Marvel: Starting with Iron Man in the Apocalypse

On the third basement level of Stark Tower, the newly built biological laboratory reeked of disinfectant. Chen Haotian stood before the isolation glass, his fingers lightly tapping the control panel, his eyes fixed on the white mouse inside the isolation chamber.

"Jarvis, record the experimental data." Tony's voice came through the communication system. He was sitting in front of the main console, with dozens of holographic projection interfaces floating in front of him.

"Ready, sir," the AI ​​calmly replied.

Chen Haotian glanced at the culture tank beside him, where several pale blue reagents floated. These were the first-generation enhancement agent they had finally succeeded in developing after two weeks and seventeen failures—a fusion of the Extremis virus, the T-virus, and that mysterious void energy crystal.

"Start the injection," Chen Haotian commanded.

The robotic arm moved precisely, injecting a trace amount of the enhancer into the mouse. Almost instantly, the data on the monitoring instruments began to fluctuate wildly.

"Heart rate has increased to 600 beats per minute, and body temperature is 42 degrees and continues to rise," Jarvis reported.

The mice inside the isolation chamber suddenly began to struggle violently, their fur standing on end, and their bodies swelled up at a visible speed. Chen Haotian frowned, his fingers unconsciously clenching. Previous experiments had all failed at this stage—the subjects couldn't withstand the drastic changes brought about by viral fusion and ultimately exploded and died.

"Body temperature 43 degrees Celsius, heart rate 700." Jarvis's voice remained steady. "Rapid cellular regeneration detected."

The mouse's body began to bleed, but the wound healed almost instantly. It nearly doubled in size, its muscles bulged, and its eyes turned an ominous red.

"Stay calm, kid," Tony murmured, his fingers slid rapidly across the control panel. "Jarvis, administer the sedative."

After a slight hissing sound, the mouse gradually calmed down, but its size did not shrink. It stood in the center of the isolation chamber, cautiously turning its head, seemingly assessing this familiar yet unfamiliar environment.

"Vital signs are stable," Jarvis reported. "Cellular activity increased by 400%, muscle density increased by 300%, and nervous system reaction speed increased by 250%."

Chen Haotian let out a soft breath, his tense shoulders relaxing. He turned to look at the control room and gestured to Tony through the glass.

"Looks like we succeeded." Tony's voice was filled with obvious excitement. "The results are even better than expected."

"Don't get too excited yet," Chen Haotian cautioned, turning his attention back to the monitoring data. "Continue to observe for 48 hours to confirm there are no subsequent side effects."

Tony walked out of the control room, a glass of whiskey in his hand. "Relax, Chen. This is the seventeenth experiment. We solved all the theoretical problems in the first sixteen. This time, the result was inevitable."

Chen Haotian took the glass of wine Tony offered, but didn't drink it: "I remember a genius once said that there is never any certainty in scientific experiments."

"That was without my involvement." Tony swirled his glass smugly. "Seriously, this enhancement agent might have even more amazing effects if used on humans."

Inside the isolation chamber, the white mouse was easily navigating the obstacle course set up by Jarvis. Its speed, strength, and reaction time far surpassed those of an ordinary mouse, and it even demonstrated rudimentary problem-solving abilities.

"Look at this." Chen Haotian pulled up some data. "Its learning ability has improved nearly fivefold. It memorized the correct path to the maze in just three uses."

Tony leaned closer to the holographic projection, his eyes lighting up: "Not just physical enhancement, but also an increase in intelligence? This is much more powerful than the Super Soldier Serum."

"Different principles." Chen Haotian shook his head. "Super Soldier Serum stimulates human potential, while our enhancer directly modifies the genetic structure. It's riskier, but the potential is also higher."

"Risk?" Tony raised an eyebrow. "We have void energy crystals as a stabilizer, so theoretically, it's impossible for it to get out of control..."

His words were interrupted by an alarm. Inside the isolation chamber, the mouse suddenly began to convulse, dark red blood seeping from its mouth and nose.

"What's going on?" Chen Haotian immediately put down his wine glass and rushed to the control panel.

"Genetic chain collapse detected," Jarvis reported. "The enhancement effect is beginning to reverse."

The mouse's body shrank at an alarming rate; its fur lost its luster, and its muscles collapsed. Within seconds, it turned into a mushy mass of flesh and blood, eventually dissolving completely, leaving only a pool of dark red liquid.

A brief silence fell over the laboratory.

"Alright," Tony finally spoke, downing his drink in one gulp. "Looks like we celebrated a bit too early."

Chen Haotian didn't respond, his fingers flying across the console: "Jarvis, analyze the cause of the crash."

"The initial assessment is that it's a chain reaction caused by gene overexpression," the AI ​​replied. "The enhancer stimulated the cell's full division potential in a short period of time, leading to a sharp shortening of telomeres."

Tony leaned closer to look at the data: "It's like condensing a lifetime into a few minutes?"

"More or less." Chen Haotian frowned. "We were too hasty. The effects of merging viruses from different worlds have exceeded the theoretical models."

"So, what needs adjusting is the dosage? Or the formula ratio?"

Chen Haotian retrieved the previous experimental records: "In the sixteenth experiment, we added 0.5% of the Extremis virus, and the result was an energy conflict. In the seventeenth experiment, we reduced it to 0.3%, which improved stability, but this overexpression problem occurred."

"Then let's adjust it again." Tony patted him on the shoulder. "That's how science works: two steps forward, one step back."

Chen Haotian suddenly realized something: "No, perhaps the problem isn't the ratio, but the injection method."

He pulled up a slow-motion replay of the injection process: "See, a single injection causes the enhancer to take effect concentratedly within a short period. What if it were injected in stages?"

Tony stroked his chin thoughtfully: "A gradual approach? Letting the body adapt to the strengthening process step by step?"

"Exactly." Chen Haotian began to construct a new theoretical model. "The total dose will be divided into three injections, 24 hours apart. This way, the gene modification will be carried out in stages, avoiding excessive impact."

"Jarvis, simulate the effect of this injection method," Tony commanded.

The simulation results immediately appeared on the holographic projection. The data showed that staged injections significantly reduced the risk of gene chain collapse, and although the enhancement effect was slightly weakened, the stability was greatly improved.

"Looks like things are looking promising." Tony smiled. "Shall we begin the next experiment immediately?"

Chen Haotian glanced at the time: "Tomorrow then. I need to recalculate the dosage distribution for each stage."

Tony nodded, walked to the liquor cabinet, and poured himself another glass of wine: "Honestly, your rigorous attitude towards science sometimes puts me to shame."

"Because I know all too well the consequences of being careless," Chen Haotian said softly, his eyes somewhat unfocused, as if recalling some past event.

Tony keenly noticed the unusual tone in his voice: "Is it related to what happened before you traveled through time?"

Chen Haotian didn't answer directly, but instead closed the console: "That's all for today. Tell Miss Pepper I won't be attending the dinner tonight."

"She's setting you up with another girlfriend?" Tony laughed. "Pepper has always thought you're too withdrawn and need to socialize more."

"I'm just not interested in playing along with women who only care about the Stark name," Chen Haotian said coldly. "You'd be better off reading a few more academic papers."

Tony raised his hands in surrender: "Whatever. But are you really not going to reconsider? That redhead model from last week seemed quite interested in you."

Chen Haotian gave him a look that said, "You know perfectly well why."

"Okay, okay." Tony shook his head with a smile. "But seriously, it's not fair that your ascetic image is more attractive to women."

"If you put half the energy you use to pick up girls into research, we would have solved this problem long ago." Chen Haotian pointed to the isolation chamber, which had been cleaned by the automatic cleaning system as if nothing had happened.

"Life is short, so seize the day," Tony said, swirling his glass. "That's what you taught me."

"I regret it," Chen Haotian said expressionlessly, then turned and walked towards the elevator. "See you in the lab at eight o'clock tomorrow morning."

Tony watched his retreating figure, shook his head, and downed the drink in his glass in one gulp.

Back on his floor, Chen Haotian didn't rest, but went straight to his private study. He opened his encrypted computer and pulled up research materials on granting permissions to internal energy.

In the Resident Evil universe, he attempted to enhance Tony's body with his inner energy, resulting in a violent energy conflict. This incident lingered in his mind. The fundamental incompatibility between the power systems of different worlds was not only a theoretical problem but also a significant obstacle in practice.

If even relatively mild internal energy can trigger such a strong reaction, then what about more diverse and powerful power systems?

Chen Haotian closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his body. He could feel the power from another world flowing through his meridians, subtly coexisting with the physical rules of this world. But at the same time, he also sensed an indescribable sense of repulsion, like water and oil mixing—even if they temporarily blend, they will eventually separate.

He opened his eyes and began to incorporate the variable of "world rule adaptability" into his new experimental plan. Perhaps the key to solving the problem of enhancer stability lies not in the formula or injection method, but in how to make substances from different worlds exist stably in this universe.

Outside the window, the New York cityscape glittered like stars. Chen Haotian stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing at the familiar city, his mind wandering to the unknown world waiting to be explored.

And then there are the enemies lurking in the shadows—whether it's the Umbrella Corporation or Hydra, which has already infiltrated the area.

He tapped lightly on the glass, a faint smile playing at the corners of his lips.

The game has only just begun.