Courtyard House: Initial Donation of 50 Million

The neon lights of Times Square in New York flowed through Wang Huanbo's eyes. He stood in front of the Burger King counter, his handmade Zhongshan suit standing out awkwardly among a group of hip-hop teenagers on the bustling streets of New York.

Wang Huanbo was dressed in a sharp, dark gray Zhongshan suit, the fabric exquisite and the cut perfect, exuding an old-fashioned yet composed air. He looked up at the brightly colored menu lightbox, his gaze landing precisely on the "Whopper Series".

"Ten cheeseburgers, double pickles." He tapped on the glass counter. "Fries freshly fried, Coke with ice."

The clerk stared blankly at the hundred-dollar bill he handed her: "Sir...the portrait on this bill seems a bit off?"

Below Franklin's portrait in the corner of the banknote is the year of issue, 1943. Wang Huanbo, without changing his expression, said, "It's an heirloom from my family, and it's been certified by the Federal Reserve."

"Sir, this..." The clerk held the banknote under the counterfeit money detector light and examined it repeatedly. The year 1942 was clearly visible in the anti-counterfeiting watermark.

"Wartime Special Edition." Wang Huanbo tapped the counter with his knuckles, the steel watch strap making a crisp sound against the surface. He recalled the Strategic Scientific Corps office in Brooklyn, filled with the aroma of coffee, and the raised eyebrow of Peggy Carter as she slapped his paycheck into his hand. Seventy years had solidified into a pale yellow crease on the banknote.

The shop assistant took the money with some suspicion, and secretly pressed the alarm button as he turned away.

Wang Huanbo seemed oblivious to her gaze, waiting quietly. His thoughts had already drifted to the Middle Eastern desert thousands of miles away. Pepper Potts's anxious voice seemed to still echo in his ears: "...Tony's last signal before he disappeared was in that area! Mr. Wang, please, you must find him!" He could almost imagine the miserable state Tony Stark, that proud and picky guy, would be in inside the terrorists' cave. Hunger? With that guy's spoiled attitude, that would probably be worse than being beaten up.

Cheeseburgers… Wang Huanbo recalled Tony's obsession with burgers after being rescued in the movie. He'd consider it a small gift for his soon-to-be-met "nephew." Hopefully, these ten burgers would soothe his battered stomach and wounded pride.

"Sir, your meal is ready." The waiter's voice interrupted his thoughts. Two huge, bulging paper bags were pushed over, and the rich aroma of cheese and beef wafted out.

Wang Huanbo thanked him, picked up a heavy paper bag in one hand, turned and walked out of the fast food restaurant. The afternoon sun was a bit dazzling, so he squinted slightly, quickly walked through the bustling crowd, and turned into a quiet, deserted alley.

Wang Huanbo picked up the bulging paper bag and walked into the alley, the surveillance camera silently rotating above his head.

"Nick Fury's henchmen are more diligent than cockroaches," he sneered. After confirming no one was around, he subtly moved his mind. The two enormous paper bags in his hands, exuding the aroma of food, vanished instantly, stored in an invisible personal space. From the halo of light within the space emerged a custom-made suit gifted by Howard, its cashmere fabric shimmering with a pearly gray sheen under the moonlight. A neatly folded dark blue suit appeared in his hand. The fabric was exquisite, the tailoring perfect, and on the inside of the lapel, an inconspicuous tag bore the handwritten initials "HS"—Howard Stark.

As he ripped off the buttons of his Zhongshan suit, police sirens sounded from the alleyway.

Wang Huanbo glanced down at his impeccably tailored Zhongshan suit. This outfit might have only drawn attention in Brooklyn during Captain America: The First Avenger, but in Manhattan, New York in 2008, especially under the watchful eye of Nick Fury, the cunning old fox of S.H.I.E.L.D., it was like a beacon in the night. "Damn it!" His eyes and ears were everywhere, and he didn't want any unnecessary complications before successfully rescuing Tony.

He deftly removed his Zhongshan suit, revealing a close-fitting black tactical vest underneath. He then quickly changed into a bespoke suit that Howard had given him years ago. Surprisingly, the suit fit him perfectly, accentuating his tall and slender figure and giving him a more modern and sophisticated air, rather than the usual Eastern elegance.

The moment he finished changing, two men in black suits emerged from behind a trash can at the alley entrance. Wang Huanbo darted into the shadows of the fire escape, his nylon Zhongshan suit slipping down, revealing the three-piece suit Howard had custom-made on Savile Row that clung to his lean frame. As the wool blend brushed against his collarbone, he vaguely heard the slicked-back man in the laboratory in 1938, raising a glass and laughing: "Wang, this cut is a perfect match for your 'Shadowless Kick'!"

The Beta Wand shone white light in his palm, and the moment the original Ultra Armor covered his entire body, the two agents who rushed into the alley were thrown over by the blast wave. The silver-white figure broke through the neon light curtain, and the sonic boom cloud exploded in a ring-shaped ripple in the night sky.

Almost at the same moment Wang Huanbo took off, a piercing alarm suddenly blared without warning in the radar monitoring center deep underground at an air force base in the United States!

"Report! Unidentified high-speed flying object detected! Bearing XXX, altitude XXXXX, speed... Mach 3! Still accelerating!" A radar operator stared at the bright spot that suddenly appeared on the screen and was crossing the American continent at an astonishing speed, his voice trembling with shock.

"Mach 3?! What model? F-22? Or an experimental aircraft?" The duty officer rushed over, his face grave.

"Unidentified! Signal characteristics...never seen before! Not any known aircraft!" The operator's fingers flew across the control panel, attempting to lock onto the target. "Attempted radar lock...lock failed! Target...target signal disappeared!"

On the screen, the dot representing the Mach 3 high-speed object vanished abruptly, as if erased, just as it was about to be locked on. No matter how the operator adjusted the radar parameters and expanded the search area, no further abnormal signals appeared on the screen.

"Disappeared? How is that possible?" The officer frowned. "Is it a malfunction? Or... stealth technology?"

The operator wiped the cold sweat from his brow, repeatedly checking the equipment: "All systems are functioning normally... Sir, the target signal disappeared the instant it was locked on, as if... as if it knew we were locking onto it and then instantly blocked all detection signals..."

The officer stared at the now-calm radar screen, remained silent for a few seconds, and finally waved his hand: "Record it, labeled 'Unidentified Radar Anomaly Signal,' Level C. Notify other radar stations to be on the lookout for similar situations. For now... just assume it's an equipment malfunction." A shadow fell over him; this speed, this bizarre way of disappearing... was far from ordinary.

High in the sky, Wang Huanbo felt the slight vibrations from the armor tearing through the air. The holographic interface before him clearly showed that the radar lock-on alarm had been lifted. He breathed a slight sigh of relief. The all-around shielding field formed by Ultraman's will was remarkably effective.

"Red Queen, target location confirmed," he ordered in his mind.

"The target location has been confirmed. Based on the coordinates of the last distress signal provided by Ms. Pepper Potts, combined with analysis of historical video data, the cave where Tony Stark is being held is located in eastern Afghanistan, on the southern slope of the Hindu Kush Mountains. The coordinates have been marked." The Red Queen's cool voice responded, and at the same time, a precise three-dimensional topographic map unfolded in Wang Huanbo's field of vision, with a striking red dot flashing deep in the valley.

Wang Huanbo adjusted his direction, and the tail of the armored vehicle emitted an even brighter blue-white flame. The speed increased again, and like a silver-red meteor, it broke the silence of the stratosphere and sped towards the distant and desolate mountains of Afghanistan.

Below lie slumbering towns and vast farmlands; in the distance, the outlines of rolling mountains rise. And deep within those mountains, in a dark, unknown cave, a life-or-death rescue race against time and a brilliant counterattack are quietly reaching their most crucial moment.

Over Afghanistan, tens of kilometers from the target valley.

The first-generation Ultra Armor sped across the sky like a silver lightning bolt, reaching a terrifying speed of Mach 3. Below lay a vast and desolate landscape of undulating, barren hills, their yellowish-brown hue blinding under the midday sun, resembling the surface of Mars.

"Red Queen, target location confirmed." Wang Huanbo's voice came through the armor's built-in communicator.

"Target location signal strength is stable, coordinates locked. Straight-line distance to target valley is 58 kilometers. Estimated arrival time: 1 minute 42 seconds," Red Queen's calm electronic voice responded.

Wang Huanbo felt a little relieved. He imagined Tony's current situation—weak, in pain, but undoubtedly racking his brains for a way to escape. He hoped that the ten cheeseburgers and iced cola would offer some solace to his nephew's battered mind and body.

suddenly!

"Warning! Severe convective weather detected ahead! A high-density dust storm is forming! Covering the target area!" Red Queen's alarm suddenly became urgent.

Wang Huanbo's heart skipped a beat, and his optical lenses instantly switched to farsightedness and thermal imaging mode. A massive, brownish-yellow "wall" was sweeping in at an alarming speed along the horizon! Gale-force winds whipped up millions of tons of sand and dust, forming a terrifying sand wall hundreds of meters high, engulfing everything in its path like a tsunami! Lightning flashed and thunder roared within the sandstorm, and visibility instantly plummeted to freezing!

"Damn it!" Wang Huanbo cursed under his breath. Forcing their way in under such extreme weather conditions could not only affect the armor's sophisticated sensing systems, but also cause them to miss the target valley due to poor visibility, or even crash headlong into the mountainside!

"Red Queen, calculate the escape route! Lower your altitude and attempt to pass under the sandstorm!"

"Route calculation in progress... Warning! The sandstorm covers a large area and is moving too fast. The turbulence below is severe. The risk of forcibly crossing is 87%! It is recommended to immediately climb to a higher altitude and get out of the sandstorm's influence area!"

"Climbing will expose us to more radar detection and waste time!" Wang Huanbo frowned. Tony's situation was unclear, and he could be in danger at any moment; he couldn't afford to delay!

Just as he was weighing the pros and cons, the Ultra Armor plunged headlong into the edge of the sandstorm!

boom--!

It felt like crashing into a solid wall! A violent gust of air, carrying countless grains of sand, pounded against the armored shell like millions of bullets! A sharp, screeching sound instantly filled Wang Huanbo's auditory sensors! His vision blurred, the optical lenses were clogged with sand and dust, and radar and infrared detection were severely hampered, causing the screen to flicker with static!

The armor began to shake violently, like a small boat in a raging storm! Wang Huanbo immediately increased the engine output power and tried to stabilize the vehicle.

"Power output is stable! External armor is slightly worn! Optical system is obstructed, visibility is less than 50 meters! We recommend immediate evacuation!" Red Queen continued to report the damage.

"No! The target is right ahead!" Wang Huanbo gritted his teeth and turned the power of the Ultraman Barrier to its maximum, forming a more powerful energy shield to isolate the impact of the sand and electromagnetic interference as much as possible. At the same time, he forcibly lowered his altitude, trying to fly close to the undulating hills and use the terrain to avoid the fiercest winds.

The enormous, silver-red figure struggled through the dark, sandstorm, like a giant trudging through a swamp. Its speed was forced to drop below subsonic.

Suddenly, the Red Queen's alarm sounded again: "Ground heat source detected! 3 kilometers away, southeast! Not a natural heat source, suspected to be a vehicle engine!"

Wang Huanbo's spirits lifted! Vehicles still operating in this awful weather were most likely a patrol team from the Ten Commandments Gang! Following them might lead them to the base!

He immediately changed direction and flew towards the heat source signal. The Ultraman's mental barrier was activated at full power, minimizing the armor's presence.

Soon, through the gaps in the swirling yellow sand, Wang Huanbo spotted his target—two dilapidated pickup trucks, equipped with heavy machine guns, struggling against the fierce wind along a dry riverbed. Several armed men, bundled up tightly and clutching AK rifles, sat in the truck beds.

"Lock onto the target, maintain distance and follow," Wang Huanbo ordered. Like a silent falcon, he circled above the sandstorm, closely following the two pickup trucks.

The pickup truck bumped along in the sandstorm for about twenty minutes before finally turning into an extremely secluded mountain pass. Towering cliffs on either side of the pass formed a natural barrier, significantly reducing the sandstorm's intensity.

Wang Huanbo hovered in mid-air, his optical lenses piercing through the thin sand and dust, clearly seeing the scene deep in the valley—a huge cave entrance built against the mountain, with obvious traces of artificial excavation! Sandbag fortifications and a watchtower were set up at the entrance, and several armed guards patrolled back and forth at the cave entrance.

Found it! The cave base where Tony is being held!

The Afghan night wind whipped up sand and lashed against the Ottoman armor visor as Wang Huanbo hovered a thousand meters in the air. Faint lights shone from the scattered caves in the valley, and at one of the cave entrances sat a pickup truck loaded with Stark Industries missiles. In the thermal imaging view, two figures with guns were dozing inside a cave, while deeper inside, a heat source appeared as a human figure huddled beside a metal platform.

As the sandstorm stirred up by the descent engulfed the cave entrance, the guard had just raised his AK-47 to his chest. Wang Huanbo's right hand, wielding the Demon Blade Thousand Blades, suddenly split open, unleashing thirty-six cold rays of light. The fragments of the Demon Blade Thousand Blades swarmed into the rock wall like a bee, the blades forming a cage that trapped the guard in place. From the depths of the cave came Ethan's terrified scream, followed by Tony's hoarse curse: "Damn it! What the hell is it this time?"

The iron gate twisted like a pretzel under the Ultraman Gauntlet, and Wang Huanbo stepped in, his footsteps piercing the metal. Welding tools were scattered on the workbench, and the blue light from the reactor on Tony's chest illuminated his oil-stained face, as well as the hamburger paper bag that had suddenly appeared in Wang Huanbo's hand.

"A cheeseburger?" Tony's Adam's apple bobbed, his greasy fingers hovering in mid-air. "And who the hell are you...?"

A warm paper bag was stuffed into his arms, and condensation from the Coke cup dripped onto the leg armor of the Mark 1 armor. Wang Huanbo turned and swung his arm, the particle cannon of the Ultra Armor blasting down an entire rock wall, moonlight mixed with dust pouring into the cave. "Your father often said," his voice, metallic through the armor, "that you need to be well-fed to have the strength to fight."