March 15th—a perfect day for travel, tourism, and counterfeit crackdowns. Waves crashed against the reefs below, their thunderous roar echoing across the cliffs. Ten meters above the churning sea, a sprawling green pasture rolled toward the horizon. Near the distant tree line stood a white compound, its quinjet parked like a sleeping metal beast. Tony and Steve stood at the cliff's edge, watching the ocean.
Steve's gray t-shirt strained against his muscular frame as the salt wind whipped past. He squinted toward the empty horizon.
"They should be here soon."
Tony adjusted his sunglasses, the afternoon sun glinting off the frames.
"We've got half an hour before the agreed time. Right on schedule."
Steve turned with raised eyebrows.
"So who's first in the exchange?"
"Beats me."
Tony's expression gave nothing away.
"Come on," Steve scoffed.
"You orchestrated this whole operation."
"Not alone. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s involved too. Hill's working directly with us now."
Tony shoved his hands in his pockets.
"The new Avengers Tower needs trusted personnel and resources. Her team saves us headaches."
Steve's frown came instinctively.
"You're handing logistics entirely to them?"
"Obviously."
Tony clapped him on the shoulder.
"Relax, Cap. Even if you doubt their professionalism, trust my judgment. From now on, we focus on our jobs while they handle security. That tower'll be the safest place on Earth."
Steve nodded, but unease coiled in his gut. He knew HYDRA lurked within S.H.I.E.L.D.'s ranks, yet his undercover work had turned up no concrete evidence—not even a reliable suspect list. Hell, he'd once suspected Agent Coulson, who always got twitchy around him. If Coulson hadn't confessed his fanboy status after New York, Steve might've investigated him months ago. The revelation probably would've made the poor guy cry.
A new voice cut through his thoughts.
"Morning. Killer view you got here—air's fresh too."
They turned to see Sam Wilson approaching, his dark face breaking into an easy grin.
"Sam!"
Steve's smile came naturally.
"How're you holding up?"
"Little lightheaded, Cap. Maybe overdid it at breakfast."
Sam extended a hand toward Tony.
"Mr. Stark. Sam Wilson. Just Sam's fine."
Tony gave a brief handshake.
"I know who you are. Pulled your file myself."
Sam's eyebrows shot up before his grin widened.
"Appreciate that, sir. Honored."
"Don't mention it."
Steve jumped in, "Tony's got an eye for talent. Been training Sam myself—guy's a natural."
Tony nodded absently. Suddenly his head snapped toward the horizon.
"They're here."
The black speck grew rapidly against the blue sky. Confirmed, the trio turned and strode toward the white villa where a reception team already gathered outside.
The approaching quinjet was the same model Hong Fei had used when trading Steve to S.H.I.E.L.D.—though its new pearlescent white paint job made it nearly unrecognizable. The aircraft slowed, hovered above the island, then descended vertically onto the grassy field fifty meters from the waiting group.
First to emerge was Master Hong, sunglasses glinting, his formerly buzzed hair now styled in slicked-back waves. Casual clothes replaced his usual robes, giving him the air of a vacationing CEO rather than a martial arts master.
His clothes looked casual, but there was a hidden trick to the coordination. In short, Master Hong looked as refined as a male model at this moment. It wasn't in vain that Dr. Helen Cho had spent time fussing over him this morning. At this moment, Tony spoke in a low voice, his voice transmitted to everyone through a micro-earpiece: "Remember the order they come down in."
Steve's eyebrows moved: "Is there any connection?"
"Of course, this usually represents their identity and status in the team."
Steve nodded slightly. Tony suddenly said again: "I guess the next one is Frank." Sam asked suspiciously: "Who is that?"
Tony: "Frank Castle, nicknamed The Punisher. A guy who often targets gangs, but he always fights violence with violence. His way of dealing with gangs is to kill them directly without any trial."
Everyone looked up, and the second figure appeared: it was Frank, dressed in all black and wearing military boots. Tony nodded: "That's him. He was spotted in the gang firefights in New York before. Even now, he is still killing any gang members he finds around the world. Next, I think it should be that Big Head, Samuel Sterns. He used to be a biological scientist, but later mutated after being infected with Hulk's blood. Banner, you should still remember him."
Banner, standing unobtrusively at the back of the crowd, nodded: "Yes, I used to call him Mr. Blue."
However, when the third person appeared, everyone had a look of obvious surprise on their faces.
The confused crowd quietly looked at Tony: His head didn't seem very big either.
"Tony, he looks very similar to Hong Fei, and they are both handsome." Steve said in a low voice. Tony frowned slightly, then quickly said: "I know, Hong Fei told me that his team has a new member. It should be this guy. His name is Wenwu, Xu Wenwu."
Xu Wenwu wore a sharp white suit, with his cuffs habitually rolled up to reveal the Ten Rings. Underneath his sunglasses, a faint smile always hung on his lips. His demeanor was extremely dashing, and his temperament was as steady as Mount Tai. Steve: "So this guy is now the number three person in their team?"
"It should be."
The fourth one to appear was undoubtedly Big Head.
Many in the Avengers were seeing his true appearance for the first time, and for a moment, multiple gazes focused on his Big Head. Big Head acted very steady. Although his forehead was big and long, it didn't look ridiculous. Even his every move brought a hint of pressure to some of the Avengers rookies.
Simply put, he had gradually cultivated the temperament of a boss from the frail body of a biological scientist. Steve: "What about next?"
Tony: "Ivan or Abomination. Oh right, now Abomination can turn into a human form like Banner. He was originally Bronski, a soldier from Britain. Then Jessica Jones, Natasha, Yelena, Antonia. But the order of appearance for these people doesn't have much reference value."
"Why?"
"Because although they are strong, they have never commanded this team."
Steve raised an eyebrow: "How do you know?"
Tony glanced at him: "I have a mouth and ears."
Steve was choked up.
At the back of the team, the accompanying current acting Director Maria Hill and Agent Phil Coulson listened silently to their conversation, secretly remembering this information. Before long, more than ten people came down from the jet one after another, and they gathered together and walked toward the Avengers. Seeing this, Tony and Steve also stepped forward to meet them.
Soon, the two sides met. Hong Fei shook hands with Tony and Steve one after another. Natasha and Barton hugged gently. Other than that, there was no other physical contact between the others. Letting go of his hand, Tony said: "I welcome your arrival on behalf of the Avengers." Hong Fei smiled, looked around, and then said: "Thanks, this place is not bad. How much did you buy it for?"
Tony leaned back, a casual smirk playing on his lips.
"Only ten million. If you like it, I'll give it to you."
Hong Fei shook his head, his tone firm.
"No need. It's too far. Besides, a gentleman doesn't take what others love. You keep it."
"I just bought it a few days ago," Tony admitted with a shrug. "It is pretty far out. Since you're not interested either, I'll sell it tomorrow."
Hong Fei raised an eyebrow, surprised.
"This thing can actually be sold?"
Tony's expression didn't waver.
"Oh, it's very popular."
Around them, a few of the less affluent attendees exchanged uneasy glances, their faces twitching at the casual mention of such sums. Coulson subtly nudged Luke Cage and Matt Murdock, and their expressions smoothed out almost instantly. On Hong Fei's side, the group seemed unfazed. Their year-end bonuses alone could easily cover the cost of an island—Natasha included, even though she'd joined them late.
As for Xu Wenwu, who'd only arrived this year? Money was the least of his concerns.
The group of more than ten filed into the house. The spacious living room had been cleared of extra furniture, leaving only a massive round table at its center, surrounded by a lush carpet. The table was already set with various meeting supplies, every detail meticulously prepared.
The moment Hong Fei stepped inside, he felt as though he was about to attend a high-stakes summit that could reshape the world. Both sides took their seats according to the nameplates.
Now, let's break down the rosters. The Avengers: Tony, Steve, Banner, Barton, Rhodes, Luke Cage, Matt Murdock, Sam, Hill, and Coulson. Notably, the last two weren't officially Avengers. Hong Fei figured they were fillers, while the rest had already been formally recognized.
So, the Avengers totaled eight members, with ten present. Hong Fei's team: Hong Fei, Frank, Xu Wenwu, Big Head, Abomination, Ivan, Jessica, Natasha, Yelena, and Antonia—ten people in total.
Whether in numbers or combat power, there was a clear disparity between the two teams. Hong Fei couldn't help but suspect that after Tony had probed him for the attendee list, he'd brought Hill and Coulson along just to avoid being outnumbered. Of course, there was another glaring contrast between the two groups, though no one had pointed it out yet.
Maybe no one had discovered it, or maybe someone had discovered it but chose not to speak up for their own reasons. In any case, if Hong Fei's team were to replace the Avengers, their combat power would skyrocket—but not everyone would be thrilled about it. Do you know what this difference is? And what should Hong Fei's team be called? The Justice League?