There he was—
Not far from the pool, Herman was effortlessly holding Tony Stark's RV aloft with one hand.
A man, lifting something dozens—hundreds—of times larger and heavier than himself, as if it weighed no more than a bubble.
The sight hit Tony Stark like a punch to the eyes.
Around them, the young models and Wall Street elites alike stood dumbstruck, their faces frozen in shock.
Tony didn't even try to argue. He backed down immediately.
He had no choice. His Iron Man armor was still in its infancy—it couldn't come close to generating that kind of power.
"Oh my god! Homelander!"
"It's him! It's Homelander!"
"Ahhh!"
The models' screams rose and fell like waves. Compared to the way they'd been flattering Tony before, this frenzy was on a whole other level.
"I knew you had real superpowers! Are you with Starlight?"
One particularly overexcited model reached out to touch Herman's muscles. She was only about five-foot-seven, but before she could lay a hand on him, Herman set the RV down and stepped lightly out of reach.
"Sorry. I don't like strangers touching me."
Herman didn't mind revealing his abilities—what he hated was being called Homelander.
"And I'm not Homelander."
He stressed it again, but the girl clearly wasn't listening.
"Look who it is! Our Stark Industries' major shareholder!"
Tony, who had been sulking, suddenly broke into a grin when he saw Herman. "You are my savior, after all, so I'll admit defeat this once."
"But give me some time. Lifting a little car like that won't be a challenge for me either." His tone carried no small amount of arrogance.
"You don't seem surprised?" Herman asked, though he already knew the answer.
"Of course not. I've looked into you—more than most people ever could. You're the god among men who stands tall in the sky, aren't you?"
Tony answered without hesitation. He didn't call Herman Homelander. For all his flaws, Tony was sharp enough to notice Herman didn't like the name. His emotional intelligence wasn't quite as low as it sometimes seemed.
"Heh, I prefer you call me your savior."
With a faint smile, Herman stepped closer to Stark in his armor.
"Maybe I can be your savior again."
His eyes dropped to the arc reactor in Tony's chest.
"This thing isn't exactly a toy. Do you really plan on wearing it forever?"
The meaning was crystal clear.
Tony's face changed instantly. His drunken haze vanished, replaced with sharp sobriety.
"You have a way to fix my problem?"
He didn't say it directly, but the thought of those classified documents came rushing back, reigniting his will to live.
"I want the Super Soldier Serum research data."
Herman didn't beat around the bush.
"And you'll have to repair a vehicle for me—free of charge."
That was his price.
Tony was stunned into silence for a long moment.
"Seems you know quite a bit about me." His eyes narrowed on Herman. Almost no one knew about that data—it was something left behind by his late father. Not even Pepper knew it existed.
But Tony didn't ask why Herman wanted it. He already knew Umbrella Biotechnology was handling a project commissioned by S.H.I.E.L.D.
There was no need to guess. Everyone knew it was tied to that reverse-engineering project.
"I invested a hundred billion in you. Of course I'd want to know more about you."
Herman shrugged casually, glancing at the noisy crowd and the oblivious models.
"Why don't we find somewhere quiet to talk?"
Tony's answer was simple.
"Alright."
And with that, he led Herman into the villa, into his private bedroom. The moment the door closed, the chaos outside was shut away.
"If you've got a busted car, taking it to a repair shop might be smarter," Tony Stark said as he poured himself and Herman a glass of wine.
He still hadn't taken off his armor.
"In my eyes, you're the best repairman there is." Herman didn't bother explaining that no ordinary repair shop could handle repairing a spaceship.
The compliment made Tony beam.
"You really do have great taste!" He raised his glass.
"So, you're agreeing to this deal?" Herman swirled the liquid in his glass, the movement forming a little vortex inside.
"Do I even have a reason to refuse? Come on—show me your magic!" Tony spread his hands wide.
He tilted his head back, closed his eyes, and stood there like someone welcoming the ocean breeze and spring blossoms.
"Can't you give science a little respect?" Herman's expression was priceless.
"You can fly through the sky, and you expect me to believe in science?" Tony chuckled as if Herman had told the funniest joke in the world.
He had once been a man of pure science. But after seeing those S.H.I.E.L.D. recordings of Herman, what else could he do? He now saw magic as just another form of science not yet understood. He didn't reject magic—only anything mystical that couldn't be studied.
"Call S.H.I.E.L.D. and tell them to send over whatever your old man left with them," Herman said with a roll of his eyes, sitting down on the sofa.
"My dad had ties to that organization? Great, another reason to hate him." Though skeptical, Tony still pulled out his phone and called Nick Fury—the same guy who had barged into his house not long ago.
Nick Fury didn't sound surprised in the least. Soon, he had Natasha deliver a box straight to Tony.
"You're fired!" Tony exclaimed the moment Natasha handed him the S.H.I.E.L.D. box. It didn't take much to figure out what was really going on.
"Then you'd better pay me severance," Natasha quipped with a smirk. She gave Herman a brief smile before leaving.
Her mission had already been completed. The only reason she had lingered was because she'd heard Tony had invited Herman to the party.
"My deadbeat dad actually kept something with them?" Tony muttered, staring at the box with a strange look.
He opened it.
Inside was only a map and a videotape.
"The truth is, your father was practically one of the founders of that organization. Why do you think S.H.I.E.L.D. has always tolerated your excesses?"
"Nick Fury buying your intel from me and sending people to rescue you wasn't just because you're some American billionaire."
Herman stepped closer to the box. He was right—S.H.I.E.L.D. had shown Tony remarkable patience.
Nick Fury had practically played babysitter to him at times, and not just because Tony's genius benefited the country.
It was also because Tony Stark was the son of a S.H.I.E.L.D. founder.
"I knew it. That old man loved having control over everything." Tony's attitude toward Howard Stark had always been the same. Still in his playboy phase, he despised his irresponsible father all the more.
"Now, do as I say."
Herman instructed Tony to strip away the unnecessary markings from the Stark Expo map. After that, he barely needed to guide him.
Tony caught on immediately. His brilliance took over, and before long, he had pieced together a brand-new element.
"A new element! A replacement for palladium!... It's beautiful!"
The virtual model of the new element slowly rotated in the air. Tony's eyes were wide with awe, shimmering with tears—moved, perhaps, by his father's foresight.
"Tony, your father loved you far more than you think."
Herman watched him, intending to pour a bit of sentiment into the moment—hoping to leave Iron Man with a memory embarrassing enough to be his black history.
But—
"This was your bargaining chip? Damn it! I underestimated how shameless billionaires can be! You actually used my father's legacy as part of your deal!" Tony's face twisted, and he turned sharply to glare at Herman in disbelief.
Right then and there, Tony Stark was once again reminded of how vile billionaires could be.
For all his brilliance, he was still a man in his thirties—completely outplayed by someone in his twenties.
Shameless.
Utterly shameless.
"Sometimes, information... is the most valuable thing." Herman chuckled softly, not feeling there was anything wrong with what he had done.
"You win."
Tony Stark was stunned.
But he wasn't the type to go back on his word. Since he had agreed to the deal with Herman, he would grit his teeth and follow through, even if it left him uncomfortable.
"Here's the data you wanted. As for the car you need fixed, bring it over anytime. I'm starting on the new element tonight."
He pulled an antique-looking USB drive from a safe and casually tossed it toward the sofa.
"No problem."
Herman caught it with ease, flipped it once across his palm, then tucked the drive containing the Super Soldier Serum data into his alternate dimension.
"Magic? Sorcery?"
Tony stared at Herman's hand in disbelief.
He was sure of it—Herman was wearing short sleeves, and there was absolutely nowhere to hide the USB.
"You can think of it as... spatial storage technology."
Herman's explanation left Tony reeling once again.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk. If your intel weren't so thorough, I'd suspect you were an alien." Tony eyed him with a strange expression.
"Don't you want to watch your father's tape?"
Herman pressed, clearly eager to see Tony break down. He gestured at the videotape Tony had tossed onto the table.
"I have no desire to see that man's face again." Tony sneered, reaching to throw it into the trash. But before his hand could touch it, the tape floated away, moved by Herman's telekinesis.
"What the hell was that?"
Tony had already lost track of how many times he'd been shocked tonight.
"Consider it a form of psychic manipulation," Herman replied.
Tony just stared, exasperated. Did Herman really think changing the name would fool him into believing it wasn't magic?
Herman slid the tape into the television. And despite claiming he didn't want to see it, Tony's eyes stayed locked on the screen.
"Tony, you're still too young to understand this for now. That's why I recorded this. The entire exposition was built for you.
"I'm limited by the technology of this era, but one day you'll understand. When that time comes, you'll use this key to change the world."
...
"My greatest creation has always been you."
On the videotape, Howard Stark spoke from the heart, pouring his truest emotions through the screen to Tony Stark.
At that moment, Herman, with his sharp hearing, clearly caught the sound of Tony's choked breath.
"Hmph, just the ramblings of an old man."
On the surface, Tony put on a mask of indifference. He clearly didn't want Herman to see him lose control.
Herman didn't mind. His goal in pushing Tony to face his emotions wasn't only to mock him.
"Alright, I think we can move on to the next deal."
Herman smiled at Tony. Right then, that smile looked to Tony like the face of the devil himself.
"What now? You planning to swindle something else out of me?" Tony sneered. He had no desire to strike a second bargain.
"I want JARVIS's source code."
Umbrella Biotechnology, under Herman's name, was already conducting research into artificial intelligence. With the source code of an advanced AI, Umbrella could quickly create a true artificial intelligence system.
That would instantly boost research efficiency across all of its labs, letting Herman earn his exclusive mission rewards even faster.
"You've got to be joking. My suits and JARVIS's code are sacred. Inviolable. I'll never trade them away." Tony wasn't being ungrateful—this was a line he had always drawn.
Whether it was his armor or his AI, he refused to see them turned into tools of war.
"I'm certain you'll make a deal with me."
Herman's smile didn't fade.
His tone made Tony uneasy. Just what kind of trap was this ruthless billionaire setting for him this time?
"I don't believe you can offer me enough leverage." Tony's voice was firm.
"Is that so? Then what about the truth behind the car accident on December 16, 1991? Would you really pass up the chance to know?"
Herman spoke slowly, deliberately.
Tony froze. His pupils contracted sharply, and for a moment he felt as if he couldn't breathe.
December 16, 1991.
That day was seared into his memory.
It was the day he lost both of his parents. The day he became an orphan.
Tony Stark had always believed their accident was nothing more than that—an accident.
But now...
Hearing Herman's words, a tidal wave surged inside him.
"So, when do you plan on giving me the source code?"
Herman raised an eyebrow, his tone full of confidence.
"Are you sure you don't want to switch careers and become the devil? You'd have a bright future in it." Tony let out a long sigh. His voice was heavy with resignation as he looked at the man who seemed to be his nemesis. Finally, he admitted defeat. "You win. I'll give you the source code."
Seeing Tony's expression, Herman added lightly, "Cheer up. I don't mind telling you the truth right now..."
But before he could finish—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion shook the villa, cutting his words short.
Before either Herman or Tony could react—
BOOM! BOOM!
A chain of blasts followed, rocking the ground like an earthquake as terrified screams erupted from outside.