Marvel: Starting with Iron Man in the Apocalypse

Tony Stark practically burst out of the medical center.

The cold air of the corridor rushed towards him, but it couldn't extinguish the burning heat surging in his chest. Chen Haotian's words echoed repeatedly in his mind like a curse—"palladium toxicity," "magnetic confinement field stability," "energy dissipation rate," "Ten Rings Gang," "kidnapping," "cave," "shrapnel near the heart"... Each word precisely pierced his most secret, most unseen corner.

The technical flaws were his Achilles' heel, concerning not only the Ark Reactor he relied on for survival but also his pride as a top scientist. The prophecy surrounding his Middle East trip, however, felt like a cold dagger pressed against his throat. The itinerary was highly classified, and the Ten Rings Gang was a real, notorious terrorist organization known for its ruthlessness, its methods vaguely mirroring the scenes Chen Haotian described. This couldn't be explained by a mere intelligence leak; it was almost… a prophecy, or rather, a curse.

"Jarvis." Tony's voice was hoarse to the point that he himself didn't realize. He strode toward the private elevator and pressed the button for the underground laboratory.

"At your service, sir."

"Conduct a full scan of Chen Haotian's ward and the adjacent area. Look for any form of eavesdropping or surveillance equipment, or any residual abnormal energy. Use the highest level of clearance to block all external signal transmissions." Tony spoke rapidly, his eyes sharp enough to pierce through metal walls, looking at the seemingly weak but surprisingly eloquent "brother" lying on the hospital bed.

"Scan complete, sir. No known type of monitoring equipment or signal transmission source was detected. Energy readings... In addition to the routine background radiation from Stark Medical Center, extremely weak and unidentifiable energy fluctuations were detected around Mr. Chen Haotian. The nature of these fluctuations is unknown, and their intensity is below the environmental interference threshold, making effective analysis impossible."

"Unrecognizable?" Tony frowned. This answer was both unexpected and logical. There was indeed something strange about Chen Haotian. "Record all data, create an independent file, and encrypt it at the 'Prometheus' level."

"It's set up, sir."

The elevator doors slid open silently, and Tony stepped into his futuristic laboratory. This was his absolute domain, the place where his mind and hands extended. Here, he needed to use the science and logic he trusted most to dissect the sudden appearance of his "brother" and the absurd information he brought.

He first pulled up all of Chen Haotian's medical data and blood analysis reports. The gene sequence comparison results still clearly showed the blood relationship. Tony's fingers slid quickly across the virtual screen, his eyes scanning every physiological indicator: heart rate, blood pressure, brain wave activity, metabolic level... All the data showed that this was an ordinary person who had just woken up from a deep coma and whose bodily functions had not yet fully recovered. Apart from the unusually stable, even slightly low, vital signs, it was completely inconsistent with the reaction that someone who had just experienced the shock of "spoilers" should have.

"Too calm..." Tony muttered to himself. "Either he's been through extreme training, or... he simply doesn't care whether I believe him or not." Both possibilities made him uneasy.

Next, he pulled up the feasibility analysis of the "prophecy." He had Jarvis simulate various possibilities for the Middle East trip, including the probability of an attack, the Ten Rings' area of ​​operation, and... the medical consequences of shrapnel entering the chest cavity. The simulation results sent chills down his spine—if they followed the original route and security level, the success rate of a high-intensity ambush was as high as 37%, and once captured, without timely medical assistance, the possibility of shrapnel slowly moving towards the heart and ultimately causing death... the model presented a cold, hard number.

"A coincidence? Or does he really know?" Tony irritably waved away the light screen, walked to the workbench, and picked up an early prototype of the Arc Reactor. The stability of the magnetic confinement field was indeed a problem he had been working on but had not been able to solve perfectly, and the dramatic increase in energy dissipation under high loads was one of the core bottlenecks in the design of the Mark armor. These were all secrets hidden deep within his laboratory.

"Jarvis, retrieve all legal documents, trust funds, or secret communications related to Howard Stark's non-public estate, especially those involving his illegitimate son. Expand the search to include his deceased assistants, lawyers, and even early S.H.I.E.L.D. files." He was trying to trace the possible source of Chen Haotian's information back to its origin, although he knew the chances were slim—if Howard really wanted to hide a son, he would never have left such an obvious loophole.

Time slipped away amidst the tense analysis and waiting. Tony gulped down cup after cup of coffee, his eyes bloodshot. Results from various tests and verifications returned one after another, but it was like being stuck in a quagmire, unable to reach a definitive conclusion. The bloodline was real, the source of the information remained a mystery, the energy fluctuations were abnormal but weak, and the individual's performance was impeccable.

This feeling of being out of control was extremely frustrating for Tony. He was used to being in control of everything—technology, business, and his life. And now, a man who suddenly appeared, claiming to be his brother, had thrown his entire world into disarray with just a few casual words.

He needed more direct evidence, he needed to tear away Chen Haotian's calm facade.

The next day, when Tony reappeared in the ward, he brought a special neuroreflexology testing device and a carefully designed set of questions. He claimed that this was "standard follow-up examination for comatose patients at Stark Medical Center," but Chen Haotian could tell from his slightly tense lips and the probing look in his eyes that this was nothing more than a more sophisticated interrogation.

The probe of the detector was pressed against his temple, a weak electric current stimulating his nerves. Tony observed the waveform on the screen as he began asking questions, ranging from Howard Stark's lifestyle and details of Stark Industries' early projects to cutting-edge conjectures in theoretical physics, and then to his "personal opinions" on certain international situations.

Chen Haotian cooperated with the testing, but his brain was working at high speed. His academic background allowed him to easily handle the academic questions, the fused memories provided enough details about Howard, and his insights from another world allowed him to offer novel and even amazing perspectives when answering "personal opinions." As for the neural reflex waveforms? His powerful mental strength and subtle control over his body were enough to keep those waveforms within a "real and stable" range.

Tony stared at the excessively smooth, almost straight waveform on the screen, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper. This wasn't the reaction of someone being probed with sharp questions; it was more like someone who was prepared, or simply didn't care, giving a perfunctory answer.

"What are your thoughts on the 'future'?" Tony suddenly asked an open-ended question, his gaze fixed on Chen Haotian's eyes. "I mean, in a broad sense, the possible future."

Chen Haotian raised an eyebrow slightly, meeting his gaze. A faint smile curved his lips, carrying a touch of nonchalant roguishness, yet also a hint of cunning depth: "The future? The future is like a captivating woman, full of unknowns and temptations. You can never predict whether she'll surprise or terrify you next. But one thing is certain," he paused, glancing meaningfully at the reactor on Tony's chest, "trying to completely control her often leads to being hurt more deeply. Sometimes, accepting uncertainty might be the only path to surprises."

This answer both avoided a direct "prophecy" and subtly reflected Tony's current predicament, even carrying a touch of philosophical irony. Tony took a deep breath and removed the probe from Chen Haotian's head. Conventional testing clearly wouldn't yield any valuable information from this guy that could confirm or disprove the "prophecy."

The crisis of trust was not resolved; on the contrary, it was exacerbated by Chen Haotian's impeccable yet occasionally revealing extraordinary insight. Tony felt as if he were fighting a fog, each punch landing on empty air, while deep within the fog seemed to lie powers and secrets he could not comprehend.

He packed up the equipment and gave Chen Haotian a deep look, his gaze extremely complex—doubt, wariness, a subtle connection due to blood ties, and an unwillingly acknowledged desire to explore driven by intense curiosity.

"Get some rest." Tony said this only dryly at the end, then turned and left again. He needed to reassess his strategy. Perhaps he should change direction; instead of testing what Chen Haotian knew, he should find a way to get him to "show" something. The source of that so-called "image," that faint abnormal energy fluctuation... was there some kind of connection between them?

The ward door closed, and Chen Haotian slowly sat up straight, feeling the runic energy within his body seem to have increased by a tiny fraction of a percent during the test. He knew that Tony's patience and conventional methods were nearing their end. The next step would either be more extreme distrust and isolation, or... forcing him to produce real "evidence."

It's time to consider a controlled "showcase of capabilities." However, the timing and method need to be carefully considered.