He gripped the edge of the shield and yanked it free with a sharp tug. The frozen ground beneath cracked and splintered, ice shards scattering as the shield came loose in his hand. It was lighter than he'd expected. He tapped it with his knuckles, shaking off the remaining frost, and a clear, resonant metallic ring echoed through the air. Vibranium—sound-absorbing steel—was known for its ability to absorb external kinetic energy flawlessly.
It made for an ideal shield, even Thor's hammer couldn't break it. That realization made Thanos's blade all the more terrifying. Holding the shield firmly, he stepped forward. Just a few paces brought him to the mound of thick ice. Brushing away the frost on the surface, he peered through the clear, crystalline layer. Steve's face was peaceful beneath the ice.
It seemed that, despite any regrets before his "death," he had found solace in the greater cause. Speaking of which, the plane still held numerous powerful explosives, rumored to be capable of obliterating the entire East Coast in an instant. Were those rumors true? And after all these years, were they still functional?
Hong Fei turned and used the edge of the round shield to carve Steve out of the icy tomb. With the shield in one hand and the ice block cradled in the other, he flew out of the aircraft. Outside, Frank and the others had already arrived. Number Five, Ed, was in conversation with the eight members of the oil exploration team nearby.
The moment Hong Fei appeared, the shield in his hand drew everyone's attention. Frank frowned, his military background allowing him to quickly deduce the shield's origin. A glance at the figure encased in ice confirmed his suspicions beyond doubt. Abomination scratched his head.
"I think I've seen him before?" Jessica raised an eyebrow. "If I'm not mistaken, is that Captain America?" Yelena blinked. "Wait, Captain America? Alexei talks about him all the time. He even claims he fought him."
The others remained silent, but their expressions betrayed their surprise. Hong Fei nodded. "Correct. It's Captain America, Steve Rogers. But as you can see, he's still frozen and hasn't woken up. Behind me is an aircraft built by HYDRA back in the day. Its technological level is impressive, but what I'm most curious about is whether the high-power explosives left behind by HYDRA leader Schmidt are still intact. So, figure out how to retrieve them.
Be careful not to blow yourselves up. I'll take my leave now."
With that, he took off, propelled by Dragon Power, and soared back at near-supersonic speed. Once Hong Fei was gone, Frank and the others exchanged glances. Big Head stepped forward first. "I'll check the size. You guys start chipping away at the ice slowly. Be careful—don't use too much force, or we'll all be blown to bits."
On the other side, Ed addressed the oil exploration team. "You want to join?" One of them nodded eagerly. "That's right, Ed. We're just workers, not soldiers. We work for whoever pays us. Besides, this doesn't really count as selling secrets, so we don't feel guilty. From what you've said, your benefits sound great, and we'd like to give it a try. Rather than taking a one-time hush money payment and living in silence, it's better to join you directly."
Ed considered this for a moment. "I do have jobs I can offer you, but it would mean leaving your hometown. It'd be best to bring your families along." The man grinned. "No problem. I can accept that, and they definitely will too!"
Seeing their decisiveness, Ed nodded. "Good, that's settled. Go back for now. Once this trip is over, I'll contact each of you individually. But until then, keep this confidential. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to have a chat with your families."
"Rest assured, I know you must have already understood our family situations clearly, and we would absolutely not put our families at risk. After we go back, we'll just say you went missing in the blizzard. But you need to come and pick us up quickly." "I will! Let's go, it's getting dark, I'll see you part of the way!"
...
By the time Hong Fei arrived at the Base above the castle, the energy in his body mainly used to support flight had been mostly consumed. Energy remains the only way to use a skill card. Qi was the first extra power he obtained. Dragon Power is the second. Neither of these two powers can be used to activate a skill card.
it is worth mentioning that energy can be converted into "Qi" by consuming the upper limit, but it cannot be converted into "Dragon Power." In other words, the upper limit of Dragon Power is fixed. Currently, he cannot increase it, but in the future, he can go to K'un-Lun to find Shou-Lao the Undying. That dragon constantly dies and resurrects, so it must still have Dragon Power.
However, "Dragon Power" also has a more obvious and prominent effect than "Qi": when Dragon Power is introduced into the body, using any skill will receive a certain degree of boost. For example, for the "Physical Flight" skill, his previous maximum flight speed was close to 500 KM/H, about 0.4 Mach, or around 138 m/s.
But after obtaining Dragon Power, his maximum flight speed is close to the speed of sound, below about 340 m/s. Although it cannot compare to the nano armor, this is physical flight. A boost of more than double is very considerable, even somewhat terrifying.
Entering a laboratory in the core of the Base, he placed the Steve-encased ice block on a metal table, and Hong Fei began to watch the ice melt bit by bit. Keeping it frozen makes no sense, and even after thawing, he might not wake up immediately, so he still has plenty of time.
Under Telepathy, when that red glow of life belonging to Steve began to tremble for the first time, Hong Fei equipped the "Deceive Time and Crowd" skill card and began to whisper through mental communication. This method of communication would transmit his thoughts directly into the depths of Steve's mind, completely unrelated to whether his body had recovered.
As for the "Affable Smile," Steve still had his eyes closed, so even if he smiled, he wouldn't be able to see it. The next morning, the ice had melted away, but Steve still hadn't woken up. Hong Fei walked out of the laboratory and flew back to the castle. Dr. Helen Cho had just woken up, wearing a thin, translucent black nightgown, her long hair draped messily over her shoulders.
Seeing Hong Fei fly in directly from the balcony, she hurriedly turned to the side, raised her hand to brush her hair, and said: "You left so hurriedly yesterday, and they went with you too. Everything is okay, right?" "It's fine." He couldn't tell her he spent the whole night with another man, right? Hong Fei stared straight at her: "It's still early, not going to sleep a bit more?"
"It's eight o'clock!" "But I want to sleep." "Then you sleep." Dr. Helen Cho said, running towards the door with a mischievous smile. "I don't like sleeping alone." After saying this, Hong Fei waved his hand, pulling the curtains shut from a distance. The room plunged back into darkness, and then the continuous, rising and falling moans lasted for a long time. At noon, the sunlight was just right.
At the dining table, Hong Fei asked: "How is the research progressing?" Dr. Helen Cho nodded: "It's okay. There were some bottlenecks, but they were all broken through quickly. I haven't encountered any particular difficulties." "Do you need money?" "No, I haven't finished spending the last batch." Hearing this, Hong Fei immediately looked up. Seeing this, Dr.
Helen Cho waved her hand dismissively. "I really don't need more money. What I have left is more than enough—enough for other projects."
"What kind of projects?"
"Nano armor."
Hong Fei raised an eyebrow. "Hasn't that already been successful?" He gestured to the suit he was wearing.
"It's different," Dr. Cho explained with a patient smile. "The current nano armor is far from perfect. It's achieved basic nano convergence and reorganization, but its post-assembly effects are limited. It doesn't fully adapt to your body shape—it relies on pre-set model data. Besides, it's lucky your suit doesn't require a reactor. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to create it at all."
Hong Fei nodded thoughtfully. "What does your ideal nano armor look like?"
Her eyes lit up, and she set down her utensils, leaning forward. "In my vision, it should integrate seamlessly with your body. It would materialize instantly when needed and vanish just as quickly. Internally, it could morph into any shape you require—weapons, ammunition, tools, anything.
"Once formed, it shouldn't just function as a bulletproof suit. It should include life support, medical systems, and other features found in advanced armor. Ideally, we could integrate the Regeneration Cradle into it. That way, if you're injured in battle, you'd receive immediate treatment and recover swiftly."
Her words came faster and more fluently as she spoke, clearly outlining a concept she'd spent considerable time refining. Hong Fei listened intently, struck by a sense of familiarity. Venom, is that you?
When she finished, her gaze was expectant, and Hong Fei didn't hesitate. "Brilliant ideas. These are the true essence of nano armor. Some features might seem unnecessary, but they could be lifesaving in critical moments. The key to perfection lies in both overall functionality and meticulous detail."
Dr. Cho's face lit up with genuine delight. She felt seen and understood, her ideas validated in Hong Fei's thoughtful response.
"Your vision is incredible," he continued. "Let's make it a branch project. Get Big Head and Ivan started on it. Melina might be able to lend a hand too."
She nodded eagerly. "I'll begin as soon as I get back."
Hong Fei hesitated, then added, "I know of a place where something might appear that could significantly advance your work. But it'll take some time."
"Whatever you're planning," she said seriously, "be careful."
***
The Life Foundation, based in San Francisco and owned by Carlton Drake, specialized in exploring the cosmos for resources to enhance Earth's ecosystems. Its lofty vision spanned the solar system, and its technological capabilities were impressive.
With the original Spider-Man's narrative excised from this universe, the foundation's existence wasn't surprising. Hong Fei had already investigated all potential key elements—companies, locations, and figures—long before he first approached Tony Stark.
Once Venom appears, he will directly snatch it, along with its host, and all those other symbiotes that came to Earth together!