A Light Novel Adaptation by Aaku

Prologue: 1935 – The Capture

Snow blanketed the forest in silence, but Joseph Krusovev’s heart thundered like a war drum. He was only twenty-one, a soldier in the wrong place at the wrong time. His unit had been ambushed; smoke still curled from burning vehicles behind him. He ran through the white wilderness, but heavy boots and steel hands caught him.

“You will serve the future,” a voice said in Russian, cold as the snow.

“No! Let me go!” Joseph shouted, fighting uselessly.

They dragged him into the underground lab. There, in sterile halls filled with humming machines, the experiments began. Days blurred into screams and sparks. Metal replaced bone. Wires laced into veins. His heart was caged in steel.

Joseph Krusovev was no longer a man—he was the USSR’s first living weapon.

Chapter One: The Cyborg Soldier

Years passed. He was unleashed onto the battlefield like a storm. His body was faster, stronger, more durable than any human. Bullets ricocheted from his chest. Tanks fell to his fists. Nations trembled at the whisper of “the Steel Heart.”

But inside, Joseph was still human. Every life he took haunted his nights. Every mission drained his soul.

One day, after another bloody victory, he whispered to himself:

“I don’t want this anymore… I just want to live.”

Chapter Two: Escape to Austin

After years of war service, Joseph disappeared. Rumors spread: the USSR’s weapon had gone rogue.

In truth, he fled across oceans, hunted by shadows, until he reached the United States. In Austin, Texas, he found something he hadn’t felt in decades: warmth.

He worked quietly at a mechanic’s shop, fixing engines with hands too strong for ordinary work. Neighbors thought he was just another immigrant veteran. Some nights, he even laughed with the people at the diner on 6th Street. For the first time since 1935, he felt human.

But shadows never forget.

Chapter Three: The Hunters Arrive

Moscow was furious. To them, Joseph was property, not a man. They dispatched soldiers to retrieve him—but worse, they sent Nitika Vladimir, another experiment. Unlike Joseph, Nitika had embraced the machine within. She was cruel, cunning, and burned with the desire to prove herself the superior cyborg.

“Bring me the Steel Heart,” she said, her voice dripping with venom.

And so, the hunt began.

Chapter Four: The Last Flight

Austin slept, but Joseph’s instincts stirred. The night was too quiet. Then—explosions. Black-clad soldiers stormed the streets. Civilians screamed and scattered.

Joseph stood in the middle of the road, his mechanical frame gleaming beneath his coat.

“I won’t let you take this life from me.”

The soldiers opened fire. Bullets sparked against his chest, but Joseph moved like a storm. He tore through rifles, flipped armored trucks, and sent enemies crashing into walls. Yet more kept coming.

Then, from the smoke, Nitika emerged. Her body was sleeker, faster, and her eyes glowed red.

Nitika: “Joseph Krusovev. You were the first. But I am the perfected. You cannot win.”

Joseph: clenching his fists “I don’t need to win. I just need to live.”

The duel shook the city. Sparks flew as steel clashed against steel. Nitika’s blades slashed through the air, Joseph countering with crushing punches. They leapt across rooftops, their strikes lighting the skyline like thunder.

Finally, atop the burning remains of a soldier transport, Nitika pinned Joseph, her blade inches from his throat.

Nitika: “You are obsolete.”

Joseph: straining, whispering “…Maybe. But I’m still human.”

With a final surge, Joseph ripped free, driving his fist through Nitika’s chest. Her eyes widened. Sparks sputtered. She collapsed, whispering one last word:

“Impossible…”

She fell silent.

Chapter Five: A New Dawn

The remaining soldiers fled. Sirens wailed as Austin police and fire crews arrived. Joseph stood amidst the wreckage, chest heaving, metal body dented, but his human heart still beating.

For a moment, he feared the townsfolk would see him as a monster. But a little boy, hiding behind his mother, stepped forward.

Boy: “Mister… are you a hero?”

Joseph froze. Slowly, he smiled—a tired, human smile.

Joseph: “…No. Just someone who wants to live.”

The people of Austin didn’t turn him in. They kept his secret. They let him stay.

And for the first time in years, Joseph Krusovev—the Steel Heart—was free.

Epilogue

The USSR would never forget him. The shadows would come again. But for now, in the quiet streets of Austin, Joseph finally had what he had always fought for.

A life worth living.

✨ END of “Steel Heart” (First Movie / Light Novel Adaptation)

Chapter 1: The Life of Li Wei

2011, Shanghai.

Li Wei was not rich, not poor—just another face in the crowded city. His parents worked tirelessly in a textile shop, and he helped out when he wasn’t at school or training. From childhood, Li Wei was obsessed with martial arts. He wasn’t just good—he was extraordinary. His fists were lightning, his movements fluid like water, his strikes carried the weight of iron.

Neighbors called him the best fist fighter in the district. He didn’t fight for money or fame. He fought for discipline, for the art itself. His master often told him:

“Li Wei, a true fighter doesn’t fight to hurt. He fights to protect.”

That stuck in his heart.

But Li Wei dreamed of more. He wanted to travel the world, test himself against the best fighters, and maybe one day teach his own school.

At night, he sat on the rooftop of his family’s apartment, staring at the glowing skyline, whispering:

“One day, I’ll be free to chase my dream.”

Chapter 2: The Shadows Arrive

Life was simple… until the shadows came.

One evening after training, Li Wei was walking home through the narrow alleys of Shanghai. Suddenly, a van screeched to a halt beside him. Men in black masks leapt out. Before he could react, a blow to the head sent the world spinning.

When he awoke, he was chained in darkness, the hum of an airplane echoing around him. His head pounded, his body ached, but worse was the cold realization: he was far from home.

Hours later, the plane landed. He was dragged into the night air of an unfamiliar city. Neon lights. Sirens. The sound of English words he barely understood.

New York City.

Chapter 3: The Gang’s Proposal

The gang that kidnapped him wasn’t random. They were the Black Vultures, a notorious underground fight syndicate. Their leader, Vincent “The Vulture” Marcone, was a ruthless man with scars across his face.

Vincent studied Li Wei with hungry eyes.

Vincent: “Shanghai’s iron fist, eh? We’ve heard about you. You’re going to make me a fortune.”

Li Wei: “I don’t fight for money. Let me go.”

Vincent: smirking “Oh, you’ll fight. If you don’t, you’ll never see daylight again.”

They threw Li Wei into a dingy basement, guarded by thugs. Days passed. He was given scraps of food, forced to watch brutal underground fights. Fighters lost teeth, blood stained the floor. This wasn’t about honor—this was survival.

Li Wei clenched his fists in rage.

“I will escape… no matter what.”

Interval Moment

The music swells.

The first half ends with Li Wei staring into a cracked mirror in his cell, whispering:

“Shanghai taught me discipline. Here… I will fight for freedom.”

Black screen.

Chapter 4: The First Fight

The night came. They dragged Li Wei into the underground ring, a steel cage surrounded by roaring gangsters, gamblers, and smoke.

His opponent: a hulking American brawler nicknamed Hammer Jack.

The bell rang. Hammer Jack charged like a beast, fists swinging. The crowd roared. But Li Wei moved differently. Calm. Precise. He dodged the wild strikes and countered with a sharp jab. Then another. His fists were poetry, each strike landing clean and powerful.

Within minutes, Hammer Jack collapsed. The crowd went silent, then erupted in shock.

Li Wei had won.

Vincent smirked from his seat.

Vincent: “Yes… he’ll make me rich.”

But Li Wei wasn’t fighting for them. He was studying the cage, the guards, the exits. Every fight was a chance—not to win for Vincent, but to plan his escape.

Chapter 5: Rising Through the Ranks

Days turned into weeks. Li Wei was forced into more fights.

Against a Muay Thai specialist with knees like steel.

Against a Russian grappler who could crush ribs with his bear-like arms.

Against two brothers who fought together in the cage.

Li Wei adapted. His fists blended styles, counters, and instincts. Each fight made him stronger. Each victory gave him confidence.

But with every win, the gang tightened their grip. Guards doubled. His chains grew heavier at night.

One night, Li Wei sat in his cell, bruised but unbroken. He whispered to himself in Mandarin:

“Mom… Dad… I will come home. I swear.”

Chapter 6: The Challenge of the Boss

Eventually, Vincent grew impatient. Li Wei had defeated every fighter in the underground circuit. Crowds adored him. Money flowed like rivers. But Vincent wanted one last spectacle—the ultimate fight.

He announced it:

“Iron Fist versus The Vulture—one man leaves alive!”

The crowd roared.

Li Wei knew this was it. His chance. If he could defeat Vincent, maybe, just maybe, he could escape.

Chapter 7: The Last Flight

The final fight was held not in the cage, but in an abandoned warehouse near the docks. The entire gang gathered. Lights hung from the ceiling, casting shadows across rusted steel beams.

Li Wei stood shirtless, fists wrapped in blood-stained tape. Across from him, Vincent entered—towering, scarred, his fists wrapped in chains.

The fight began.

Vincent was brutal, every strike heavy as a hammer. Li Wei’s ribs cracked, blood filled his mouth, but he refused to fall. He dodged, countered, struck with precision.

Minutes felt like hours. The warehouse shook with every blow.

Finally, Vincent grabbed a chain and swung it like a whip. Li Wei ducked, seized the chain, and wrapped it around Vincent’s arm. With a roar, he twisted, snapping the gangster’s elbow.

Vincent screamed. Li Wei unleashed his final barrage—fists like lightning, striking again and again until the “Vulture” collapsed.

Silence fell. The gang stared in shock.

Li Wei raised his fists, not in victory, but in defiance.

Li Wei: “I fight… to be free.”

Chapter 8: Escape

Chaos erupted. Without their leader, the gang panicked. Li Wei broke through the guards, using their own weapons against them. Bullets ricocheted, fists cracked skulls, and finally, Li Wei burst into the cold night air.

He ran through the docks, the city lights glowing beyond. For the first time in months, he breathed free air.

A boat waited—an old fisherman, bribed long ago, whispered in Mandarin:

“Quick, get in!”

Li Wei climbed aboard. As the boat sailed away, the New York skyline faded behind him. His body was broken, but his spirit was unshaken.

He whispered to himself, eyes on the horizon:

“Home. I’m going home.”

Epilogue

Months later, in Shanghai, Li Wei stood once again on his rooftop, staring at the skyline. His parents embraced him, tears in their eyes.

He wasn’t the same man who left—he was stronger, wiser, scarred. But he was free.

And he knew one truth: no gang, no chains, no cage could ever break the Iron Fist.

✨ THE END

ACT ONE – ORIGIN

FADE IN:

INT. CARTER LAB – NIGHT

A small research lab filled with humming equipment. Blue light flickers off glass tubes.

DR. MALCOLM CARTER (40s), brilliant but obsessive scientist, adjusts controls on a prototype particle accelerator. Beside him, his son ALEXANDER CARTER (19) watches nervously.

ALEXANDER

Dad… are you sure about this?

DR. CARTER

(smiling)

Son, breakthroughs don’t wait for fear. Tonight, we’re making history.

Alexander glances at a photo taped to the console: Alexander, his dad, and his mom (deceased), smiling together.

The machine roars. Energy builds. Sparks dance across the room.

Suddenly — alarms BLARE. A red warning flashes.

ALEXANDER

Dad! Something’s wrong!

DR. CARTER

(urgent)

Stay back! I just need one more adjustment—

But the circuit overloads. BOOM! A violent explosion of light engulfs the lab.

Alexander is thrown back, his body wrapped in blinding energy. He screams—then everything goes black.

When he opens his eyes, the lab is rubble. His father lies motionless, lifeless. Alexander stumbles to him.

ALEXANDER

(voice breaking)

Dad… no, please… Dad!

He sobs. But then… he notices his hands vibrating. His heartbeat sounds like thunder. The world around him seems frozen—yet he’s moving.

He realizes: he’s moving faster than light.

ALEXANDER

(whispering)

What… what’s happening to me?

MONTAGE – DISCOVERING POWER

– Alexander sprints across the city; time slows around him.

– He accidentally smashes through a basketball court fence, shocking his friends.

– He vibrates his hand so fast it passes through solid objects.

– He cries at night, staring at his dad’s old lab coat.

INT. ALEXANDER’S ROOM – NIGHT

Alexander writes in a notebook labeled “Dad’s Legacy.” Equations, drawings, and sketches fill the pages.

ALEXANDER

(to himself)

I’ll carry on for you, Dad. I’ll use this… for good.

ACT TWO – THE VILLAIN

BACKSTORY – RUBIZ

INT. HIGH SCHOOL – FLASHBACK

Young RUBIZ KANE (15) sits alone in the cafeteria. Skinny, quiet, wearing taped glasses. Kids laugh at him, shove his tray.

BULLY

What’s the matter, Rubiz? Too weird to sit with us?

The bullies push him. He falls, humiliated. Nobody helps him.

OLDER RUBIZ (V.O.)

All I ever wanted was to be seen. To be loved. But all they gave me… was pain.

PRESENT DAY

INT. KANE’S BASEMENT LAB – NIGHT

Now 22, Rubiz is brilliant but bitter. His cluttered basement is filled with stolen tech and hacked computers.

He studies news clippings: “Explosion at Carter Lab – Scientist Dead” … “Mysterious Flash Reported Across City”.

RUBIZ

(whispering)

If Carter can do it… so can I.

He activates his own makeshift accelerator. It HUMS violently. He grins—then BOOM! Another blast.

When the smoke clears, Rubiz stumbles out, his body glowing faintly. He clenches his fists—vibrating faster than sight.

RUBIZ

(breathless)

Yes… YES! It worked!

He races across the city in a blur. He’s as fast as Alexander—maybe faster.

But his grin fades.

RUBIZ (V.O.)

They laughed at me. Bullied me. Even my parents never cared.

He remembers his father’s cold face, his mother’s silence.

RUBIZ

Now… they’ll love me. They’ll HAVE to love me.

RISING CONFLICT

Rubiz visits his old school. He finds the bullies—now older, cocky. At first, they laugh at him.

Then, in a flash of light, Rubiz strikes. Bones snap. Screams echo. Blood stains the floor.

RUBIZ

(to the last bully)

Am I weak now?

The bully begs, but Rubiz kills him mercilessly.

He returns home—faces his parents. They tremble as he confronts them.

RUBIZ

All I ever wanted was love. But you couldn’t even give me that.

Their screams echo as the screen cuts to black.

ACT TWO (MIDPOINT) – NEW POWERS

INT. UNIVERSITY LAB – DAY

Alexander sneaks into a lab, studying his father’s notes. He wants to understand his speed.

Suddenly, an EXPERIMENT malfunctions. A secondary blast engulfs him.

He wakes up, trembling—his hands glowing. He touches a cup… and the molecules rearrange into sand.

ALEXANDER

Matter… I can control matter?

He experiments:

– Turns glass into water.

– Reshapes a steel bar into dust.

– Struggles to control it—nearly collapses.

ALEXANDER

(terrified)

I’m becoming something… more than human.

But he knows: so is Rubiz.

ACT THREE – SHOWDOWN

RUBIZ’S RAMPAGE

MONTAGE

– Rubiz kills corrupt officials.

– He destroys parts of the city at supersonic speed.

– Citizens whisper about a “ghost of light.”

Alexander watches news footage. His jaw clenches.

ALEXANDER

It’s him. He has my power.

FIRST CONFRONTATION

INT. CITY ROOFTOP – NIGHT

Lightning storms in the sky. Rubiz stands tall, looking down at the city he torments. Alexander arrives, appearing in a blur.

ALEXANDER

It ends tonight, Rubiz.

RUBIZ

(chuckling)

No, Alexander. Tonight it begins. We’re gods. Why fight it?

ALEXANDER

You’re killing innocent people! That’s not power—that’s weakness.

RUBIZ

Weakness? No. Weak was being ignored. Weak was being unloved. But now… they’ll remember me. Forever.

Their eyes lock. Then—BOOM. They clash at faster-than-light speed.

THE FIGHT

– They sprint through skyscrapers, windows shattering from sonic booms.

– They collide mid-air, fists breaking sound barriers.

– Rubiz vibrates his hand into Alexander’s chest—but Alexander manipulates the molecules of his body, phasing to avoid it.

– Alexander hurls debris by altering matter, Rubiz counters by disintegrating it.

Crowds below watch in awe and terror—two gods battling in streaks of lightning.

CLIMAX

Rubiz gains the upper hand. He pins Alexander, vibrating at blinding speed.

RUBIZ

I’m faster! Stronger! You can’t stop me!

ALEXANDER

(gritting teeth)

Maybe… but Dad taught me one thing…

Alexander closes his eyes, focusing. He manipulates the air molecules, freezing the space around them. Rubiz slows for a moment—just long enough.

Alexander unleashes a final barrage, fists glowing, striking Rubiz with unimaginable force.

Rubiz falls, defeated, his body flickering.

FINAL MOMENT

Rubiz, broken, whispers:

RUBIZ

I… I just wanted someone… to love me.

Alexander kneels, pained.

ALEXANDER

You could’ve had that… but you chose hate.

Rubiz fades into unconsciousness. Authorities swarm in.

Alexander looks to the sky.

ALEXANDER

(softly)

Dad… I’ll keep running. For you.

FADE OUT.

EPILOGUE

News spreads of “the Speed Phantom” who saved the city. Alexander keeps a low profile, training, learning to master matter manipulation.

In the shadows, government officials discuss:

OFFICIAL

He’s powerful. Too powerful. We’ll need to… contain him.

Setting up Movie 4.

THE END – BEYOND VELOCITY