The sun sank beyond the horizon, and darkness quietly swept across the night sky.
Tony Stark stood before the dusty model of the Expo, his fingers gently brushing across the tiny replica buildings.
Sweat soaked through his shirt—not from the heat, but from excitement.
After finishing all his business, he could finally study this.
Thanks to Xiao Han's reminder, his anticipation had reached its peak.
"Jarvis, scan the entire model. Look for any anomalous structures."
A blue laser grid spread across the surface of the model, projecting a holographic 3D image into the air.
Suddenly, Tony's gaze locked on the central pavilion's support structure. It was clearly a variation of an atomic model.
"This is it!" Tony's fingers trembled as he called up the periodic table. "Project the structural formula!"
In the air appeared an atomic structure never before seen. Jarvis immediately began analysis.
"Sir, this appears to be a stable isotope. Theoretically, it could replace palladium."
Tony's eyes burned with a wild gleam.
He grabbed his tools and began dismantling the model, focusing with the same intensity he had when taking apart radios as a child.
When the last piece came off, a blueprint lay in his palm—Howard Stark's final gift to his son.
"Dad…" Tony's voice caught in his throat, but the sentiment was cut short by the lab's alarm.
"Sir, an object is rapidly approaching."
Before Tony could react, Xiao Han was already standing behind him.
"You found the new element."
Tony spun around sharply, instinctively hiding the blueprint behind his back—then let out a dry laugh. "Right, like that would work on you."
Xiao Han's eyes fell on the paper. "Your father was a genius."
"Yeah," Tony said bitterly, shaking the blueprint, "a genius who was better at leaving puzzles than being a father. But… this really might solve my problem."
—
At 3 a.m., the underground lab of Stark Industries blazed with light.
Tony, wearing an oil-stained T-shirt, was calibrating a particle accelerator.
Xiao Han stood nearby, offering the occasional, precise suggestion.
"That won't work. The proton beam will scatter," Xiao Han said, pointing at a data parameter. "Increase the magnetic field strength by twelve percent."
Tony frowned, adjusted the controls, then looked up. "You understand quantum physics?"
"Just learned it an hour ago," Xiao Han replied casually.
The machines roared to life. A stream of blue light flowed through the vacuum tube.
Tony held his breath, watching as the data on the monitors stabilized.
"Success!" he shouted, seizing the glowing, triangular element from the chamber like an excited child. "Jarvis, prepare for transplant surgery!"
Xiao Han pressed a hand on his shoulder. "Not now. You're exhausted."
"No, no, I—"
Before he could finish, Tony realized his feet were no longer touching the ground—Xiao Han had literally lifted him up.
"Humans who haven't slept for forty-eight hours are unfit for precision surgery," Xiao Han said flatly. "Rest for six hours. When you wake, everything will be ready."
Tony wanted to argue, but a wave of irresistible drowsiness washed over him.
In the final moments before blacking out, he vaguely realized—the alien had used some kind of bio-field on him.
—
Six hours later.
Tony Stark awoke to blinding white light. The sterile smell of disinfectant filled his nose.
Instinctively, he reached for his chest—his fingers no longer felt the cold ring of metal, but a new reactor.
It pulsed with a purer, bluer glow than ever before.
"The operation was a success."
Tony jerked his head toward the voice. Xiao Han stood by a bio-scanner, a holographic 3D image of Tony's chest rotating above the console.
Surgical tools were neatly laid out beside him—but what stood out was that every piece of equipment bore clear signs of modification.
"You… performed surgery on me?" Tony rasped. "Here? Without a medical team?"
Xiao Han deactivated the hologram and approached the bed. "Your vitals are stable. The new element has integrated perfectly with your cardiac tissue. The palladium poisoning is gone."
Tony looked down at his chest—no incision, no sutures, not even a scar.
It was as if the operation had never happened.
This medical technology…
"Wait," Tony suddenly realized. "You modified my surgical equipment?"
Xiao Han picked up a standard surgical robot. "I added a control module."
His fingertips emitted a faint light as he traced the metal surface—revealing an internal circuitry completely redesigned from the inside out.
Tony's breathing quickened.
As an engineer, he knew exactly what that meant.
This so-called superhuman wasn't just powerful—he possessed intelligence on a godlike level.
"I've gotta say… you're impressive." Tony finally exhaled, deciding to stop questioning it—for now.
He swung his legs off the medical bed and stretched his shoulders, feeling the new energy source thrumming steadily in his chest.
The blue glow shone faintly through his shirt, illuminating the dim lab.
"How do you feel?" Xiao Han asked, handing him a glass of amber liquid.
Tony took it, sniffed, and raised an eyebrow. "Macallan, fifty-five years old? Where'd you find this?"
"Your private cellar," Xiao Han replied with a small smile. "Though I improved it a bit—it now accelerates cellular regeneration."
Tony took a sip—and his eyes widened. "Holy hell… that taste! What did you put in it?"
"An organic substitute," Xiao Han said, walking toward the other end of the lab. "Temporarily boosts neural transmission efficiency."
Tony swirled the drink, then suddenly grew serious. "Why are you helping me this much? The surgery, the upgrades—this goes way beyond our deal."
Xiao Han, still facing away, tapped lightly on a holographic keyboard. "Fifteen percent of Stark Industries deserves premium service."
"Bullshit." Tony set the glass down. "You know the company's valuation. Even without you, I could—"
"Found it," Xiao Han interrupted, retrieving a vial from a cryogenic chamber.
The pale blue liquid shimmered under the lights, with countless microscopic glimmers swirling within.
Tony's scientific instincts flared. "What is that?"
"An enhanced version of the Super Soldier Serum," Xiao Han said, placing it under an optical microscope. "Based on Dr. Erskine's original formula, but stripped of all side effects."
Tony leaned in as Jarvis projected analysis data onto his retina. "The molecular structure is thirty-seven percent more complex than the S.H.I.E.L.D. archives version… those protein chains…"
"The strength amplification is 2.5 times greater, metabolic efficiency up 400%, bone density…" Xiao Han paused.
"...enough to let you fall from a thirty-story building and walk away with a few scratches."
Tony straightened up, his expression grave. "You recreated the Super Soldier Serum? In just a few days?"
"Not exactly recreated," Xiao Han replied, slowly turning the vial in his hand.
"I rewrote the entire genetic sequence. No Red Skull side effects, and it won't alter the user's personality."