Marvel: Starting with Iron Man in the Apocalypse

Inside the Hive's main control room, complex streams of monitoring data flickered on the holographic projection. Chen Haotian leaned against the edge of the control panel, his fingertips lightly tapping the metal surface, a faint smile playing on his lips.

"Jarvis, report on the receipt of the 'gift'."

"Sir, the data packets have been fully received by the target. Hydra agent 'Viper' transmitted the data to his superiors via three different encrypted channels within three hours of the download being completed." Jarvis's steady voice echoed in the room. "Based on the communication pattern analysis, the recipient is likely a major Hydra research base in Eastern Europe."

Tony walked over from the lab bench, a glass of whiskey in his hand. "Looks like they've taken the bait. But buddy, are you sure this fake data can fool their experts?"

Chen Haotian took another glass of wine from Tony and gently swirled the amber liquid inside: "It's not about deceiving them, it's about making them willingly believe. Every error in these data packets has been meticulously designed."

He walked to the holographic projection and brought up a complex data model: "Look at this 'breakthrough' regarding the tracker's control unit. I made a tiny adjustment to the parameter of neural signal transmission efficiency, changing the actual value from 0.98 to 0.99. This difference is almost imperceptible in regular testing, but in high-intensity combat environments, it will cause the probability of the control unit overload to surge from one in a thousand to thirty percent."

Tony whistled: "Insidious, so insidious. They'll celebrate their breakthrough in the lab until they discover their bio-weapon has suddenly gone out of control during real-world testing."

"Not only that," Chen Haotian switched the projector to show another data packet, "In this study on the stability of T-virus aerosols, I introduced a seemingly reasonable catalytic reaction formula. But in reality, this formula produces a deadly byproduct under certain temperature conditions—a catalyst that can accelerate viral mutation."

He took a sip of whiskey and continued, "The best part is that this flaw will only become apparent during large-scale production. Once Hydra invests heavily in building production lines, each batch of virus produced will be more unstable than expected and more prone to uncontrollable mutations."

Tony couldn't help but burst out laughing: "I almost feel sorry for those Hydra scientists! They worked so hard based on your 'valuable data,' only to dig their own graves."

"Sympathizing with the enemy isn't your style, Tony." Chen Haotian smiled and put down his glass. "Jarvis, begin the second phase—guide their research direction."

"In progress, sir."

A simulated structural diagram of a Hydra research facility appeared on the holographic screen. Jarvis began simulating several "accidental" information leaks: a forged Umbrella internal memo "accidentally" leaked to the Hydra intelligence network, suggesting that the company was heavily investing in aerosol propagation technology; several accounts posing as independent researchers posted "breakthrough discoveries" on academic forums, emphasizing the military value of Project Tracker; and even a carefully edited surveillance video "inadvertently" exposed Umbrella executives' special focus on a particular research direction.

"We're weaving a perfect story for them," Chen Haotian explained, "making all the clues point in the direction we want them to focus on. Humans are always more willing to believe the truth they discover 'by chance' than information they receive directly."

Tony nodded thoughtfully: "Application of psychology, good. So, how do we confirm they've really gone astray?"

"Good question." Chen Haotian operated the control panel, bringing up a set of encrypted communication records. "Jarvis has successfully infiltrated the Hydra base's internal communication network. Look at this—"

A deciphered dialogue is displayed on the screen:

[Sender: Dr. Zola] [Recipient: Strucker] [Subject: Research Focus Adjustment] [Based on newly acquired intelligence, Umbrella Corporation has made a breakthrough in aerosol propagation and tracker control units. It is recommended that you immediately adjust your research direction and concentrate resources on these two areas. Relevant data has been sent to your terminal via secure channels.]

Tony's eyes widened. "Dr. Zola? I thought that old fox was dead!"

"Hydra is like Hydra; cut off one head, and two grow back," Chen Haotian said calmly. "It seems our 'gift' has reached someone of considerable importance."

Over the next few days, monitoring data showed that Hydra's research direction was shifting off course according to their design. Jarvis kept sending in new intelligence: Hydra's Eastern European base was making large-scale purchases of aerosol research equipment; researchers who were originally scattered across different projects were being reassigned; and even several long-dormant tracker-type projects were being restarted.

"Gentlemen, we've discovered an interesting phenomenon," Jarvis reported one morning. "The energy consumption pattern at Hydra base has changed significantly. In the past seventy-two hours, the energy allocation for experiments related to biological neural control has increased by four hundred percent, while the energy allocation for basic virus research has decreased by sixty percent."

Chen Haotian and Tony exchanged a satisfied look.

"They've completely taken the bait," Tony said. "They've poured all their resources into the wrong direction."

"Not only that," Chen Haotian added, "Jarvis, pull up the record of their most recent failed experiment."

An experiment report was displayed on the holographic screen:

[Project: Tracker Control Unit Upgrade Test] [Result: Failure] [Details: In a simulated combat environment, the control unit overloaded after running continuously for 2 hours and 37 minutes, causing the test subject to malfunction. Preliminary analysis suggests this may be related to the neural signal transmission parameter settings, and further optimization is recommended...]

Tony couldn't help but laugh out loud: "See? I told you so! They really did celebrate their breakthrough in the lab, and then they were dumbfounded during the testing."

Chen Haotian didn't laugh; his gaze sharpened. "This is just the beginning, Tony. The most exciting part is yet to come."

He pulled up another surveillance video, which showed that the Hydra base was expanding into a new production facility.

"They're building a production line based on the fake data we provided," Chen Haotian said, pointing to the screen. "The real show will begin when this production line is completed and they start mass-producing that flawed virus."

Tony put down his glass, his expression turning serious. "But buddy, we need to be careful. Hydra isn't stupid; they'll figure something's wrong sooner or later. And then they'll definitely retaliate."

"I look forward to their counterattack." Chen Haotian's lips curled into a cold smile. "Because every counterattack will expose more information. The scheme we've set up is not only to mislead their research direction, but also to find out their true strength."

He turned to the holographic projection, his eyes gleaming with calculation: "In this game, we are both the fishermen and the net weavers. Hydra thinks they are stealing Umbrella's technology, but in reality, they are walking step by step into the trap we have woven."

Tony paused for a moment, then raised his glass: "For a clever trap."

Chen Haotian clinked glasses with him: "For the enemy who walked right into our trap."

The crisp sound of two glasses clinking echoed in the control room, as if tolling the opening bell for this intellectual game. Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away at the Hydra base, scientists were celebrating the valuable data they had "accidentally obtained," completely unaware that they had stepped into an elaborately designed maze.