Marvel: Starting with Iron Man in the Apocalypse

The morning sunlight streamed through the glass curtain wall of the Stark Tower's top floor, illuminating Chen Haotian's weary face. He had just finished an all-night analysis session with Tony and was standing before the floor-to-ceiling window, overlooking the gradually awakening New York City. The streets were bustling with traffic and pedestrians hurrying by; everything seemed so peaceful. But Chen Haotian knew that beneath this calm, undercurrents were surging.

"Sir, I've just intercepted an encrypted communication," Jarvis's voice suddenly rang out in the lab. "It came from an internal S.H.I.E.L.D. channel."

Chen Haotian frowned slightly: "What's the content?"

"Chief Nick Fury has ordered a full investigation into Stark Industries, with a focus on the recent 'abnormal biohazard incidents,'" Jarvis replied, "specifically mentioning the Aldridge Tower incident and the Hudson River warehouse bombing."

Tony looked up from the data screen and rubbed his red eyes. "Looks like our cleanup operation has attracted attention. That old fox Fury's nose is even more sensitive than I thought."

Chen Haotian walked to the control panel and pulled up the communication records intercepted by Jarvis: "They not only knew about these events, but also linked them to Stark Industries. Look here—'The Stark brothers have been acting strangely recently, appearing at the scene of multiple emergencies. We recommend implementing 24/7 monitoring.'"

"24/7 surveillance?" Tony scoffed. "With S.H.I.E.L.D.'s outdated technology?"

"Don't underestimate them, Tony." Chen Haotian said seriously. "Nick Fury didn't get to the position of Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. by luck. Moreover, we're not just facing S.H.I.E.L.D., but also Hydra lurking in the shadows."

Just then, the lab's alarm went off. Jarvis immediately reported, "Multiple unidentified flying objects have been detected approaching the building; their model matches that of S.H.I.E.L.D. miniature reconnaissance drones."

Tony strode to the monitor screen, where dozens of fingernail-sized aircraft were approaching Stark Tower from different directions. "Activate the defense protocol, Jarvis. Jammage their signals with EMP pulses, but don't destroy them. Give Fury some face."

An invisible electromagnetic pulse wave emanated from the top of the building, causing the micro-drones in the air to sway as if drunk, and soon they all crashed to the ground. However, a few specially ruggedized drones stubbornly continued to fly, constantly adjusting their frequencies to resist the EMP interference.

"Looks like Fury upgraded his gear." Tony raised an eyebrow. "Let me play with them."

Tony activated a brand-new defense system. Suddenly, several launch ports appeared on the building's exterior wall, firing out a sticky, net-like substance that precisely captured the remaining drones.

Chen Haotian watched this scene thoughtfully: "They're testing us. Tony Fury wants to know just how many cards we have up our sleeve."

"Let him guess all he wants," Tony waved dismissively. "He won't find anything anyway."

However, Chen Haotian's concerns were quickly confirmed. In the following hours, multiple departments of Stark Industries reported being raided by S.H.I.E.L.D. on suspicion of "illegal biological research." At the same time, Jarvis detected that S.H.I.E.L.D. was using satellite resources to conduct a high-precision scan of Stark Tower.

"They're looking for our lab," Chen Haotian said, looking at the satellite scan images. "Frey already suspects the virus outbreak is related to us."

Tony finally dropped his relaxed expression: "We need a strategy. If Fury comes knocking, how do we explain the origin of those virus samples?"

Chen Haotian pondered for a moment: "To tell the truth is impossible. Our time-travel ability is our biggest secret and must never be revealed. But we can provide a modified version."

"for example?"

"For example, we might accidentally intercept a Hydra virus transaction, and then inadvertently cause a small-scale leak during the cleanup process," Chen Haotian said slowly. "This would explain the origin of the virus and provide a reasonable explanation for our previous actions."

Tony considered the feasibility of the plan: "Fury won't believe it easily, but he also has no evidence to refute it. Moreover, this argument can also point the finger at Hydra, killing two birds with one stone."

Over the next half-day, the two brothers meticulously prepared their countermeasures against S.H.I.E.L.D. They rearranged the laboratory, concealing all equipment that could potentially reveal their time-traveling abilities, leaving only some seemingly ordinary biological research instruments. Meanwhile, Jarvis began fabricating a series of false research records and data to support their claims.

In the evening, Tony received a call from Pepper: "Tony, S.H.I.E.L.D. just summoned me to inquire about some 'unusual activities' at the company recently. They specifically asked about your and Chen Haotian's whereabouts."

Tony's face darkened. "Did they bother you?"

"It was just a routine inquiry, but I could sense that things weren't so simple." Pepper's voice was filled with worry. "Nick Fury's personal involvement in the questioning is very unusual."

After ending the call, Tony turned to Chen Haotian: "Furry has started targeting the people around us."

Chen Haotian nodded: "As expected. But Pepper is very smart; she knows what she should and shouldn't say."

As night fell, S.H.I.E.L.D. operations became increasingly frequent. Jarvis reported that several S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had appeared around Stark Tower, disguised as ordinary citizens, but their behavior clearly indicated professional training.

"Do you need me to disperse them?" Tony asked.

"No, let them monitor us." Chen Haotian stood by the window, observing several suspicious figures on the street below. "That way, Fury will think everything is under his control."

At 9 p.m., things took a new turn. Jarvis suddenly issued an alert: "An attempt to breach the lab's cybersecurity has been detected. The attack originated from multiple redirects, but can ultimately be traced back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters."

Tony immediately perked up: "Finally, you can't resist taking action? Let me teach them what real cybersecurity technology is all about."

However, Chen Haotian stopped him: "No, let them in."

"What?" Tony looked at him, puzzled. "Let them steal our data?"

"It's not real data." Chen Haotian gave a meaningful smile. "We've prepared a special 'gift' for them."

Under Chen Haotian's instructions, Jarvis created an isolated virtual system containing meticulously prepared fake data—including Hydra's "virus transaction records" and Stark Industries' "interception operation reports." When S.H.I.E.L.D. hackers breached the firewall, they would enter this virtual system without accessing any real information.

An hour later, Jarvis reported: "The intruders have entered the virtual system and are downloading the data we prepared. Should we track their data transfer path?"

Chen Haotian and Tony exchanged a glance and nodded at the same time.

"Track the path, but don't alert them," Tony ordered. "Let's see where this data ends up."

The tracking results surprised them somewhat. The data was not only sent back to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, but a copy was also sent to a government building in Washington, D.C.—the U.S. Treasury Building.

"The Treasury Department?" Tony frowned. "When did S.H.I.E.L.D. have such close ties with the Treasury Department?"

Chen Haotian seemed thoughtful: "Do you remember when I told you that Hydra has infiltrated every level of S.H.I.E.L.D.?"

Tony immediately understood what he meant: "You mean..."

"Hydra agents within S.H.I.E.L.D. are also watching our actions," Chen Haotian said in a low voice. "This game is getting more and more complicated, Tony. We not only have to deal with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s investigation, but also be wary of Hydra's plot."

Night had fallen, but the lights on the top floor of Stark Tower remained on. Chen Haotian and Tony both knew that Nick Fury's investigation had only just begun, and they had to prepare for the impending confrontation. In this game of lies and secrets, every move had to be made with utmost care.