Hong Fei laid out his entire collection of skill cards, organizing them into five neat rows by color from top to bottom. White cards: ten. Green cards: eight. Blue cards: seven. Purple card: one. Fusion Card: one. The Fusion Card, being a special type, would remain set aside for now.
The white, green, and blue skill cards were relatively evenly distributed in quantity, while the purple card stood alone, limited to a single use. As he arranged the ten white cards in the first row, their faint white glow began to dissipate, quickly linking with the nearby cards.
With a mere thought, Hong Fei could now select one skill card as the main card and use nine others of the same color as materials to upgrade it by one level. A new understanding surfaced: higher-level skill cards likely followed the same upgrade method, though perhaps with additional requirements. The number of material cards needed probably wouldn't increase further—thankfully, since high-level cards were already scarce enough. Game developers aside, Hong Fei wasn't planning to upgrade just yet.
Several white cards had caught his eye.
Passive Skill Card: Wrath of Man (White) - Frank Castle
"When you suffer a serious injury, attack and defense increase by 20% for 30 seconds. After it ends, speed decreases by 40% for 10 minutes."
This was Hong Fei's very first skill card, yet he'd never used it. Though it was a white card with a short duration and significant side effects, percentage-based boosts were rare. So far, he'd only encountered two such cards. The other was the blue card Enhanced Physical Resistance, dropped by Volstagg of The Warriors Three.
Even if it remained white forever, the 20% attack and defense boost for 30 seconds after a serious injury could turn the tide in a dire situation, potentially saving his life. The catch? The passive effect only triggered when he was already gravely injured. This card was a keeper.
Passive Skill Card: Affable Smile (White) - Coulson
Paired with Deceive Time and Crowd, it was perfect. Definitely keeping this one.
Passive Skill Card: Rapid Regeneration (White) - Luke Cage
"After activation, gain regeneration ability three times faster than an ordinary person."
If it could reach Wade Wilson's level, dragon bones would be crushed and fed to dogs. Hong Fei's own regenerative ability had also been enhanced, though he wasn't sure by how much. After all, in over 120 chapters, the number of people who'd managed to injure him remained at zero. Lonely? More like utterly unchallenged.
For now, without higher-level cards to replace them, these white cards would stay in his collection. In short, there was no pressing need to upgrade.
Appendix:
Hong Fei had crossed paths with Matt Murdock twice, harvesting two white skill cards: Stick Mastery and Enhanced Sense of Smell. Murdock seemed to have a relatively high drop rate; Hong Fei made a mental note to spar with him more often.
With that, Hong Fei stashed his skill cards away, his thoughts shifting to the anticipation of another breakthrough in his body and energy. After the battles at Liberty Island, Tokyo Bay, and the Rand Building, he could feel himself nearing a critical threshold. The Rand Building incident had been particularly significant, offering dual enhancements to both body and energy.
Taking the time before his first breakthrough as the base stage, the period after marked the first stage—the stage Hong Fei was currently in, where he had begun to surpass human limits. Yet, without the aid of skill cards, his abilities didn't truly manifest as extraordinary in a tangible sense.
The second breakthrough promises a qualitative leap in both body and energy, marking the transition from merely surpassing human limits to truly stepping into the extraordinary. This should be my top priority right now, but other matters demand my attention. It can wait—for now.
After all, breakthroughs often come unexpectedly. If I'm sparring or engaged in combat, it might happen naturally. No need to rush it. Meanwhile, outside, the fallout from yesterday's events at the Rand Building is being managed. The government, police, and military have issued a joint statement claiming the operation against a transnational criminal group was a resounding success.
They described the terrorists as stubbornly resistant, causing significant casualties among government employees, but ultimately defeated. The statement expressed condolences to the victims and apologies to the public affected by the chaos. Scanning the reports, there's no mention of Hong Fei or his team.
This has Fury's fingerprints all over it. General Ross might have had a hand in it too—he's never given up on retrieving and using the Abomination. Given the Abomination's earlier display of intelligence, if it were labeled a terrorist now, Ross would lose any chance of reclaiming it.
More likely, S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't want to admit that Hong Fei and his team had killed more Hand members—and government employees—than they had. They could've taken credit and pinned the blame on Hong Fei, but that would've provoked him. If he leaked evidence, the already shaky reputations of the city government, military, and police would collapse completely.
Politicians still care about appearances, even if they're caught with their pants down. They'd rather chase reporters away, clean up, and pretend nothing happened. Fury undoubtedly helped craft this statement, anticipating every angle. In yesterday's operation, S.H.I.E.L.D. bore the brunt of the casualties, the military provided air support, the police were practically absent, and the city government was entirely offline.
The casualty figures announced publicly are suspect. Adding a zero might still underestimate the true toll. But downplaying it has its benefits—it prevents panic, especially among those living nearby. Online discussions, however, are anything but calm.
"I think I might need to see a doctor," one user wrote. "I was already in a bad mood after breaking up. To clear my head, I drove to Liberty Island to watch the sea. Then I saw someone fighting Iron Man, and the explosion nearly scared me to death."
"To recover, I flew to Tokyo. That same night, I watched a tank tear through the streets. When it fired its cannon, I genuinely wet myself. Tokyo wasn't safe either, so I packed up and flew back to New York."
"Until yesterday, I was preparing to delve into the meaning of life with my new girlfriend. Suddenly, I heard six cannon shots..."
"Pfft... Sorry, I couldn't hold it back."
"The first poster needs a psychiatrist—maybe medication or even surgery."
"Six shots? I live nearby. I can confirm."
"So the terrorists shot down an F-22?"
Until yesterday, I was preparing to delve into the meaning of life with my new girlfriend. Suddenly, I heard six cannon shots...
"The official report doesn't add up. They didn't explain the four extra Iron Men, the one flying without propulsion, or the giant monster swinging a club."
"That monster's the same one that showed up in Harlem. Probably working for the government now."
"Didn't that thing blow up two helicopters? I doubt they're on friendly terms."
"If they weren't, wouldn't the government say so? Stop spreading rumors. Maybe it's their secret ops team."
"The van hauling bodies ran all night. The death toll's gotta be way higher than they're saying—at least triple."
"The Rand Building's getting demolished, right? Too many casualties, too much gunfire—it's wrecked. Can I get the demolition contract? Call me at ****."
After scrolling through the comments, Hong Fei felt a twinge of pity for the first guy. Propaganda really is everything.
By simply omitting Hong Fei and the others, people had already crafted plausible identities for them. He turned off his phone and headed to the underground room. Alexandra, the third tenant in the space once occupied by Bullseye and Ivan, sat on the bed as he entered. Her eyes cracked open slightly.
At first glance, she looked fine—no signs of torture or coercion. But the dark circles under her eyes told a different story. The confidence and strategic spark she'd once carried were gone, replaced by a hollow emptiness. She'd plummeted from grace, crushed under the weight of some unseen blow. What had Big Head done to her?
As Hong Fei approached, Alexandra spoke in a raspy, lifeless voice. "You know where The Hand's remaining dragon bones are. You know about the ones under New York. You even know how to use them to extend life and resurrect the dead. So... I'm next, aren't I?"
It was hard to believe this was the same woman who'd fought tooth and nail to survive just yesterday. In one night, she'd become utterly indifferent to life and death. Was psychic interrogation really that effective? He'd have to ask Big Head about it later.
"You figured it out?" Hong Fei asked.
Alexandra's smile was bitter. "It wasn't hard. Otherwise, you wouldn't have killed Bakuto and Gao."
Hong Fei clicked his tongue and shook his head. "You're sharp. And this calm acceptance of death... I gotta admit, it earns my respect. Honestly, I don't feel like killing you anymore."
Alexandra remained expressionless.
"If you had the chance," Hong Fei pressed, "what would you want to do?"
After a long pause, she answered, "I'd want to see the sea, the desert, the forest... all the world's beauty."
"Anything else?"
"Maybe... my descendants. But I don't even know their names or what they look like anymore."
"You have descendants?"
"Yeah. It's been almost a hundred years."
"I left after giving birth to the child."
"You've done so much harm over the centuries. Do you ever regret it?"
She let out a hollow laugh. "I guess I have."
Hong Fei pursed his lips, thinking for a long moment. Finally, he said, "Live a better life next time. Stay away from gambling and drugs."