Mei found herself puzzled. Hong Fei clearly cared deeply for Peter, so why did he seem so indifferent to the boy idolizing his greatest enemy? She knew about the bitter history between Hong Fei and Tony Stark, and as a woman, her loyalty naturally lay with Hong Fei. This only deepened her disdain for the billionaire playboy, whom she'd never particularly admired in the first place.
Watching Peter circle the Iron Man armor, his face alight with excitement as he inspected it from every angle, Mei decided to probe deeper. She stepped forward and asked, "Why do you like Iron Man so much?"
Peter's youthful face scrunched in thought before he answered, "Because he's brilliant!"
Mei had to admit that point was undeniable. Tony Stark's genius was well-documented, his teenage accomplishments already surpassing ninety percent of humanity.
"Anything else?" she pressed.
"He's creative and responsible," Peter continued, a proud smile spreading across his face.
"That's why he's the one and only Iron Man!"
"And what about the other guy who showed up during the Battle of New York?" Mei asked.
"The one who fought Thor? The 'Dragon King,' they call him."
"Dragon King? Of course I like him!" Peter replied without hesitation.
"Lots of kids at school do, especially the upperclassmen. The Asian students seem to connect with him differently—their cultural understanding of dragons makes him this mythical, powerful symbol. I've been learning Chinese, so I get it. Plus, he ranked second on the Battle of New York combat power leaderboard. His fight videos are incredible, so yeah, I like him too!"
Mei exhaled quietly in relief. As long as Peter didn't dislike Hong Fei, she could handle any future complications.
"Wait," she said, curiosity piqued, "what leaderboard are you talking about?"
"Oh, it just came out yesterday morning," Peter explained eagerly.
"Someone did a deep dive into last year's alien invasion and released a bunch of rankings. The combat power leaderboard's the most popular, and Dragon King's second!"
Mei frowned.
"Who's first?"
"Thor, obviously!"
Peter mimicked Thor's stance, though sadly lacking his hammer. Mei thought of the god who'd clashed with Hong Fei and begrudgingly accepted the ranking.
"And third?"
"Hulk! That big green monster—he's insanely strong and has tons of fans."
"So Iron Man didn't even make the top three?" Mei asked, a hint of amusement in her voice.
Peter pouted immediately.
"He's fourth."
"Fourth?"
Mei raised an eyebrow, feigning disbelief. Peter fell silent, his lips pursed in a pout as he locked his gaze on her face, silently protesting her skepticism.
Mei chuckled and reached out to ruffle his hair.
"Alright, alright. I think the ranking makes sense. Iron Man deserves fourth place."
Peter's smile returned instantly.
Mei asked again: "Then do you like Iron Man more, or do you like Dragon King more?"
"Iron Man!" Peter answered without hesitation.
"Why?"
"Because he's always been my idol. Even if he weren't Iron Man, he'd still be Tony Stark—the scientist, the engineer, the guy I look up to."
Mei nodded thoughtfully. Best not to let Hong Fei know about this, she decided. It might break his heart.
But soon, as if she had thought of something, Mei pressed her hand on Peter's shoulder: "Wait, Peter, can you tell me why you know so much about a leaderboard that was published on the internet in the middle of the night? Shouldn't you have gone to bed very early last night? And you just woke up?"
Peter blinked blankly, and a flattering smile appeared on his face.
On the other side, Mei didn't know that this conversation between her and Peter had already been eavesdropped on by a certain shameless uncle. Although this set of armor, customized to continue the cooperation with Hong Fei, had not been tampered with by Tony, he couldn't help that Peter was holding the smaller armor model at the moment.
Consequently, Tony, having heard this conversation, was immediately in a great mood. So what if you are powerful, so what if you knew him earlier and are more familiar with him? Your woman's nephew idolizes me, not you, that bizarre Dragon King! Sokovia. Hong Fei, with the Ten Rings on his arm, walked hand in hand with Dr. Helen Cho to the square in front of the castle.
On the lawn, two steeds with shiny, reflective coats were strolling leisurely. Nearby, Frank, Big Head, and Natasha and her sister were each riding a horse. Today is New Year's Day, and the group of people remaining in the castle went out for a trip together. There were no luxury sports cars, only horses as mounts.
As the two walked along, Hong Fei turned his head and asked: "Do you know how to ride a horse?"
Dr. Helen Cho did not answer directly, but instead asked back with a bright smile: "What do you think?"
Hong Fei looked at her face and body, then thought of her consistently gentle and weak appearance and temperament. Such a girl would definitely make people think she couldn't ride a horse, but Dr. Helen Cho showed no fear in the face of the tall horse; instead, there was a hint of eagerness in her eyes, so she must have learned, and might even be beyond the level of a beginner. Hong Fei shook his head: "I think you don't."
"Hmph, what are we betting?"
"The stakes are up to you."
Dr. Helen Cho smiled even more brightly: "Then you better watch carefully!"
After saying this, she quickly stepped forward, took the reins from someone else's hand, first gently brushed the horse's head, then patted the saddle, and then lifted her leg to step on the stirrup, mounting the horse with one clean and neat flip.
"Good!" Big Head, sitting on his horse, shouted, clapping his hands repeatedly. Others also followed with praise.
One had to know that in everyone's eyes, Dr. Helen Cho had always been a researcher with no strength to truss a chicken. Dr. Helen Cho thanked everyone for their praise with a hint of shyness, then raised her chin slightly and said proudly to Hong Fei: "You lost!"
Hong Fei cupped his hands: "I admit defeat. You can think about your condition now."
Dr. Helen Cho smiled happily immediately.
Hong Fei turned around and mounted his horse, took a cowboy hat from his subordinate, gently squeezed the horse's belly, and lined up with the others. He lowered the brim of his hat slightly, then suddenly raised his hand and pointed to the open gate: "Let's go!" In an instant, the group urged their mounts and galloped forward!
Outside the castle, there were no winding mountain roads as before; instead, there was a wide, gentle road lined with green trees on both sides. Although it was already winter, Sokovia had not yet welcomed its first heavy snow. Even though the temperature had dropped a lot, the midday sun was still bright.
When Hong Fei and the others rushed out of the castle, they discovered that a group of people were already waiting quietly on horseback outside, numbering nearly a hundred. Once they moved forward first, this group of nearly a hundred riders immediately merged into them. For a time, the sound of horse hooves was endless, and the momentum of a charge had already formed.
Hong Fei led the charge with a booming laugh, his rowdy entourage whooping in excitement behind him. The riders soon reached the lakeside plain where vibrant greenery stretched before them. Scattered buildings—some finished, others mid-construction—flanked both sides, though the holiday meant no workers lingered today.
Clear waves lapped rhythmically against the shore as they arrived, the sound pure and undisturbed. Their horses' hooves sank into fresh mud, slowing to a leisurely pace as they circled the water. At a flat campsite, the group dismounted to prepare 2013's first barbecue.
With nearly a hundred hands working in unison, Hong Fei and his inner circle had no need to lift a finger. Seated lakeside with his fishing line cast, the boss exhaled as tranquility settled over him. To his right sat Dr. Helen Cho, then Natasha and Yelena; Frank occupied his left, forcing Big Head to squeeze in beside the brooding man.
After a comfortable silence, Hong Fei suddenly asked, "They're not on holiday?"
Frank didn't miss a beat.
"Isn't this what holiday looks like?"
"I mean sending them home to family. Weren't they all here for Christmas too? That's a big deal for them, right?"
Frank's answering sneer made Hong Fei raise an eyebrow. Big Head chose that moment to wedge his elongated skull into the conversation.
"Boss, most recruits came in without relatives. Even now, plenty are single—though some started families. Mr. Castle arranged housing so they could bring partners here. This is home now."
Hong Fei's frown deepened.
"How did I miss that?"
Dr. Cho's laughter rippled beside him.
"Haven't you noticed the castle's getting crowded?"
"Now that you mention it..."
Hong Fei nodded.
Natasha added, "Sky Base population's booming too."
Yelena stretched her legs.
"Everywhere's livelier than the ghost towns we had before."
Big Head barreled on.
"They're settled near the castle outskirts—some even joined Blackwater Town's construction crews voluntarily."
The realization hit Hong Fei like a brick. He'd been feeding an army without realizing.
Frank's dry voice cut in.
"This is your territory. How are you this oblivious?"
"Because I've got you."
Frank's sidelong glare could've melted steel. Dr. Cho muffled a laugh while Big Head pressed his lips together.
Then Hong Fei's eyelid twitched. He turned slowly to see golden sparks erupt behind the oblivious crowd, swirling into a fiery circle. The portal's center darkened, revealing an alien vista as a bald figure in brown robes stepped through, folding fan in hand.
The moment her sandals touched grass, the gateway snapped shut.
Hong Fei whipped his head around—no one else had reacted. When he turned back, the stranger's gentle gaze met his.
"Hong Fei," she said, smiling. "Long time no see."