That night, Hong Fei packed a few things and set off immediately. Before getting into the car, he paused and patted the roof: "Wait for me a moment." He turned and walked toward the laboratory; only one room in the building still had its lights on—that was Dr. Helen Cho's office. He arrived at the door, knocked twice, and after hearing the words "Come in," he pushed the door open and entered. Dr.
Helen Cho's expression shifted from confusion to surprise, then she feigned calmness and said: "Why are you here?" Hong Fei smiled and said: "I saw you weren't asleep yet, so I came over to check on you." Dr. Helen Cho pursed her lips in satisfaction and pointed to the sofa: "You sit down first; I still have to work for a while." Hong Fei walked straight behind her and glanced at the computer.
"Working so late? Shouldn't I give you a raise?" "Sure, double it." "No problem." "Alright, you sit for a moment. I'll keep you company in a bit, okay?" Hong Fei opened his mouth, hesitated, and then asked: "Is your room right next door?" "Yes." Hong Fei walked over, opened the door, and stood at the entrance to look. It was a very tidy one-bedroom apartment.
A faint scent of plants drifted through the air, but otherwise, there was nothing special. The office connected to the living quarters; this was Dr. Helen Cho's own design requirement. Closing the door, Hong Fei sat on the sofa. After a moment of silence, he suddenly said: "Move over there to live." "Huh?" Dr. Helen Cho looked up, her face showing astonishment. Hong Fei: "Times have changed.
There's no need for you to live here anymore." Dr. Helen Cho lowered her head, brushed her hair from her forehead, and shook her head: "No need. It's not far, and it's more convenient to work from here..." "Since it's not far, there's even less reason to insist. You know the rooms over there are large and empty."
For about ten seconds, only the faint sound of the keyboard could be heard, and then Dr. Helen Cho spoke softly. "Okay." Hong Fei stood up and said casually: "I'm going to Tokyo. I don't know how long I'll be staying." Dr. Helen Cho immediately looked up: "When?" "Now." Hong Fei watched as surprise gradually appeared on Dr. Helen Cho's face, and he smiled: "Actually, it won't be long."
After a few seconds of silence, Dr. Helen Cho stood up and walked over to him. Her body leaned in slowly, and Hong Fei took the opportunity to gently embrace her. "Your injury?" "It's fine, don't worry." "You... the things you do are very dangerous." "Yes, but I have it under control. Besides, this matter isn't as simple as it appears on the surface.
Helping Ivan get revenge is one thing, but more importantly, it's for myself. Plus, there are people investigating me now, so I'm giving them something to do." Doing it for himself naturally meant he was aiming to increase his energy. After success, his energy limit would skyrocket nearly twofold, which signified that the Liberty Island incident was indeed a major event.
Killing multiple birds with one stone. Admittedly, acting this way would certainly invite more hatred. But doing anything always comes with a balance of gains and costs. Even if he only acted as a superhero, would S.H.I.E.L.D. just leave him alone? That's just the nature of power; good and bad are destined to coexist. Could he just stop doing anything because of S.H.I.E.L.D.?
What would he do if he encountered someone even more powerful than S.H.I.E.L.D. in the future? He didn't come here just to sip tea and take it easy; he didn't even know if he would live long enough to reach an age where he needed to take it easy. If they find him, good for them, then they can continue to clash. They can't find him? Then they better keep trying!
Here's the polished version with improved flow and natural phrasing while preserving all content and paragraph structure:
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Hong Fei didn't hesitate. Caution wasn't in his vocabulary. Dr. Helen Cho studied him for a moment before speaking quietly, "Just be careful."
"Yeah."
After a pause, she straightened and managed a smile. "I'll wait for you."
"Okay."
Outside the lab, Hong Fei gave Big Head his orders. "Frank and I won't be around, so the place is yours. Don't spend all day staring at screens—check in on Sokovia."
"Got it, boss."
"And if someone comes knocking?"
Big Head grinned. "I know the drill."
Hong Fei clapped him on the shoulder. Trust didn't need words.
Lately, Big Head had been reliable. Handing him responsibility was an easy call—though backup plans never hurt. Hong Fei slid into the car and drove off. Behind him, Helen watched from the window.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
By now, last night's events had exploded into public frenzy. The Statue of Liberty was gone. The entire island had vanished in the blast, erased like it never existed. This wasn't just an attack—it was an embarrassment. If the U.S. didn't find the culprit, they'd never live it down.
Every law enforcement agency in New York had mobilized. The FBI, state police, half a dozen other departments—all hunting leads. And since S.H.I.E.L.D. answered to the World Security Council, they were knee-deep in the investigation.
Worse, Tony Stark was at the center of this. That made S.H.I.E.L.D. the primary responders. Nick Fury had arrived at the New York branch at dawn.
Maria Hill delivered her report. "We traced the explosives to customs officials taking bribes, but they're clamming up about who paid them. Claim it was solo work. Interrogation's ongoing."
Fury stared out the window at the harbor. Where an island and a monument should've been, there was only empty water. "What else?"
Hill didn't flinch. "Their families left the country weeks ago—study abroad, vacations. No records in those countries."
Fury's lip curled. "Pre-planned evacuation?"
"Likely. But interrogation suggests they weren't directly involved. More like government moles for an arms network. The dealer's smart—saw this coming, moved their families early. Insurance and leverage."
"Dig deeper," Fury said. "Find every official who shipped their family out. That dealer leads to our attackers."
"Yes, sir."
A beat later, Fury turned. "Tony's status?"
"Recovering at home. Mild concussion. Pepper's got the worse scars—psychological."
Fury sank into his chair. "Since his kidnapping, that arms dealer's popped up in New York repeatedly. Aside from the last time he made a deal with Tony, the other sightings confirm he's dealing in heavy hardware. Mortars, bombs—guy must love a customer who buys in bulk."
Hill stiffened. "My oversight, sir."
Fury waved her off. "Not your fault." He shook his head. "I don't doubt your skills."
---
The bastard's been playing us. That's why we can't find him—he's smart enough to vanish completely. Once we narrowed his location to New York, he switched tactics. No more personal appearances with his crew... until last night."
"Yes, sir."
"Ivan Vanko built a damn reactor fresh out of prison. Russia might have answers. Go dig."
"Understood."
"Coulson's taking your duties while you're gone." Fury's eye locked onto Hill. "You're S.H.I.E.L.D.'s top operative. Don't screw this up."
Hill straightened. "You have my word."
When the door shut behind her, Coulson entered.
"Sir."
"New York's yours now. Full resource clearance."
Coulson hesitated. "Should we keep hunting him?"
Fury's head snapped up from his phone.
"I'll handle it," Coulson amended quickly.
"Those two assets from last time—anything useful?"
"Negative, sir. Matt and Luke Cage have abilities, but neither knows why they were targeted."
Fury pushed past him toward the exit. "Get me answers. Whatever it takes."
"Sir!"
***
Tokyo welcomed Hong Fei twenty-four hours later.
He'd detoured through Paris first, linking up with Number Four from Sokovia before flying solo under a fresh alias. At least the private jets made the trip bearable.
Midnight painted the city when his cab left Narita. The tires hummed toward Akihabara, Chiyoda Ward—Frank's last known location.
Neon bathed the district in electric glow. Tower-sized anime murals loomed over the streets. Every screen pulsed with wide-eyed, bouncing cartoon girls.
Hong Fei scowled. Who the hell lusted after drawings? The cultural dissonance hit him like a truck.
His shoes hit pavement outside the flashing chaos. Following coordinates, he slipped into shadowed alleys until the noise faded behind him.
An aging compound crouched behind rusted gates. The doorbell's echo took forever.
Frank wordlessly ushered him inside.
The living space could've been spacious once. Now black weapon cases formed a maze across the tatami.
"Sit."
Frank didn't turn from the window. His reflection superimposed over a distant billboard where a digital idol shimmied endlessly.
Hong Fei smirked. "Didn't peg you for a weeb."
Launch day tomorrow at noon. First subscriptions keep the lights on!
I will detail it in the next "on-shelf" post...