Chapter 9

Stark Tower

Howard Stark secretly created ten miniature energy cubes using the same method Dr. Zola of Hydra had employed. He placed them inside a coded box labeled with mysterious symbols, carried the box to the garage, and placed it in the trunk of his car. After standing there in deep thought for a while, he returned to his laboratory.

Not long after he arrived back, he felt a gust of wind. Turning around, he saw Adam, who looked a bit exhausted. Howard frowned slightly and asked, "Hmm? What happened?"

Adam took a sip of water and said, "Dad, you won't believe who I met today—a magician! And not the kind that performs tricks, but a real magician with supernatural powers."

Howard was momentarily stunned. "A magician? I didn't expect there to still be magicians around these days."

Adam was surprised. "Wait, Dad, you know about magicians?"

Howard nodded. "Yes, I do. You know my past work. During my time with S.H.I.E.L.D., I gained a new understanding of the world. But as far as I remember, magicians were supposed to be extinct. I didn't think any were left. But weren't you out rescuing people? How did you run into a magician?"

Adam explained, "There was a bank robbery earlier. After I knocked out all the robbers, I found that magician in the bank's vault. When I got there, he had just killed his own accomplice. But what puzzled me was that before entering the bank, I had scanned all the robbers using my X-ray vision and didn't notice anything unusual. Yet when I went back in, one of them had already become a magician."

Howard pondered for a moment. "Looks like he got his hands on something. Their real goal in robbing the bank was probably that magical artifact."

Adam nodded. "That makes sense. At first, I was confused about why someone so much stronger than me would run away in the end. But now I realize that he must have just gained his magic and wasn't familiar with using it. He ran to avoid being captured. If I had figured that out earlier, I might have caught him by now. No idea where he's run off to now."

Howard chuckled slightly. "Don't stress over it. Leave the rest to the police. For now, just get some rest and think about your next move later."

Adam nodded. "Alright, that works. Oh, by the way, Dad, aren't you heading back yet?"

Howard shook his head. "No, I still have some work to do. You go on ahead."

Adam shrugged. "Alright then. Goodnight!" With that, he left Stark Tower.

After Adam returned home, he went straight to bed. But for one particular organization, the events of that night caused a flurry of activity.

---

In an unremarkable building in Long Island, a secret underground facility was bustling with agents from the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division—S.H.I.E.L.D. They were analyzing intelligence gathered from the NYPD.

A tall, one-eyed Black man in a black leather trench coat—Nick Fury—examined the video footage in front of him and asked in a calm voice, "Still no clear information on their identities?"

A tech analyst shook his head. "No, sir. This is the clearest image we could retrieve."

He then projected two photos onto the large screen. One showed a mysterious figure in a dark blue bodysuit with an "S" embroidered on the chest, a dark red cape, and a black mask covering the area around his eyes. The other image showed a magician dressed in a long purple robe, wielding a staff. His face was hidden by the hood of his robe, making identification impossible.

At that moment, a striking woman with black hair, dressed in a black tactical uniform, walked in. She had an emotionless expression as she approached Fury. "Sir, I've gathered intel from the police department. The vigilante—who they're calling 'Shadow Knight'—rescued all the hostages and subdued the robbers. One of the robbers was killed, while another disappeared. The magician is likely the missing robber.

Additionally, nothing of monetary value was stolen from the bank—only a recently deposited ring is missing. I suspect the ring was a magical artifact, and the heist was orchestrated to obtain it."

Nick Fury nodded. "Good work, Agent Hill. This is useful intel. Now we need to find out who this 'Shadow Knight' really is."

Agent Maria Hill frowned. "Judging by his outfit, he's trying to be a superhero."

Fury nodded. "Seems that way."

Hill, skeptical of superheroes, asked, "What should we do now? Should we make contact?"

Fury shook his head. "We don't know if he's a mutant or what his real intentions are. Let's observe for now. Also, have the intel team keep an eye on that magician."

Hill thought for a moment and said, "Maybe we should share this with Professor X's team. They might be able to determine if Shadow Knight is a mutant."

Fury narrowed his eyes. "Since you suggested it, I'll leave it in your hands. And don't suppress information about Shadow Knight. If we let his story spread, certain 'rats' might reveal themselves."

Hill was taken aback. "You mean… those people?"

Fury nodded. "Yes. If we can't find them, we'll make them come to us."

Hill nodded in understanding. "Got it." With that, she turned and left.

---

Because S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't suppress the news, by the next morning, nearly every media outlet in New York was reporting on the mysterious new superhero.

"Urban Legends—Shadow Knight Is Real!"

"A Superhero Appears?"

These headlines dominated newsstands all over the city. In just one night, the mysterious hero Shadow Knight became even more famous than most celebrities.

---

Adam had spent the night at Howard's private estate. The next morning, he was abruptly woken up by Tony Stark, who looked unusually excited.

Rubbing his eyes, Adam asked, "Hey, man, what's going on?"

Tony grinned and waved a newspaper in front of him. "Oh, just look at this! 'Mysterious Superhero Shadow Knight Saves Bank Hostages!' Isn't this exciting?"

Adam sighed. "Alright, what are you trying to say?"

Tony smirked. "Your outfit is pretty cool, but why a bodysuit and a cape? Isn't that inconvenient?"

Adam shrugged. "Dad gave it to me. He said it would help conceal my identity. There's also a black version, but when you'll get it is up to him."

Tony's eyes lit up. "So that's the 'gift' he was talking about! But why would he make me a suit? I don't have powers or anything."

Adam smirked. "Think about it. He worries about your safety, so he made you a protective suit."

Tony laughed. "Heh, well, that old man always frowns whenever he sees me, like I owe him money or something."

Adam grinned. "That's because he's afraid you'll become too arrogant."

Tony scoffed. "Then why does he always praise you? Isn't he afraid you'll get cocky?"

Adam smirked. "Come on, I'm Adam Stark. There's no way I'd let a little success go to my head."

***

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