Marvel: Starting with Iron Man in the Apocalypse

After Dr. Selvig left, the ward returned to silence, broken only by the regular, low hum of the medical equipment. Chen Haotian closed his eyes, his breathing steady, as if he had fallen asleep again, but his entire mind was focused on the transmigration rune that had just awakened deep within his consciousness and was emitting a faint glow.

The aftershocks of the memory fusion hadn't completely subsided, and fragments of the original owner's emotions continued to wash over his consciousness like a tide—the complex and indescribable admiration and resentment towards Howard Stark, the subtle emotions of envy mixed with a hint of competition towards Tony Stark, and the gentle yet always sorrowful face of his mother, Lin Wan… These emotions were real and vivid, yet they did not shake his core will as a transmigrator. His academic genius and high-IQ logical analysis abilities allowed him to quickly categorize these emotions as "usable background information" and "potential variables that need to be properly managed."

The top priority right now is to figure out this rune completely.

He focused his mind, carefully "touching" the complex energy core, composed of countless fine lines and strange symbols, as if clicking an icon with a mouse.

[Multiverse Transcending Systems (Fragment)] [Core Rune Bound to: Chen Haotian] [Current Status: Initial Activation (Energy Level: 1.9%)] [Basic Functions: ...]

The information stream reappeared, much like before, except that the energy level had increased imperceptibly from 1.7% to 1.9%. The rate of passive absorption was indeed outrageously slow.

"Try to activate..." Chen Haotian murmured to himself. He didn't expect to travel through time now, as that would require at least 5% of his energy to activate the synergy function. His goal was to "lock in," to make initial "contact," and to verify whether the rune was truly controllable.

His thoughts, like tentacles reaching out, gently wrapped around the runes. At first, the runes showed no reaction, continuing to flow slowly at their inherent frequency. Chen Haotian was not discouraged. He adjusted the "frequency" of his thoughts, attempting to achieve some kind of resonance with the fluctuations of the runes themselves. This required extremely high mental concentration and a keen sensitivity to energy perception, and fortunately, his fused soul and his genius nature endowed him with this potential.

Time passed in silence. After an unknown amount of time, just as Chen Haotian was feeling somewhat mentally exhausted, a certain point in the core of the rune seemed to "twitch" slightly.

efficient!

He perked up and focused more intently on guiding his thoughts. This time, it was no longer a blind trial, but rather guided by clear instructions—"connect," "perceive," "lock onto that known coordinate."

As if layers of mist had been lifted, his "vision" suddenly broadened. It was no longer the ceiling of the hospital room, but a boundless, bizarre, chaotic void. Countless tiny points of light, like stars, were scattered throughout, some bright, some dim, some close at hand, some impossibly far away. He could sense that each of these points of light represented an independent world, a universe with its own rules and stories.

Among these star-like coordinates, one point of light emanated a unique attraction to him, as if an extremely faint connection had been established between them. It was the one he had just locked onto through the [World Scan]—T-07 (The Walking Dead).

He "looked" at the point of light.

In an instant, an aura mingled with decay, death, despair, and a faint glimmer of life seemed to waft through, as if seen through frosted glass. Shattered cityscapes, distorted figures staggering along, desolate fields… blurry fragments of images flashed by, but the oppressive, apocalyptic feeling was undeniably real.

that's it!

Chen Haotian made up his mind and firmly locked onto that coordinate. He could sense that as long as there was enough energy, a single command could open a passage to that world.

However, just as he successfully locked onto the coordinates and his mind was slightly agitated by his initial mastery of this extraordinary power, the flow of the runes within his body seemed to accelerate uncontrollably. A fluctuation, extremely weak but fundamentally different from any known energy in the current world, rippled outwards from him like a pebble thrown into calm water.

The fluctuation was so subtle that it was almost imperceptible; if he hadn't been completely focused on the runes, he might not have even noticed it himself.

Almost at the same time—

"Sir," Jarvis's ever-calm, standard British accent rang out in the private studio on the top floor of Stark Tower, interrupting Tony Stark, who was deep in thought while looking at the genetic map on the holographic projection screen, "Anomaly energy readings detected in the special ward."

Tony abruptly looked up, his brows furrowing instantly: "Abnormal energy? What type? What intensity?" He quickly swiped his fingers across the virtual control screen, bringing up the ward's real-time monitoring data and energy spectrum analysis chart.

On the holographic projection, a faint, almost indistinguishable ring of strange ripples appeared around the point representing Chen Haotian's hospital bed. Spectral analysis revealed this to be an previously unrecorded energy signature—weak yet structurally complex, possessing some kind of…spatial attribute?

"Energy type unidentifiable, no match in database," Jarvis reported. "Intensity level extremely low, roughly equivalent to the energy level produced by a firefly's glow, but its energy properties... are very peculiar, seemingly involving underlying spatial rules."

"Spatial rules?" Tony stared at the almost negligible ripples, his eyes so sharp they seemed to pierce through the screen, seeing the young man in the ward who claimed to be his brother. "Continue monitoring, record all data, set the sensitivity to maximum. Notify me immediately of any subtle changes."

"Monitoring parameters have been adjusted, Sir."

Tony leaned back in the comfortable leather chair, his fingers tapping unconsciously on the armrests. Blood ties can be faked through technological means; while Jarvis's tests are almost impossible to err on, they are not absolute. Amnesia can also be an act. But this, this unidentifiable energy fluctuation involving spatial rules… this goes beyond the realm of ordinary deception or coincidence.

"It seems my suddenly appearing 'brother' has more secrets than I imagined," Tony muttered to himself, a smile playing on his lips—a smile tinged with curiosity, wariness, and a strong desire to investigate. "Jarvis, pull up all his physiological data and surveillance footage since his admission, and analyze it for me frame by frame. I need to know what the external environment corresponds to every increase in his heart rate and every slight muscle twitch."

"It's already in progress, Sir."

Inside the ward, Chen Haotian slowly opened his eyes. The slight excitement from successfully locking onto the coordinates quickly cooled down, replaced by the calm analysis characteristic of a top student and the caution typical of a cunning individual.

"Energy fluctuations... though weak, are peculiar in nature." He glanced at an inconspicuous corner of the ceiling, where a miniature sensor was hidden. "Given Stark's technological level, especially with that ubiquitous AI Jarvis, the likelihood of them detecting this anomaly is... extremely high."

He didn't regret his attempt; gaining basic control over the runes was essential. But it would undoubtedly increase Tony's suspicions. Future contact would require even greater caution.

He didn't attempt any further actions that might trigger an energy response. Instead, he closed his eyes again and began mentally simulating possible conversations with Tony, devising various probing and response strategies. His highly intelligent brain worked at lightning speed, combining the original owner's memories with his understanding of Tony's personality (primarily from media reports and the original owner's covert observations), crafting words that would both reveal some information to pique interest and protect the core secret.

His insight and acting skills, those of a playboy, will be his best mask.

He could sense that the energy level of the runes within his body had been slightly depleted during the locking process, now hovering around 1.8%, and the passive absorption rate remained slow. To bring someone through the passage, he needed to accumulate more energy, or… find a way to accelerate the absorption.

"The Walking Dead..." Chen Haotian murmured the name of this world in his mind, and the core outline of a plan gradually became clear. That post-apocalyptic world was both a crisis and an opportunity, the best stage to demonstrate "value" and "necessity" to Tony.

Now, he needed patience, to wait for the energy to accumulate, and to wait for Tony's next move. He knew that his suspicious, genius older brother would never allow a "younger brother" with unknown spatial energy to live peacefully on his territory.

The confrontation is about to begin. And he has already made his initial preparations.