Insane. That was Nick Fury's first thought. Robbing S.H.I.E.L.D. directly—if this wasn't madness, what was? Yet, recalling Hong Fei's previous actions and the seven Iron Man suits standing before him, Fury felt a pang of alarm. While Ivan's armor technology paled in comparison to Tony Stark's, the seven individuals piloting those suits were far from ordinary.
Some remained enigmas, but if stripped of their armor, Tony likely couldn't handle more than a couple of them. Calculating the time silently, Fury spoke up: "Whatever you want, we can discuss it." Hong Fei's refusal was blunt: "No need. I'll take what I want myself."
Fury's expression darkened. "You're provoking us without reason." "I'm saving your lives," Hong Fei countered with a sneer. "Menace like you aren't easy to kill, but your subordinates? They'll bear the brunt. Most of them are going to die because of you." "What are you talking about?" Fury's gaze sharpened.
He sensed Hong Fei knew something he didn't. "You know exactly what I mean. Do you think everything in the world is yours to experiment on?" Hong Fei's tone was icy. "Take my advice—Earth's waters run deep, and you're out of your depth." Did Fury take advice? Never. If anything, he was stubborn to a fault.
To him, people were often just pawns on a chessboard. He understood the delicate balance where one move could ripple across the entire game, and he had a natural knack for controlling situations, whether on a local or global scale. But the problem was, his intellect far outstripped his physical power.
He needed the Avengers as his blade and vanguard, the Skrulls to operate in the shadows and carve out more opportunities, and the World Security Council's funding to fortify his bases. Those who strategize rule others—this was a given. But this was Marvel. And his mind had its limits; he couldn't even hold a candle to Big Head.
As a result, his actions often seemed baffling, leaving people torn—not quite a villain, yet far from a hero. The only thing propping him up was the facade of a grand protector of the world. If he were a straightforward villain, he might have earned more applause. "How did you find this place?" Fury demanded.
Hong Fei ignored the question, instead asking, "Your people aren't here yet, are they? Should I give you a few more minutes?" Fury's face hardened. "Do you think you've got me cornered?" "Yes," Hong Fei replied without hesitation. Fury's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly retreated.
In that instant, every agent opened fire. The bullets from their guns were one thing, but the weapons strategically placed throughout the research base also activated. A relentless storm of firepower engulfed Hong Fei and his team. A shell exploded amidst the crossfire, followed by a cascade of micro and medium-sized missiles, each detonating in rapid succession.
The sheer force of the barrage—ammunition, flames, and shockwaves—felt like a landslide or tsunami crashing over them. As a critical research base, S.H.I.E.L.D. had spared no expense in fortifying its defenses. With more agents joining the fray, the pressure mounted exponentially.
Frank and the others were forced to retreat under the onslaught. Seizing the opportunity, Fury grabbed Hill and bolted toward the other end of the base. There were other exits there.
They had no need to fight the enemy head-on, as their individual strength wasn't even enough to make up the numbers. Barton stayed behind; he was a member of the Avengers. Frank and the others, while being suppressed, naturally didn't suffer direct harm, but they also took the opportunity to avoid the enemy's frontal assault.
Because the armor wasn't omnipotent and certainly wasn't invulnerable to modern weapons, although they didn't want to become Iron Man, they also couldn't possibly become Iron Man. Tony's Iron Man Armor had the artificial intelligence Jarvis as an assistant; sometimes Jarvis could even take direct control of the armor.
And in analyzing Iron Man's combat prowess, Tony as the creator and Master certainly deserved credit, but in actual combat, the role of the AI could by no means be ignored. The scan data and analysis it provided offered powerful support for Tony's decisions; even for a simple movement or flight posture, the AI would help him make micro-adjustments.
Frank and the others didn't have that; Big Head's "artificial intelligence" would only be a burden if put on the armor. Besides that, their armor also lacked the most direct and effective part: shock absorption and damage immunity. Tony's armor would achieve perfection in this regard. This perfection was the perfection of armor in the Universe, not just the perfection of Earth technology.
Just think about it: wearing the armor, he could withstand the attack of Mjolnir, forged from the core of a dying star, World tree branches, and Odin's enchantment. He could let Hulk, that angry green guy, hammer the head of the armor, and no matter how severely damaged the armor was, he himself, as the user, had almost never suffered any significant injury.
Of course, his previous armor had been basic models, and due to a lack of actual combat testing, they had been destroyed before—Hong Fei had done such a thing. But he also understood that such things couldn't succeed every time, and it would only get harder in the future.
It was foreseeable that as time passed, the performance of the Iron Man Suit in terms of defense would inevitably become more and more dazzling. This was definitely not just an upgrade in materials, but also a continuous rise in overall design concepts and related technologies. Ivan couldn't do these things.
Now, his armor and the set he had made at the very beginning, apart from slightly better materials, didn't have much essential difference. Even that flight armor, which he had developed with all his might under Hong Fei's heavy pressure with a focus on speed, seemed unable to compare to the Iron Man Suit manufactured by Tony.
There was bound to be a gap between people; sometimes the gap between individuals of the same species was more outrageous than the gap between species. This was a fact that Ivan himself had clearly seen and had to accept. Therefore, among Hong Fei's subordinates, apart from Abomination, although the other six all had armor, really not everyone could become Iron Man.
The first moment after avoiding the attack, Hong Fei asked with a smile: "How does it feel?" Jessica said honestly: "Their firepower is fierce." Yelena: "I feel like the armor is about to be torn apart." Big Head: "This is the first time I've encountered such a powerful attack." Antonia: "Very strong, but not enough. We can fly."
Ivan: "That's right, but flying might be more troublesome; we might get hit and lose our balance." Frank: "This is a good lesson for you all." Hong Fei nodded: "Frank is right. The armor is not the only thing; it can be your weapon and aid, but it must never become your reliance. For you, the armor has limits, but each of you possesses vast potential far exceeding the armor.
The armor can be used, but I hope that one day you can take off the armor voluntarily." Using the enemy's firepower to educate his own teammates was not originally in Hong Fei's plan, but since the timing was right, mentioning it didn't hurt. Several people nodded one after another.
They all had their own strengths, but ever since they started acting in the armor, it had to be said that they had indeed been influenced or even limited to some extent. Ivan said helplessly: "I can only rely on the armor." Hong Fei said without hesitation: "That may be so, but who said armor can only be made into a humanoid shape?" Ivan was suddenly stunned.
However, Hong Fei didn't continue; he turned and said: "Old rules, Frank, you take command." Frank nodded and said unhesitatingly: "Hong Fei, break through the blockade to find the item. Big Head, use your Psychic Power to make them fight each other. Jessica, use your body to fly over and destroy the missile launchers. Yelena, stop the troops rushing from the left. Ivan, go to the right.
I will coordinate from the center. Antonia, go and meet Hawkeye." A very clear and concise arrangement. After the group received their orders, Hong Fei took to the air immediately, flashing through the bullets, shells, and even missiles flying in front of him.
His speed surged to near the speed of sound, and a faint sonic boom cloud exploded above a group of Agents, causing many to faint immediately. Dr. Erik Selvig was releasing a signal again, which allowed Hong Fei to easily locate his position. Jessica followed closely behind Hong Fei and rushed out. She used her own flight ability to quickly weave through and approach the missile launchers.
Compared to flying in armor, her natural flight movements were like a dragon swimming in the sea or an eagle striking the sky; every move was incredibly natural, and she was very swift at dodging attacks. After she destroyed two missile launchers, due to a moment of inattention, she was knocked down from the sky, along with her armor, by a suddenly erupting shell.
However, her previous actions had also greatly relieved the pressure on Frank and the others. Soon, Jessica flew up again, and the missiles or turrets built into the cliff walls erupted with flames one after another. On the ground, Big Head did not appear, but his Psychic Power had already spread.
Instantly, the Agents affected by him turned their guns on their own people, and an internal melee caused the Agents to fall into a brief panic. Yelena and Ivan separated to the left and right, preventing more Agents from converging on this location.
Antonia, also known as Taskmaster, turned and took a black bow from her back, nocked a metal arrow, aimed at Barton, and quickly released the bowstring. In an instant, Barton, on the other end, also turned his head immediately. He didn't actively dodge; instead, he shot an arrow in return with incredibly swift movements. The two metal arrowheads collided in mid-air.
Subsequently, one could see the two of them continuously drawing bows and shooting arrows at high speed. Arrow after arrow collided and fell to the ground. The two fought while moving, yet their shooting speed remained completely unaffected.