenly changing tactics. "Stark, I'm not here to oppose you."

His tone softened. "Actually, I'm here to invite you to join the Avengers Initiative."

Tony turned around, his eyebrows shooting up. "The Avengers? Sounds like some second-rate band."

"A special operations team." Fury took an encrypted file from his inner pocket.

"Made up of the world's most exceptional superpowered individuals and scientists, tasked with dealing with threats that ordinary military forces cannot handle."