Xiao Han stood on the terrace of the Long Island villa, the night wind rustling against his black suit.
Wanda was already fast asleep in the bedroom, the magic necklace on her collarbone faintly glowing, finally allowing her to escape the nightmares.
"Turing," he murmured.
The AI butler's gentle voice responded, "Yes, sir?"
"Monitor Wanda's condition. If she wakes up, tell her I've gone out."
"Understood, sir."
Xiao Han raised his hand, golden magical energy sparking from his fingertips, drawing a perfect arc in the air.
The intense golden sparks swirled and expanded, forming a portal leading to the sun.
The other side of the door was a churning corona, golden plasma like a boiling ocean, radiating endless light and heat.
The Bio-Field automatically blocked everything, only retaining the warm energy.
He was just about to step through when suddenly
[Ding! Detected abnormal fluctuations in the multiverse!]
The system's prompt rang in his mind.
[Emergency mission issued: Prevent the Zombie Virus from spreading to other universes. Target world coordinates locked, please proceed immediately.]
Xiao Han frowned slightly: "Zombie Virus?"
The system didn't offer much explanation, only projecting a fragmented image in his vision.
The decaying Captain America was tearing into innocent civilians, and a zombified Iron Man was roaring madly within his armor. The entire world was plunged into a bloody apocalypse.
"..."
Xiao Han was silent for a moment, then looked back at the villa.
Wanda was still asleep. Her training had only just begun, but he didn't have time to waste.
"Turing, if Wanda asks, tell her I have an urgent matter to attend to and have her continue practicing as planned."
"Acknowledged. Good luck on your mission, Sir."
Xiao Han didn't hesitate any longer, raising his hand to open another portal.
This time, the other side of the door wasn't a scorching sun, but a gray, overcast sky.
New York.
But it was completely different from the one he knew.
Smoke filled the air, buildings had collapsed, and the streets were stained with blood.
He stepped forward, and as the portal closed behind him, a putrid, bloody stench assaulted his senses.
"Roar!!!"
On the street below, a horde of zombies was frantically tearing apart a mutilated corpse.
And further away, a red and blue figure swung between the high-rises. It was Spider-Man, but his suit was in tatters, half his face was decaying, and beneath the white eye covers were crimson eyes.
"Interesting," Xiao Han said, a look of interest on his face.
"Zombie Universe."
He hovered high in the sky, his super vision instantly scanning the entire city.
Stark Tower still stood in the distance, but the arc reactor on the top floor had already been extinguished, and the glass curtain wall was in tatters.
Inside the tower, a faint energy signal caught his attention.
"Jarvis?"
Without hesitation, Xiao Han accelerated instantly, transforming into a streak of black light that shot towards Stark Tower.
The mission had officially begun.
Xiao Han hovered outside the top-floor lab of Stark Tower, looking inside through the shattered glass windows.
"Another...universe?" Jarvis's voice held a clear hesitation.
"This...explains a lot of the anomalous readings."
Xiao Han walked towards the main console, his fingers lightly brushing the holographic projection. A stream of data immediately unfolded before his eyes.
"Tell me what happened," Xiao Han said in a low voice.
Jarvis brought up a holographic recording: "Three months ago, Mister Fantastic had an accident during the Quantum Channel Experiment, releasing an unknown virus. Mister Reed was the first to be infected, followed by his family."
In the footage, the members of the Fantastic Four mutated one after another, attacking the Avengers who came to assist.
Captain America, Hawkeye, and Black Widow fell one after another, only to rise again, but in a different form.
"After being bitten, Mr. Stark immediately initiated quarantine protocols," Jarvis continued.
"He modified the armor, forcing me to permanently lock him in here. He's been fighting the virus for the past 87 days."
Xiao Han looked at Tony inside the armor. A familiar expression still lingered on the decaying face.
Suddenly, Zombie Tony let out a hoarse roar: "Kill… me…"
Jarvis immediately reinforced the restraints: "Please, sir, don't do that!"
Xiao Han was silent for a moment, then asked, "Other survivors?"
"Based on the latest scans, a small number of humans may be hiding in underground facilities," Jarvis replied.
"But almost all of the superheroes have been turned. The most dangerous is Zombie Hulk; he destroyed three cities."
Just then, an alarm blared: "Warning! High-energy reaction detected approaching! Thor is…"
Before the words had even faded, a bolt of lightning split the sky, obliterating the outer wall of the lab!
From the billowing smoke, a towering figure emerged. It was Thor.
However, most of his golden hair was gone, and his skin was an unnatural grayish-blue. Mjolnir was stained with dried blood.
"ROAR!!!"
Zombie Thor let out a deafening roar, his single eye blazing with a mad hunger.
Xiao Han's eyes flashed with golden light: "Asgardian, you should rest in peace."
He instantly broke the sound barrier, his fist slamming into Thor's chest!
Zombie Thor didn't even have time to react before his entire chest was punched through, a gaping hole spewing out rotten innards.
Xiao Han didn't stop. His Heat Vision precisely severed Thor's spine. The head rolled onto the ground, the mouth still opening and closing uselessly.
The entire process took less than 0.3 seconds.
"Threat... eliminated?"
Jarvis's voice was clearly shocked. "You have eliminated Thor."
Xiao Han shook the rotting flesh from his hands. "He's not Thor anymore."
He turned to look at Tony in the armor. Before he used his super brain, he wanted to see if Jarvis had any ideas.
"Can you research an antidote?"
Jarvis responded quickly, his voice tinged with regret. "I'm sorry, sir. I've simulated it countless times, but I can't find alternative materials needed for the antidote, nor how to remove the virus."
"Understood. Tell me the location of the Fantastic Four's lab."
"The Baxter Building, but Reed has already..."
"I know the risks," Xiao Han interrupted. "Tony's files mentioned a vaccine."
The zombie Tony inside the armor suddenly struggled violently, and the mechanical arm emitted a grating sound of metal deforming.
Jarvis immediately activated the backup power supply: "The restraint system is about to fail!"
Xiao Han walked in front of the armor and looked into Tony's decaying eyes: "Hold on, Tony. I will end this."
The zombie Tony's throat made a gurgling sound, and he even managed to squeeze out a complete sentence: "Reed...retains...sanity...be careful..."
As soon as the words fell, the restraint device finally shattered! Zombie Tony pounced on Xiao Han, but was blocked by an invisible bio-field half a meter away from him.
"Good night, Tony," Xiao Han said softly, casting a spell.
The spell created an illusion in Tony's mind, making him believe he was dead.
His body stiffened for a second, then slowly fell, finally finding a moment of peace.
The lab fell silent, with only the occasional spark erupting from the damaged circuits.
"Sir... is he gone?" Jarvis asked quietly.
Xiao Han nodded, "Not dead, but he needs to sleep for a while."
"Are you really going to the Baxter Building? That's the source of the infection."
Xiao Han was already walking towards the shattered window, the gold patterns on his black armor gleaming in the light. "Someone has to clean up this mess."
He raised his hand, opening a golden portal, and glanced back at the ravaged laboratory. "Coming, Jarvis?"
"Mr. Xiao, according to my analysis, your watch was developed by another universe's Tony, and it contains my core program. I will accompany you through the program."
Jarvis's voice echoed from the remains of the armor. "Perhaps... this time, we can save something."
Xiao Han smiled slightly and stepped into the portal.
The golden sparks slowly faded behind him, leaving only silence in the room.
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