Kamen Rider ZZZ, the American comic book spiritual mentor

The inside and outside are completely different worlds: huge floor-to-ceiling windows, silver-gray and red decorations, and a large wine cabinet in the living room filled with fine wines.

The indoor air conditioning controls the temperature and humidity perfectly, making it very comfortable as soon as you enter.

Tony Stark stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows in the living room.

He wasn't wearing Iron Man armor or a suit; he was just wearing a dark gray shirt and ordinary jeans, looking like an ordinary person, holding a wine glass casually.

He turned around when he heard someone come in.

His face no longer wore that cynical smile; instead, he scrutinized the three people who entered with sharp eyes.

The way he looked at Lin Nan was quite strange, as if he were comparing her to someone from his memory.

Tony asked with a hint of amusement, "Knight? Not wearing your armor? Why are you covering your face?"

Lin Nan said calmly, "I'm just used to it."

Tony Stark nodded, not asking any further questions, and instead turned his gaze to Wanda and Pietro.

Wanda gripped Pietro's arm tightly, her posture somewhat wary. Pietro patted her hand, straightened his back, and looked quite confident.

After a few glances, Jarvis's voice came through the miniature earpiece: "Sir, these two have very high energy readings; they are not ordinary people."

Tony understood and asked:

"These are the two kids you rescued from Hydra? You value them so much that you went all that way to get them yourself?"

Lin Nan nodded: "Their abilities are very powerful and can be used to protect more people, but they need some guidance."

You have to maintain your persona at all times, after all, this is a superhero world.

Tony nodded, put down his wine glass, and gestured for everyone to sit down in front of the sofa: "Please sit down and have a good chat."

Lin Nan gestured for Wanda and Pietro to sit down, while he himself took a seat on the single sofa opposite Tony.

Happy, with great professionalism, left the room and closed the door tightly.

Tony pulled out two glasses from below, filled them with whiskey, handed one to Lin Nan, and took a sip of the other, seemingly organizing his thoughts.

"Knight, you know what? I've been investigating your information these past few days. What's really interesting is that even S.H.I.E.L.D. can't definitively confirm your identity. I don't know if they've partnered with you or what, but on the surface..."

"At this point, we've only confirmed one spokesperson: Lin Nan, a high school student from Zhongcheng High School."

"They say the Cavaliers are a team, but I think the Cavaliers are just one person, and that is you in front of me."

Lin Nan's heart stirred slightly. This legendary genius cursed by knowledge was indeed extraordinary. He remained silent, waiting for what was to come.

Tony leaned back on the sofa, his gaze fixed on Lin Nan's face, which shimmered with an aura of power, and slowly said, "Can I see your face? I swear on Stark's honor, I will never let this slip out."

Lin Nan's heart stirred, and the aura on his face dissipated, revealing a young and handsome Eastern face.

"It really was you!" Tony's voice suddenly rose. "High school student Lin Nan and the Knight are the same person. I guessed right. I have something very interesting to show you."

"what?"

Tony didn't answer directly, but pulled a photo out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

Lin Nan was horrified when he saw it.

Because in this faded old photo, there are two young people standing with their arms around each other, looking very close.

They were in a workshop filled with various experimental equipment. The man on the left had a neatly trimmed mustache, a hearty smile, and was full of vigor; he was none other than the young Howard Stark.

The young man standing next to Howard was wearing a black trench coat. His face was slightly blurred due to the age of the film, but his aura and the contours of his features were still evident...

It was clearly a mature version of Lin Nan!!

Lin Nan felt as if a muffled thunderclap had exploded in her heart, and goosebumps rose all over her body, making her scalp tingle and her hair stand on end.

Am I really Howard's friend? How come I didn't know that?! Damn, this is insane, what kind of universe is this?!

Tony observed his expression and said with mixed feelings, "This was found in an old photo of my father. I found this photo a few days ago when I was sorting through his old things, and I also found the note he left on the back."

As he spoke, Tony flipped the photo over.

On the back of the photo was written: "To my forever best friend Howard."

Tony looked up and stared directly at Lin Nan, his gaze complex, his tone carrying a hint of intimacy: "Mr. Knight, are you the person in the photo?"

Lin Nan remained silent for a moment, then finally shook her head: "No."

Tony laughed, a hearty laugh: "Old man, still won't admit it, interesting."

Lin Nan didn't know how to explain it to him; he wasn't even sure if he was Howard's good friend.

How could he have been arm in arm with Howard so many years ago? Damn, time travel hadn't happened yet!

Besides, if this person existed, wouldn't S.H.I.E.L.D. know about him?

Lin Nan's thoughts were in a state of confusion, so she chose to remain silent and was completely unable to answer.

Seeing that he wouldn't admit it, Tony Stark didn't press the matter and changed the subject: "You asked me to bring you over, is there anything I can help you with?"

Lin Nan took a deep breath and calmed down: "Give them a completely new identity, and Hydra won't give up on them easily. S.H.I.E.L.D. is no longer clean."

“In comparison, you are trustworthy and capable of doing these things. It would be even better if you could help them train their self-control.”

Tony didn't think much of it and nodded directly: "Leave it to me, consider it repaying a favor to you, but I still want to ask you a question."

"What?"

"Is my father, Howard Stark, still alive?"

Lin Nan shook her head: "To be honest, I don't know either."

Tony stared into his eyes for a long time, and finally said with a hint of self-deprecation, "You know what, it's only now that I've suddenly realized that I've never really understood him."

"You can rest assured that these two children will be taken care of. I will arrange for them to have new legal status, safe and comfortable housing, and strong educational resources and training programs."

"However, I have one condition!"

"You said."

"If the world faces any crisis, I need you to stand up and fight, not to hide in the shadows and give orders."

Lin Nan nodded solemnly: "Yes, Tony."

Tony didn't say anything more, stood up, and said, "You can go first. Leave these two kids with me. I'll contact you if anything comes up."

"Thanks, Tony."

He waved his hand coolly, indicating that he was welcome.

Lin Nan stood up and then noticed that Wanda's gaze was full of unease and longing.

He stopped and said softly, "Follow Mr. Stark. We'll come to pick you up once things have settled down."

Wanda nodded obediently: "Okay, I'll listen to you."

Pietro nodded and asked, "Lin Nan, is that your name?"

Lin Nan nodded: "Yes, my name is Lin Nan."

He pushed open the door and went out, only to find Happy waiting outside. The two exchanged a glance and nodded, which served as a greeting.

Lin Nan went outside, and it was already bright outside, with people and cars bustling about.

He took a deep breath, his mind racing. The impact of that photo on him was just too great. What on earth was going on?

I initially thought Tony Stark's belief that he was his father's friend was just a wonderful misunderstanding, but now it seems that it might actually be true.

As for the authenticity of that photo, Lin Nan never doubted it. The proud Iron Man wouldn't lie about something like that.

Chapter 82 Two-Star Impact King

After leaving the apartment, Lin Nan finally managed to suppress the turmoil in her heart after a long time. Regardless of how her photo ended up next to the young Howard, at least for the current situation, the benefits outweighed the drawbacks, so she didn't need to think about it for the time being.

Back in his Queens apartment, as he lay in bed, the numbers on his right wrist began to jump wildly: [Causality +100, +50, +230, +140, +320...]

Current causality value: 1704/1000

The operation that saved the twins has doubled the karmic value, giving us not only another chance to draw it, but also bringing us closer to the next karmic value!

It's a pleasant surprise to receive so much causal value, but it makes sense when you think about it. Scarlet Witch in her final form is a cosmic-level powerhouse, so changing her fate would naturally result in a high causal value.

Furthermore, this time it involves Hydra, Wolverine, Professor X, and so on, so many causal relationships seem to make sense.

However, the fact that so many causal values ​​are assigned indicates that Lin Nan's actions have a huge impact on this universe, and the subsequent plot development may undergo significant changes. In other words, his advantage of having foresight about the plot is diminishing.

Thinking of this, Lin Nan smiled nonchalantly. As long as he was strong enough, he could smash anything that came his way with one punch. What was there to fear about change!

Dream Capsule!

Lin Nan was very solemn this time because the battle in New York was coming soon, and having a powerful form would make things much easier.

He focused his consciousness on that link deep within his mind and gently touched it.

The gashapon machine burst out with red, green, and blue light, which flowed like a marquee. Then, a portion of the red and blue light merged together, creating a purple ball that then began to spin!

Purple! If I remember correctly, purple represents the power of laws; any one of them is extraordinary!

But the gashapon machine's light continued to change, and a yellow light appeared as the red and green colors merged, making Lin Nan even more excited!

The yellow form is undeniably powerful; whether it's plasma or thrusters, it can send most enemies spinning like tops.

He was hoping for a powerful mode, and the gashapon machine seemed to understand his call. The five colors merged and finally turned into a red ball!

With a click, a red dream capsule appeared at the shipping port.

Lin Nan was dumbfounded. Red? Is it another power related to the body?

He held it in his palm and examined it carefully. He was shocked to see that it was another physical impact capsule!

Lin Nan clearly remembered that the Dream Capsule could be upgraded to a two-star physical impact form, known in the martial arts world as the Little Calamity, and its power was more than doubled.

not bad!

He was secretly delighted and took out the other dream capsule, placing it together with the other capsule.

Two chibi-style figures from the dream capsules jumped out, hugged each other, and merged into a larger, more arrogant figure that kept waving its fists. The dream capsules also merged into one.

Lin Nan picked up the two-star impactor and held it in his hand, feeling the power within. It was more than three or four times greater than before. This pure sense of power was so exhilarating.