Hong Fei tore through the research base like a comet, plummeting downward with unstoppable momentum. Rooms blurred past him, corridors twisted away, equipment and obstacles meant nothing—they couldn't slow him for even a fraction of a second. While he lacked Tony Stark's Jarvis, his own mind operated with unmatched speed and flexibility, processing every detail in real time.
His flight was an extension of his body, every movement and shift in speed perfectly controlled by his will. It was why he'd told his people armor wasn't necessary. If they couldn't fly, they'd rely on armor to lift them. If they couldn't dodge bullets, they'd let the armor absorb the hits. But the core principle remained: use it, but never depend on it.
Moments later, he reached the base's lowest level. A squad of elite agents stood guard, fully armed and ready. But against Hong Fei's blinding speed, their firearms were useless. Bullets only struck afterimages, and the deafening roar of his passage left them disoriented, buffeted by gale-force winds. At the bottom, he found Dr. Erik Selvig frantically packing his files.
"Where is it?" Hong Fei demanded.
"Fury took it the moment things went wrong," Selvig replied.
Hong Fei chuckled. He hadn't noticed anything on Fury or Hill earlier—they'd been prepared, moving it in advance. Fury's appearance had likely been a stalling tactic. The base housed many important projects, but the Tesseract was undoubtedly the crown jewel.
Still, Hong Fei wasn't in a rush to pursue it. Instead, he asked calmly, "How's your research going?"
"It's progressing well," Selvig said, his voice tinged with awe. "Honestly, it's the most miraculous thing I've ever seen... well, one of them." Having witnessed Thor's awakening, Selvig wasn't entirely naive.
Hong Fei's next question cut straight to the point. "Is your research focused on extracting the Tesseract's energy for human use?"
Selvig blinked, startled. "How did you know?"
Hong Fei ignored the question, pressing further. "Did Fury tell you that success would give humanity an inexhaustible energy source?"
"That's right," Selvig admitted. "It sounds grandiose, but I know now it's true. The energy within the Tesseract is staggering. It could be the key that opens the universe to humanity."
"Well said," Hong Fei replied. "It is a key. But humanity isn't the only one holding it."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what it sounds like. You'll understand in time. For now, remember this and find a way to pass it on to Captain America."
"Wait—Captain America? Did I hear that right?"
"Steve Rogers," Hong Fei clarified. "At your age, you should know him well. Here's the truth: S.H.I.E.L.D.'s research isn't as noble as you think. Their claim of solving humanity's energy crisis is just a cover. Their real goal is to use that energy—and the technology derived from it—to create advanced weapons."
"That... that can't be," Selvig protested. "I've never seen—"
"Professor, just because you haven't seen it doesn't mean it doesn't exist. S.H.I.E.L.D. is an intelligence agency, not a charity. Even if they succeed with the Tesseract and unlock limitless energy, do you really believe it would benefit all of humanity?"
Selvig fell silent, his face pale. Hong Fei didn't care about the man's thoughts or whether he had the vision to consider humanity's greater good. His message was delivered, and that was enough.
Hong Fei had casually ripped Fury's bright new clothes—painstakingly woven—into a pile of tattered rags. When it came to fighting terrorist forces, Hong Fei could believe S.H.I.E.L.D. had achieved results. But S.H.I.E.L.D. wasn't the only organization in the world tackling such threats. Every nation with global standing was doing the same.
Yet elevating their responsibility to maintaining world peace? That was harder to swallow. After Captain Marvel returned from the Kree Empire, rediscovering her past identity and memories, she appeared alongside the Skrulls in the vision of some Earthlings. From that moment, Fury's connection with the Skrulls had never been severed.
The Skrulls' defining trait was their ability to copy—some could perfectly replicate appearances down to genetic levels. Living among such aliens, most would tread carefully, trembling at the thought of a misstep that could plunge Earth into catastrophe.
But Fury? He dared to establish contact, even cooperation, with them while keeping the entire world in the dark. You sneak aliens in and still have the audacity to lecture me about world peace?
Captain Marvel, too busy in the Milky Way for years to return to Earth, had become a galactic officer willing to risk Earthlings for the sake of a defeated race. Whether it was Fury or Captain Marvel, their actions boiled down to one thing: generosity with other people's kindness, spending other people's money.
Inside and out, it was just one word: Bitch. Once stripped of their moral high ground, such people weren't even worth the beggars on the street.
At least beggars earned their living by their own means. They didn't demand anything from others, didn't hand out baseless judgments, and certainly didn't wield some grand identity to force cooperation.
Hong Fei, for all his flaws, knew what he was doing. He could even be honest with his own people about his intentions. The Tesseract, initially deemed forbidden, was hidden away. The ambitious Red Skull found it, and after his defeat, it sank into the deep sea.
Howard Stark retrieved it, and it remained with S.H.I.E.L.D. for years—until Fury brought it out again. What Fury was doing now wasn't much different from Red Skull's actions. If Loki hadn't appeared, a chaotic war similar to the past might have erupted.
When that happened, would they have to wait for another hero to save the world?
In essence, this was a group of people—different affiliations, same arrogance—who saw themselves as extraordinary. They used excuses to interfere with society's natural development, disrupting the world's balance and hindering civilization's progress.
Putting it that way, doesn't it sound familiar? Hong Fei spoke up: "The weapons research project tied to the Tesseract must be in this base. I'll have my people collect all the experimental files. Besides, I believe they'll use them soon enough."
Dr. Erik Selvig snapped out of his daze, shock still lingering in his eyes. He pursed his lips, his gaze flickering, and asked with great difficulty: "Hong... no, you, do you know the origin of the Tesseract?"
Hong Fei nodded. Dr. Selvig stared at him, eyes brimming with curiosity. Hong Fei patted his shoulder. "I'll tell you after I take it back. Then you can study it at your leisure."
Hong Fei wasn't sure if the Tesseract was connected to the Einstein-Rosen Bridge. The Space Stone's capabilities clearly extended beyond that, but its usage here bore striking similarities. "I'm leaving," he said abruptly. "You should evacuate too. This place won't remain safe for long." Without waiting for a response, he turned and flew off.
Outside the research base, a streak of rainbow light sliced through the sky. Abomination jerked his head up, his grip tightening around the mace as his eyes narrowed. From a thousand meters away, Tony Stark locked onto his target. Identifying Abomination instantly, he accelerated, simultaneously firing a volley of micro-missiles.
The missiles streaked downward, trailing white flames. Abomination crouched, his massive body catapulting dozens of meters into the air. Yet the missiles, equipped with advanced tracking systems, adjusted their trajectory with unnerving precision, closing in faster than before. Tony halted mid-air to maintain distance, unleashing a barrage from his Pulse Cannon.
Abomination swung his mace defensively as he descended. Moments later, the missiles struck and detonated, engulfing his massive form in a fiery explosion. Seizing the opportunity, Tony veered sharply and shot into the tunnel entrance. The instant he vanished, Abomination burst from the flames, his grotesque face twisted with fury.
He wore armor capable of flight, but in his rage, he'd forgotten to use it. Now, the already compromised suit was further damaged by the missile barrage. Roaring, Abomination charged into the tunnel, each thunderous step leaving deep imprints in the ground, a testament to his seething anger.
Inside the base, Frank, stationed at the entrance's center, noticed an anomaly on his HUD. He spun around, the Gatling gun's barrel whirring to life. "Tony's here," he warned Jessica. "Move fast." Bright yellow bullets poured forth, shell casings clattering to the floor.
In a blur, Tony zipped through the hail of gunfire, sparks ricocheting harmlessly off his suit. He closed the distance in an instant, drawing back his armored fist and driving it straight at Frank's face.
Hong Fei would have laughed if he'd seen this. Both men in armor, and Tony thought he could take Frank in hand-to-hand combat? With a metallic clang, the Gatling gun detached from Frank's armor. He caught the barrel in a fluid motion, his stance calm and deliberate.
Just before Tony's fist connected, Frank swung the barrel with brutal force. It slammed into the waist of Tony's suit. The impact sent him crashing into the wall, armor sparking as he collapsed. Frank leapt forward, landing with precision and bringing the barrel down again in a devastating arc.
He planted one foot on Tony's chest, gripping the barrel with both hands and hammering the Iron Man helmet like a blacksmith pounding an anvil. Moments later, the suit split apart with a metallic screech, scattering into a heap of components. Inside the hollow armor, Tony was nowhere to be found.
At that moment, Big Head's voice cut through the tension. "Frank, we're surrounded."
"Hmm?"
"Iron Man suits. Dozens of them. Stark's got us boxed in."
As if on cue, Tony's voice echoed through the base. "Surrender. You're outnumbered and outgunned. You've got one minute to decide. After that, I'll bury you all."
Abomination burst through the entrance, his face twisted with irritation. "The damn entrance got bombed and collapsed," he growled, dusting himself off. "I walked right into a trap."
Frank snorted, a smirk tugging at his lips. "Iron Man," he muttered, shaking his head. "You've got to hand it to him—he's got brains."