The next morning.
Hong Fei stood at the center of the circular plaza beneath the castle, flanked by Frank on his left and Xu Wenwu on his right. Tony, Steve, and the others fanned out behind them—a dozen of Earth's most formidable fighters forming an imposing arc. Moments later, a convoy of black SUVs rolled through the main gates and halted at a distance.
Big Head arrived soon after, leading a detachment of heavily armed operatives escorting a group of suited men. The moment these so-called officials stepped from their vehicles, their knees buckled. They had to be half-dragged, half-carried before Hong Fei, collapsing into a pathetic row of kneelers the instant their handlers released them.
Politicians. A handful of military brass mixed in. Yet not one carried themselves with the spine of a true leader or soldier. These were Sokovia's so-called rulers—though in truth, their authority over this tiny nation amounted to little more than hollow titles and token forces.
They'd clawed their way to power through civil wars, crowned themselves kings of this insignificant patch of land, then draped themselves in expensive suits like the real players they'd never be.
"Boss, the whole lot's here," Big Head reported.
Hong Fei gave a slight nod.
"Who's in charge?"
Big Head jerked his chin toward an old man in the center. Pale skin. Receding hairline. Bulging eyes. His suit was designer, his watch cost more than a house, and the gaudy gold chains around his neck and fingers screamed tasteless wealth. The man trembled like a leaf in a storm.
Hong Fei didn't bother speaking to him. The mere thought felt degrading.
Instead, he turned to his team.
"Anyone want to be president?"
Silence. Not even a cough.
"Fine. I'll handle it."
Still no objections.
Big Head's eyes darted before he offered an ingratiating smile. "Boss knows best."
Hong Fei's lips curved.
"Sokovia may be small, but it's still a nation. The Foundation's strong, but we're not a government. Let professionals handle professional matters."
That made a few eyebrows twitch.
"Look at Sokovia."
Hong Fei swept a hand toward the cowering figures.
"A barren backwater where people struggle to survive. And these?"
He jabbed a finger at the kneelers.
"They sat in their offices collecting bribes while letting terrorists waltz in with a nuke. Even sent troops to help—like they were afraid their own country wouldn't get leveled fast enough."
That was how HYDRA smuggled the bomb under the castle. No outside threat could've done it. Only betrayal from within.
Hong Fei despised sharing the same air as these rats. But until now, their hollow government titles had provided cover—legal loopholes that made certain operations disgustingly easy.
He didn't care how nukes slipped into other countries. But here, on land under his control? Never again.
As Hong Fei called the roll, the kneelers shrank further. Not from shame. From terror.
Steve frowned and stared at these people, anger steaming in his eyes. The rest of the team wore similar expressions of disgust.
Hong Fei continued, voice cutting like steel. "They don't care about this land. I do. They won't govern properly. I will. They'd let their people starve. I'll make sure they prosper."
"What they do not want to do is what I want to do, and what they want to do is what we will strictly crack down on and stop. This place has suffered from long-term war and pain. Even today, the situation is not stable, and in the end, it is the ordinary people who suffer. Tony, do you know how many weapons Stark Industries sold directly or flowed into Sokovia through the black market?"
The suddenly named Iron Man pulled down his sunglasses in confusion. He carefully examined the dozen or so people in front of him, and finally put on his sunglasses and said coldly, "I do not remember ever doing business with these people, and they do not look like people who can afford Stark Industries weapons. Besides, the weapons division has been closed for a long time."
Hong Fei smiled, then turned to say, "The reason I asked you is not to shift the responsibility onto you. I just want to say that the people with armed forces on this land, whether it is these people we see now, or those hiding in dark corners waiting to seize power, are not good things. You could even say they are all a bunch of dogs who disregard human life for power and profit. So to change the situation, we must first abandon all of them. I have already thought about it. Since they do not want to govern and cannot govern well, let us just find capable people to govern."
Steve asked curiously, "Who are you referring to?"
"A group of people who are committed to the people, a group of people who can lead ordinary people to get rid of poverty, a group of people who can make the backward economy develop again, and a group of people who have the ability and confidence to protect every inch of territory."
"Are there such people?"
Matt could not help but be confused. Hong Fei glanced at him: You really are blind. Luke elbowed Matt and whispered in his ear. Matt was first surprised, then tightly closed his mouth. At this moment, among the group of people kneeling, a middle-aged man suddenly looked up. He looked at Hong Fei with firm eyes and said, "You cannot, and you have no qualification to sell out our country."
As soon as this person said this, it immediately attracted everyone's attention. Hong Fei also turned his head to look. He raised his eyebrows, "Who are you?"
The other party seemed to have overcome the initial fear, took a deep breath, and immediately stabilized, answering, "I am the Minister of Finance."
Hong Fei realized, "Oh~ the one in charge of finance. Then how much of the money the other party gave this time went into your department?"
Instantly, this Minister turned red. Hong Fei did not care about that and asked again, "I heard that Sokovia has had deficits for years and often needs United Nations aid. I wonder how much of those supplies were distributed according to plan, and how much went into the pockets of everyone here? Oh, by the way, I spent a lot of money to buy this land, how much did you eat?"
Hearing this, the other party lowered his head, teeth clenched, face flushed.
"You say I do not have the qualification, but I do not know what qualification you have to say this to me?"
With a swoosh, the other party looked up to refute, but as soon as he looked up, he saw a pitch-black muzzle. Hong Fei held the gun and gently tapped his forehead, "What do you want to say?"
Unsurprisingly, this Minister dared not make a sound again.
"Coward."
With a casual evaluation, a short gunshot rang out. The dozen or so people around trembled in unison, but did not even dare to look, wishing they could bury their heads directly into their chests. While Hong Fei held the gun with one hand, he slid the chamber, and bullet casings jumped out and clattered on the ground.
Qualification can be subjective or objective. Subjectively, I own property in Sokovia—and you had a responsibility to protect it, or at least not destroy it. Yet you colluded with outsiders to drop a nuke on my territory. That alone gives me grounds for vengeance. Objectively? I've been a better neighbor to Sokovia's people than any of you. I want to pull them out of misery. Ideally, I'd see them live with dignity.
And as luck would have it, I've got the power to make that happen. The first reason lets me kill you without guilt. The second lets me call the shots. So tell me—do I qualify? The crowd stayed silent. Big Head barked, "The boss asked you a question! What, you all lose your tongues? Or are you already dead?"
A flurry of nods followed, accompanied by mumbled affirmations about Hong Fei's legitimacy. Hong Fei gave Big Head an approving glance before continuing.
"Good. Then here's how this goes. You'll return home, cooperate fully with my people when they contact you, and abandon any foolish ideas of resistance. Because if you run?" He smiled.
"I'll find you the same way I found that nuke."
The group was marched out. As the convoy pulled away, Jessica folded her arms.
"Boss, we're just letting them walk?"
Rhodes shrugged.
"We already took one."
"Should've been all of them."
Barton shook his head.
"Then Sokovia would have no government left."
Yelena stepped forward.
"What government? Their absence would only improve things for the average person."
Banner adjusted his glasses.
"It's not that simple. Even a symbolic government serves a purpose."
Natasha shot him a look.
"If it's only symbolic, then it's not a government at all."
"Enough."
Steve cut in, his tone gentle but firm.
"There'll be a new government here soon—one that'll give this place the fresh start it deserves."
He turned to Hong Fei with something like reverence.
"I trust Hong's judgment. The replacements he's chosen will be solid. When the time comes, I'd like to join them—to finally experience this ideology firsthand instead of just reading about it. Hong, would that be possible?"
"Of course, my dear friend."
Hong Fei's smile widened. My dear comrade.
"Don't waste sympathy on those traitors. Betraying their country alone warrants execution. I don't know if Sokovia had the death penalty before, but it will now."
Jessica's scowl eased slightly.
"Better. They all deserved worse."
Hong Fei clapped his hands.
"Enough about them—that was just the warm-up. Tonight's real agenda: first, you're all getting new combat uniforms. Formal wear for important events. Yes, Tony," he added dryly, "including you. The materials and color scheme are already picked—no arguments.
Second, the UN General Assembly convenes in three days. Once you have your gear, head straight to New York. Accommodations are arranged. Keep a low profile until then. Finally, Arthur will brief you on the assembly's key topics. Suggestions? Bring them. Questions?"
His gaze hardened.
"Keep them to yourself. Dismissed."
After everyone dispersed, Matt pulled Luke aside, brow furrowed.
"How did you even know who he meant back there?" Luke sighed.
"You need to study the boss's background more."
"Haven't I done enough? I've still got case law to—"
"It's not enough, Matt. Maybe drop one country's legal system altogether. You might not understand the Boss, but you should know how the world works. We're not some neighborhood vigilantes anymore. The Foundation's got our backs now—we're playing on a global stage."
"Then... I'll go study international law."
"You could," came the dismissive reply.
"But don't waste your energy on it."
"Why not?"
"Do you really think the Boss will still be restricted by those international laws after establishing The Foundation? If you've got time to kill, you're better off hitting the gym."