The helicopter's landing gear groaned as Abomination, the last to board, settled his massive frame inside. Big Head sneered, "Should've run there yourself." Without a word, Abomination leaned forward and slammed his spiked mace between Big Head's legs with a deafening clang. The man froze, his mouth snapping shut.
Frank guided the helicopter through the city skyline, touching down smoothly on the roof of a towering building. As the six of them disembarked, the Rand Building loomed in the distance, its windows blazing with light. Inside its opulent office, Alexandra, Madame Gao, and Bakuto sat in tense silence, the air thick with unease.
Reports streamed in from their subordinates—they were surrounded. Alexandra's eyes flicked open, her voice cold. "Neither of you noticed you were being followed?" Madame Gao's expression darkened. "Are you accusing us of leading them here?"
Bakuto, the only man in the room, stepped in. "This isn't about blame. The enemy's been targeting us from the start. Every force we've exposed in New York was wiped out, forcing us to retreat. Yet even overseas, they've tracked us down. We're dealing with a formidable opponent."
Alexandra rose, her hands clasped behind her back. "S.H.I.E.L.D. Everyone knows they're powerful. The real question is, what do we do now?"
Bakuto considered for a moment. "They've launched this assault to force us into one place. It's a trap. Our options are clear: surrender, flee, or fight."
Madame Gao moved to the window, peering through a gap in the curtains. The streets below were blocked by police, their flashing lights casting eerie shadows. Crowds scattered as black SUVs and armored vehicles rolled into position. Helicopters buzzed in the distance.
She sighed. "Can't we negotiate? Find common ground?"
"Gao!" Alexandra's sharp voice cut through the room. "Drop the moderation. This is war. They're pushing for a decisive battle. Think of Murakami. Think of Sowande. This is unlike anything we've faced in centuries. If we lose, it's over."
Bakuto nodded. "She's right. Remember why we left in the first place. I'm not ready to die yet."
Madame Gao shook her head, her reluctance fading. "Fine. We fight. Bring out your people. If they want a showdown, we'll give it to them."
Both Bakuto and Alexandra nodded. Alexandra's lips curved into a faint smile. "I've already dealt with Rand's useless CEO. The building is ours now."
The Rand Corporation had long been under Alexandra's control. At her command, hidden operatives surged into action. Office clerks transformed into assassins, while heavily armed squads emerged from hidden chambers, their equipment rivaling S.H.I.E.L.D.'s tactical teams. Within moments, they secured every floor, blocking the entrances before S.H.I.E.L.D. could fully deploy.
Putting down her headset, Alexandra suddenly smiled at the two of them. "Alright, you two, I don't think we need to be so serious. Although Murakami and Sowande are dead, I have one piece of good news and one piece of bad news. Which do you want to hear first?" Bakuto said impassively, "The bad news."
"Well, the bad news isn't so bad after all," Madame Gao said, her voice icy. "I've planted bombs on every floor. If we can't escape, we'll take them all down with us when they show up."
Madame Gao raised an eyebrow. "And what about us? Won't we be dead too?"
Before anyone could respond, gunfire erupted outside the building. S.H.I.E.L.D. had begun their assault, pushing inward with precision.
The three of them froze for a heartbeat, their ears twitching at the sound, but they quickly regained their composure, acting as though nothing had happened.
"So that's the bad news," Alexandra said with a smirk. "Now for the good news: I've located the Dragon Bone."
"What?!" Bakuto and Madame Gao shot to their feet, their faces lighting up with excitement. When they had fled K'un-Lun centuries ago, they'd taken a portion of the Dragon Bone with them.
Over the centuries, they'd consumed most of it, and what remained was beyond precious. To them, the Dragon Bone was life itself. Once it was gone, so were they. Bakuto often joked he hadn't lived long enough, and Madame Gao and Alexandra felt the same.
If ghosts existed, Murakami and Sowande's spirits were probably screaming at them from beyond the grave: Hurry up and save yourselves!
"Where is it?!" Bakuto and Madame Gao demanded in unison.
Alexandra pointed at the ground beneath her. "Right here. I've already dug a tunnel beneath the Rand Building. If we had more time, I could retrieve it soon."
Bakuto and Madame Gao exchanged a glance. Their excitement lingered, but a flicker of suspicion passed between them. If S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't besieged them today, would Alexandra have even shared this information? Neither voiced their doubts—now wasn't the time. The gunfire on the first floor intensified.
"Listen," Alexandra said, her tone commanding. "Even if we lose everything tonight, even if countless people die, as long as we survive, we can rebuild. Back then, a single piece of Dragon Bone gave us The Hand. Now, we're about to possess an entire Dragon Bone. Do you understand what that means? It means the world is ours."
On a distant rooftop, Hong Fei heard the sudden burst of gunfire. He scanned the scene, watching as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s tactical teams stormed the building, engaging in fierce combat. Among them, he spotted Barton, Natasha, Matt, and Luke Cage. Luke, bulletproof and unstoppable, led the charge at the front.
It didn't take long for S.H.I.E.L.D. to fight their way up several floors. The Rand Building was nearly theirs.
"Boss," Big Head said suddenly, his voice calm. "Targets located. They're on the top floor." The sphere covering his head wasn't just bulletproof—it doubled as a HUD display, offering a nearly 360-degree panoramic view. He'd hacked into the Rand Corporation's network and the surrounding systems.
Hong Fei nodded. "Don't rush. Let them warm up first."
A deafening explosion rocked the building. Flames erupted as over a dozen figures tumbled from the structure, their bodies silhouetted against the fiery glow.
Fire trucks that had been waiting nearby immediately began to extinguish the flames, while more S.H.I.E.L.D. agents poured into the building.
"How tragic," Hong Fei murmured, shaking his head.
Frank glanced at him. "How do you think The Hand will try to escape?"
Hong Fei looked up at the sky, where helicopters had already surrounded the building. "They can't leave by air."
Fury had planned well—he'd ensured no helicopters were left for escape. Their options narrowed to going underground, blending into the chaos of the crowd, or holing up in the building until S.H.I.E.L.D. lowered its guard. The latter two seemed trickier, so Hong Fei guessed they'd take the first option. As if to confirm his hunch, Big Head spoke up.
"Boss, the targets are heading downstairs."
Hong Fei glanced at Frank and raised an eyebrow. Abomination sat nearby, idly spinning his spiked mace, clearly itching to join the fight. Jessica, participating in her first operation, stood to the side, still fiddling with her gear, her excitement palpable. Ivan lingered quietly, puffing on a cigar, unfazed by the commotion.
Frank broke the silence. "Are we just waiting here? What if they slip away?"
"Even though I called S.H.I.E.L.D. worthless, The Hand is even weaker," Hong Fei replied. "Those three have some skill, but their longevity isn't due to strength. Escaping under Fury's nose won't be easy."
Frank shrugged and perched on the rooftop's edge. Six shadowy figures lined up unnoticed above the building. Inside, Barton, Natasha, Coulson, and Rumlow led tactical teams upward from four directions. Their enemies ranged from modern elite soldiers to sword-wielding ninjas in masks. Both types posed threats—the ninjas, especially, moved unpredictably, vanishing and reappearing in familiar terrain.
Downstairs, Hill coordinated the operation. Her eyes darted between architectural maps and thermal imaging as she issued precise orders, providing crucial intelligence for the teams.
"Targets moving rapidly downward in the southeast stairwell. Barton, Natasha, intercept them immediately. Coulson, Rumlow, take over their teams and continue upward."
"Understood!"
Barton and Natasha met in the southeast stairwell and charged upward. Moments later, Barton suddenly kicked off a step, flinging himself backward and dragging Natasha with him. A curved blade sliced through the air, severing strands of Natasha's red hair. They retreated until their backs hit the fire door.
Bakuto emerged from the stairwell's corner, his chilling grin sending a shiver down their spines. Natasha reacted instantly, drawing her gun and firing, while Barton nocked an arrow in his black bow. Bakuto rolled to evade, but before they could adjust, two invisible forces slammed into them.
The impact sent Natasha and Barton crashing backward, the fire door buckling behind them. They tumbled into a room resembling an archive, the clatter of falling objects filling the air. Both lay unconscious, Barton pinned under a collapsed cabinet.
At the stairwell entrance, Madame Gao lowered her arms and stepped forward, hands clasped behind her back. Alexandra appeared last, her gaze cold.
"I've seen their photos," she said. "They're S.H.I.E.L.D.'s elites."
"Cut off their heads and throw them down." Natasha's jaw clenched as she raised her pistol, driving her boot into the cabinet pinning Barton. Madame Gao lunged forward—only to twist aside as Barton's arrow whistled past her ear. Bakuto dodged Natasha's bullets in a blur of motion, giving the Black Widow just enough space to roll clear.
Her eyes locked with Barton's across the chaos. Before they could strategize, a filing cabinet slammed into them, sending both agents crashing into another metal unit. They tumbled into the open again, exposed. Blades glinted opposite guns, but the Hand's warriors held the advantage this time.
Back-to-back, Natasha could feel Barton's pulse hammering through his tac vest. "My dear Miss Natasha," a familiar voice purred through the ceiling speakers, "need a little help?" Every head snapped upward—toward the surveillance cameras, toward the unexpected interruption. Only Natasha recognized that voice. Barton's questioning glance made her bare her teeth in a grin. "Come on then!"
"Alright!"
On the rooftop, Hong Fei's fingers snapped. Abomination launched first, his spiked mace carving arcs through the air as he cleared buildings in hundred-meter bounds. The other five stepped to the roof's edge in unison. Helmet plates slid into place. Chest reactors flared to life—except Hong Fei's. Ion streams erupted from their limbs, lifting them skyward.
Hong Fei arched an eyebrow at Jessica, who dropped back onto the roof with a thud. "Just testing!" she lied.
"Go!"
They shot forward like tracer rounds, overtaking Abomination mid-leap. (That night Jessica learned to fly, she'd dropped a skill card—now Hong Fei could too.) The reactor-powered armors streaked ahead, Hong Fei half a length behind, Jessica trailing by a full body. Even after secret practice flights, nothing compared to this: raw physical freedom, no tech, no tricks. Just his body defying gravity. Wind screamed past his ears. His pulse pounded like war drums.
Although it consumed a massive amount of energy, it was absolutely worth it! Passive skill card: Free Flight (Blue) - Jessica Jones: "I've already held down Newton's coffin lid. Fly freely to your heart's content!"