Outskirts of New York.
Dawn.
As the morning light dimly broke, Xiao Han stood in the center of a dilapidated factory, his feet on fractured concrete, surrounded by scattered, rusted metal debris.
His Super Brain was still operating at high speed, the vast knowledge system he had just absorbed was being integrated and optimized.
Now, he needed to practice.
"Knowledge is just theory; true power lies in application." Xiao Han's gaze swept across his surroundings.
He had to first build a simple laboratory. He didn't need high-tech equipment because he himself was the most precise instrument.
His eyes glowed faintly red, and two thin beams of Heat Vision shot out, precisely cutting the discarded metal on the ground.
Rust evaporated under the high temperature, leaving behind only pure steel blocks.
He reached out and grabbed, his Biofield enveloping the molten metal, molding it like clay into a workbench, stands, and basic tools.
He took a deep breath, slowly exhaled, and an extremely cold airflow condensed a thin film of ice crystals, close to Absolute Zero, on the surface of the workbench.
"This way, I can simulate a low-temperature superconducting environment."
Tony Stark's Arc Reactor relied on palladium, but Xiao Han had already deduced a better solution.
He closed his eyes, adjusted his auditory frequency, and captured the vibrations deep within the Earth's crust.
Seconds later, he pinpointed an underground mineral vein.
"Uranium-238, but not pure enough… Wait, there's thorium there."
He bent his knees slightly, instantly broke the sound barrier, and vanished into the sky.
0.3 seconds later, he stood in a desolate desert, his single hand plunged into the ground.
Boom!
The Earth's crust was torn apart, and he directly pulled out an unrefined ore from hundreds of meters deep underground.
His eyes lit up again, and high-temperature plasma beams precisely stripped away impurities, leaving only a few grams of pure Thorium-232.
"More stable than plutonium, longer half-life, higher energy output."
Back at the abandoned factory, he embedded the thorium crystal into his self-made reactor frame.
His Super Vision adjusted the magnetic field confinement structure, ensuring stable plasma operation.
Buzz!
A pale blue light illuminated the reactor core, and the energy readings soared.
"It's a success."
Xiao Han's lips curled slightly, "The output efficiency is 2.7 times that of Stark's version."
Wakanda's Vibranium was too rare on the market; he needed a quantifiable alternative material.
He recalled Vibranium's atomic structure, attempting to reproduce its energy-absorbing properties with existing elements.
"Carbon nanotube framework, doped with rare Earth elements, then rearranging the crystal lattice with high-frequency vibrations…"
He pressed his hands virtually, his Biofield precisely manipulating the micro-level material combination.
Soon, a dark silver metallic thin sheet formed in his palm.
He picked up a discarded steel plate and smashed it against the new material.
Clang!
The steel plate twisted and deformed, while the silver sheet remained motionless, without even a scratch.
"The kinetic energy absorption effect is close to 80% of Vibranium, but the cost is several orders of magnitude lower." He nodded.
"It's enough for now."
Dr. Erskine's serum could strengthen the human body, but it had significant side effects. Xiao Han decided to optimize it.
He constructed a molecular model of the serum in his mind, removing unstable gene fragments and redesigning the amino acid sequence.
"Remove the side effect of strengthening personality traits, retain pure physiological enhancement…"
He did not inject it directly but first simulated the human body's reaction with his Biofield.
After confirming its safety, he injected the improved serum into a wild rabbit that happened to pass by.
Bang!
The rabbit's muscles swelled slightly, but its behavior remained docile; only its speed and strength significantly increased.
"It's a success." Xiao Han put away the remaining serum.
"Perhaps it will be useful in the future."
Pym Particles' spatial compression technology was too dangerous, but he needed to grasp its principle.
He adjusted his pupil's focal length, his vision penetrating microscopic scales, directly observing quantum fluctuations in a vacuum.
"Each spatial fold leaves a trace…"
He tried to simulate the effect of Pym Particles with his Biofield, enveloping a piece of metal.
Swish!
The metal block instantly shrank to nanoscale but quickly returned to its original state.
"It's not stable enough yet, but at least it proves its feasibility."
Xiao Han put away all his experimental results and looked towards the distant New York skyline.
"S.H.I.E.L.D., HYDRA, Stark Industries… This World has too many variables." He pondered for a moment.
"If I want to truly control the situation, I need a base and allies."
After doing all this, he realized something: with such powerful strength, he didn't need to do anything himself.
He only needed to find the richest or smartest person in this World, then give him a trivial benefit and let him work for him.
And the smartest and richest person in the Marvel Universe… His gaze penetrated layers of obstacles, seeing Tony Stark tinkering in his laboratory.
"Time to go into the city." Xiao Han smiled.
New York
Stark Industries Expo
Xiao Han stood among the crowd at the expo, his black hair slightly ruffled, wearing a well-tailored dark gray suit, looking like a young and low-key scholar.
He should have used his Biofield to slightly adjust his facial contours, making his features softer and less noticeable.
But after thinking about it, he was Superman, what did he care about these things?
In the center of the expo, Tony Stark stood before a holographic projection, showcasing a new generation of clean energy technology to the audience.
"Stark Arc Reactor Civilianization Plan"
"Imagine, in the future, every household can have its own miniature reactor, completely saying goodbye to grid reliance!" Tony spread his arms, and thunderous applause erupted from the audience.
Xiao Han smiled faintly, his gaze falling on the reactor's projection.
"The efficiency is only one-third of mine."
After the expo, Xiao Han did not leave but walked towards the Stark Industries R&D exhibition area.
He stopped in front of an experimental arc generator, deliberately shaking his head.
"There's a problem with the magnetic field confinement method; the plasma escape rate is too high." He murmured softly, but made sure the engineer next to him could hear.
Sure enough, a technical supervisor frowned and walked over: "Sir, this equipment is Stark Industries' latest design; it's impossible for there to be a problem."
Xiao Han looked up, his tone calm: "If you adjust the current distribution of the poloidal field coils, the efficiency can be increased by 17%."
The supervisor was stunned. Just as he was about to retort, a familiar voice came from behind him.
"Interesting, go on."
Tony Stark had appeared behind them at some point, holding a glass of whiskey, observing Xiao Han with interest.
Tony raised an eyebrow: "Which laboratory are you from? MIT? CERN?"
Xiao Han shook his head: "Independent researcher."
Tony scoffed: "Come on, this level of plasma physics isn't something a self-taught person can understand."
Xiao Han did not argue but took out a miniature device from his suit's inner pocket.
It was his self-made thorium-based reactor, only the size of two fingers, yet it emitted a stable blue light.
Tony's smile froze.
"What is this?"
"An improved Arc Reactor." Xiao Han's tone was flat.
"Thorium fuel, optimized magnetic field confinement, 2.7 times increased energy density, 400% extended half-life."
Tony's pupils contracted slightly. He reached out and took the device, and the sensors on his fingertips immediately detected astonishing readings.
"Jarvis, scan this."
The AI's voice sounded in his ear: "Sir, the energy output of this device is indeed far superior to our latest model, and the radiation is reduced."
Tony stared at Xiao Han, his gaze shifting from playful to sharp: "Who exactly are you?"
Xiao Han smiled faintly: "Someone interested in the energy revolution."
Tony was silent for two seconds, then suddenly grinned: "Alright, Mr. Mysterious. Drink?"
Ten minutes later, the two sat at the private bar on the top floor of Stark Tower.
Tony swirled his drink: "So, you suddenly appear with a better reactor than mine. Do you want to sell a patent? Or apply for a job?"
Xiao Han shook his head: "Neither. I'm just curious, since you have such technology, why are you still using palladium?"
Tony narrowed his eyes: "Thorium purification and stabilization aren't that simple."
"Indeed." Xiao Han nodded, "But if combined with Vibranium's vibration absorption characteristics, the critical temperature problem can be solved."
Tony's hand paused.
"You know about Vibranium?"
"The most stable metal on Earth, Wakanda's national treasure." Xiao Han took a sip of his drink, "However, I recently developed an alternative material, with performance close to 80%."
Tony put down his glass, his tone becoming dangerous: "Jarvis, pull up all confidential files on Vibranium."
Jarvis responded: "S.H.I.E.L.D. encrypted file, access restricted."
Tony stared at Xiao Han: "Ordinary people couldn't possibly know about Vibranium's existence."
Xiao Han met his gaze: "I am not an ordinary person."