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Jiro was still by the pool, tapping the rim of his glass, red wine gleaming amber in the moonlight.
He closed his eyes, letting his super hearing expand outward like an invisible radar. The world's sounds rushed in like a tidal wave.
Sirens in New York. Subway announcements in Tokyo. Debates in London's Parliament. Whispered arms deals beneath Moscow's streets… Billions of voices formed a chaotic stream of noise.
He filtered them one by one, searching for anything important.
"...Superman, I wish I had a girlfriend…""...Hurry, Mark. Hope Superman doesn't show up tonight…""...Commander, about tomorrow's parliament meeting…"
So many voices—useless, irrelevant, routine. Until—
A faint whisper caught his attention.
"If Superman really exists… then please… come save me…"
The voice was barely louder than a breath, but it carried unbearable desperation.
Jiro's eyes flew open. His super vision locked onto a hidden HYDRA base deep in the Eastern European mountains.
Inside a transparent cylindrical chamber, a red-haired girl sat curled up.
She looked about nineteen or twenty. Pale skin. Crimson eyes filled with pain… and a flicker of hope.
Scarlet energy danced wildly around her, like a living thing. It occasionally slammed against the glass, triggering shrill alarms from surrounding machines.
He set down his wine glass and slowly stood up, water trickling down his toned muscles, glistening in the moonlight.
He got dressed, grabbed the watch nearby.
With a hum of nanotech, the multi-function watch on his wrist disassembled, and a swarm of black particles crawled over his arm like living things.
In less than a second, the pitch-black armor enveloped his body. The golden "S" on his chest shimmered faintly in the moonlight.
Jiro stepped onto the terrace. The night breeze brushed against his armor.
He closed his eyes again, locking onto that same whisper of a cry.
In a hidden base beneath Eastern Europe, a red-haired girl whispered in despair.
"Found you."
He raised his right hand. Golden magical energy sparked at his fingertip.
With a smooth circular motion, golden sparks floated into the air, quickly forming a two-meter-wide portal.
On the other side: a dim lab and a red-haired girl floating helplessly in a glass chamber.
Without hesitation, Jiro stepped through.
The portal's golden light faded behind him. The villa returned to stillness. Only ripples on the pool's surface remained, silently echoing what had just happened.
Half an Hour Earlier – Eastern Europe – HYDRA Secret Base – Laboratory
Wanda curled up inside the glass chamber, arms wrapped around her knees, eyes fixed on the operating table in the center of the lab.
A frail boy—no older than fifteen—lay there. His pale wrists were shackled in metal cuffs. Electrodes covered his bare chest.
His pupils were dilated. Lips trembled in fear. But he couldn't make a sound—HYDRA's neural suppressants had stolen even his right to scream.
"Test Subject 47. X-gene activation test. Attempt #9."
A researcher in a gas mask took notes coldly.
Another one held a syringe filled with glowing green fluid. The liquid sparkled eerily under the surgical lights.
"Serum concentration: 80%. New catalyst added."
Wanda clenched her fists so tight her nails pierced her palms. She'd seen too many of these experiments.
Failure meant death.
The needle pierced the boy's neck. The fluid was pushed in. For a few seconds, nothing happened.
Then—
His body seized violently. His spine arched. A hoarse moan escaped his throat.
His skin flushed red. Veins writhed beneath the surface, like snakes slithering through his body.
"Vitals spiking! Heart rate at 220!" one researcher shouted with excitement.
Bones cracked audibly. His arms twisted unnaturally. Fingers stretched. Nails hardened into black claws.
His pupils narrowed into slits like a beast's. A guttural growl rumbled from his throat.
"Did it work?" someone whispered.
Then—SPLURT!
The boy's chest exploded. A jagged white bone spike pierced through his flesh. Blood sprayed across the sterile floor.
Finally—he screamed. A scream that shattered the silence.
"He's out of control! Restrain him!"
Sirens blared. Soldiers raised their tasers—but it was already too late.
His body mutated at horrifying speed. Bones tore through skin. Muscles swelled. Flesh split open. His head twisted grotesquely. His jaw cracked wide, revealing vicious fangs.
"Kill him! Now!"
A blast of electricity hit his back, only making him more feral.
He snapped his cuffs, slashed a nearby soldier in half. Blood splattered over the surgical lights. The lab turned crimson.
Wanda clutched her mouth, chaos magic crackling uncontrollably at her fingertips.
She watched as the boy—no, that thing—lunged at a second researcher, sinking his fangs into the man's throat.
"Initiate incineration protocol!"
Nozzles opened in the ceiling. Blazing white flames poured down.
The boy screamed in the fire. His skin blackened, peeled away—but he still fought on.
Then his eyes met Wanda's.
Even in that monstrous face, she saw it—despair. A shred of humanity.
Help… me…
His lips moved in silent pleading.
Then—BOOM!
The lab's reinforced doors blew open. A heavy-armed squad stormed in, rifles blazing.
The boy's body was torn apart. Burned limbs scattered across the floor.
The flames died. The lab was filled with the stink of scorched flesh and flickering red lights.
"Test Subject 47: Failed. Log: X-gene activation leads to uncontrollable mutation. Recommend reducing serum concentration. Adjust catalyst formula."
The researcher's tone was cold—like discussing broken machinery.
They didn't even glance at the charred remains, just waved in a cleanup bot.
"Let's go. Another wasted day," one muttered.
"Baron said if there's no progress tomorrow, we're all getting punished."
"God help us…"
Wanda's tears fell silently. Chaos magic flickered briefly in her palm, then faded.
She'd seen this scene too many times. All she could do was survive.
Soon, everyone left. Only two guards remained.
Under the harsh white light, Wanda Maximoff curled up inside the chamber, her slender fingers absentmindedly tracing the floor.
Once again, she had watched another test subject die in agony. Just a kid—barely a teenager.
Outside the glass, the two HYDRA soldiers leaned against the wall, bored.
"Hey, you hear the news? That Superman guy stopped a runaway truck in Tokyo last night—with one hand. Didn't even scratch the paint."
The short soldier sneered. "You been reading too many comics? Superman? He's probably just some powered freak or maybe a mutant."
"I'm serious!"
The taller soldier lowered his voice, pulled out his phone and waved it a bit. "My buddy works in S.H.I.E.L.D. logistics. He said a satellite caught this guy crossing the Pacific at insane speed. The higher-ups already ordered all bases to go on Level Two alert—they're scared that thing might show up at their doorstep."
Wanda's fingers trembled slightly, a faint red glow of Chaos Magic flickering in her palm.
She held her breath and pressed her ear closer to the glass.
"If you ask me, they should just use the Tesseract to secretly build some anti-Superman weapon," the short soldier muttered, nudging the shackles by his feet. "These mutant freaks are all—"
"Shut up!"
The taller soldier suddenly looked around the lab, alert. "You wanna end up as one of Baron Skra's experiments and get turned into a lizard?"
Both of them went silent—but Wanda's heart started pounding.
Superman?
Her eyes dropped to her shaking hands, where crimson lightning-like energy danced between her fingers.
"If Superman really exists…" She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.
"Please… save me…"
Then she chuckled softly, shaking her head in bitter self-mockery.
In this world, Superman was just a comic book character. Why would someone like that ever show up to save her?
That's when golden sparks crackled in the air.
A glowing portal slowly opened.
Wanda's head snapped up.
A shadowy figure stood on the other side of the portal.
His eyes were glowing with light like burning suns.
"....."