Chapter 25: Identity
The street was quiet.
It was midday, and very few people were willing to wander outside under the sun.
A bicycle sped down the road at high speed and came to a sudden stop in front of Lance Ryder's house.
The rider removed the blue-and-white cycling cap from his head.
It was Lance, who had just returned from Empire State University.
There were still several days before the semester officially began, so the university hadn't arranged housing for new students yet.
For now, Lance had to travel back and forth between the campus and his apartment every day.
Fortunately, the distance was only two or three kilometers.
Driving would have been unnecessary, so he simply rode a bicycle.
Just as Lance took off his cap, the door of the neighboring house suddenly opened.
Gwen Stacy, who seemed to have been waiting for some time, leaned out nervously.
"Daniel," she said quietly, "I think there are people waiting at your house. They've been here since this morning."
The moment Lance heard her words, he immediately understood why she looked so uneasy.
Although things had calmed down in the past few days and people seemed to have forgotten the disaster that happened recently, the neighborhood was still tense.
Any unfamiliar stranger could easily make people nervous.
Especially strangers behaving oddly.
The people outside Lance's house had been there since morning.
They hadn't tried to find him at the university.
They hadn't left either.
They had simply been waiting.
That kind of behavior naturally made Gwen suspicious.
Of course, the men hadn't done anything illegal.
Otherwise she would have already called the police.
Lance pretended to look surprised.
"Really, Gwen?" he asked nervously."Didn't you call the police to check who they are?"
Gwen's father was Police Captain George Stacy.
With a single phone call, several officers could arrive immediately.
Gwen glanced toward two men stepping out of a car nearby.
Lowering her voice, she replied, "My dad said not to bother him unless it's serious."
Lance nodded thoughtfully.
It seemed Captain Stacy ran a strict household.
The two men in black suits were already approaching.
Lance nodded slightly to Gwen.
She quickly retreated inside, leaving only a narrow gap in the door to listen to what would happen next.
"Mr. Daniel Zhou?"
One of the men spoke cautiously, clearly unsure about Lance's identity.
When Lance nodded, the man handed him a business card.
"We're from a renovation company," he said politely."We heard you recently purchased this house and might need remodeling services."
"I see," Lance replied calmly while examining the card."Please, come inside."
As he invited them in, he gave Gwen a reassuring smile.
Realizing she had misunderstood the situation, Gwen flushed with embarrassment and quickly disappeared into her house.
The moment they stepped inside, the expressions of the two men changed.
One of the younger men turned to his companion and said quietly,
"Stay near the door. Be careful."
The other man followed Lance into the living room.
After a brief pause, he asked in a low voice,
"Mr. Reinhardt?"
Lance froze for a moment.
He studied the man's face carefully.
Finally he said slowly,
"You're from the Bakshi family, aren't you?"
The man immediately relaxed.
"Yes, sir," he said respectfully."My name is Sunil Bakshi. I'm a third-generation member of the Bakshi family."
Lance sighed.
"So you finally came."
"Let's go upstairs. The second floor is safer for conversation."
The study on the second floor was lined with bookshelves.
Every shelf was filled with books.
Anyone who checked the borrowing records at Empire State University's library would find that every one of those books had been borrowed by Lance.
Lance sat behind the desk.
Sunil Bakshi stood opposite him with a respectful posture.
According to the records passed down through his family, the man in front of him had once been a high-ranking German officer during World War II.
He had also possessed extraordinary powers.
Yet the man standing before him now looked younger than Sunil himself.
Sunil's grandfather had once served as Reinhardt's adjutant.
At the end of World War II, Reinhardt had used various methods to secretly hide him in the Netherlands, allowing him to avoid the brutal post-war purges.
Thinking about the chaos faced by Germans after the war still sent chills down Sunil's spine.
Even today, if the truth about his family's origins were exposed, they might attract revenge from those who had never forgotten the past.
Sunil had grown up knowing the truth about his family.
Because of that, he had always been extremely cautious with his words and actions.
Reinhardt's sudden reappearance had caused serious debate within the family.
Sunil's grandfather had long since passed away.
His father now controlled the family.
After extensive internal discussions, they finally decided to follow Reinhardt's instructions—for the time being.
They simply couldn't afford to make a mistake.
Over the years, the Bakshi family had kept an extremely low profile.
But they had always maintained quiet observation of two powerful forces Reinhardt had once left behind.
Even though they couldn't control those forces, they understood them well enough.
Normally, the Bakshi family would never provoke them.
Under different circumstances, Reinhardt's return might have made them consider eliminating him immediately.
But the world had changed.
Especially after Tony Stark publicly revealed himself as Iron Man.
Superpowered individuals were appearing everywhere.
The existence of the extraordinary world could no longer be hidden.
If Reinhardt truly possessed the power described in their family records, attempting to eliminate him directly would be suicidal.
They would need outside assistance.
And there was an even greater danger.
Reinhardt knew their deepest family secrets.
If he exposed those secrets out of anger, the consequences would be catastrophic.
What finally forced Sunil Bakshi to travel to the United States personally was the battle in Manhattan.
The fight involving the Hulk and the Abomination.
The mysterious water giant that had appeared during the battle.
While most people had no idea who that figure was—
The Bakshi family knew exactly.
Reinhardt had demonstrated strength capable of fighting the Hulk himself.
That fact alone meant they couldn't afford any reckless actions.
If they failed to kill him, their entire family might be destroyed instead.
That was why Sunil Bakshi had come today.
He needed to confirm Reinhardt's identity.
And he needed to understand Reinhardt's intentions toward the Bakshi family.
Because a single mistake could doom them all.
Sunil looked at the man in front of him.
Although Reinhardt's appearance had changed dramatically—even seeming younger—his eyes were exactly the same.
Calm.
Confident.
As if the entire world was already within his grasp.
That kind of presence couldn't be faked.
"Rein—"
Sunil began to speak.
But Lance raised his hand, stopping him.
"You can call me Daniel," he said calmly.
"My current name is Daniel Zhou."
"The name Reinhardt should remain buried in history."
For a moment, Lance's expression grew complicated.
When he first arrived in this world, he had almost forgotten his original name.
For a long time, he had called himself Reinhardt.
Later, as his memories slowly returned, the opposite happened.
He gradually began forgetting the name Reinhardt.
Now that he had returned to Earth, using that name again would only attract dangerous enemies.
Nick Fury alone would already be troublesome.
And there were far worse possibilities.
People like Captain America or Wolverine.
Fortunately, Wolverine had lost most of his memories.
He probably wouldn't remember Lance at all.
Poor Logan.
For years, his mind had been manipulated and erased repeatedly.
If he hadn't eventually met Professor Charles Xavier, he might never have escaped that fate.
"Understood, Mr. Zhou," Sunil said respectfully.
The Bakshi family had always maintained strict discipline.
It had helped them survive through difficult times.
Getting straight to the point, Sunil continued,
"First, about Norwich Energy Group."
"Since World War II, the company has relied on its connection with the Great Lakes Power Group to build hydroelectric stations across the United States."
"Later it expanded into oil, natural gas, and nuclear energy."
"Today, it's a massive energy corporation worth tens of billions of dollars."
"And that's only the visible part."
Lance nodded slowly.
"That was part of the development plan I left behind before I disappeared," he said calmly.
"I'm surprised the name Norwich Energy Group still exists."
"It seems Irene hasn't made any major mistakes."
Sunil nodded.
"Miss Adler never married," he explained.
"In the past twenty years she gradually stepped away from daily management."
"Now almost no one knows her true situation."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"In recent years, Norwich Energy Group has expanded into real estate, electricity, automobiles, and the internet."
"They've become deeply involved in both politics and business."
"And they've also established contact with the extraordinary world."
Lance sighed softly.
"That will be a problem."
Very few people knew the truth.
Irene Adler was actually a mutant.
She had once fought alongside Logan during the war.
Later, she had fallen under Lance's control.
Because of her identity, Lance had trusted her.
He knew she might eventually become involved with mutant affairs.
But she wouldn't be entangled with other dangerous forces.
That had always been part of his calculations.
Ultimately, the problem was simply money.
"That's exactly the issue," Sunil said grimly.
"We don't have enough influence within Norwich Energy Group."
"Taking control through normal methods would be extremely difficult."
"And their political connections make things even harder."
Lance narrowed his eyes.
"That's why we start with the secret bases in Svalbard and Jan Mayen Island."
"As long as we reclaim those bases, controlling the energy group will become much easier."
"Don't worry."
As he spoke, a familiar face flashed through Lance's mind.
Nick Fury.
For now, Lance's true identity had to remain hidden.
At least until the Hydra crisis was resolved.
Perhaps even longer—
Until after the superhero civil war.
End of Chapter 25
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