Marvel: Starting with Iron Man in the Apocalypse

Night always falls earlier in Gotham's East Side than elsewhere. The last rays of the setting sun have barely disappeared below the horizon before the neon lights eagerly illuminate the streets, casting an ambiguous glow. Chen Haotian stands at the window of his newly rented penthouse, overlooking the area that is gradually falling under his control.

"Falcone has confirmed the accuracy of the intelligence," Fury's voice came from behind him. He had just finished a call with the gang leader. "The Roman remnants did indeed meet with high-ranking police officials in the Diamond District and were caught red-handed."

Tony looked up from among a pile of electronic devices, a smug smile on his face: "So, we're now VIPs at Falcone?"

"You could say that." Chen Haotian turned around, a faint smile on his lips. "He not only acknowledged Copeport's status in the East District, but also gave us a 'pass'—we have the right of first refusal for any transaction in the East District."

Penguin Copperfield walked in, leaning on his signature umbrella, his face beaming with barely suppressed excitement: "Gentlemen, this is nothing short of a miracle! I've been on this street for twenty years and I've never seen anyone gain Falcone's trust so quickly."

Chen Haotian gently swirled the wine in his glass: "Trust is temporary, but interests are eternal. Copeport, it's time to move on to the next step."

He picked up a map from the table and spread it out in the center. On the map, Gotham's East District was divided into more than a dozen areas, each marked with a different color.

"We need to establish an intelligence network," Chen Haotian said, tracing the map with his finger, "covering the entire eastern district and extending to key nodes in other areas."

Tony leaned over for a look: "This will require a lot of manpower and equipment."

"The manpower will be recruited by Cobert," Chen Haotian said. "We need local informants, those street thugs, bar hostesses, prostitutes... anyone who can see and hear."

Cobb nodded: "That's easy. As long as you pay enough, there are plenty of people willing to sell information."

"As for the equipment..." Chen Haotian looked at Tony, "We need a monitoring system that can integrate all intelligence sources and perform real-time analysis."

Tony's eyes lit up: "I can design an AI-based system, combined with miniature drones and hidden cameras. But it will require some special materials..."

"Materials are not a problem." Chen Haotian pulled a list out of his pocket. "I've already obtained most of them through Falcone's channels, and the rest can be brought over from our world."

Fury frowned: "Won't frequent time travel attract attention?"

"Not for now," Chen Haotian said. "But just to be on the safe side, we should control the frequency of our time travels. Tony, you design the system prototype first. I'll bring the necessary materials with me on my next time travel."

Over the next few days, the underground world of the East Side quietly began to change. Copperfield's men started setting up surveillance at various key locations, while Tony set up a makeshift laboratory in the basement and began assembling his surveillance system.

Chen Haotian wasn't idle. He personally visited several key locations in the East District—the dock warehouse controlled by Black Mask, the casino frequented by Two-Face, and several bookstores run by the Riddler. At each location, he left behind several miniature listening devices, these gadgets specially made by Tony that were almost impossible to detect by conventional means.

One night, Chen Haotian went alone to "Crime Alley," the most chaotic street in the East Side. This was the place where Bruce Wayne's parents were murdered, and now it was a symbol of crime in Gotham. He sat down in a run-down bar and ordered a whiskey.

"A new face," the bartender said, wiping the glass with a wary look in his eyes.

Chen Haotian pushed a banknote over: "I'm looking for a few reliable informants."

The bartender pocketed the money and lowered his voice: "That depends on what you want to know."

"Everything," Chen Haotian smiled slightly, "especially those... unusual things."

The bartender sized him up: "Something strange has been happening lately. There are strange noises coming from those warehouses to the west at night. Some people say they've seen flying shadows, and others say they've heard a woman's laughter..."

Chen Haotian's heart skipped a beat. He knew that the bartender was likely describing Catwoman's area of ​​activity, and that "flying shadow" was undoubtedly Batman.

"That's interesting." He pushed another banknote towards her. "Go on."

Just then, the bar door was pushed open, and several burly men walked in. The man in the lead had a hideous scar on his face; it was Savage, whom they had met at the arms trade fair a few days earlier.

"Looks like someone's breaking the rules." Savage sneered as he walked toward Chen Haotian. "Falcone gave you passes, but he didn't allow you to poach people from my turf."

Chen Haotian calmly took a sip of his drink: "Mr. Savage, I thought we had already proven our worth."

"Value?" Savage scoffed. "You think you can make a living on this street just because you fooled an old man with a few tricks?"

The other patrons in the bar quickly retreated to a corner, fearing they would be drawn into the conflict.

Chen Haotian put down his wine glass and looked directly into Savage's eyes: "I heard that you recently had a shipment of goods seized by customs, resulting in a considerable loss."

Savage's expression changed slightly: "How did you know?"

"I also know," Chen Haotian lowered his voice, "that it wasn't customs that seized your goods, but your own men. They made a deal with the GCPD, trading your goods for their freedom."

Savage's expression shifted from anger to shock: "Who? Who betrayed me?"

Chen Haotian pulled a folded piece of paper from his pocket and pushed it in front of Savage: "The name and evidence are here. You can verify it yourself."

Savage picked up the piece of paper with trembling hands, glanced at it, and his face turned ashen. He took a deep breath and bowed slightly to Chen Haotian: "I...I owe you a favor."

"No," Chen Haotian shook his head, "You owe Cobbler a favor. Remember, in the East District, we're friends now."

After Savage and his men hurriedly left, the bartender looked at Chen Haotian with awe: "Sir, do you...do you need any informants? I know a few reliable guys..."

Chen Haotian smiled and pushed another banknote over: "Have them report to Cobblestone's club tomorrow."

Back at the base, Tony excitedly greeted him: "The initial setup of the system is complete! Come and see this."

In the basement, a huge display screen occupied an entire wall. On the screen, a 3D map of Gotham's East Side was clearly visible, with dozens of dots flashing in different locations.

"Each dot of light represents a surveillance device," Tony explained. "Green represents our people, yellow represents neutral forces, and red represents potential threats."

Fury pointed to an area on the screen: "What's this? The signal is abnormally active."

Tony zoomed in on the area: "It appears to be some kind of... energy source. The readings are strange, unlike any known technology."

Chen Haotian approached the screen, his eyes deepening: "That's Wayne Enterprises' underground research and development center. Bruce Wayne is researching something...special there."

"How did you know?" Fury asked, puzzled.

Chen Haotian didn't answer directly, but instead turned to Copeport: "How are our people being arranged?"

Cobbler excitedly reported, "We've recruited thirty-seven regular informants, covering all the key locations in the East District. In addition, as you instructed, I've also been paying special attention to a few people..."

He handed over a list, which Chen Haotian glanced at before his gaze lingering on one name: "Selena Kyle...good. Have someone keep an eye on her, but don't disturb her. She'll be very useful in the future."

Tony asked, puzzled, "She's just a female thief, what's so special about her?"

Chen Haotian smiled mysteriously: "In this city, everyone has the potential to become a pawn... or a player."

In the following days, Chen Haotian's intelligence network began to take effect. Using information provided by informants, they successfully predicted three gang shootouts, two robberies, and even learned in advance of a GCPD raid. After each accurate prediction, Chen Haotian deliberately leaked some information to the relevant parties, demonstrating his value without excessively altering the course of events.

One late night, as Chen Haotian was pondering alone on the balcony, Fury walked over.

“I don’t understand,” Fury said. “Since you know so much, why don’t you intervene directly? For example, to stop those criminal activities?”

Chen Haotian gazed at the Gotham night sky: "Because this universe has its own rules of operation. Excessive intervention will trigger a chain reaction and may lead to even worse results. We are like playing chess; we need to move the pieces, but we can't overturn the board."

"And," he added, "we're not here to be superheroes. We're here to acquire resources and power, remember that."

Fury paused for a moment, then nodded. "I understand. So, what's the next step?"

Chen Haotian turned to face him: "It's time to reach out to more advanced players. Tomorrow, we will apply to visit Wayne Enterprises as representatives of a technology company."

Tony poked his head out of the room: "Wayne Enterprises? Finally, we're going to meet the legendary Bruce Wayne?"

"That's right." A calculating glint flashed in Chen Haotian's eyes. "It's time to let Gotham's Dark Knight see what a player from another universe can do."

In the darkness, Gotham's lights twinkled like stars. In this city filled with sin and hope, an invisible net was slowly unfolding, and Chen Haotian was the one who wielded it.