Big Head had already infiltrated the network. His fingers flew across the keyboard. "There's another exit here," he said quickly, pointing toward a specific location. The moment his hand gestured, a violent explosion erupted, its rumbling echoes reverberating endlessly through the cavernous mountain base. Nearby, the clash between Taskmaster and Barton continued unabated.
Barton switched to explosive arrows, but none of them came close to hitting Antonia. As flames erupted to obscure vision, he suddenly nocked five arrows and loosed them simultaneously, aiming to overwhelm her. But Antonia was faster.
She discarded her bow, reached behind her back, and pulled out her shield. With a twist of her waist, she hurled it with precision. The round shield sliced through the air, closing the distance to Barton in an instant. He had no choice but to abandon his attack, gripping his bow with both hands to block. The shield's sharp edge bit deep into the bow's frame.
It didn't break, but the weapon was effectively ruined. Before Barton could react further, Antonia burst through the flames with feline agility. He swung his bow instinctively, but she pressed down on his arm, using the leverage to vault into the air. Her long legs snapped around his neck like a vice.
Barton's eyes widened. "Oh no," he thought.
It was too late. Antonia's legs locked onto his neck like iron pincers. With a violent twist of her torso, her core strength propelled her into a full 360-degree rotation. Boom! Barton slammed into the ground with a muffled thud, writhing in pain before going still. Antonia landed gracefully, her stance steady.
"Wow! Cool! That was much cooler than Natasha!" Yelena shouted from the sidelines.
Hong Fei flew in moments later, landing beside Barton's prone form. He gave Antonia an approving thumbs-up. The move she'd executed was Natasha's signature technique—visually stunning and devastatingly effective, as Barton's condition attested. On either side, Yelena and Ivan continued to hold off the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
The agents, however, had lost their will to fight. Heavy casualties had taken their toll, and Tony's earlier ultimatum had sapped their resolve. The gunfire dwindled. Some agents crouched behind cover, frozen in place, while others, with nowhere to hide, simply raised their hands in surrender.
Below the base, researchers who hadn't evacuated emerged from their rooms, staring in despair at the two destroyed entrances. The mountain base had no remaining exits. Tony's voice echoed once more: "You have thirty seconds left."
Big Head stepped forward, leaning in to whisper, "Boss, we can blast our way out."
Hong Fei shook his head. "Not yet. Copy all the research data from this base, and patch me through to him."
"Got it," Big Head replied.
The connection wasn't difficult to establish. Soon, Tony's voice crackled through: "So, you've surrendered? Take off your armor, raise your hands, and lie on the ground. I'll come in to collect you."
Hong Fei: "Whether we surrender or not is a separate matter, but can you see the situation inside?"
"Of course I can see it," Tony snapped. Then, his tone hardened. "I didn't expect the person who kidnapped me back then was actually you. I should have guessed it earlier!"
Exposed. But it wasn't a major problem. Hong Fei just smiled. "How are you sure it's me?"
"Do you have evidence?" Hong Fei's voice cut through the tension.
Tony hesitated. He didn't. Body type, voice, movement—every comparison had failed. Every lead that seemed promising had turned into a dead end. It was unscientific, and that bothered him deeply. "Before you have evidence," he shot back, "it's best not to spout nonsense. You understand what I mean."
"Hmph, I'm not a judge. I don't need evidence." Hong Fei's tone was cold.
"Then I don't need to consider whether some people are innocent or not." Tony clenched his jaw, thinking of Pepper and the others caught in the crossfire. After a moment, he muttered, "I thought we'd become friends."
"We can be friends," Hong Fei replied evenly.
"Friends don't kidnap each other or blackmail each other."
"Friends also remember that I saved him. Twice."
Outside the base, Tony's cheek twitched. He took a breath. "You can't escape. I've already surrounded this place. Even if you blast an exit, you'll face endless attacks. Surrender. It's your only way out."
Hong Fei shook his head. "How about this? I'll give you one minute. Open the exit for me."
Tony barked a bitter laugh. "Are you joking?"
"You know there are still S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel inside who haven't evacuated. I don't understand why you dare to threaten me." Hong Fei pulled out a revolver, pointing it at Barton. "Every ten seconds after that minute, I kill one."
Silence. Tony's side didn't respond.
Hong Fei knew Fury would have sacrificed everyone in the base to eliminate him and his group without hesitation. But Tony Stark? Despite his flaws, he was a hero. He wouldn't trade lives so callously.
Outside, Tony's voice rose in anger. "There are still people inside! Why did you blow up the passageway?"
Fury, carrying a case, glared back. "If we hadn't, they'd have come out too."
"And you're willing to let them die together?" Tony shot back.
Fury's expression darkened. He didn't respond. The truth was, he'd considered it. The base's self-destruct mechanism was designed to protect its secrets. Using it to eliminate Hong Fei and his team? It was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Tony's eyes narrowed as he read the silence. "You actually dared to think that? Are you serious? Hundreds of lives—your own people!"
Fury snapped, "Don't judge me by your standards. I won't abandon anyone. Blowing the passage was just to trap them temporarily. I'll find a way to rescue them, but I need time to wait for reinforcements."
"Some things can be done but not said," Tony growled. "Once said, they can't be undone."
"Reinforcements? Am I not enough? Are these armors not enough?" He gestured to the sky, where hundreds of Iron Man suits encircled the mountain base.
Without another word, Tony directed the armors to attack the collapsed entrance. Moments later, a quinjet arrived. Steve, Natasha, and the others stepped out, ready for action.
"What's the situation?" Steve asked, his brow furrowed.
Fury answered grimly, "The enemies are inside the research base. They've taken hundreds of innocent hostages."
Tony immediately tore down the stage: "Hmph, the hostages are real, but whether they're innocent is another matter."
Steve looked between them. "Who's behind this?"
Fury replied, "That group from the Rand Building."
Steve nodded slightly, his heart stirring. Hong Fei had acted again. Could he have uncovered something about HYDRA?
Steve's gaze flicked toward Fury, lingering on the black case in his hand. "What's that?" he asked, his voice flat. Fury didn't so much as blink. "What they were after." Steve pressed further. "And what is it?" Fury hesitated, then answered, "The future. Humanity's future." Steve nodded slowly. The words sounded like something a villain would say.
Ahead, Tony's legion of armors unleashed a barrage of energy blasts, carving a massive hole through the blocked mountain. In under a minute, Hong Fei holstered his gun, and the eight of them flew out together. As soon as they emerged, Hong Fei quipped, "I expected you to keep me pinned down longer."
"If you hadn't resorted to hostages, I would have," Tony shot back, raising his hand. The hundreds of armors hovering above redirected their aim toward Hong Fei. Hong Fei's eyes swept over the Avengers standing before him. "I didn't want hostages. You handed them to me. If I needed leverage, I wouldn't have let them go and come out alone just now."
Tony wasn't interested in explanations. "Since you've seen the armors, you should know you're not leaving today. Oh, and this one—Captain America, right? I remember watching your propaganda film as a kid. Not bad." Steve's jaw tightened. Of all the things Tony could bring up, it had to be that.
Tony had a knack for endearing himself to fans while infuriating those closest to him. Natasha glanced at Yelena. Though she couldn't see her face, she knew Yelena was looking back. Luke's gaze lingered on Hong Fei and his sword, a dull ache throbbing in his chest.
Matt leaned on his blind cane, head bowed as if lost in thought. Fury retreated silently, his steps measured. Hong Fei's voice cut through the tension. "Nick Fury, you can leave. All of you can leave—as long as you leave what you're holding." Fury paused mid-step. "You know that's not happening." Hong Fei shrugged. "In a robbery, nothing's impossible."
Fury glanced at the swarm of armors above and the Avengers by his side, his expression resolute. "Do you really think you can pull this off today?" "I can." "You're overconfident." "Compared to you? Maybe. But I've got eight people here. You've got five, and most of them are already beaten. What've you got to fight me with?"
Fury shook his head. "I have more support on the way, and I've alerted the military. That thing belongs to S.H.I.E.L.D., and more importantly, to the World Security Council." Hong Fei smirked. "Are you kidding me?"