Rain blanketed the entire city.
Even in the dead of night, the glass skyscraper that served as S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters remained brightly lit.
Tony Stark pushed open the main doors.
A gust of cold wind mixed with rain hit him head-on. Although his enhanced physique no longer felt the cold, he still instinctively pulled his suit jacket tighter.
"What terrible weather..."
he muttered as he walked briskly toward the black sedan waiting by the curb.
The door opened, revealing Happy Hogan's familiar face.
"Boss, get in. The rain's coming down hard."
Tony climbed into the back seat and casually shook the rainwater from his hair.
"Thanks, Happy. Today was rough. Those Hydra spies were even better at hiding than I expected."
Happy started the car, the windshield wipers sweeping rhythmic arcs across the glass.
"Boss, I heard Europe has pretty much been cleaned up too?"
"Yeah."
Tony leaned back against the seat and closed his eyes.
"Adam handled it efficiently."
"But..."
"I have a feeling Hydra isn't going to give up this easily."
The car slowly rolled into the rain-soaked streets, its tires cutting through puddles and sending water splashing outward.
Tony stared out at the blurred neon lights beyond the window, his thoughts drifting.
Suddenly—
Screech!
Happy slammed on the brakes.
Tony's reflexes had long surpassed those of an ordinary human, so he remained firmly seated without so much as lurching forward.
"What now?"
he frowned.
Happy stared straight ahead, his voice tense.
"Boss... there's someone blocking the road."
Tony looked up.
Through the curtain of rain stood a tall figure in the middle of the street.
The man wore a mask that revealed only a pair of icy eyes.
His long blond hair clung to his shoulders, soaked by the rain.
Most striking of all was his left arm—
A metallic arm gleaming coldly beneath the streetlights.
"Hydra..."
Tony narrowed his eyes.
Happy's hand moved toward the pistol at his waist.
"Boss, I'll go check it out."
"No."
Tony pressed a hand onto Happy's shoulder.
"Stay in the car."
"But—"
"Trust me, Happy."
Tony pushed open the door, immediately soaking his suit in the pouring rain.
Standing in the middle of the street, he calmly faced the Winter Soldier.
"Who are you?"
"One of Hydra's men?"
"What do you want?"
"Money?"
"Freedom?"
"I can give you both."
The man didn't answer.
He simply raised his metal arm.
A long sword rested in his hand, its scabbard reflecting the cold rain.
Tony sighed.
His right thumb discreetly pressed the watch on his wrist.
Nanotech armor rapidly spread across his arm.
"So much for negotiations."
The next instant—
Bang!
The Winter Soldier exploded forward.
His sword flashed from its sheath, slicing through the rain as it thrust straight toward Tony's face!
But—
The blade was caught effortlessly by Tony's mechanical hand.
It couldn't move an inch.
"Looks like your sword isn't sharp enough."
Tony's voice carried a hint of mockery.
The Winter Soldier's gaze turned icy.
He immediately tried to wrench the weapon free—
Only to discover that the blade felt welded into Tony's grip.
It wouldn't budge.
His pupils contracted slightly.
This man's strength... isn't normal.
Without hesitation, he changed tactics.
Power surged into his metal arm as he threw a devastating punch toward Tony's chest.
Boom!
Tony calmly raised his other hand.
He caught the metal fist perfectly.
The collision of their overwhelming strength sent a shockwave exploding through the air, scattering rainwater in every direction.
The Winter Soldier was completely stunned.
His cybernetic arm represented Hydra's pinnacle of technology.
It possessed enough power to tear through tank armor.
Yet Tony Stark had blocked it—
With one hand.
"Surprised?"
Tony sneered.
"I'm not the man who used to hide inside armor anymore."
The Winter Soldier reacted instantly.
His right knee shot upward, smashing toward Tony's abdomen.
But Tony was even faster.
Snap!
Releasing the sword, Tony seized the Winter Soldier by the throat with his right hand—
And lifted him completely off the ground.
The incoming knee strike stopped in midair.
His legs dangled helplessly as he struggled to breathe.
"Game over."
Tony's voice was ice cold.
The next second—
BOOM!!!
He swung the Winter Soldier overhead—
And slammed him violently into the asphalt.
The road instantly cracked apart.
The Winter Soldier let out a muffled grunt.
Before he could recover—
Tony's iron fist came crashing down.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Each punch carried well over a dozen tons of force.
The mask shattered on the second blow, revealing the face beneath.
A blond man.
Someone Tony had never seen before.
Tony hesitated for only a split second—
Then continued punching until his attacker finally lost consciousness.
Standing up, Tony shook the blood from his hand.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., identify him."
"Target unrecognized, sir. No matching records exist within the database."
Tony frowned.
Then he activated his communicator.
"All Avengers."
"Report to S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters immediately."
"I've just been attacked."
"And it was almost certainly Hydra."
Natasha's calm voice came through almost instantly.
"I'll be there in ten minutes."
Tony lowered his gaze toward the unconscious assassin.
His eyes were cold.
"Hydra..."
"...Just how many trump cards do you still have?"
Long Island Villa Underground Laboratory
Xiao Han stood before the laboratory table.
With his super vision, he could see straight through the microscope, observing the Skrull genetic samples at the molecular level.
Every molecular structure was crystal clear in his eyes.
His superhuman brain rapidly analyzed every possible arrangement of their genetic sequences.
"As expected..."
"Skrull cells possess far greater plasticity than human cells."
He lightly tapped the tabletop with a finger.
On a nearby holographic screen, silent footage of Tony Stark's attack continued to play.
Xiao Han had overheard Hydra's meeting long ago.
But he hadn't intervened.
If Tony couldn't handle something as minor as this...
Then he wasn't worthy of serving as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
His attention returned to the experimental data.
"Gene recombination."
"Memory replication."
"And compatibility with Kryptonian cells..."
Time quietly passed.
The laboratory remained brightly illuminated.
Finally—
Xiao Han's fingers stopped moving.
Inside a test tube, a single drop of golden liquid shimmered faintly.
It was the serum he had just completed.
"Perfect."
The serum could fuse perfectly with Kryptonian cells—
Granting him the ability to copy other people's powers.
Of course...
There were limitations.
He first had to come into physical contact with the target.
Furthermore, only abilities rooted in genetics could be copied.
Magic couldn't be replicated.
Nor could powers derived from external sources.
Unless those powers themselves originated from the target's genes.
Picking up a syringe, Xiao Han injected the serum directly into his arm without the slightest hesitation.
The golden liquid entered his bloodstream.
Closing his eyes, he quietly felt for changes inside his body.
Unexpectedly—
Nothing happened.
No pain.
No burning sensation.
Not even the slightest discomfort.
He opened his eyes.
His brow furrowed briefly before relaxing.
"Of course."
"Kryptonian cells are already extraordinarily powerful."
"A genetic adaptation of this level isn't even enough to trigger a rejection response."
Just then—
The laboratory communicator chimed.
"Mr. Xiao, Tony Stark is calling."
Turing's voice echoed through the room.
With a casual wave of his hand, a holographic display unfolded.
Tony's face appeared on the screen.
Behind him was a conference room inside S.H.I.E.L.D.
His expression was unusually grim.
"Xiao."
"I was just attacked."
"I know."
Xiao Han answered calmly.
Tony blinked.
"You know?"
"Mm."
Xiao Han nodded.
"Hydra only sent a disposable pawn."
Tony fell silent for a moment before taking a deep breath.
"I knocked him unconscious."
"He's being held in a S.H.I.E.L.D. interrogation room."
"But we still haven't identified him."
Xiao Han looked at him.
"Kill him."
Tony froze.
"What?"
"He's one of the men who murdered your parents."
Xiao Han revealed a devastating secret.
Tony's pupils shrank violently.
His breathing stopped for an instant.
"W-What did you just say?"
"On December 16, 1991..."
"Howard Stark and Maria Stark died in what was officially ruled a traffic accident."
Xiao Han looked directly into Tony's eyes.
"It wasn't an accident."
"It was an assassination carried out by Hydra."
"And the man who attacked you today..."
"...was one of the assassins who carried out that mission."
Tony's fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
His voice became low and heavy.
"You've known this all along?"
"Since ten minutes ago."
Xiao Han lied without changing his expression.
Tony remained silent.
Then he asked quietly,
"...Is all of this true?"
"Every word of it."
Several seconds passed.
Tony drew in a deep breath.
When he spoke again, his voice had turned ice cold.
"Thank you, Xiao."
"I understand."
The communication ended.
The holographic screen faded away.
Xiao Han withdrew his gaze and shook his head.
He lowered his eyes toward his own hand.
His fingers twitched slightly.
A faint golden glow spread across the surface of his skin.
The serum had begun to take effect.
"Next..."
he murmured softly,
"It's time to test this new ability."