Hong Fei nodded thoughtfully as Steve leaned forward.
"I don't trust S.H.I.E.L.D.," Steve admitted. "Hill and Coulson might be good people, but too many bad actors have infiltrated the organization. Rooting them all out would take forever. Rather than wasting time reforming S.H.I.E.L.D. from within, we should build something new. Your Superpower Foundation idea—that's the real solution."
He ran a hand through his hair, his voice dropping lower.
"The name 'Avengers' always smelled like war to me. Don't get me wrong—I'll fight when needed, but I'd trade all my battles for a quiet life in a heartbeat. Trouble is, someone's got to stand up so others can live in peace."
His eyes met Hong Fei's.
"I get what you're after. Believe me, after days of thinking it through, I'm fully on board with your vision."
Steve's hands trembled slightly with restrained energy. Hong Fei reached for the water pitcher.
"I never doubted you'd understand," he said, pouring a glass. "Here, drink something first."
Steve drained the glass in one go and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.
"Here's the beauty of it—the Foundation looks like a charity on paper, but it's actually gathering the world's most capable people through positive means."
He ticked off points on his fingers.
"First, Superpower Park funds everything through hero merchandise and public goodwill. Heroes stay financially independent while the public gets invested in maintaining order. Then we reinvest those profits through the Foundation, creating a perfect cycle of support."
"Second," he continued, "we'll compensate civilians for collateral damage. I checked the records—half the complaints against the Avengers come from property damage during missions. This fixes that."
His third finger came up.
"The Foundation becomes a magnet for talent. Whether we're fighting HYDRA or aliens next time, we'll have the numbers."
A final point punctuated the air.
"And because we're a foundation, not a strike force, public acceptance comes easier."
Hong Fei's smile deepened. Steve had grasped about ninety percent of the plan—the symbiotic relationship between Park and Foundation, the self-sustaining model that would outlast Hong Fei's eventual departure. When he returned, the system would have grown beyond his wildest projections. And growth, not dollars, was the real currency.
"You missed one thing," Hong Fei remarked.
Steve's head snapped up. "What?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D.'s practically HYDRA at this point. The Foundation can absorb their legitimate functions. Let spies be spies—we'll handle what matters."
"Damn right," Steve breathed.
By afternoon, Steve marched out with renewed purpose, his shoulders squared for battle. Two days later, on Christmas Eve, the Sky Base hummed with activity. Heroes lounged across the expansive meeting room in various states of relaxation—after a year together, they'd learned Hong Fei preferred substance over ceremony. The air smelled faintly of pine and anticipation.
The fear still lingered when needed, but time had long since worn away their initial restraint.
Yelena strode in with a grin.
"Boss, year-end bonuses time, right?"
"Soon," Hong Fei said.
Natasha perked up.
"How much?"
"Not less than last year. Ask Yelena for last year's numbers."
Xu Wenwu arched a brow.
"I recall you promising to double mine."
"You've already got a mountain of gold at home."
His smile didn't waver.
"Room for another."
Hong Fei barked a laugh and turned to the others. "Hear that? Anyone short on cash can hit him up. Not an exaggeration—he literally has a gold mountain."
"Wait, seriously?"
Yelena and Jessica swarmed him instantly.
Xu Wenwu's nod sent them into a frenzy, clamoring to see it for themselves.
Frank chose that moment to walk in, cigar clamped between his teeth. He took a long drag before speaking, smoke curling from his lips.
"You know he's got a wife and two kids, right?"
Jessica threw her hands up.
"Don't care!"
The outburst killed the mood. She backpedaled fast, elbowing Yelena.
"What about you?"
Yelena shook her head, dead serious.
"I can't."
Jessica blinked.
"Neither can I. We were joking, weren't we?"
"No. I thought you meant it."
Hong Fei smirked at Xu Wenwu.
"Open to taking a concubine?"
The man's smile turned enigmatic.
Realizing she'd been played, Jessica slunk off, sulking.
Antonia sat hunched in the corner. Her scars had healed, but not her silence. Jessica's daily pestering hadn't cracked that shell. Natasha hovered beside her, watchful. When Antonia reached for water, the glass was already in her hand. When she finished, it vanished just as fast.
Antonia didn't treat her like an enemy—just a persistent ghost she couldn't shake.
Ivan and Bronski were already deep into their drinks. Ivan's hair and beard had grown wild, though his mech remained grounded. Bronski had competitive fire, but Hong Fei doubted he'd outlast the Russian across from him.
Big Head's eyes stayed glued to his tablet, fingers flying. His comprehension was impressive—if only he'd stop making rookie mistakes.
Behind the bar, Hong Fei filled nine glasses one by one, studying them. They weren't so different from the Avengers. Outside combat, they were just people. Flawed, sure, but that was the point. You didn't build a team like this with saints.
Someone was missing.
"Where's Shuri?"
Big Head glanced up instantly.
"Didn't want to come."
"Fine, but she's not at Sky Base either?"
"Crying earlier. Dr. Cho took her."
"Homesick?"
"Yeah."
"Send her back. She can return late January."
"Okay."
Hong Fei removed one glass. Eleven remained. He frowned.
"Did I miscount?"
Big Head hesitated.
"Ulysses?"
"Right. Why's he skipping?"
"Too scared."
Hong Fei chuckled.
"His loss. You can take a glass over to him later."
"Okay."
Before long, ten glasses stood filled. Hong Fei added an eleventh for himself—bubble-free happy water, masquerading as wine.
Nine were up for grabs. The rest? Well. They'd earned it.
Putting down the wine bottle, Hong Fei clapped his hands, and everyone quickly gathered around, each taking a glass at Hong Fei's signal. Then, Master Hong raised his glass first. Just before he could speak, Yelena asked suspiciously, "Boss, you're drinking too?"
Hong Fei was about to show off. Who would have expected Frank to say directly, "I smell cola."
The crowd was instantly filled with a happy atmosphere.
"Ahem, alright, that's enough. This year, everyone has performed well. Although I don't celebrate Christmas, I know many of you have this habit, so let's have a drink together tonight and I'll give you a surprise. Tell me where you want to go next, and I'll open a Portal, guaranteed to get you there in one step! Cheers!"
Everyone cheered and then drank it all in one gulp. Seeing that they had all finished, Hong Fei didn't try to hide anything and took out the fusion card directly. Of course, the others couldn't see the card, so Hong Fei specifically wrapped a layer of golden Dragon Power around the fusion card to give them a visual reference.
"This is a power that you can fuse and absorb, coming from the Cursed Warrior of the Dark Elves. His strength is very strong, especially his power, which is no weaker than the current Thor, though of course, a bit worse than Hulk. Its enhancement is all-around, but the power is especially prominent. However, there is one problem: after absorbing this power, your appearance might undergo some unpleasant changes. Of course, I think this change is negligible compared to the strength, and the soon-to-be-completed Regeneration Cradle can also help you clear away these bad changes."
"At first, my idea was to directly select one person to help him obtain this power, but I think that seems unfair because, to be honest, your past performance has not been bad, so I think it's better to do it by lottery. However, there is one prerequisite: the person who wins this time cannot participate the next time there is a similar opportunity, until everyone has obtained it once, and then they can participate again."
"What do you think?"
The reactions of the nine people were naturally varied, but fortunately, there was no dissatisfaction in their expressions.
Frank was the first to express his opinion, "I think it's very good and very reasonable."
Xu Wenwu nodded, and the others echoed one after another. Hong Fei smiled and said, "One of the wine glasses in your hands is different. Turn it over and take a look."
Instantly, the expressions of the nine people changed, and then they couldn't help but laugh; it turned out the lottery had started a long time ago. Soon, everyone saw the bottom of their own glasses and then looked at the people around them. Suddenly, an exclamation rang out, "It's me?"
Turning around to look, it was Antonia, who was covering her mouth in shock.