Skill Cards Acquired: Alcohol Resistance (White) - Jessica, Assassination Mastery (White) - Yelena
Hong Fei now possessed twelve white skill cards, though only three held any real value in his eyes. These latest additions were clearly destined to be synthesis material. Just one more card, and he could upgrade a white card to green.
As he searched for his next target, a message arrived from No. 5 Ed at the North Pole. Without hesitation, Hong Fei alerted Frank and the team to prepare for action. He donned his flight armor and made for the North Pole at top speed. Ed's message came through a belt identical to the one Hong Fei had given Dr. Erik Selvig—both crafted by Big Head. The armor's HUD displayed the precise location coordinates. Talk about perfect timing.
Steve Rogers—a man whose strength defied easy categorization. Not overwhelmingly powerful, yet capable of holding his own even against Thanos for several rounds. His true strength lay not in physical prowess, but in his indomitable spirit. His unique charisma set him apart from politicians, heroes, and villains alike.
Flawed yet principled, Steve's imperfections made his difficult decisions all the more compelling. Whether in movies or comics, he remained a cornerstone of the Avengers. What Hong Fei admired most was his pragmatic approach as a soldier—no lofty ideals about punishment over killing. Steve had taken lives before and would do so again when necessary.
He protected the weak, but never extended such compassion to his enemies. When killing was called for, he showed no hesitation. When non-lethal force sufficed, a knockout blow would do. This philosophy aligned almost perfectly with Hong Fei's own operational guidelines. Though Hong Fei's subordinates were branded as villains, Steve's potential inclusion wasn't unthinkable. After all, how many among them were truly irredeemable? Some hadn't even had the chance to commit evil before Hong Fei intervened.
If Steve couldn't be persuaded to join their ranks, he could always be detained for skill card farming and later "sold"—a literal transaction, not a metaphor. Hong Fei surged ahead through the skies, with Frank and the others trailing close behind, maintaining a distance of tens of kilometers. Crossing the vast ocean, the temperature plummeted sharply.
The armor's internal temperature remained stable, but the sight of increasing ice floes and giant snowflakes flashing past sent an involuntary chill through him. Ed gripped his gun firmly. Beneath the massive black object protruding from the ice, eight figures huddled together, using the towering structure as a windbreak.
But the shifting winds and pervasive cold rendered partial shelter nearly useless. "Ed, aren't you freezing?" Ed wrinkled his nose. "I'm fine."
"Speaking of which, I've long felt that you were a bit strange, but I really didn't expect you to be doing this for that. I thought you were here for oil at first."
Ed chuckled. "Oil? Even if we knew it was here, how many countries would dare come extract it?"
"Good point. So you know what this thing is?"
"I don't."
"Then why did you come?"
The other person's tone was full of suspicion. Ed smiled. In fact, he wasn't sure at the beginning, and even felt that Hong Fei's arrangement was a bit presumptuous. However, they had followed Frank into battle from the start, and after falling on hard times, they were brought under Hong Fei by Frank to find new glory in life, so naturally, they had no complaints about this boss's arrangements.
Carrying such murmurs, he and No. 4 tried every means to disguise their identities and bribe various levels, spending a long time before successfully infiltrating the two oil exploration teams. Life on the ship was undoubtedly hard; although they didn't go hungry or cold, every day was nothing but the vast ocean or ice and snow, and the mental pressure was also gradually accumulating.
This made them have to wonder if there was a problem with Hong Fei's arrangement. Could they really find what the boss wanted this way? In fact, until today, Ed still had doubts in his heart. But seeing this thing that was clearly not a natural creation, he was finally convinced. The boss was indeed omniscient and had great foresight! "Ed, when are your people coming? Look, it's getting dark soon.
It won't be safe if we stay any longer." Ed looked around. Under the flying snow, the already dim light was indeed gradually fading. He said: "They should be here soon, let's wait a bit longer." "Fine, let's chat a bit more. I know the backgrounds of all of us; we're just ordinary workers. What about you? You shouldn't be as simple as a retired soldier, right? Are you still in service?
Which country do you work for?" Ed shook his head: "I am indeed a retired soldier, but I am certainly not a retired soldier from your country. I don't work for any country now. As for who I am specifically, that's confidential." "Understood." Subsequently, the nine people, including Ed, chatted one after another.
During this time, they each took out vodka from their inner pockets and took a sip from time to time. At first glance, they didn't look like they were being held hostage at gunpoint, but rather like a group of old friends chatting familiarly. When night gradually fell, a rumbling sound suddenly came from the horizon. It clearly penetrated the wind and snow and poured into the ears of the few.
No. 5 immediately turned his head to look, and saw a rainbow light on the horizon rapidly sweeping toward their direction. Before long, a humanoid armor appeared in his eyes. "It's here!" he shouted aloud. Immediately, someone asked in surprise: "Wow, my god, do you work for Iron Man?" Clang! With a muffled sound, the armor landed in front of Ed.
Ed quickly stood up straight and greeted with full vigor: "Boss!" The armor opened with a few clicks. Hong Fei stepped out, reached out and patted Ed's heavy clothes, "You've worked hard." "Boss, this is what I should do. Look, it's that thing beside us. The metal signal around it is very strong, obviously quite large. And the wind and snow here are very heavy, and the terrain changes very quickly.
The part that was exposed before wasn't this little. I guess more will be exposed after tonight." "Hmm." Hong Fei nodded. No verification needed; he felt this was definitely the place. Regardless of time, location, or appearance, it fit the crash situation from back then very well.
Of course, more directly, Hong Fei's Psychic Power sensed a very faint yet incredibly tenacious red life force underground. Steve Rogers, get into the bowl quickly! Hong Fei faced Ed and pointed to the empty flight armor: "The wind and snow are heavy, go in and warm up." Ed was stunned. He looked at Hong Fei's thin clothes and shook his head repeatedly: "Boss, you should wear it.
"The temperature here is bone-chilling." Hong Fei smirked, raising his hand. "Do I look cold to you?" Dragon Power coursed through his veins, a searing aura shielding his body from the biting cold. It was far more effective—and subtle—than releasing "Qi" for protection.
When unleashed, it was also far more destructive. Ed nodded, glancing at the eight huddled figures across from them. "Boss, they're just ordinary people. Can you..."
Hong Fei shook his head, cutting him off. "You handle it." He took a step forward, and the nano armor spread rapidly from his wrist, encasing his entire body in an instant. The sleek black armor shimmered as he leaped onto the wreckage of the crashed fighter jet.
His fist clenched, and white Bone Spikes erupted from his knuckles. The green skill card—Bone Spikes—activated. "Grotesque, sharp, and unyielding," the description echoed in his mind. While the spikes couldn't pierce the fighter's metal hull, they sliced through the icy surface with ease.
In moments, he carved through the frozen layers, revealing a sheet of glass beneath. Retracting the spikes, he shifted his stance, palm raised. With a swift, controlled motion, he struck down. A faint golden light flared, accompanied by a low, resonant dragon's roar. The ancient glass shattered, and Hong Fei stepped inside.
The interior of the fighter was remarkably intact. He surveyed the metal framework, identifying various pieces of equipment. His gaze lingered on the hole melted by the Tesseract when it had fallen beneath the plane, now partially blocked by frozen ice chunks.
Moving deeper, the terrain sloped downward. Ice and snow clung to every corner, thickening as he progressed. The crash site bore the scars of its violent impact with the ice field, cracks radiating from the point of collision.
Decades ago, Howard Stark had led a salvage mission to retrieve the Tesseract from the ocean. The cube, housing the Space Stone, had remained in S.H.I.E.L.D.'s custody ever since. Later, Mar-Vell infiltrated the organization, becoming a key figure in "Project Pegasus."
The Kree pursued Mar-Vell, their traitor, and during the ensuing chaos, pilot Carol Danvers was exposed to the Tesseract's energy, transforming her into Captain Marvel. She was taken by the Kree but returned to Earth in 1995, reclaiming her memories and crossing paths with Nick Fury.
During that time, the Tesseract had been swallowed by a Flerken—a creature Fury mistakenly thought was a cat. It scratched him before eventually spitting the cube back out.
Hong Fei's footsteps halted as he spotted something frost-covered on the ground. He knelt, brushing the frost away with his palm. The white layer dissipated, revealing a round shield adorned with red, white, and blue stripes, centered by a bold five-pointed star.
His palm gently brushed over it, and a layer of white frost dissipated, revealing the iconic shield of Captain America.