Universe 19999
New York
Aboard the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier, the atmosphere in the conference room was as heavy as lead.
On the holographic projection, Loki's face, bearing a mocking smile, had just disappeared, leaving behind oppressive silence in the conference room.
Tony Stark leaned against the table, his fingers tapping restlessly on the metal surface. His armor's faceplate lay discarded nearby, and his face still bore traces of abrasions.
"So, that bastard is going to my place to party now?" he sneered. "He sure knows how to pick a spot."
Steve Rogers's brow was tightly furrowed. His tactical tablet displayed the real-time surveillance feed of Stark Tower: "Loki's target is the Tesseract. He needs a high-energy source to activate the teleportation device."
"And Stark Tower's Arc Reactor fits the bill perfectly," Black Widow added, her gaze sweeping over everyone.
"We're out of time."
Thor gripped mjolnir and said in a deep voice, "Once Loki's army arrives, Midgard will face utter destruction."
"Army?" Dr. Banner pushed up his glasses, his voice trembling slightly.
"You mean, an alien fleet?"
"The Chitauri," Thor nodded. "A bloodthirsty interstellar Raiders, they only obey Thanos."
Tony was puzzled: "Thanos? Who's that?"
"This is no time for jokes, Stark!" Steve snapped.
"I'm not kidding!" Tony grabbed his faceplate.
"Jarvis, activate Mark 7! We need to crash that alien scum's party before it starts!"
"Sir, Mark 7 has not yet completed its final calibration," Jarvis's voice came from the speaker.
"No time! Make do with it for now!"
...
Above New York, Xiao Han hovered between the clouds, the golden patterns on his black armor shining brightly in the sunlight.
His Super Vision penetrated the clouds, taking in the entire city below.
"System, what is the current time?" he asked inwardly.
[Ding! It is currently May 4th, 2012, 3 minutes before the Chitauri invasion begins]
Xiao Han's lips curved slightly. That was enough time for him to prepare.
He adjusted his super hearing, catching the abnormal movements within the city.
Soon, several familiar voices entered his ears.
"Stark Tower rooftop, abnormal energy readings!" Black Widow's voice came over the S.H.I.E.L.D. channel.
"Fury, we might need an evacuation plan," Captain America's serious tone.
"I'm already on my way. This thing looks like some kind of portal," Tony said with a slightly nervous flippancy.
Xiao Han's gaze turned towards Stark Tower.
Indeed, on the rooftop platform of the tower, Dr. Erik Selvig was calibrating a strange machine, while Loki stood beside him, holding his scepter, a triumphant smile on his face.
"Observe first," Xiao Han decided not to reveal himself for now. He flew higher, hiding above the clouds, quietly waiting for events to unfold.
Time passed second by second. As Selvig activated the machine, a blue energy column shot up into the sky, tearing open a massive spatial rift above New York.
In the dark space, the terrifying silhouette of the Chitauri mothership was vaguely visible.
"It's starting," Xiao Han murmured.
The first wave of Chitauri soldiers swarmed out of the wormhole like locusts, riding their flying vehicles and wreaking havoc over New York.
Explosions and screams instantly echoed throughout Manhattan.
The Avengers quickly assembled.
Iron Man intercepted the flying vehicles in the air, Captain America organized the evacuation on the ground, and Black Widow and Hawkeye coordinated attacks.
The late-arriving Hulk charged through the streets like a human tank.
Xiao Han watched all of this, assessing the situation.
The Avengers worked well together, but the number of Chitauri was simply too large.
A Leviathan beast broke through the defenses, crashing through several buildings and causing larger-scale panic.
"It's time."
Xiao Han took a deep breath and dove down from the clouds.
He deliberately controlled his speed, making himself streak across the sky like a black meteor, then abruptly stopped as he neared the ground. The Impact knocked over a dozen surrounding Chitauri soldiers.
"What is that?"
Captain America, who was evacuating civilians, suddenly looked up, his shield reflecting the sunlight.
Xiao Han landed on top of a half-destroyed building, his black armor clearly visible in the sunlight.
He looked around, locking onto several of the most intense battlefields.
"Start with the biggest one."
He slightly bent his legs, instantly launching himself towards the rampaging Leviathan beast.
In mid-flight, his eyes glowed with a fiery red light.
Sizzle!
Two beams of Heat Vision accurately struck the Leviathan's head like lasers.
The giant beast let out a painful roar, its metal shell being cut open like butter.
Xiao Han did not stop. The Heat Vision continued cutting down the beast's spine, splitting it in two.
Boom!
The beast's remains crashed onto the street, kicking up a cloud of dust.
"Jarvis, what was that?" Iron Man hovered in the air, Tony Stark under the faceplate wide-eyed.
"Unknown target, Sir. Energy readings are off the scale."
On the ground, Black Widow and Hawkeye, back to back, took down a squad of Chitauri soldiers and were also shocked by this sudden aid.
"Fury, we have a new player entering the game," Black Widow reported through her earpiece.
Xiao Han ignored their reactions and continued his actions.
He flew towards the area below the wormhole, where a large number of Chitauri troops were gathered.
Taking a deep breath, his lungs expanded, and then...
Whoosh!
A freezing breath swept through the entire area, instantly freezing hundreds of Chitauri soldiers into ice sculptures, which then turned to dust in the gentle breeze.
"My God..."
Hawkeye lowered his bow, watching the scene in disbelief.
Xiao Han did not stop. He flew towards the wormhole, his Super Vision analyzing the energy structure.
"Energy originating from Loki's scepter... can be shut down."
Just then, Fury's voice came through the communication channel: "All units, attention. The council has decided to launch a nuclear missile."
"What?" Captain America roared. "There are still civilians here!"
Xiao Han frowned.
A nuclear missile? This was not in his plan.
His super hearing pinpointed the missile launch location, and he instantly broke the sound barrier, flying towards the sky.
A few seconds later, he intercepted the launched nuclear missile, easily changed its trajectory, and carried it straight towards the wormhole.
"Gentlemen, he's carrying the nuke and flying into space," Black Widow quipped.
Xiao Han carried the nuclear missile through the wormhole, arriving in the space where the Chitauri mothership was located.
He released the nuclear missile, watched it detonate on the mothership, and then quickly returned.
On the other side of the wormhole, the Avengers were waiting nervously.
"If that nuke explodes over there, will the Impact..."
Captain America didn't finish his sentence before a black figure flew out of the wormhole.
Xiao Han returned unharmed, the wormhole behind him beginning to fluctuate violently.
He landed on the platform of Stark Tower, facing Loki directly.
"You... Who are you?" Loki took a step back, pointing his scepter at Xiao Han.
"Kneel!"
Xiao Han sneered, ignoring the energy wave from the scepter, and grabbed Loki by the neck, lifting him up.
"You know, I could snap your neck, but someone might mind."
Loki struggled, his face turning red: "You... you can't..."
Xiao Han's other hand easily snatched the scepter, then threw Loki aside like garbage.
His Super Vision penetrated the platform, locating the operating Tesseract device.
"Let's end this."
He held the scepter and walked towards the device.
The tip of the scepter accurately pierced the energy barrier, and the device immediately stopped operating.
The wormhole above began to collapse, finally disappearing.
New York returned to peace, leaving behind only scarred streets and the stunned Avengers.
Tony was the first to land on the platform, his faceplate flipping open: "Alright, this... whoever you are, I have to say, well done. But can you introduce yourself first?"
Xiao Han turned to face the members of the Avengers.
Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye arrived one after another. The Hulk was growling in the distance, while Thor helped up the disheveled Loki, watching Xiao Han warily.
"My name is Xiao Han," he said calmly.
"You can call me Superman."