"Where… where am I?"
The weightless sensation made Su Zhan feel disoriented. His surroundings were chaos—flashes of fire and deafening explosions filled the air. Something metallic streaked across the sky, glowing under the flames. In the distance, he could hear the sounds of intense combat.
"What the hell… Is that Iron Man?!"
Su Zhan blinked in disbelief. The sight of dozens of flying suits of armor looked eerily familiar. It hit him a moment later—this was the final battle scene from Iron Man 3, the one where all the Iron Man suits self-destructed. He remembered watching that scene back on Earth, feeling a pang of regret for Tony Stark's creations blowing up one by one.
Suddenly, pain exploded in his head. "Ahhh—!"
He clutched his skull as a wave of unbearable agony tore through him. Memories—no, information—flooded into his mind, and when the pain finally faded, he was left gasping for air, a wild grin spreading across his face.
"No way… I've actually crossed into the Marvel Universe—and I have a system!"
A calm, mechanical voice had just echoed in his mind, introducing itself as the King System Spirit. It explained that something had caused him to traverse dimensions, landing him here in the Marvel world. The King System's purpose: to help him grow into the ultimate ruler.
However, it wouldn't make him strong directly—it was merely an auxiliary tool. True power, it told him, must be earned.
Su Zhan's excitement dimmed for a moment. "So… I'm just an ordinary guy in a world filled with superheroes and monsters. Great. What's next, my obituary?"
Thankfully, the system hadn't left him completely helpless.
His body… had changed.
Though he looked the same, the system explained that his physical structure had been reconstructed during transmigration. Now, he possessed two innate powers: Devour and Stability.
In short, he could absorb any ability—without worrying about instability or rejection. His body would automatically stabilize whatever he devoured, fusing it perfectly into his being.
That was an incredible advantage.
The Marvel Universe was overflowing with powers—Super Soldier Serum, Hulk's Gamma mutation, the Extremis Virus, the Centipede Serum… all of them powerful, but dangerously unstable. Not for him, though. For him, every one of them was free potential—raw material waiting to be perfected.
Of course, there were even greater powers out there—mutants, gods, and cosmic beings. The only question was: could he reach that level?
And right now… wasn't exactly the best time to be daydreaming.
He was standing in the middle of the Iron Man 3 finale—Tony Stark versus Aldrich Killian. The Extremis-enhanced soldiers were practically walking bombs. Getting caught in that crossfire would mean instant death.
He quickly ducked behind a pile of rubble, eyes fixed on the battle raging in the distance. His mind was racing.
The Extremis Virus.
That was what he wanted.
The Extremis Virus granted incredible regenerative power, enhanced strength, and even the ability to manipulate heat and fire. It was far more potent than the Super Soldier Serum—but it came with one tiny problem: failure meant spontaneous combustion.
A death sentence for anyone else.
But Su Zhan? His Stabilization ability made him immune to that risk.
"Boom!"
A distant explosion drew his gaze. One of the Iron Man suits detonated spectacularly, sending fire and debris into the air. He spotted Tony Stark scrambling on the ground, and not far away, Aldrich Killian reappeared—his entire body glowing like molten magma.
Killian lunged for Tony, who was clearly exhausted and cornered. Just as Killian was about to deliver the killing blow—
"Pepper!"
Pepper Potts appeared, kicking Killian backward with inhuman strength. The Extremis coursing through her veins flared with fiery energy as she destroyed another Iron Man suit that targeted her.
"Watch out!" Tony shouted when Killian charged again.
Pepper reacted fast—she grabbed a severed Iron Man gauntlet, aimed it at Killian, and fired a repulsor blast that vaporized him instantly.
"Damn, what a waste…" Su Zhan muttered from his hiding spot, shaking his head. He'd planned to harvest the Extremis Virus from Killian's body—but the guy was now literal ashes.
Still, maybe there was another way.
Tony was reassuring Pepper, promising to cure her, and soon activated his self-destruct protocol. One by one, the Iron Man suits exploded in the night sky like fireworks.
"It's a pity," Su Zhan murmured, watching the spectacle. "But Tony Stark will never really give up being Iron Man. Not a chance."
He stepped out from his hiding place, walking toward the couple.
"Hey, there's one more!" Tony shouted when he noticed movement. Pepper instinctively raised the gauntlet, her repulsor cannon locking onto Su Zhan.
"A Chinese guy?" Tony muttered, confused.
"Relax," Su Zhan said, raising his hands peacefully. "I'm not here to fight. I'm here to help. The lady beside you seems to have… a bit of a problem."
Neither Tony nor Pepper lowered their guard. A mysterious stranger showing up right after a battle? Suspicious as hell.
"The Extremis Virus isn't perfect," Su Zhan continued calmly. "You've seen what it can do—and what it can't. I'm sure the great Tony Stark is already working on a cure, but who knows how long that'll take? Living in constant fear of exploding isn't fun. That's where I come in."
Tony narrowed his eyes. "You're saying… you can help her?"
"I can remove the Extremis Virus completely," Su Zhan said, smiling faintly. "Permanently."
"I don't believe you," Tony snapped.
Pepper, however, looked hopeful. "Can you really?"
Su Zhan shrugged. "Honestly, I just want the Extremis Virus. But helping you helps me too. Why not take a chance? Even if it fails, she won't be harmed. And besides…" He smirked. "We don't have to be enemies—at least, not today."