The beginnings of Nightmare

Queens, D.O.D.C. Special Resources Recovery Unit (S.C.U.) base.

The air here no longer reeked of musty engine oil as it had a few months earlier. In its place was the ozone smell peculiar to precision electronics in operation, along with a faint scorched smell from high-energy particles that even a top-of-the-line air purification system could not completely filter out.

The core laboratory on the third basement level had been completely cleared out. Three layers of lead-containing concrete panels reinforced the surrounding walls, and heat-resistant ceramic alloy covered the floor. At the very center of the room, the Next-Generation Repulsor Engine Core salvaged from the Helicarrier that had crashed in Washington hovered inside a massive magnetic confinement field.

It resembled a sleeping blue sun. Its dim glow illuminated Zhao Fan's face, slightly pale from prolonged sleep deprivation, as well as the flame called "ambition" in his eyes.

"All readings normal. Energy output holding steady at a standby level of 0.5%." Benjamin Lee sat at the console behind the blast-resistant glass, his fingers flying across the holographic keyboard. The dark circles under his eyes had deepened, but he was in a state of almost pathological excitement. "Boss, Stark really is a genius. The energy density of this thing is downright absurd. At full output, it could cook our entire block in one second."

"That kind of absurd power is exactly what we want." Zhao Fan stood beside the core, bare-chested. Sensors covered his body, and with every breath, the golden-red Extremis Virus patterns on his skin flickered as though resonating with the blue core before him.

Old Dog Jose sat on an ammunition crate nearby. He did not even have a drink in his hand, instead watching Zhao Fan nervously. "Fan, are you sure you want to do this? That she-devil Evelyn gave us plenty of Stark Industries materials and technology, but this means strapping a miniature nuclear power station to your back. If it blows, I won't need to buy a villa anymore. I can buy a place on the moon instead."

"Relax. The explosion won't kill you." Zhao Fan did not turn around, his gaze fixed firmly on the core. "Where's Evelyn?"

"On her way," Benjamin replied. "She's bringing a new batch of titanium alloy plates. Said she requisitioned them from Iron Man's Warehouse One. Supposedly, they're the same material used in the Mark 42 Armor."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the airtight door slid open with a hiss.

Dr. Evelyn Reed strode inside. Today, instead of her usual figure-hugging business attire, she wore practical gray work clothes. Two antigravity cargo robots followed her, piled high with silvery-white metal plates.

"This is the best stuff I could get." Evelyn walked over to Zhao Fan and handed him a metal plate. "Aerospace-grade titanium alloy, doped with a small amount of secondary adamantium molecules. Five times the hardness of an ordinary tank, with excellent heat resistance."

Zhao Fan took the plate, running his fingers over its cold surface.

"Let's hope it holds up," he said quietly.

"Zhao, I have to remind you again." Evelyn looked at the armor model constructed on the holographic screen. It was not a streamlined work of art filled with industrial beauty like Tony Stark's creations, but a savage steel monster. "Your design is far too aggressive. You're trying to connect the core directly to your nervous system and bioelectricity, using the Extremis Virus inside you as a 'biological conductor' to create a unique biomechanical armor capable of growth. In theory, it's feasible, because your body really can withstand high temperatures and energy impacts, but..."

"But if it goes out of control, I'll become a human bomb," Zhao Fan finished for her. "I know the risks, Evelyn. But conventional exoskeletons can't handle my power. I don't want a suit of sheet metal to protect me. I want an 'amplifier' that can magnify my strength."

He pointed at his chest.

"My body is a furnace, and this core is a fuel tank. And according to the intelligence I have, without powerful strength, there's no surviving the wars to come."

Evelyn fell silent for a moment before finally sighing, a trace of fervor flashing in her eyes. "I don't know why you're always in such a hurry. Fine, I did get aboard your pirate ship, after all. Let's begin the first full-system coupling test."

"Ben, start the sequence," Zhao Fan ordered.

"Understood! Establishing neural link... opening energy transmission channels... raising core output to 5%..."

As Benjamin worked, the hovering core suddenly gave a low hum. Its blue light surged, pouring through several thick cables connected to it and into the assembled armor frame beside it.

It was a partially covering exoskeletal bio-armor, which Zhao Fan had named the Nightmare prototype.

Zhao Fan drew a deep breath and stepped into the armor. Mechanical arms closed automatically, tightly encasing his limbs and torso.

Clack-bzzzt-

The instant the armor closed, Zhao Fan felt a violent current shoot through his entire body. It was no ordinary electric shock, but a pure, enormous torrent of energy.

[Warning! External high-energy reaction source connection detected!]

[System notification: Extremis Virus activity surging! Attempting assimilation...]

Zhao Fan clenched his teeth, his eyes instantly turning crimson-gold. The viral cells inside him sensed the intrusion of external energy and began a frenzied counterattack; searing heat swept through his entire body, turning his skin red like a glowing branding iron.

"Temperature spike! Core temperature, 3,000 degrees! Armor surface temperature, 1,000 degrees!" Benjamin shouted in alarm. "Boss, your heart rate's over 200!"

"Keep going!" Zhao Fan growled, his voice sounding as though it had been squeezed from the depths of his throat.

He could feel that power being channeled. He abruptly raised his right hand, aiming the repulsor emitter in his palm at a half-meter-thick steel target ahead.

"Kinetic Repulsion: Amplification!"

BOOM-!!!

A blue-white beam thicker and more dazzling than any he had unleashed before erupted from his palm. It was not merely repulsive force; high-temperature particles from the Extremis Virus were mixed into it.

The steel target was blasted away in an instant, slamming into the wall and turning straight into a puddle of molten iron.

Before anyone could cheer, however, something suddenly went wrong.

"Warning! Energy conduits overloaded! Frame structural integrity declining!"

A sharp pain shot through Zhao Fan's right arm. He looked down and saw that the titanium alloy armor encasing it-the supposedly "same material as the Mark 42"-had begun to redden and soften. Under the combined assault of the internal core energy and Zhao Fan's own heat, this top-tier metal material on Earth was actually melting like a candle!

"Disconnect it! Now!" Evelyn shouted.

Bzzzt-

Benjamin forcibly cut the power. The core's light rapidly dimmed, and Zhao Fan collapsed to his knees like a heap of mud. Thick black smoke billowed from his armor, carrying the pungent smell of metal vapor.

"Cough, cough..." Zhao Fan gasped for breath and tore off the warped, twisted faceplate, revealing a face covered in sweat and streaks of blood.

He looked at his still-smoking right arm. The Extremis Virus was rapidly repairing his skin, but the newly assembled prototype was already a complete write-off.

"It failed." Old Dog looked mournfully at the scrap metal scattered across the floor. "That was several million dollars."

"No, not a complete failure." Zhao Fan stood up. Though his body was weak, his eyes were frighteningly bright. "The power transmission worked. That last hit-even if the Hulk had been standing there, I could've blasted him away."

"But you also turned yourself into roast pork," Evelyn said coldly, dousing his enthusiasm. She stepped forward to examine the melted metal. "The problem is the material. None of Earth's existing conventional metals, not even Stark Industries' special alloys, can withstand both the energy core's high pressure and the intense heat of the Extremis Virus inside you. Their energy conductivity is insufficient. Once the energy overloads, the heat can't dissipate, and the armor destroys itself."

"We need a better material." Zhao Fan closed his eyes, sinking his consciousness into his mind.

System, analyze that malfunction and give me a solution.

[Analyzing data...]

[Cause of failure: Insufficient heat resistance and energy conductivity in the carrier material. Energy accumulation caused structural collapse.]

[Projected solution: Find a material with the following properties: 1. An extremely high melting point; 2. Superconductor-level energy transmission efficiency; 3. A stable molecular structure capable of absorbing and converting kinetic energy.]

[Match found: Vibranium.]

"Vibranium..." Zhao Fan opened his eyes and uttered the word.

Evelyn froze at the word, then gave a wry smile. "Vibranium? Zhao, are you joking? That's the rarest metal in the world. Per gram, it costs a hundred times more than diamonds. Aside from Captain America's shield, there isn't another finished vibranium product anywhere in the world. Stark casually used the entire stockpile to make that shield back then. Now, even with money, I couldn't buy any."

"Not being able to buy it through legitimate channels doesn't mean there isn't any." Zhao Fan walked over to the holographic map and drew a circle around the west coast of Africa with his finger. "Before Nick Fury 'died,' he left me a gift. Intelligence on a certain smuggling ship."

"You mean Ulysses Klaue?" Evelyn caught on quickly. "That notorious arms dealer?"

"Exactly. The intelligence shows he's stockpiled a large amount of raw vibranium, stolen from Wakanda years ago." A gleam flashed in Zhao Fan's eyes. "As long as I get that vibranium, even if the quantity falls short, it'll still be enough to build a perfect frame and energy conduction system. Then Nightmare won't be a disposable item that could blow itself up at any moment. At least it'll become something I can use."

"But..." Benjamin raised his hand and spoke timidly. "Ulysses Klaue is a lunatic. His territory is a derelict shipyard on Africa's west coast, a paradise for mercenaries and warlords. With just the few of us, going somewhere like that to steal things-isn't that a little too..."

"Too exciting?" Old Dog grinned. Though he talked about being afraid, hearing about a big job like this stirred his bandit genes again.

"Ben's right. It's dangerous, and the terrain is complicated. We need professional infiltration," Zhao Fan said thoughtfully. "The S.C.U. may look well staffed now, but most of them used to be cleanup workers. They've never had professional special operations training. Against a warlord on Klaue's level, we need a sharper blade."

"You need help," Evelyn pointed out bluntly. "And it can't be anyone on the D.O.D.C.'s records, because this is an illegal operation. If it's exposed or something goes wrong, the government and military will immediately apply pressure and initiate impeachment proceedings. That would put the D.O.D.C. in a very bad position."

Zhao Fan nodded. A figure surfaced in his mind.

A figure in a hoodie, wielding twin blades, moving through the darkness like a ghost.

The person who had snatched the mechanical arm from him in the air-raid shelter and nearly slit his throat in the ruins.

"Kestrel," Zhao Fan murmured the codename.

"That lone wolf from the black market?" Evelyn frowned. "He's your competitor, and extremely dangerous. If I hadn't sealed off the news in time last time, the fact that she stole the sample from you would already have gotten you investigated."

"It's precisely because he's a competitor, and because he can steal from me, that he qualifies." The corners of Zhao Fan's mouth lifted slightly. "In this business, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests. Kestrel hasn't been having an easy time lately. Since S.H.I.E.L.D. fell and the D.O.D.C. monopolized salvage rights, eighty percent of the black market's supply has dried up. A lone wolf like her either starves or... finds a new boss."

"You want to recruit him?" Old Dog whistled. "Fan, that one's covered in thorns. Careful you don't prick your hands."

"Thorns are good. Just the thing for dealing with that lunatic Klaue." Zhao Fan turned toward the changing room. "Ben, look into Kestrel's recent movements for me. I investigated before. I know what he's looking for-some kind of drug or technology that can repair nerve damage. Send him a message. Tell him I have what he wants."

"What are you going to use as your bargaining chip?" Evelyn asked.

Zhao Fan stopped and glanced back at the core hovering in the air, then pointed at his own head.

"Knowledge." Zhao Fan smiled mysteriously. "And a position he can't refuse... one that will let him survive in this chaotic world."