Antonia shook her head quickly and pressed the cup into Natasha's hands.
"This should be yours."
They'd approached together, but Natasha had been first—her fingers had closed around the glass first, only to reflexively pass it to Antonia.
Natasha blinked at her unexpected luck, but met Antonia's deference with an immediate refusal.
"No, this is yours."
"You reached for it first."
"I reached for it for you."
"But—"
"Does it matter?"
Natasha cut in, turning to Hong Fei with a grin.
"It's not like this is the only chance. Next time might bring something better, right, Boss?"
Hong Fei's smile held an edge.
"True. Or worse."
Antonia's face tightened. Natasha shot him a glare. Watching them teeter toward another round of polite refusal, Hong Fei clapped once.
"Enough. Whoever's holding it keeps it. Or we'll be here all night."
Natasha relaxed, but Antonia still cradled the cup uneasily.
"Lottery's over," Hong Fei declared. "Now—where to? The Dragon King's opening the door personally. Don't waste it."
Jessica murmured with Antonia first, then stepped forward with a regretful smile.
"Boss, Switzerland."
"Where in Switzerland?"
"Davos."
The door swung open instantly.
Natasha and Yelena approached next, having extended—and been refused—another invitation to Antonia.
"Home," they said in unison. Hong Fei's eye twitched.
"You could walk."
Their parents lived in the castle. Natasha smirked.
"Not the same. This is the Dragon King's door."
With a wave, Hong Fei carved a portal.
Bronski: "Zagreb."
Ivan: "Back to the lab."
Hong Fei scowled.
"No. Rest. If you keel over, I'll have to waste time burying you."
"...St. Petersburg, then."
Big Head sidled up.
"Boss, I just want to stay by your—"
"Get lost."
"Amsterdam!"
Hong Fei studied him. Big Head remained obliviously eager.
Xu Wenwu stepped forward.
"Home."
Hong Fei grinned.
"Good man."
Frank's voice cut coolly through.
"Tokyo."
Hong Fei raised an eyebrow.
"Still not done fighting?"
Frank tilted his head.
"Can't a man enjoy Tokyo?"
"By all means."
Eight portals later, only Antonia remained. Hong Fei eyed her.
"Fusion can wait. Anywhere you'd like to go?"
A silent shake of her head.
"Then dinner with me."
It wasn't a question.
Normally, she'd have obeyed. Today, she shook her head again. Hong Fei's frown softened.
"Need space? Quiet?"
A nod.
"Tomorrow, then."
"Okay."
Her voice was barely audible—nothing like Taskmaster's steel-edged tone. As he turned to leave, Hong Fei paused.
"Come find me anytime. Arthur's around too, if you want talk. He's sharper now."
"Mm. Thank you, Boss."
A wave, and he was gone.
Antonia stood blankly in place for a long time, then silently lifted the cup to examine the dragon mark etched at its base.
Meanwhile, Hong Fei soared back to the castle—only to find the Natasha sisters loitering at the gates.
"Why aren't you inside?"
Yelena smirked.
"Waiting for you, obviously."
Natasha folded her arms.
"You did it, didn't you?"
"Did what?"
"You let me take that cup on purpose. You knew I'd give it to Antonia."
"Stop overcomplicating things. It's a lottery—fair and impartial."
"Still, thank you."
"I can't stand being falsely accused."
Yelena chuckled, and Natasha shook her head before turning to say, "I'll leave you to it, then. Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
As the two walked away, Hong Fei muttered under his breath, "Falsely accused? I'll sue you!"
Back in the room, Dr. Helen Cho had prepared an elaborate dinner, though an unexpected guest had joined them. The moment Hong Fei stepped in, he frowned.
"Didn't I tell you to leave? Why are you still here?"
Shuri, mid-bite into a chicken leg, froze. Her cheeks puffed out in a pout, her hair tied into two buns that made her look even younger than she was.
Dr. Helen Cho quickly interjected, "I asked her to stay. She can leave after dinner."
During the meal, Dr. Cho busied herself tending to Shuri, leaving Hong Fei to fend for himself. Once they finished eating, Dr. Cho comforted Shuri for a moment before nudging Hong Fei to see her out. After Shuri left, Dr. Cho turned back to find Master Hong scowling.
"She's very bright," Dr. Cho said with a smile. "You could use someone like her—someone dedicated."
"She wouldn't dare not be dedicated."
"But wouldn't it be better if it were voluntary?"
"I don't need her to be voluntary."
"Alright, it was just a meal. Don't be upset."
"Who's upset? You? Not me."
If Master Hong were to die, the coroner would find his cause of death baffling—his body limp, but his mouth still stubbornly defiant. Though soon, it wasn't just his mouth that remained unyielding.
The next day, Hong Fei arrived at the Sky Base to bestow the Dark Curse fusion card upon Antonia.
The four fusion cards he currently possessed were: Dark Curse, Extremis, Lesser Hulk Bloodline, and Super Soldier Serum. It's worth noting that the Super Soldier Serum here wasn't identical to Captain America's. This version came from the Red Guardian, Alexei, likely a product of Soviet research.
Unlike Steve's serum, its effects diminished with age.
Main card: Dark Curse. Sub-cards: Lesser Hulk Bloodline and Super Soldier Serum. The choice of sub-cards was straightforward. Swapping in Extremis would've yielded similar results.
After all, these were items Hong Fei didn't particularly value and wouldn't assign to his subordinates.
The Lesser Hulk Bloodline originated from the Abomination. Logically, Big Head should have one too. Using it now served two purposes: first, he wouldn't create another "descendant" for the Hulk, and second, he might be able to extract another from Big Head later.
This reasoning stemmed from the fact that Hong Fei had never duplicated identical skill cards. A sensible approach.
The three fusion cards were linked through energy, and finally, the Dark Curse shone brightly. All Hong Fei had to do was simple: implant the card into Antonia's body.
The process was straightforward. Once the fusion card entered her body, it vanished, and Antonia began to transform. Her metamorphosis resembled that of the Dark Elf Algrim—both erupted with magma-like, glowing light from within.
The pain, of course, was excruciating. Hong Fei couldn't alleviate it. Gaining immense power in a short time was never easy.
The fusion card was a shortcut to greatness, but shortcuts have never been simple.
So Hong Fei stood quietly by, watching as Antonia's body burned like charcoal scorched by fire. Her beauty was gone, but her strength had undeniably grown.
A piece of charred material crumbled away from Antonia's face, revealing flawless pearly skin beneath. Hong Fei froze, stunned by the sight. As Antonia's pain subsided and her body relaxed, he raised his palm and unleashed a powerful gust of wind. The force scattered the remaining charred fragments, leaving her face completely exposed.
What emerged was breathtaking—a visage of perfection. Her features, once marred and ruined, now seemed touched by fortune itself. The Dark Curse's devastation wasn't absolute; its description had used the words "highly likely."
Even if that likelihood stood at 99.99%, Antonia had defied the odds as the rare 0.01%.
Hong Fei couldn't help but notice that her appearance had become even more refined than before, surpassing her previous state after treatment. A satisfied smile tugged at his lips as he nodded.
"Very good. Very nice. You're the lucky one. Go shower and change clothes—but don't be too surprised."
With that, he turned and strode away.
The time that followed was meant for Antonia to process her transformation in solitude. Team strengthening wasn't an overnight endeavor. Among the nine members, many still required enhancements. First, Xu Wenwu could be set aside for now. The Ten Rings he wielded were already formidable, and his recent cultivation of Qi had elevated his strength and mastery over their energy.
With the Ten Rings, Xu Wenwu possessed immortality—time was on his side. Moreover, he stood as Master Hong's foremost disciple, his power unrivaled within the group.
Next were Big Head and Abomination, both products of Hulk serum mutations. Their strength was undeniable, and their potential and vitality were immense. Jessica, too, was a mutant, her physical flight capability paired with considerable power. Antonia had already undergone her transformation, leaving Frank, Ivan, Natasha, and Yelena in need of improvement.
Frank, though fundamentally human, was far from weak in the team's context. Prepared, he could eliminate many of his teammates. Yet, at his core, he remained an ordinary man. No matter how exceptional his combat skills and tactical prowess, that fact couldn't be ignored.
Enhancing Frank at his essence would yield tremendous benefits for Hong Fei. He already had several abilities in mind for the man, waiting only for the right moment to acquire them. Ivan, meanwhile, was a subdued version of Iron Man. A breakthrough in armored technology might allow him to step out of Tony Stark's shadow and forge his own path. Still, as a baseline human, he too would benefit from strengthening.
Natasha and Yelena, the Black Widow sisters, excelled in stealth, infiltration, and covert assassination—skills befitting elite agents. Strengthening should also be targeted, so the abilities suited to them would require careful consideration.
Analyzing the team, Hong Fei saw nothing but talent. Master Hong was pleased.