Every single cell has its own little solar enhancement.
How many cells does the human body have?
At least tens of trillions!
That's just for an average person. For someone like him, who isn't ordinary, it might be a hundred trillion—no one can say for sure.
Aaron curled his lip slightly and looked up at the blazing sun in the sky.
He was tempted by that bold idea.
But the next moment, he dismissed it.
The idea was good, but he had to consider his current physical condition.
Although he can continuously grow stronger by absorbing sunlight, compared to the energy of the sun, his body is still too frail.
A million suns—even if they were only little suns—releasing their power simultaneously would likely tear him apart in an instant!
Then again?
He has super regeneration—if he were torn apart one second and instantly brought back the next, thanks to ample energy, that'd be like some kind of cheat.
Now that he thought of it, if he ever encountered an enemy he couldn't defeat, could he self-destruct along with them?
But how would he ensure that some of his cells survive the explosion? Maybe stash some beforehand somewhere safe?
No—that's overthinking it!
Aaron pondered it for a moment, then temporarily dropped the idea.
He was more worried about destroying the entire solar system at the moment he blew up.
Speaking of which—
"With the power of the Primordial Furnace, creating a million suns is probably about as easy as drinking water. I'm the one restricting it."
"Sure enough, I'm still too weak!"
Aaron did some serious self-reflection and decided to push himself a bit harder for the time being.
Then again, he had only been in this world for less than a week.
Getting this far already—"It's all thanks to my hard work!"
Aaron sighed to himself and decided to set a small goal first: "Start by forging ten sun cores!"
Just then, Potts and Happy arrived.
Seeing the wrecked scene, and Ivan Vanko effectively giving in under Aaron's foot, they quickly handed the suitcase to Tony.
Tony pressed a button, and the armor gradually covered his whole body—so impressive that even Aaron's eyes lit up.
With the Mark V now in place, Tony relaxed. Noticing Aaron's gaze, Tony suddenly blurted out, "I won!"
"???"
Aaron was too lazy to respond to Tony. Carrying Ivan Vanko like a dog in his left hand and holding Felicia in his right, he rose off the ground, defying gravity in front of the three astonished onlookers.
Tony could only lament inwardly: I'm so jealous… folks, I've lost again.
Wait!
It felt like there was something he forgot to ask.
"Hey, where's my anti-radiation serum?!"
Watching Aaron fly thousands of meters away, shrinking to nothing but a tiny dot, Tony gave up hope of getting an answer from him.
He'd figure something out when he got back.
Unexpectedly, Aaron's voice drifted back on the wind.
"Come find me tomorrow…"
"What the heck!! You heard that too?!"
"Mm!"
"Damn it, this is so frustrating!"
Tony was speechless.
Recalling the way Aaron had gazed "longingly" at the sun moments earlier, plus that searing heat vision, a terrifying thought popped into Tony's head.
"Jarvis, gather all the Superman comics you can find!"
"Tony?" Potts and Happy both looked confused.
"Think of all the red flags in my head—could Aaron be a god among men… Superman?!"
"What?!"
"Jarvis, immediately look up 'Krypton,' 'UFOs,' 'Kryptonite,' and so on. Also check around twenty-two years ago in the U.S.—no, make that worldwide—any possible foster families."
"Then investigate whoever publishes Superman comics. I want to acquire their company outright, and get the person in charge of the Superman series to Stark Industries, ASAP."
"At the same time, start planning a new suit of armor—designed specifically to counter…Superman's abilities!"
The more Tony thought about it, the more serious and frightening it got.
Super strength, super durability, super hearing, flight, x-ray vision, telescopic vision, heat vision…
—No matter how you look at it, you can't say they're unrelated. They match almost perfectly!
Could he also have a super brain? Freeze breath? Microscopic vision? Super stamina?
And is it possible he grows stronger every day just by absorbing sunlight?
Imagining one person with all those powers, Tony couldn't help but swear under his breath.
This is a huge problem.
In the DC universe, there's Batman—but in their universe, there's no such hero!
Would Tony have to put on a black suit and cosplay Bruce Wayne himself?
Well, maybe that's not entirely out of the question?
Seeing Tony so serious, Potts and Happy exchanged glances.
"Aaron is Superman?"
"He's…a god among mortals!!"
…
"W-who exactly are you?"
Ivan Vanko looked at Aaron, trembling with fear.
How long had it been?
Maybe half an hour?
They had flown from Monaco in Europe all the way to New York in the U.S.!
That's about 6,000 kilometers!
During the entire trip, Ivan had felt like his body was flying on ahead while his soul lagged behind.
Arriving here in a daze…
At least Mach 10!
He wasn't burned up, and his body hadn't been torn to pieces?
Muttering to himself, he said, "I'm… still alive?"
He glanced at Aaron, then over at Felicia, who looked just as stunned. A thought crossed his mind, and he blurted out:
"That just now—was that a biofield? You're Superman from Krypton?!"
"You've read Superman?"
Seeing Ivan dressed like a messy mechanic from the front lines, Aaron was somewhat surprised.
Ivan's brow twitched. Sure, he was a bit grimy and ugly, but that didn't mean he wasn't smart!
Before Ivan could answer, Aaron said, "I'm Aaron, not Clark. Of course, you can think of me as Superman if you want. As for Krypton…maybe I'll visit someday."
He was speaking honestly; maybe he really would swing by DC if given the chance.
As for whether or not he was Superman…honestly, even if he didn't admit it, people would still assume so.
He couldn't do anything like a Kryptonian 'biofield,' but using energy and magnetic fields, he could keep a normal person from spontaneously combusting at supersonic speeds.
"!!!"
So…you're admitting you're really Superman?!
There's a real Superman in the world?!
Ivan Vanko's eyes went wide. "If you're Superman, what do you want to do?!"
"Interested in working for me, at your usual trade."
"Fix cars?"
Aaron felt exasperated. "So you used to fix cars, but now you can build exoskeleton suits? Maybe I should send you to a steampunk world—you'd thrive there."
"Boss, you wanted me?"
Dr. Otto came jogging up at that moment.
"This is Ivan Vanko. He can build that early version of the Arc Reactor like Stark's. I'm leaving him in your hands."
He didn't give Ivan a chance to refuse, effectively deciding for him on the spot.
Ivan wanted to speak—he was here for revenge, not to be someone's workhorse—but Aaron brushed it aside:
"You're free to try making your own armor or inventing some new tech, but don't get out of line."
"Remember: no matter what you do, you won't escape my eyes."
"If you want revenge on Tony Stark, fine—but think carefully about whether you're strong enough first."
Having said his piece, Aaron left casually with Felicia.
Ivan glared resentfully at Aaron's departing figure and kept quiet.
"You've mastered the sun's power?" Dr. Otto didn't care about any of this; his face was filled with excitement.
Ivan was baffled. "The sun's power? You mean your boss?"
"Remember, I'm your boss now!"
Suddenly Otto's phone lit up, Aaron's familiar voice sounding through its speaker.
Both Otto and Ivan froze, especially the latter, who felt a chilly fear creeping over him.
How…did he do that?
Meanwhile, elsewhere:
Aaron arrived at the most secured lab in the company.
When the door opened, a woman rushed out.
"Oh God, I know I was wrong! Please don't keep me locked in here!"
Skye had already been confined for a whole day and night. She had food and water, but she was completely alone with nothing to do but dwell on her mistakes.
She went back over everything that had happened and realized she'd been used.
Whether it was the person who gave her the mission or the Rising Tide organization, they were all just using her as a pawn.
They'd taken advantage of her decent hacking ability, under the pretense of "protecting the public's right to know," to try to steal Oscorp's secrets.
She wasn't even an official member of the Rising Tide—just a freelance hacker. No one cared about her outcome. After all, the target here was the giant known as Oscorp. If she were discovered, there'd be relentless retaliation.
And the worst had come to pass.
Aaron's hacking ability exceeded all expectations—both hers and Rising Tide's.
As for Rising Tide, they might at least cut themselves off from the net for now.
But Skye…
"So, you admit you were wrong? How about compensating my company for the tens of millions you've cost us?"
Aaron chuckled. Did she really think just saying "I'm sorry" would fix everything?
If 'sorry' was all it took, why would we need the police?
Skye's face turned pale. Quietly, she said, "I can work for you?"
Aaron snorted. "Given your rough hacking skills, let's say I pay you ten thousand a month—that's a hundred and twenty thousand a year. Over a hundred years, that'd barely be twelve million. You'd have to work for me—no expenses—for four hundred sixteen years to repay billions."
"Then… what about an end-of-year bonus?" Skye ventured.
"All right, I'll be generous and round it off. Four hundred years."
Aaron didn't mince words, going straight to the point:
"Or let's make it simpler. Sign a contract selling yourself to me—assuming you live to be a hundred, that means only eighty years of labor, not four hundred. Sound good?"
Skye's expression changed drastically. Selling herself? Working eighty years? She'd just stepped out of school into the real world, only to land here?
No—this was worse than being just a workhorse!
"No! I won't!"
Aaron's brow furrowed. "You won't agree to that, so how do you plan to pay me back?"
"Are you saying you're going to stiff me on a few billion? That's my money—what do you think you are, some giant real estate group that can make the entire country cover your debts?"
Skye quickly racked her brains and tentatively offered, "What if… I marry you?"
"Huh?"
Aaron gave her a once-over. "I want an employee, and you want to schedule a wedding?"
Skye felt extremely awkward, but that was the only solution she could think of.
Yet she was worried…
"Skye, do you think I'm short on women? If I posted a notice online, the line of applicants would stretch all the way to Hollywood."
Skye nodded—she believed it.
"That's exactly why I'm worried," she muttered.
"I'm not lacking a wife. But you can be just another tree in the forest."
"Huh?" Skye was confused.
"Come here, let me inspect the goods. Let's discuss a multi-billion-dollar deal first."
!!!
Under Skye's shocked stare, Aaron pressed a button, revealing a hidden lounge. The large bed in the middle was impossible to miss.
"Are you scientists always this…indulgent?"
Three hours later…
Aaron walked out of the lab feeling refreshed. He'd just concluded a multi-billion-dollar "negotiation" with Skye, and the two had agreed to continue talks tomorrow.
He glanced back at the metal door as it slowly sealed itself. The whole thing felt vaguely like he'd just made a "supervisory arrangement" with a young woman.
Shaking his head,
Aaron checked the time. It was already 5:30. Time to clock out and head home!
Taking Felicia with him, he exited the building.
Norman was waiting there with good news:
"Boss, we've found the alien plant you told us to track down!"
Early the next morning…
Missouri.
Aaron, along with Felicia, Norman, and Helen Cho, got out of the car.
"This is the home of Peter Quill, the person you mentioned."
"In 1988, the house's owner, Meredith, passed away, and her eight-year-old son, Quill, mysteriously disappeared. Since then, nobody has lived here."
Aaron sized up the old house, gesturing for Norman to lead on.
Norman understood that Aaron wasn't particularly interested in the background, so he signaled to the group to continue.
"I hired thirty-seven private agencies to search this area around the clock, just as you asked."
"I specifically told them that if they found anything suspicious, they were not to interfere, but to report directly to us."
"One of them, Detective Agency 373, found what appears to be our target about three kilometers into the woods."
While explaining, Norman handed over some photographs.
Aaron only needed a single glance to confirm that this was the 'Celestial Flower' he'd been looking for!
It's a strange plant with an otherworldly shape; just seeing the vibrant coloration told you it wasn't terrestrial.
This was the seed—or a sort of 'avatar'—left behind on Earth by Ego, Star-Lord's father, a deviant member of the Celestials.
Don't be fooled by its seemingly delicate appearance.
In areas invisible to the naked eye, it digs its roots deep into the planet, staying dormant until it's activated. Once Ego channels Celestial power into it, it grows explosively, swallowing and annihilating all surface life.
Earth and human civilization would both be doomed.
"Based on our initial tests last night, this plant has a truly unique, highly potent genetic structure, completely unlike any Earthly life form."
"It appears to hold an immense amount of energy. Although it's dormant at the moment, even so, we can't analyze its composition more deeply."
"Also…it seems to be alive!"
Norman paused to choose his words. "It has consciousness!"
"I recommend that we continue to study it further. This could be a major opportunity for us—if we decipher its genes, it might change humanity once again!"
Felicia and Helen both looked stunned.
Helen Cho, especially, flipped through the initial data, reading every detail carefully.
Norman didn't seem to mind her disregard for rank; after all, she was basically glued to Aaron's side…
As for Norman's ambitious plan, Aaron simply shook his head.
"It might change humanity, sure—by turning everyone into fertilizer."
Norman froze. Seeing Aaron's cryptic half-smile, he had a feeling the boss knew a lot more about this than they did.
"Without my say-so, nobody's allowed to do any research on it."
"I don't want to wake up tomorrow to find myself the only human being left."
Aaron issued his instructions in a way that brooked no argument.
Anyway, no one else would get a chance to fool around with the Celestial Flower.
Because he intended to melt it down completely.
The power of a Celestial…
He was definitely curious.
He wondered what abilities he might gain by absorbing the Celestial Flower?
But knowing how these things worked, his hopes weren't too high.
Ego might be a Celestial, but in a very twisted sense—he's more like a malformed child among them.
He'd only lived for a few million years, basically still in the Celestials' equivalent of childhood, or so the story goes.
With these thoughts turning in his mind,
They arrived at the clearing in the woods where the Celestial Flower was located. A dozen or so people in white coats were busy working.
Aaron waved them away, then walked straight toward the Celestial Flower.
Beautiful—but deadly!
~~~
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