Outskirts of New York.
Dawn.
The first light of morning seeped softly across the abandoned factory. Xiao Han stood in its center, concrete shards underfoot, rusted metal debris scattered all around.
His super brain was still running at full speed, integrating and optimizing the massive knowledge system he had just absorbed.
Now, it was time for practice.
"Knowledge is just theory. True power lies in application," Xiao Han murmured, eyes scanning the surroundings.
He needed to construct a makeshift lab—not high-tech, because he himself was the most precise instrument.
His eyes glimmered faintly red. Two slender beams of heat vision shot out, cutting precisely through the rusted metal on the ground.
Rust evaporated under the intense heat, leaving pure steel blocks.
He reached out, letting his biotic force field envelop the molten metal. Like shaping clay, he molded it into an experimental bench, stands, and basic tools.
Inhaling deeply, he exhaled slowly. A frigid airflow crystallized a layer of ice on the bench, nearly reaching absolute zero.
"This can simulate a low-temperature superconducting environment," he said.
Tony Stark's Arc Reactor relied on palladium, but Xiao Han had deduced a better solution.
He closed his eyes, adjusting his hearing frequency, sensing vibrations deep beneath the earth.
Seconds later, he pinpointed an underground ore vein.
"Uranium-238… but not pure enough… wait, there's thorium there."
Bending his legs slightly, he broke the sound barrier and vanished into the horizon.
0.3 seconds later, he appeared in a barren desert, plunging a hand into the earth.
Boom!
The crust split, and he pulled out a raw, unrefined ore from hundreds of meters underground.
His eyes glowed again. High-temperature plasma beams precisely stripped 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.
Super vision adjusted the magnetic confinement structure, ensuring stable plasma operation.
Hum!
A pale blue light flared at the reactor's core, energy readings skyrocketing.
"Success."
Xiao Han smirked. "Output efficiency is 2.7 times Stark's version."
Vibranium from Wakanda was far too rare for large-scale use, so he needed a replicable substitute.
Recalling vibranium's atomic structure, he attempted to reproduce its kinetic absorption properties with existing elements.
"Carbon nanotube framework, doped with rare earths, then realign lattice with high-frequency vibration…"
Hands hovering in midair, his biotic force field precisely manipulated the micro-level material composition.
Soon, a dark silver metal sheet formed in his palm.
He grabbed a scrap steel plate and struck the new material.
Clang!
The steel warped, but the silver sheet didn't budge—not a scratch.
"Kinetic absorption efficiency is about 80% of vibranium, but the cost is orders of magnitude lower," he nodded.
"Enough for now."
Dr. Erskine's serum could enhance humans, but side effects were severe. Xiao Han decided to optimize it.
He built a molecular model of the serum in his mind, removing unstable gene segments and redesigning amino acid sequences.
"Eliminate personality-altering side effects, retain pure physiological enhancement…"
He didn't inject it immediately, first simulating the human reaction with his biotic force field.
Once he confirmed safety, he administered the improved serum to a passing wild rabbit.
Bang!
Its muscles swelled slightly, behavior remained calm, but speed and strength increased noticeably.
"Success." Xiao Han stored the remaining serum.
"Could be useful in the future."
Pym Particle spatial compression was too dangerous, but he needed to understand its principles.
Adjusting his pupil focus, he observed quantum fluctuations in a vacuum at microscopic scales.
"Every space fold leaves a trace…"
He simulated Pym Particle effects with his biotic force field, enveloping a metal block.
Whoosh!
The block instantly shrank to nanoscale, then returned to normal.
"Not stable enough yet, but at least it works."
Packing up his experiments, Xiao Han gazed at the New York skyline.
"S.H.I.E.L.D., Hydra, Stark Industries… this world has too many variables," he thought.
"If I want true control, I need a base and allies."
With his immense power, he realized he didn't need to do everything personally.
He only needed to find the richest or smartest people in the world and offer them trivial incentives to work for him.
And in the Marvel world, the richest and smartest… his vision pierced layers of obstacles to see Tony Stark tinkering in his lab.
"Time to head into the city," Xiao Han smirked.
New York
Stark Industries Expo
Xiao Han stood among the crowd, black hair slightly tousled, wearing a well-tailored dark gray suit, looking like a young, low-key scholar.
He could have subtly used his biotic force field to adjust his facial features, making them softer and less noticeable.
But… he was already Superman. Why bother?
At the center of the expo, Tony Stark stood before a holographic display, presenting his new clean energy tech.
"Stark Arc Reactor Civilianization Project."
"Imagine every home having its own mini-reactor, freeing us from the grid entirely!" Tony spread his arms, and applause erupted from the audience.
Xiao Han smiled faintly, eyes on the projected reactor.
"Efficiency is only a third of mine," he muttered.
After the expo, he didn't leave. He headed toward Stark Industries' R&D section.
Stopping by an experimental arc generator, he shook his head slightly.
"The magnetic confinement method is flawed. Plasma leakage rate is too high," he murmured, ensuring a nearby engineer could hear.
Sure enough, a technical supervisor frowned, approaching. "Sir, this is Stark Industries' latest design. There's no way it's flawed."
Xiao Han looked up, calm. "If you adjust the current distribution of the polar field coils, efficiency improves by 17%."
The supervisor froze, about to argue, when a familiar voice spoke behind them.
"Interesting. Go on."
Tony Stark had appeared behind them, holding a glass of whiskey, eyes curiously on Xiao Han.
Raising an eyebrow, Tony asked, "Which lab 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 didn't argue. He pulled a miniature device from his suit pocket.
It was his self-made thorium reactor, only two fingers wide, emitting a steady blue glow.
Tony's smile froze.
"What's that?"
"An improved Arc Reactor," Xiao Han said flatly.
"Thorium fuel, optimized magnetic confinement, energy density 2.7x higher, half-life extended 400%."
Tony's pupils contracted slightly. He reached out; his sensors instantly detected staggering readings.
"J.A.R.V.I.S., scan this."
AI responded: "Sir, the device's energy output far exceeds our latest model, with reduced radiation."
Tony's gaze sharpened from playful to piercing. "Who exactly are you?"
Xiao Han smiled slightly. "Someone interested in the energy revolution."
Tony paused two seconds, then grinned. "Alright, mysterious man. Drinks?"
Ten minutes later, they sat at the private bar atop Stark Tower.
Tony swirled his glass. "So you suddenly show up with a reactor better than mine—selling the patent? Or applying for a job?"
Xiao Han shook his head. "Neither. I'm just curious—if you have this tech, why are you still using palladium?"
Tony narrowed his eyes. "Purifying and stabilizing thorium isn't simple."
"True," Xiao Han nodded, "but combining it with vibranium's vibration absorption properties can solve the critical temperature issue."
Tony paused mid-gesture.
"You know about vibranium?"
"The most stable metal on Earth, Wakanda's national treasure," Xiao Han sipped his drink. "I even developed a substitute recently—about 80% as effective."
Tony set down his glass, his tone sharp. "J.A.R.V.I.S., bring up all classified vibranium files."
"Encrypted S.H.I.E.L.D. files. Access restricted," the AI responded.
Tony stared at Xiao Han. "No ordinary person could know vibranium exists."
Xiao Han met his gaze. "I'm not ordinary."