Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Aftermath

The battle was over.

"Ugh!" Colonel Rhodes groaned as he forcefully pulled the spear from his right shoulder. He turned to Tony Stark, only to find the Iron Man staring intently at the mangled corpse on the floor, his expression unreadable.

"Never thought I'd see the day when one of your employees would throw themselves in harm's way for you, you heartless capitalist," Rhodes said with a pained grin, struggling to his feet.

"He wasn't my employee," Tony replied, leaning on Pepper for support as he stood up. He flipped the body over, revealing the ID badge on the suit's chest. "He was… just an intern."

***

"A-Luo, A-Luo, wake up… come on, wake up." A clear, feminine voice called out.

"Ugh…" Fu Qinghai's consciousness was hazy. He felt like he was lying in bed, his vision filled with yellow spots and a shadowy figure. Someone was shaking his shoulders vigorously.

"A-Luo, are you awake?" The voice's owner finally stopped shaking him.

Fu Qinghai blinked a few times, his vision slowly clearing. In front of him was a young woman with an oval face and chestnut-colored short hair. Her eyes were a deep blue, like the lagoons of a Pacific atoll, and her skin had a healthy, light honey tone. Her short hair was slightly wavy, and her nose was delicately upturned.

Seeing Fu Qinghai still in a daze, the girl shook him again. "A-Luo, what's wrong? Did you hit your head or something?"

{Welcome to the Reincarnation World: Warhammer 40K Universe - SSS Level.}

The familiar cold voice echoed in Fu Qinghai's mind, jolting him awake.

{Due to your death in the previous reincarnation world, you have been granted a new identity. Automatic skill loading: High Gothic Proficiency, Low Gothic Proficiency.}

{You have been randomly assigned to a faction: The Imperium Faction.}

{Begin your Reincarnation adventure!}

Just as Fu Qinghai was regaining his senses, a sharp pain shot through his head, overwhelming him. His eyes rolled back, and he passed out again.

***

Marvel Cinematic Universe, Earth, New York City, Stark Tower, Top Floor.

Tony Stark sat at his desk, his right hand resting on his chin as he stared intently at the computer screen in front of him.

Happy Hogan, his portly driver and assistant, walked over and placed a file on the desk. "Tony, we've confirmed it. His identity was real, but his education and internship records were forged."

"Forged?" Tony looked up briefly before turning his attention back to the screen.

"So, Tony, what exactly happened that day? Did you figure out who those people were?" Steve Rogers, dressed in civilian clothes, approached and asked in a serious tone.

Seeing that Tony seemed too absorbed in the screen to answer, Pepper stepped forward to explain.

"Captain, based on our analysis, the group included an alien who could turn invisible and used melee weapons. He infiltrated Stark Tower first and killed a security guard on the first floor."

"Then, a group of mercenaries stormed the lobby. They had military-grade firepower and were highly skilled. They caused chaos and explosions on the lower floors to draw our attention. When we received the alert, Tony and Colonel Rhodes suited up and went down to investigate. During the chaos, the invisible alien used a security guard's keycard to reach the 45th floor and infiltrated the top floor to take me hostage."

"During the fight, the white-haired man, who seemed to be a mutant, fought Tony and Rhodes single-handedly, and with me as a hostage, they couldn't fight at full strength. In the end, they were defeated."

Meanwhile, Tony Stark seemed indifferent to the conversation behind him. He was focused on the screen, where a surveillance video was playing on a loop.

In the video, a young Asian man in a suit sat on a couch in a small room, speaking confidently.

"Finally," the young man concluded, "I deeply admire and respect Mr. Tony Stark. That's why I chose Stark Industries right after graduating."

"Almost every applicant is a fan of Mr. Stark," the middle-aged white woman across from him replied with a dismissive smile.

Tony Stark watched the video in silence, his brow furrowed, lost in thought.

***

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