Chapter 14

Watching Ororo and Charis drive away from his estate, Zhou Yi turned and walked into the depths of the hallway. Perhaps because of all the events that had transpired that evening, Zhou Yi seemed particularly spirited and not at all sleepy. So he chose to use this time to address some long-standing issues.

He quietly walked to the basement, a private resting place he had created for himself. The space, over four hundred square meters, was entirely white, from the walls to the floor, even the door. Upon entering, one might feel a sense of disorientation.

Zhou Yi usually used this place for meditation and to relax his mind. Of course, it was also where he hid some secrets.

He walked to the left side of the room, facing the pure white wall. Zhou Yi extended both hands and pressed them against the wall. The accumulated powerful force pushed the wall, causing it to slowly open upward with a rumbling sound.

When Zhou Yi walked through the wall that had become a door, he could clearly see the structure of the door. It was a massive alloy door, without any password or unlocking mechanism. Only brute force could open it.

The door was twelve feet high, seven feet wide, and three feet thick. Zhou Yi had chosen a very heavy and heat-resistant metal when making it, making the door weigh about 480,000 pounds (approximately 220 tons).

Behind the door, four huge hydraulic metal arms were firmly attached to it. These metal arms were not designed to save effort but to increase the resistance of opening the door. The four metal arms could provide a resistance of 176,300 pounds (about 80 tons).

In other words, it would take at least 660,000 pounds (300 tons) of force to open the door. According to Zhou Yi, only a few people besides himself possessed such strength. Of course, some mutants with special abilities could bypass the door, like the famous Mr. Magneto or someone like Kitty, who could pass through obstacles. These people were unpredictable, so there was no need to guard against them.

After all, Zhou Yi built this door to prevent people from stealing secrets, not to defend against attacks. He was curious to see how spies would feel if they tried to enter this secret room and found themselves facing this behemoth.

As Zhou Yi entered the secret room, the massive door slowly closed. When it completely merged with the wall, not even a trace of a door could be seen. Who would have thought that behind this wall lay some hidden secrets, and even if you knew there were secrets, could they be stolen by ordinary people?

Zhou Yi slowly walked into the secret room and stopped in front of the door. At this moment, a red light slowly scanned his entire body. A moment later, a gentle female voice sounded.

"Welcome back, dear Yi!" With this voice, the bright lights turned on, along with the massive machinery and various advanced instruments. The room was almost entirely filled with these things, giving the impression of a futuristic sci-fi world.

"It's been a while, Medusa," Zhou Yi responded with a smile.

Medusa was an AI software created with the help of Tony Stark and named by Zhou Yi. Like Tony's JARVIS, she had independent thinking capabilities and similar computational and analytical abilities. The only regret was that JARVIS's AI was more advanced and human-like, while Medusa was more electronically rational.

Even a genius like Tony Stark couldn't replicate this. JARVIS had a unique randomness that made his system the most human-like among Tony's creations, and this uniqueness was currently irreplicable.

Of course, for Zhou Yi, it was enough for now.

"It has been 410 days, 13 hours, and 26 minutes since your last visit. What service do you need this time?"

"How did the material analysis from last time go?" Zhou Yi asked Medusa without giving a direct order.

"According to your requirements, the analysis is complete, and the existing experimental samples have been modified."

"Show it to me!" Zhou Yi said as he walked to the center of the secret room.

Following Zhou Yi's command, a 3D image soon appeared in front of him. It was a silver-white metallic substance. Under Medusa's demonstration, Zhou Yi saw the internal structure of the metal, with countless highly active atoms. These atoms deformed freely in the image and responded to various experimental impacts.

While demonstrating, Medusa explained in her usual gentle voice.

"According to your requirements, I analyzed the metal composition provided by Mr. Stark and modified the original nanometal. What you see now is Alpha Nanometal Type 7. It has excellent energy conductivity, strong self-compression ability, metal memory repair, and secondary deformation function. After deformation, it stabilizes, is highly resistant to temperature changes, immune to magnetic interference, and has strong pressure resistance. Its weight is only one-third that of ordinary alloys. I believe the current Alpha Nanometal has fully met your requirements."

"Very good!" Zhou Yi clapped his hands and asked, "What is the cost?"

"According to my calculations, the cost in the most optimized mode is $15,680 per ounce."

"That's about ten times the price of platinum. This cost is not cheap, and I doubt anyone would want to buy this metal."

"Should I archive the project as a failure and start the development of Alpha Nanometal Type 8?"

Medusa asked without hesitation. For her, anything that didn't meet the requirements was a failure, regardless of the time invested.

"Archive the project and notify the research labs to continue new developments. Record the development direction. Medusa, how much of this metal can we produce now?" Zhou Yi asked.

"Based on our inventory, I can produce 1,240 pounds of Alpha Nanometal Type 7 in 17 hours."

"Very good, start production. Also, Medusa, open the search engine, search for armor, scan my body, and optimize it automatically. I need a suit of armor that is sturdy, durable, and cool!"

"Command received, production has started. Search initiated, scan complete."

Medusa began to systematically execute Zhou Yi's commands, while Zhou Yi watched various armor models being assembled, restructured, and optimized in front of him, a playful smile appearing on his face.

Ever since he met Tony Stark a long time ago, Zhou Yi had this plan in mind. He had been preparing for it for years, and when he unexpectedly saw the sky carrier today, he knew it was time to implement his plan.

With immense power, virtually unlimited wealth, and an extraordinary social status, what else could a person pursue? Only excitement, like Tony Stark, who would rather die from palladium poisoning than give up his Iron Man suit. For him, the superhuman identity was an experience he didn't want to give up, even more important than a mundane life.

Zhou Yi also wanted to try this excitement. However, he had many concerns because he had a family, good friends, and a beautiful lover. So he could only show a bit of his prowess and couldn't act like a true superhero, saving people and charming women everywhere.

But today, after discovering vampires and the S.H.I.E.L.D. carrier, he finally made up his mind to become a superhero under another identity, to enjoy a different kind of exciting life.

Today, everything here would mark the beginning of a superhero's journey.

As time passed, on the other side, on the S.H.I.E.L.D. sky carrier.

Agent Phil Coulson arrived at the observation deck, smiling and greeting his colleagues as he walked to the center of the deck, in front of the core control hub of the carrier.

There, a black man in a black leather coat, wearing a black eye patch, and dressed entirely in black, stood with a serious expression, looking at him.

Despite his appearance, which didn't seem fitting for the head of a world-class organization, he was indeed the director of the world's largest intelligence agency, the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division (S.H.I.E.L.D.). His name was Nick Fury.

"Sir, Agent Phil Coulson reporting," Coulson saluted as he approached Director Fury.

Nick Fury casually returned the salute and said, "Last night, while I was enjoying a good dream, Commander Hill woke me up. She told me that there was a flying individual, and a fast one, in our jurisdiction."

"Even more ridiculous, as the most advanced agency, S.H.I.E.L.D. only got a blurry image. So now, I hope my most capable agent can bring me some good news."

"Of course, sir. I believe I have some good news!" Coulson smiled as usual and handed over a micro storage device.

"What is this?" Director Fury asked as he took the device.

"A storage device, sir!"

"I know it's a storage device, not a lighter! Thanks for the reminder, Agent Coulson. What I want to know is what's inside it?" Director Fury's face was already as black as a pot bottom, though it wasn't too noticeable on his face.

"It's the data and analysis I obtained from the underground bar. If my guess is correct, the person we're looking for is among these few individuals," Coulson explained with a smile.

"Is that so?" Director Fury directly inserted the storage device into the control panel. "Let's see who disturbed my rare good dream."

As the control panel read the data, some experimental results and information about three individuals appeared on the holographic 3D image.

"These are the results of our investigation into the dust and radiation in the bar. The dust, according to our experiments, is biological tissue residue. I used level seven clearance to access internal records, which show that the residue is from a vampire, designated 025, who has a peace agreement with the organization."

"The radiation results indicate high-intensity ultraviolet radiation, clearly indicating that someone used a powerful weapon against these vampires."

"The final piece of information is the fingerprint I found on a glass at the only location without vampire remains. According to the data, there are three suspicious individuals."

Coulson pointed to the middle-aged man in the enlarged image of the three individuals.

"Joe Albert, 47 years old, a professional bartender. Suspiciously, he died from a beast attack seven years ago. His death record is still in the Pennsylvania police department. After investigating his death record and autopsy report, I concluded that he is now a vampire. So, his suspicion is the lowest."

Next, Coulson pointed to another individual.

"This charming lady is Nissa Makinos, the only daughter of the late tycoon, the founder of European Health International, Alida Makinos. Surprisingly, this charming lady is 46 years old. More interestingly, Miss Makinos rarely appears in public, only attending a few company banquets and rarely interacting with strangers. She is a perfect example of a noble lady."

"Makinos, I remember him. Sixty years ago, he signed the peace agreement on behalf of the North American vampires. It seems Miss Makinos is his daughter, a pureblood vampire!" Nick Fury stared at the data and gave his opinion.

"A vampire, what a pity!" Coulson smiled and pointed to the third target.

"This young man is Yi Zhou, an American of Chinese descent. His mother is Zhou Lan, a famous fashion designer. His biological father is Smith Zhou, a member of the Marine Corps, who died on a mission in Eastern Europe. According to the records, they were planning to get married. Mr. Zhou also has a stepfather, Anthony Ferguson, a renowned banker and financier. Unfortunately, Mr. Ferguson died in a plane crash. However, Mr. Ferguson and Ms. Zhou have a daughter, Charis Ferguson. The records show that the family was very close, but for some reason, the Zhou family moved to New York eight years ago."

"The rest is Mr. Yi Zhou's rags-to-riches story. He started trading stocks at the age of eleven and became a famous trader by sixteen. Later, he made several bold investments, significantly increasing his wealth. Now, Mr. Yi Zhou is the third-largest shareholder in Stark Industries, a major shareholder in Osborn Industries, and holds significant shares in several cutting-edge research studios. If we ranked American young entrepreneurs, this gentleman would be at least in the top five."

"Young, wealthy, and a close friend of Tony Stark, with influential partners in Congress. A philanthropist, a generous investor, and a seasoned martial arts enthusiast. I remember what I was doing in my twenties, shining shoes? Well, it seems I really am living a dog's life." Nick Fury looked at Coulson's data, self-mocking, and then looked at Coulson. "Are you sure this person is the most suspicious?"

"I trust my judgment, sir," Coulson said confidently.

"That's what worries me the most, Phil. You are my best analyst, and this person's identity is the most untouchable. Honestly, I hope this person is not our target." Fury pointed to Zhou Yi's image. "Commander Hill, this person is your responsibility. Arrange for 24/7 surveillance on him and his family. Remember the safety protocols, no exposure, and no contact with the target."

"Yes, sir!" Commander Hill, who had been standing with a serious face, replied crisply, her eyes showing eagerness.

"Sir, what about me?" Coulson, feeling his business was being taken, quickly asked.

"I have another task for you. I need you to contact Stark. We need some of his technology."

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