When Alex returned to New York,
The storm was still raging.
Night had fallen, and the city that never slept seemed to have finally drifted off into silence.
High above the sleeping streets, Alex sprinted across the rooftop toward his safe house.
He had already changed out of the blood-soaked, torn clothes from his earlier battle and into a fresh set. The rain and wind pounded him, but they couldn't slow him down. He was fast—unnaturally fast.
Having just dismantled HYDRA's strike force, his spirits were lifted. His thoughts now shifted inward.
He had acquired spider-like abilities.
But these powers were still in their infancy. His current strength capped at 15 tons—far from the hundreds-of-tons benchmark that marked the peak of his potential.
He had work to do.
To unlock that potential, he needed rigorous, high-intensity training. He needed to push his muscle fibers to the limit, break them, and rebuild stronger.
That meant heavy resistance training—loading his muscles to their max. Human muscles could only grow denser, not increase in fiber count. But with repeated damage and sufficient protein intake, muscle fibers could regenerate, thicken, and grow stronger.
His muscles weren't ordinary. They could hold more explosive power and withstand harsher strain. The ceiling of his potential was unimaginably high.
Through cycles of destruction and regeneration, his body would evolve.
Interestingly, even as his muscles grew in strength, they would stop expanding in size, merely increasing in mass and density. He wouldn't look freakish—just powerful. Lean, fast, and deadly.
That was the edge he had over ordinary people.
So he planned his routine: relentless overload training, and non-stop nutrient intake.
Ordinary workout gear? Useless.
He'd need equipment built for superhumans.
But that wasn't all on his mind.
There was also the strange, enhanced little spider he had accidentally created.
Clearly, it had undergone some kind of gene-induced metamorphosis. It wasn't just strong—it was smart.
Alex planned to examine it closely. What gene combination had caused the mutation? What were its limits? Did it have other abilities?
On top of his spider powers, he had also acquired Wolverine's healing factor.
With that, he was no longer vulnerable. He was ready.
It was time to begin the Superman Project.
There were no Supermen in this world. No templates to follow. No DNA to borrow.
He would have to build himself from the ground up. Create a true Superman. A Silver Superman. A god among mortals—within the Marvel universe.
It wouldn't be easy. It would take research, planning, and time.
Step one: shape his body into Superman's prototype. Study others with superhuman traits. Compare. Analyze. Extract.
Eventually, he would collect abilities that resembled Superman's. But they'd be fragmented—isolated.
To truly become a Superman, he'd need to integrate them. Fuse all abilities into one seamless system—a living, breathing ecosystem of power.
Each ability would support, enhance, and amplify the others. Like organs in a body. Like gears in a machine.
Once unified, his power would snowball. Upgrade. Evolve.
That would be the moment Superman was born.
Along the way, he'd address Superman's traditional weaknesses—magic, for instance. He would strengthen his magical resistance. Maybe even master it.
The goal: a Superman without flaws. With infinite growth potential.
This would be his life's mission. But side quests—like interesting tech, breakthroughs, or powers—would always be welcome.
His first step: acquire an indestructible physique.
Target: Luke Cage. Known for his unbreakable skin and immense durability. Associated with Daredevil and Iron Fist.
As Alex sprinted through the storm toward Hell's Kitchen, his legs pushed off the rooftop with brutal strength. He leapt building to building, but fatigue was catching up. Some buildings were too far apart—forcing him to detour.
"This is annoying," he muttered. "Swinging through the city really is the best way."
"If there's a point to latch onto, you can get anywhere fast."
"And Spider-Man's webs? So versatile. For combat. For restraining enemies. Definitely worth building."
Inside the safe house...
Klaue and his daughter, Elizabeth, had already cleaned up and treated their wounds.
The place had been reinforced and redesigned by Alex himself.
Only Alex had access to the basement, where he stored sensitive research. Klaue respected that—it was Alex's domain, after all.
Elizabeth huddled near a space heater, wrapped in a thick blanket. Klaue brought her some hot herbal medicine.
"Drink this, Liz," he said gently. "You were out in the rain too long. This'll help."
She sipped slowly, her face still pale.
"Big brother… when will you come back?" she asked hoarsely.
Klaue looked out into the rain, unsure. "Soon, I think…"
But in truth, he had no idea. The HYDRA battle was massive. It felt hopeless—like a war no one could win.
Just then—
Crack!
The window blew open, rain roaring in.
Klaue grabbed his gun instinctively.
A figure slipped inside.
Strange clothes. Soaked to the bone. Unrecognizable at first.
Then came Elizabeth's joyful cry: "Big brother, you're back!"
Klaue realized—it was Alex, in new gear.
Elizabeth rushed forward to hug him, but Alex pressed a finger to her forehead.
"I'm drenched. No hugs."
She pouted, "Okay…"
Klaue gave Alex a huge, relieved hug.
"You're back! You're okay! Thank God," he said, inspecting Alex. "Any injuries?"
Alex shook his head. "Not a scratch."
Elizabeth ran over and hugged his leg anyway, smiling up at him.
Klaue chuckled. "Good. That's all that matters."
He added seriously, "No need to fight them head-on. HYDRA's too strong. It's okay to fall back."
Alex replied calmly, "They won't be coming for you anytime soon."
"I destroyed the main strike force. Strucker took a heavy loss."
Klaue stared in disbelief.
"You… took them out?"
Alex nodded, drying off Elizabeth and wrapping her in a new blanket.
"I'm going to shower," he said, then disappeared upstairs.
Klaue stood there, stunned.
"He wiped out HYDRA's army…"
It sounded insane. But Klaue knew Alex wasn't one to brag or lie.
He believed him.
And when he remembered the blinding speed Alex showed earlier, it started to make sense.
"Godlike," he whispered. "He's really… godlike."
A smile crept onto his face. "I knew it. I picked the right guy to bet on."
He shut the window and returned to the warm glow of the stove.
Alex came back downstairs, freshly washed, the smell of blood mostly gone.
Elizabeth was asleep in Klaue's arms.
"Let's take her upstairs," Alex said softly.
Klaue nodded. "I was just about to."
As they carried her up, Alex added, "Tomorrow, I'll perform surgery on Elizabeth. I'll cure her heart condition—and her asthma."
Claude froze. Eyes wide.
"You… what?"
"I have a mature plan," Alex said. "She'll be fine."
Klaue's tough exterior cracked. Tears welled in his eyes.
"Thank you, brother," he whispered, voice breaking.
"She's my whole world."
Alex simply said, "I like Little Liz too."
Then he descended into the basement.
Klaue wiped his eyes, looked down at his sleeping daughter, and smiled.
The heater flickered gently.
In its warmth, the smile on his face glowed softly.
Downstairs, Alex powered on his computer.
He opened a file:
"Web Shooter: Theory and Design"
He had been developing it in his spare time.
The first step?
Synthesizing a subatomic web fluid—an artificial nanomaterial, compressed via high-energy processes into a subatomic liquid form.
A new era was beginning.
And he was building it—strand by strand.