"Failure."
The next morning, all six of them sat stiffly in the manor's living room. Hong Fei didn't waste time. The moment he opened his mouth, he dropped the word like a hammer.
Big Head snapped to attention. Jessica mirrored his posture, knees pressed together, hands folded primly. Ivan set his cigar down mid-drag. Abomination blinked up from his spot on the floor. Frank didn't even twitch, still buried in his book.
Hong Fei's gaze landed on Big Head first. "You," he said, "are adorably stupid."
"Boss, I was wrong," Big Head blurted. His survival strategy was simple: confess immediately. Whether he'd actually messed up or not, admitting fault meant lighter punishment—maybe even fewer bruises.
Jessica shrank under Hong Fei's scrutiny next. "You were so amateurish it hurt to watch."
"Sorry," she mumbled. No argument there. She'd basically spent the entire mission clinging to coattails while others did the heavy lifting.
Ivan barely flinched when Hong Fei turned on him. "Swinging those whips like you were herding sheep." A muscle jumped in Ivan's cheek, but he kept his mouth shut.
Then came Abomination. "Where's your mace?" Hong Fei asked sweetly. "Eat it?"
Abomination's face twisted into something between guilt and horror—though, to be fair, everything he did looked terrifying. He had thrown his mace at a plane yesterday. Missed spectacularly, though. Took out a cop car instead.
When Hong Fei finally looked at Frank, the other four couldn't resist peeking up. What would the boss say to him?
"Frank," Hong Fei announced, "you look dashing when you read seriously." Four sets of eyes rolled in unison. Frank's mouth twitched. He snapped his book shut, crossed his legs, and sighed. "Just spit it out." "You get me." Hong Fei's grin turned blinding. "Overall? Yesterday was a win. Everything that needed doing got done. Goals achieved. A few hiccups, sure, but—" He waved a hand. "You didn't embarrass me."
Shoulders relaxed. Postures slumped in relief.
"Rewards are waiting in your rooms," Hong Fei continued. "And starting now? You're free. Until February first next year, go wherever, do whatever. I won't stop you." He paused. "Though if you get yourselves killed, I'll at least send someone to weep at your graves. Maybe burn some paper money. For old times' sake."
Silence. Then—chaos. Some beamed. Others just looked baffled.
Hong Fei held up a hand. "Two rules: no staying here, no Sokovia. Anywhere else is fair game. Now scram."
Nobody moved. They exchanged glances, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
Hong Fei's eyebrow twitched. "Need a beating to help you leave?"
Big Head shot up first. "Thanks, Boss! I'll be good—promise!" The others scrambled after him, tossing hasty thanks over their shoulders as they bolted.
Frank stayed put. Only when the door clicked shut did he finally look at Hong Fei, jaw working like he was chewing on words.
Hong Fei laughed. "Your turn? Out with it."
Frank's frown deepened. His gaze darted, then settled. "I know Nick Fury."
"Oh." Frank's expression shifted. "Oh?"
"I know." Hong Fei blinked.
"You—knew that too?" Frank sounded doubtful.
Hong Fei leaned forward. "I know plenty. Knew you were hiding at that construction site swinging a sledgehammer. You think I wouldn't know about Fury?"
Frank grimaced. "But you never mentioned it before the mission."
"You weren't worried I'd betray you? Or tip Fury off beforehand?" Hong Fei burst out laughing. "Please, you and Fury are nothing alike. If anything, my principles align with yours. We're the real friends here. Fury? He's not even in the running." He shook his head dismissively.
"Even if you disagreed with me—even if you decided to abandon this decapitation strike against The Hand—you'd never go running to Nick Fury with my plans. You know him, sure, but you're not exactly bosom buddies. And let's be honest..." Master Hong flashed a wicked grin. "I'm the one you find most attractive."
Frank hurled his book at Hong Fei. "You're fucking disgusting!" Hong Fei caught it effortlessly, still laughing. After a moment, Frank turned serious. "That last statement you made yesterday was on point. We showed them our strength—that we're bold, decisive, and willing to act.
But S.H.I.E.L.D. is a global intelligence powerhouse. Beyond their elite operatives, their real strength lies in the power brokers behind them, not to mention their army of ordinary, inconspicuous agents." Hong Fei poured two glasses of water, handing one to Frank and gesturing for him to continue.
"'Cooperation' is the right word. Sure, there were some hiccups, but those were just minor misunderstandings. For you, it's a win. You stayed anonymous during the operation, and the armor can be modified. As long as they buy into it, you're still the good guy." Hong Fei took a sip of water and raised an eyebrow. "Is that your take?"
Frank shot back, "Sounds like you've got a different perspective?" "Well, my thoughts might diverge a bit from yours." Hong Fei wasn't concerned about S.H.I.E.L.D.'s backers or their countless agents. At the end of the day, they were just people—killable people. His respect for Fury wasn't entirely insincere, either.
While he didn't care for Fury's methods, he couldn't deny that some of Fury's decisions in the original timeline had been effective—good, even, though not perfect. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s existence might be beneficial, at least for ordinary people. As for the extraordinary? They could handle themselves.
Besides, "ordinary people" didn't mean all of humanity. So, as long as it didn't affect him, Hong Fei was willing to give Fury some leeway. It was his choice, not something forced on him. If he were truly scared, he'd have stayed home yesterday binge-watching anime. Kanna and Elma were adorable. Cooperation, though, was another story.
First of all, how could someone Thor described as pure and righteous—someone who could lift Mjolnir—be a criminal? Do you have a problem with Asgard? Do you think Mjolnir is easy to push around because it can't talk? Do Midgardians want to live in peace or not? The First Prince of Asgard is positively livid! Second, sure, he's done bad things, but he's also done good ones.
You can't just say it was a bad thing, and then the good thing somehow becomes bad. While abilities aren't judged by others' accusations, why do you insist on calling what I did bad? That's right, I'm talking about Tokyo Bay! Bottom line: when I'm bad, I don't care if you call me good, but when I'm good, you absolutely cannot call me bad."
"This is a matter of principle! No negotiation, no provocation!" Hong Fei declared firmly. After sharing his thoughts with Frank, who nodded silently, Frank found himself agreeing. This was the Master Hong he knew—occasionally chaotic, occasionally brilliant.
Once the matter was settled, Frank asked casually, "How much did you spend on their rewards?"
Hong Fei held up five fingers.
"That generous?" Frank raised an eyebrow. "Do I get one too?"
"Of course," Hong Fei said with a grin. "You're the unique core."
Frank put down his book and stood. "Then I'm leaving."
"Go ahead," Hong Fei waved him off.
Frank paused. "Wait, you're serious? I'm really leaving?"
"Yes, go. Just make sure you're back by February next year."
"What about Sokovia?"
"I'll handle it. Don't worry."
Frank gave Hong Fei a strange look. "You haven't been... stimulated by anything, have you?"
Hong Fei chuckled. "Everyone's been working hard for so long. It's time for a break, especially you. You've done so much with me—relaxing is good for your body and mind. I'm not a capitalist, after all."
"You've got more money than most capitalists," Frank pointed out.
"Money means nothing to me," Hong Fei shrugged. "I have no interest in it."
Frank simply shook his head and walked away.
That morning, the five returned to their rooms to receive their checks. Four packed their things and left immediately. Abomination, still unable to change back, couldn't leave so quickly. But wherever he wanted to go, Number Two would handle the arrangements. Even if he wanted to relax, Number Two would make sure everything was perfect, as per Hong Fei's instructions.
After they left, Hong Fei headed upstairs. His room still held traces of Dr. Helen Cho—her belongings and a layout that felt both familiar and different. It was a shame she hadn't stayed long in the room she'd designed herself.
Yesterday's expedition had yielded eight skill cards. Meeting and sparring with so many notable figures had finally given him a real bounty.
Passive skill card: Enhanced Smell (White) - Matt Murdock
"You'll possess a sense of smell three times stronger than an ordinary person."
Passive skill card: Rapid Regeneration (White) - Luke Cage
"After activation, you gain a regeneration ability three times faster than an ordinary person."
Passive skill card: Agent Expertise (White) - Rumlow
Passive skill card: Affable Smile (White) - Coulson
Passive skill card: Firearms Mastery (White) - Nick Fury
Passive skill card: Financial Expertise (White) - Alexandra
Active skill card: Qigong Palm (Green) - Madame Gao
Passive skill card: Assassination Master (Green) - Bakuto
Six white, two green. This haul gave Hong Fei two clues.
First, living people were more likely to drop low-level skill cards. The six white cards had all come from individuals still alive. Even Luke Cage, who'd been pierced through the chest and lost so much blood, had stubbornly survived. Jessica, by comparison, had been incredibly generous—dropping a blue skill card right away.
Being alive was good. As long as you were alive, there was hope—for more skill cards, at least.
Second, the dead might drop their most valuable cards. Madame Gao and Bakuto, two of the five fingers of The Hand, should have had "Qi" as their most prized asset. But since Hong Fei already mastered Qi, they'd dropped two green skill cards instead.
Of course, it was possible that killing a target didn't guarantee their best skill card. Without knowing their "card pool," this theory still needed more testing.
Looking over the eight skill cards, the most useful one wasn't the two greens. It was the white card from Coulson.
Passive skill card: Affable Smile (White)...
"Your smile will cause all living beings to lower their guard against you while simultaneously winning them over. The effect scales with how strong-willed they are."
No wonder Coulson was everyone's favorite. When your grin works like a charm spell, who stands a chance?