At this moment, a stunning blonde woman in a thin hospital gown floated in midair, defying the laws of physics.
Her expression was blank, her gaze unfocused, as if she had just woken up.
The Ten Rings terrorists, who had been firing their guns nonstop, froze mid-action, staring dumbfounded at the woman who had come back from the dead.
Through the slit of his MK1 armor, Tony Stark watched the bizarre scene before him, eyes wide in disbelief.
The term "superpower" wasn't new to the world; there were countless unexplained phenomena attributed to it.
But now, facing it in person, Tony felt an overwhelming sense of unreality.
How could a person float in the air without any equipment? How was that even possible?
The beautiful blonde woman shook her head slightly, her eyes gradually regaining clarity and calm. She coldly scanned her surroundings.
Smoke filled the air. The freezer was in ruins, the walls blown open, a dozen armed terrorists around, and a clunky man in iron armor.
Her emerald eyes narrowed. The flow of sweat, the flapping of insects' wings—all seemed to slow to a crawl.
She could hear heartbeats, pulses, even breathing hundreds of meters away.
Looking down at her palm, she clenched her fist, feeling a surge of explosive power flood her entire body. So this was ninety percent of Homelander's ability? Not bad.
The only downside was that she had borrowed a female corpse.
It felt chilly between the legs, heavy in the chest.
She grabbed her chest experimentally—round, soft, elastic, and hard to grasp.
Damn it, why can't this hand behave?
The fit between soul and body was perfect—no rejection, as if they were meant to be.
Now "she" was the more fitting term.
The body's memories flooded her mind. This world was Earth—or rather, a parallel version of Earth.
The body's owner was named Aeris Nova, of mixed Asian and American heritage. Her father, American, had died young of heart disease; her mother had passed away giving birth to her.
With no living relatives, she worked as an international freelance journalist and earned her PhD in journalism at a young age.
She often traveled to different countries, reporting on culture and local life.
This time, she had taken on an assignment in an Asian desert war zone to gather information for a report titled "How Deeply War Hurts Civilians."
Worried about being targeted by terrorists, she carried a fake passport as a safeguard.
But while exploring deep in the desert, she accidentally entered Ten Rings territory and witnessed their slaughter of civilians using Stark Industries weapons.
While secretly taking photos, her camera fell, giving away her position. A bullet struck her in the head. She never had the chance to pull out her fake passport before she died.
The terrorists placed her body in a freezer, intending to sell her organs.
Ten Rings. Stark Industries.
Damn, so her predecessor had come to a war zone just to get herself killed. But more importantly—this was the Marvel Universe?!
A world far more dangerous than any normal one, full of godlike beings stirring chaos, with countless alien threats lurking beyond the stars.
Even Earth itself was crawling with monsters and superpowered threats.
If nothing else, at least it was still recognizable—somewhat normal.
While she hovered absentmindedly in the air, Tony Stark, hiding behind a wall, raised an eyebrow and finally spoke.
"Hey, lady, how's it feel waking up? Need a hand?"
Even in mortal danger, Tony couldn't resist cracking jokes.
He could tell something was off about this woman, so he tried to take the initiative.
The blonde beauty turned, her gaze piercing through his armor to the man inside.
"Tony Stark?" Aeris asked curiously.
So now she knew what point in time she'd landed in. That wasn't just anyone—it was literally Robert Downey Jr. himself!
MK1—the first armor Tony built while imprisoned by the Ten Rings in Afghanistan.
A genius billionaire using scraps to build a prototype Iron Man suit under terrorist watch? Classic.
Before transmigrating, Aeris had seen some of the Marvel movies, though oddly, many of those memories now felt hazy, as if covered in fog.
Still, the scene unfolding before her didn't quite match the storyline she remembered.
"Hi, beautiful lady. Didn't know I was that famous," Tony grinned, trying to sound casual.
On the outside, he looked relaxed, but inside he was panicking.
Sure, he was a global celebrity—but she shouldn't have known his identity while he was wearing a full suit of armor.
What if she had known all along?
If this woman turned out to be hostile, he was screwed.
At least she didn't seem like a terrorist; otherwise, she wouldn't have been lying dead in a freezer.
"You have seventeen metal shards in your body," Aeris said, squinting slightly.
X-ray vision. Not bad.
"What?" Tony blinked, confused.
Before he could react, twin beams of blazing red light shot from her eyes with a hum, slicing through everything ahead.
The nearest terrorists didn't even have time to scream. Their bodies split in half instantly.
Blood and entrails splattered everywhere as the red beams cut through them like molten knives.
In seconds, a dozen men were dead, the air thick with smoke and the stench of burning flesh.
Her heat vision—one of the signature powers of both Homelander and Superman—could reach thousands of degrees.
Aeris hadn't inherited Homelander's full strength, but 3000°C heat from her eyes was still more than enough.
Flesh, metal—it all melted the same.
The memories of her body told her that the Ten Rings were ruthless murderers who slaughtered civilians indiscriminately, even women and children.
Before her death, she had been shot and humiliated.
So using heat vision on these monsters? No guilt at all.
The gore was a bit disgusting, sure—but she could handle it.
Tony almost threw up inside his armor. The sight of the massacre was too much to bear.
Flying, laser eyes—this wasn't a woman. This was Superman!
As a kid, Tony had read plenty of comics, and the resemblance was unmistakable.
Terrifyingly so.
"Uh… Miss Superman?" he asked hesitantly, trying to suppress the urge to gag.
"I'm not Superman. You needed something?" Aeris replied coolly, floating motionlessly in the air.
She knew that Homelander's powers were only a weakened version of Superman's—similar in form, far inferior in strength.
If Superman ever found himself in a world full of Homelanders, he'd still be the strongest one there.
"Hey, uh… don't you feel cold in that outfit? Want me to find you some clothes?" Tony babbled nervously.
"Just say what you need," Aeris said flatly.
"Oh, right—can you help me get out of here? I can pay you!" Tony blurted, slapping his helmet.
His MK1 was functional but too damaged to move. He needed materials and time to fix it—two things he didn't have.
The terrorists would be back soon, and then he'd be dead.
So, true to form, Tony decided to throw money at the problem.
"One million dollars," Aeris said after a brief pause.
Her predecessor hadn't saved much—barely fifty thousand. Life in America wasn't cheap, and she could use the extra cash.
Why not? The man was loaded.
"Ten million," Tony said without hesitation.
"Deal!" Her eyes lit up immediately.
Good god, she'd never seen that much money in her life.
"Oh, God—Ethan!" Tony suddenly shouted.
"Superwoman, could you help me save my friend? Middle-aged guy, glasses—he covered for me earlier—"
Before he could finish, there was a deafening boom.
The blonde had blasted straight through a thick wall, leaving a massive hole behind her.
Seconds later, she returned, carrying a half-dead, bloodied man like he weighed nothing.
Tony nearly choked on his own words. This woman's engine had to be thirty-six cylinders.
When he saw the man's face, his expression darkened immediately.
Dr. Yinsen—the physicist who had saved Tony's life and helped him build the first Iron Man armor—was barely clinging to life.
"Chest and abdominal wounds. Intestines and lungs are damaged," Aeris said after scanning him.
"Yinsen! Damn it! Why didn't you stick to the plan!" Tony's voice cracked as he dragged his heavy armor closer.
Even without being a doctor, he knew his friend was dying.
"Stark… I was worried about you. But now… it's fine…" Yinsen managed a weak smile, blood bubbling from his lips.
Aeris said nothing. Her eyes glowed faintly red.