Hong Fei's phantom materialized abruptly on the training ground.
"Stop everything," it commanded. "Cease all practice immediately."
The Avengers froze mid-action, turning toward the apparition.
"Return and rest. Take no further orders from anyone until I contact you."
Before the echoes faded, the phantom dissolved into thin air, leaving the team staring in stunned silence.
Rhodes flipped open his faceplate, blinking in disbelief. "You're telling me... the person who's been overseeing our training every day was just... not real?"
Barton stowed his bow, frowning. "Not exactly fake, more like a projection?"
Steve shook his head. "Projection isn't quite right either. It's a phantom. And I suspect he's been observing us through it the whole time."
Several Avengers glanced around uneasily, half-expecting Hong Fei's clones to be lurking in the shadows. Steve slung his shield onto his back.
"Alright, everyone pack up. Go home and wait. Something big is coming."
Meanwhile, Hong Fei appeared beside Mei, who was enjoying a rare day off at home. The sudden Portal startled her momentarily, but she quickly relaxed.
"Knew it was you," she smiled as Hong Fei stepped through. He returned the smile.
"Take Peter out for a trip."
"What?"
"Things might get intense soon."
Mei's expression hardened instantly.
"New York again?"
"Bigger than that."
Her voice wavered. "What's wrong with this world?"
Hong Fei shook his head. "Hard to say, but it's dangerous."
Mei didn't press further. She set down her utensils, whipped off her apron, and tossed it aside. Marching into the bedroom, she hauled out two suitcases.
"Then let's move fast! We'll pick up Peter first."
Hong Fei blinked at the large suitcase. "What's that?"
Mei glanced down. "Oh, I prepared this ages ago. After the Battle of New York, I packed one. Then I made another when I learned your true identity."
She popped it open, revealing neatly folded clothes.
"There's outfits for you, me, and Peter. Emergency rations, supplies. Everything's covered."
Hong Fei hesitated. "You don't need to go that far."
Mei shot him a look. "Why not? What if? If humanity falls, Earth faces total collapse. Nobody escapes that. By the way, I packed a tablet and solar charger too."
She pulled out the devices.
"Loaded with guides on wilderness survival, doomsday prep—texts, videos, everything. If civilization crumbles, these could help us rebuild faster. But you have to come back alive. I can't do it alone, and Peter's still young."
Her eyes glistened with unshed tears, as if she were already standing amidst the ruins of the world. Hong Fei's lips twitched, fighting a smile.
"What's so funny?" Mei snapped.
He schooled his features. "Nothing. You're right. These preparations make sense. I didn't consider everything—you did. Here's the plan: wait at home while I fetch Peter."
Mei frowned. "What about safe houses? Underground shelters?"
"No need."
"Then where are we going?"
"China."
That afternoon, Hong Fei watched Mei and Peter disappear into the departure hall, exhaling in relief. He hadn't anticipated Mei's extensive preparations, sparked by the Battle of New York and his revelations. Someone like her would thrive in the Resident Evil universe, probably outlasting most.
But as someone close to her, Hong Fei inevitably couldn't handle it. Disasters would come, but humanity wouldn't fall. He was sending Mei and Peter away because he planned to escalate this conflict. Why limit the fight to Greenwich? Let it sweep across Europe, cross the Atlantic, and crash onto America's East Coast!
The Dark Elves' ambition to dominate the universe paled in comparison to what lay ahead.
Hong Fei opened a portal to London and stepped through, only to have someone crash into his arms. If he hadn't recognized her, he would've thrown her to the ground without hesitation. Always protect yourself when traveling, boys.
"Oops! Sorry! Sorry!"
Darcy blurted out without looking up. When she finally saw Hong Fei's face, her words faltered.
"Ah! It's you, Mr. Hong," she said, surprise mingling with panic.
Hong Fei pushed her away. "Watch where you're going."
Darcy nodded vigorously, catching her breath. Her chest heaved with each gasp.
Hong Fei swore he only glanced once, but Darcy suddenly crossed her arms protectively, stumbled backward, and nearly tripped over her own feet. She let out a shriek as she flailed.
Shaking his head, Hong Fei reached out and yanked her upright. Darcy steadied herself, her eyes wide with lingering fear. Ignoring her, Hong Fei turned to the abandoned building behind them.
"Jane disappeared in there?"
"Yes! We came here to study..."
"I'll go in and take a look."
"Wait, Mr. Hong, it's... dangerous inside. I've already called the police. Why don't we wait for them?"
"Are the police more useful than me?"
Darcy shook her head.
"Then stop wasting time. How long has she been gone?"
Darcy glanced at her phone. "I've been looking for her for over four hours."
Sirens wailed in the distance. Hong Fei turned toward the building.
"You deal with the police. I'll go in and find her."
Truthfully, there wasn't much to find. Jane would likely reappear on her own soon enough. But Hong Fei was curious about the aftermath of the Convergence—the fusion of the Nine Realms and how their overlapping spaces interacted.
According to Asgardian lore, the Nine Realms hung like fruit from the branches of the World Tree. More than just a metaphor, the World Tree was a tangible entity with trunks and branches. It was said Odin had once hung upside down from it.
Stepping into the abandoned building, Hong Fei found himself in a desolate space. Each footstep echoed eerily through the emptiness. A faint breeze stirred, lifting a thin layer of dust and scattering light debris—leaves, plastic bags—like props in a horror film.
Soon, Hong Fei reached what Jane and Darcy had called the "stable gravity anomaly area."
A truck floated in midair.
Hong Fei tapped it lightly with his index finger. The truck drifted away as if in a vacuum, only to abruptly leave the anomaly's influence and crash to the ground with a loud bang.
Looking up, Hong Fei saw a skylight above. His pupils shifted to red, activating the Eyes of Death. What had appeared as empty space now revealed layers of interwoven barriers, like bubbles overlapping.
Through these barriers, Hong Fei glimpsed disjointed scenes projected as if on a split screen: forests, plains, oceans, icebergs, volcanoes, black soil—landscapes from across the Nine Realms clashing in discordant harmony.
However, that pitch-black area should be the so-called "Helheim," the prison of Thor's sister Hela. With the Nine Realms overlapping, could she see this scene too? Was it Odin's seal that kept her from seizing this opportunity to escape? If Hong Fei intervened, could he free her?
Hong Fei shook his head, dismissing the thought. Hela was simply too powerful—he couldn't defeat her, and releasing her would accomplish nothing while Odin still lived. If he tried, Odin might just toss Hela back into prison the next second, possibly dragging him along for the ride. The old king might be aging, but his strength remained formidable.
Those periodic Odinsleeps weren't signs of weakness. Odin's divine power had grown continuously over millennia, becoming so vast that even his body struggled to contain it. The deep slumber helped regulate that overwhelming force. If Odin ever unleashed his full power without restraint... the devastation would be unimaginable.
Circling the building, Hong Fei found no trace of Jane's disappearance point, no sudden spatial rift to pull him into another dimension. Then he sensed it—a spatial anomaly nearby. In a flash, he crossed the distance. Before his feet touched ground, he saw the air ahead rippling like disturbed water.
Jane lay motionless on the cold floor, crimson particles drifting above her body like fireflies. They soon streamed into her flesh like birds returning to nest. Hong Fei held back, extending a single wisp of Dragon Power from his fingertip toward her.
At the moment of contact, his Death Vision revealed the transformation—red light erupted from Jane's core, individual particles coalescing into threads, threads weaving into sheets, finally surging outward in a scarlet tidal wave.
The explosion hit like ocean meeting cliff. Shockwaves radiated outward, snapping Hong Fei's clothes and hair back violently. That single pulse packed enough force to rival some Avengers' full strength. He withdrew his power as Jane stirred awake.
She seemed oblivious to the changes within her. Spotting Hong Fei, she scrambled up.
"Mr. Hong? What are you doing here?"
"You vanished."
"Vanished?"
Jane touched her forehead, brow furrowing.
"I think... I was somewhere strange. But it's all fuzzy now."
"If you can't remember, don't force it. Let's go—Darcy's waiting."
Outside, drizzle painted the pavement dark. Darcy broke away from her conversation with police to rush toward Jane, who paled at the law enforcement presence. Hong Fei's gaze, however, found Thor watching silently from the shadows. Their eyes met. Twin smiles curved in perfect understanding.