Early morning. The sun was just rising. Hong Fei, wearing loose black training clothes, was practicing his stance on the lawn. His body was like a deep-rooted old tree, his spine straight as a spear. A walkie-talkie lay on the grass. After all, with only Hong Fei and Number One present, a walkie-talkie was faster and more convenient than a phone call.
Suddenly, Number One's voice crackled over the walkie-talkie: "Boss, Frank is back. He's injured."
Hong Fei snapped his eyes open, his brow furrowing involuntarily. The main gate swung open, and a red sedan drove in quickly.
As it drew closer, Hong Fei saw that it wasn't Frank in the driver's seat, but a young woman. After getting out of the car, she glanced at Hong Fei curiously, then opened the rear door to help a listless Frank step out.
Looking at the bruises on Frank's face and the blood-soaked bandages on his body, Hong Fei couldn't help but laugh. "Yo, isn't this our famous Punisher? Why does it look like you're the one who got punished this time?"
Frank gave Hong Fei an annoyed glare. After they entered the house and sat down, Hong Fei continued with a smile: "Tell me, what happened?"
Frank remained sullenly silent.
Seeing this, the woman beside him spoke up: "Hello, sir. I'm Claire Temple. He was being hunted by a group of mobsters last night, and I happened to run into him. I've mostly treated his wounds, but he needs rest now."
Claire Temple, the Night Nurse. She had a bit of a reputation, but she didn't seem to have any special abilities. Would someone like her drop a skill card?
Hong Fei looked at Frank teasingly: "Remember what I said the last time you left?"
"Enough, I remember, I know! This time was my mistake!" Frank responded gloomily, then his face contorted with anger again. "I didn't expect The Hand and the Mafia to actually team up and set a trap for me. Once I'm healed, I won't let them off!"
"Alright, it's good that you know you were wrong."
Turning his head, Hong Fei stood up and reached out to Claire. "Hello, I'm Hong Fei. Thank you very much for saving Frank."
Claire also stood up quickly. Their hands touched briefly before she released it.
She said, "Mr. Hong, Frank needs rest now. I've already given him all the necessary medicine. If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
"Miss Claire, there's no need to leave in such a hurry. It's still early, why not have breakfast together?"
"No, thank you." Claire shook her head and added, "Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about this. I deeply admire people like Mr. Frank who have the courage to fight against dark forces. If you have any medical needs in the future, you can contact me again."
Hong Fei looked at Frank, and seeing him nod, he smiled and said, "Very well, I'll see you out."
A moment later, Hong Fei returned and sat opposite Frank, his smile fading slightly.
"Tell me the details."
Frank took a deep breath and began his story.
The day before yesterday, Frank learned that The Hand was about to conduct a transaction at the harbor, a deal that originally belonged to the Mafia. Frank believed the Mafia wouldn't take having their business stolen lying down, and in his subsequent reconnaissance, he indeed found that the Mafia was prepared to disrupt the deal. So last night, Frank lay in ambush at the harbor in advance. When the Mafia and The Hand clashed, he followed suit, firing shots to fish in troubled waters.
To his surprise, the firefight between the two sides was a ruse to lure him out. Once the forces hiding in the shadows found Frank's position, he was immediately besieged by both parties. If Frank hadn't been extra cautious and planned an escape route in advance, and happened to run into Claire halfway, he might be dead by now.
Hong Fei said, "So, you actually listened to a bit of what I said."
Though reluctant, Frank nodded. Hong Fei's warning had indeed made him more cautious; he hadn't expected the enemy to actually be plotting against him.
"Alright, it's good enough that you're back alive. You've been making moves too frequently lately, and with so many deaths, the enemy was bound to be alert. It was only a matter of time before they moved against you. Next, just recover properly. Take your time with any plans; there's no rush for revenge, they aren't going anywhere. It just so happens that the underground space needs renovation and expansion. You'll oversee the construction guidance. Number Four and Number Five will be back with people soon. When they arrive, divide them up and handle the security above ground first."
"If I'm handling all that, what are you going to do?"
"I, of course, will be doing more important things. For example, finding us a top-tier scientist and Doctor. By the way, can that Claire be recruited?"
"I don't know, I've only met her twice."
"Then she's your responsibility too. You can try if there's a chance, but there's no need to force it, because we have better options."
"Understood."
Frank wasn't in high spirits, so Hong Fei said no more and got up to continue his morning exercise. At noon, Hong Fei turned on the TV in his room. He kept his head down writing his plans while listening to the voices on the screen. "...I am Iron Man!"
This single sentence made Hong Fei look up slightly. Seeing Tony's calm face tinged with a sense of superiority, he lowered his head again. Even though Obadiah Stane had been sent away early by Hong Fei, the timing of Tony admitting he was Iron Man was still pushed back by at least half a month compared to the original timeline. During this period, losing to Hong Fei while wearing the armor made Tony bury himself in research for a long time.
It also took a while to go to the Middle East to destroy the weapons his family left behind, and then some more time to deal with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who kept coming to his door. It wasn't until a video was leaked that he was forced to hold a press conference. If there hadn't been video evidence, Tony would likely have continued to hide his identity. Because in his heart, he felt he still had a major enemy, Hong Fei, to deal with, so it was better to keep a low profile.
But now, the more Phil Coulson tried to get him to keep the secret and make excuses, the more rebellious he became, so he simply admitted it outright. "Wait a minute, quiet! I still have something to say!"
Tony's voice came through again, and Hong Fei couldn't help but look up.
"Remember the shelling incident from a month ago? I know who the culprit is."
As soon as these words were spoken, the scene became chaotic and noisy again. After Tony shouted for silence once more, he placed his phone on the table, and a holographic projection immediately appeared.
It was a figure wearing a white mask and black combat gear.
"I'll only say this once, don't interrupt me," Tony spoke again, and the media immediately fell silent, holding their breath. "Obviously, this is the culprit you've all been looking for. I've been searching for his whereabouts earlier than anyone else. The reason I didn't tell the Police or the Military in advance is because this person is the actual culprit who kidnapped me last time!"
Immediately, someone couldn't help but gasp, then covered their mouth under Tony's gaze.
Tony turned to look directly into the camera: "I don't know if you're watching right now, but I believe you will see or hear my words today sooner or later."
"I, Tony Stark, will do everything in my power to find you and bring you to justice! Unless you go into hiding from now on, as long as you dare to continue your evil deeds, one day, I will appear before you!"