Marvel: Starting with Iron Man in the Apocalypse

Tony Stark's studio on the top floor of Stark Tower.

This place is less of a studio and more of a futuristic tech wonderland. Holographic projections float in mid-air, displaying intricate mechanical diagrams and energy flow simulations. Various robotic arms lie quietly on their tracks, while miniature parts, welding torches, and unfinished circuit boards are scattered across the workbenches. The air is thick with the scents of machine oil, caffeine, and Tony's unique aura—a blend of confidence and a touch of anxiety.

Tony himself was standing in front of a holographic interactive platform, his fingers flying across the screen, modifying the design parameters of the leg thrusters of a gold and red armor. He wore a white vest stained with a little oil, his hair was slightly messy, and he had faint dark circles under his eyes, but his brown eyes sparkled with inexhaustible focus and sparks of inspiration.

"Sir." Jarvis's steady electronic voice rang out in the studio, interrupting his work rhythm.

Tony didn't even look up, giving a somewhat impatient "hmm," his attention still focused on the holographic image. "If Pepper is calling me to a meeting, tell her I'm working on something that concerns world peace... or at least a major improvement to the lighting effects for the next cover girl party, and I'm too busy."

"It's not Miss Potts, Sir." Jarvis's voice was as flat as ever. "It's about that unidentified awakened person at the medical center, Mr. Chen Haotian."

Tony's fingers paused slightly, and his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly. "Him? Awake? How is he?" He turned around, picked up a half-cold cup of coffee from the worktable next to him, took a sip, and spoke with a deliberately casual tone.

"Vital signs are stable, consciousness is clear, and logic is sound. Dr. Selvig's initial assessment is that his physical recovery is faster than expected," Jarvis reported. "Based on his behavior after regaining consciousness, he exhibits moderate confusion, weakness, and curiosity about his situation, reactions consistent with common characteristics of amnesia and trauma patients."

"Amnesia?" Tony scoffed, setting down his coffee cup and walking to a larger holographic screen displaying live surveillance footage of Chen Haotian's hospital room. In the video, the black-haired youth lay quietly, eyes closed, seemingly asleep again, his face still pale and sickly weak. "There aren't that many coincidental cases of amnesia in the world. Have you investigated his background? The police—traffic surveillance, past records—not a single clue?"

"Cross-checking the database did not find a matching identity. The surveillance cameras at the accident site briefly malfunctioned three minutes before and after the incident due to unknown signal interference. The vehicle involved was stolen, and the original owner is not a suspect." Jarvis's answer was concise and comprehensive. "Currently, Mr. Chen Haotian is a completely 'blank' individual."

"A blank space?" Tony stroked his meticulously trimmed stubble, his eyes sharpening. "I hate blank spaces, Jarvis. Especially blank spaces inside Stark Tower. It's like an indelible stain suddenly appearing on an expensive Persian carpet—it's incredibly unsettling." He paused, as if suddenly remembering something. "We took his blood sample for routine biochemical analysis, right?"

"Yes, Sir. The basic pathological analysis of the sample was completed three hours ago, and no abnormal pathogens or special metabolic markers were found. The remaining sample should be stored at low temperature as required."

"Retrieve it," Tony commanded, a glint of light in his eyes. "Do a deep gene sequencing, compare it to... the Stark family's private gene bank." He emphasized the word "private." Howard Stark left behind far more than just Stark Industries on the surface; some deeper, more hidden legacies were only accessible to Tony, the heir.

"Execute deep gene sequencing command. Compare with the Stark family's private gene bank... estimated time 17 minutes," Jarvis responded immediately.

Tony fell silent, crossing his arms and turning his gaze back to Chen Haotian on the monitor screen. The young man's peaceful sleeping face seemed suspicious to him. That overly calm expression, that certain… indescribable aura that lingered even in his unconscious state, didn't seem like the state of someone who had just survived a major car accident and lost all their memories.

Tony Stark had seen too many people: greedy politicians, cunning businessmen, fanatical fans, and scheming individuals… His intuition told him that this sudden “blank” was anything but simple. He wasn’t entirely unaware of Howard’s past romantic escapades. Although his mother, Maria, had never mentioned it, scattered rumors and his father’s occasional absent-mindedness hinted at something lurking behind the glamorous family history.

If... if this Chen Haotian really is related to the Stark family...

Seventeen minutes passed in silence, broken only by the soft hum of the equipment in the studio and the occasional tapping of Tony's fingers on the table.

"Sir." Jarvis's voice rang out again. This time, even the artificial intelligence seemed to carry a very faint hint of confirmation in its steady tone. "Gene sequencing and comparison complete."

Tony turned to look at the main screen. Complex gene sequence maps and data streams scrolled rapidly before finally settling on a bright red result with a 99.73% match rate, clearly marked in the center of the screen. Next to it were comparison images of partial gene markers from Howard Stark, Tony Stark, and Chen Haotian, the similarity being immediately apparent.

The air in the studio seemed to freeze instantly.

Tony's casualness and scrutiny vanished, replaced by an extremely complex expression—shock, absurdity, doubt, and a hint of chilling rage as if his Achilles' heel had been touched. He stared intently at the matching score, as if trying to burn it through.

"99.73%..." he repeated softly, his voice a little hoarse, "half-brothers..."

The result was like a silent hammer blow, shattering all his previous guesses and hopes. This wasn't some kind of corporate spy, nor a person with ulterior motives, but a blood relative… a family member? Evidence that Howard had betrayed his mother, Maria, something he had never known before?

Absurd! Ridiculous!

An indescribable sense of unease and vigilance instantly gripped his heart like vines. The Stark family bloodline? Appearing at this time, in this way?

"Is the comparison algorithm correct? Is there no possibility of sample contamination or human interference?" Tony's voice turned cold, carrying the caution and suspicion characteristic of Iron Man.

"We have conducted three independent reviews. The algorithm is running normally, the sample chain is complete and error-free, and the possibility of contamination and interference has been ruled out," Jarvis confirmed.

Tony took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down. He walked to the liquor cabinet, poured himself a glass of whiskey, but didn't drink it. He simply held the cold glass and turned his gaze back to the monitor screen.

On the screen, Chen Haotian seemed to be troubled by a nightmare. His brows were slightly furrowed, his lips moved silently, and a trace of barely perceptible pain flashed across his pale face.

But to Tony at that moment, this subtle expression appeared to be full of signs of acting.

"Not bad acting..." Tony took a sip of his drink, the spicy liquid sliding down his throat, but it couldn't dispel the chill in his heart. "Jarvis, upgrade his surveillance level to 'potential threat'. Record and analyze all physiological data, behavioral patterns, and verbal content around the clock. Without my explicit instructions, he is forbidden from leaving the medical center premises or accessing any external communication devices."

"Command confirmed and executed, Sir."

"Also," Tony put down his glass, his eyes sharpening like a hawk's, "prepare a 'friendly' greeting. Now that my 'brother' has woken up, I, as the older brother, have to go see him in person and see what he... wants to do."

A cold smile curled at the corner of his lips, no longer the usual cynical playboy grin, but the wary and scrutinizing sneer of billionaire, arms dealer, and superhero Tony Stark.

Blood ties? In Tony Stark's world, that has never been a passport to trust, especially when that bloodline is accompanied by so many mysteries and "coincidences".

In a special ward at Stark Tower Medical Center, Chen Haotian still kept his eyes closed, as if he were asleep.

However, deep within his consciousness, the complex runes of time travel were subtly circulating at an extremely slow, almost dormant pace. At the same time, fragments of memories belonging to the original owner—fragments of Howard Stark's hazy silhouette, of Tony's dazzling figure at a press conference from afar in his childhood, and of the complex emotions hidden deep in his heart—were intertwining and merging more closely with his own soul from another world.

He didn't know the exact results of the gene comparison were in, but he could sense that the invisible pressure of surveillance in the room had become more intense and targeted for a moment.

The calm before the storm is always particularly oppressive.

Chen Haotian smiled silently to himself. It seemed that his "brother's" reaction was faster and more...interesting than he had expected.

The confirmation of blood ties is not the end, but the beginning of the real game. He adjusted his breathing, maintaining the appearance of weakness and sleep, but in his heart, he had already begun to prepare various plans for the upcoming "brotherly reunion".