February 1st, early morning. Five cars rolled into the castle courtyard in unison. From his perch atop the battlements, Hong Fei watched them approach. Each vehicle was distinct: a rugged off-roader, a sleek sports car, a modest sedan, a battered second-hand van, and a truck that looked like it had rolled straight out of a Transformers movie.
Frank, Jessica, Ivan, Big Head, and Abomination stepped out—Abomination vaulting from the cargo bed. They lined up, grinning up at Hong Fei and waving. With a graceful leap, Hong Fei descended to meet them. His eyes locked onto Big Head first. "You're driving a piece of junk. Do I not pay you enough?"
"Boss, no, no, no!" Big Head chuckled, raising his hands defensively. "You're the most generous boss I've ever had. Actually, I customized this van myself. It might look like scrap on the outside, but it's worth more than all their cars combined!"
Hong Fei gave a slight nod, scanning the group. "You all look well-rested. Full of energy, good moods. Go get settled. We'll have dinner together tonight." The team chimed, "Thanks, Boss!" and dispersed, leaving Frank to follow Hong Fei inside.
As they stepped into the grand hall, Frank's eyes caught the gleaming armor on display. Hong Fei noticed his glance and grinned. "What do you think? Nice, right?" Frank nodded. "Better than your last one." "This style suits me now. Comfortable, practical. Want one?" "Nah. I prefer something sturdier—something that can carry more firepower."
They reached the fireplace, where Frank expertly uncorked a bottle of wine, lit a cigar, and settled into a chair. Hong Fei laughed. "You're getting better at enjoying life. When did you pick up these rich people habits?" Frank took a long drag, exhaling a thick cloud of smoke. "Learned it from you."
"Me? When have you seen me do this?" Frank waved him off. "Enough small talk. I met Yuri this time, ran into some old friends. Even Fury tracked me down." Hong Fei's eyes narrowed briefly before he nodded. "Not surprising. We didn't exactly hide you before. If S.H.I.E.L.D. dug deep enough, they'd find you."
"Yeah," Frank replied with a sneer. "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s reach is terrifying." Hong Fei sensed there was more but waited patiently. Frank drained his glass, crunching on the ice cube as he stared into the flickering flames. "Back when it all went down, I went looking for him. Didn't know he'd already become Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Back then, it wasn't even called that."
Hong Fei nodded, piecing things together. "I remember when we first met him. He wasn't the man we knew before. We were soldiers, charging into battle, bullets flying. But he felt different—like a venomous snake in the shadows. A killer. An Agent." "Right then, I knew I might leave empty-handed."
"But in a desperate situation at the time, I was still unwilling to give up any shred of hope. I told him about the tragedy, the details, hoping they'd help. After a long silence, he said no."
"Maybe he felt nostalgic about the past, or maybe there was still a shred of pity left in him—either way, he offered me money from his own pocket." Hong Fei shook his head. "You turned him down flat."
"Of course. Back then, I didn't even know who he really was, let alone what he did." Frank exhaled sharply. "Later, I figured it out.
He'd only just taken over as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. Maybe he knew about my situation, maybe he didn't. Either way, he refused to help."
"I couldn't blame him. It'd been years since we'd last crossed paths. Helping me would've been charity. Saying no was his right."
"Honestly, before I ran into him at Rand, I never expected to see him again like that. I figured our next meeting would be with a S.H.I.E.L.D. strike team gunning for me."
Hong Fei tilted his head. "What did he want from you?"
Frank's laugh was razor-edged. "Recruitment. Pulled out a World Security Council-approved offer right then and there. Even dangled a full global pardon for my 'past transgressions.'"
Hong Fei snorted. Fury was clearly angling to draft Frank into the Avengers. Fat chance. Master Hong had already staked his claim—Frank had sworn allegiance personally.
In life or death, Frank belonged to Hong Fei now. Nobody was prying him loose. Besides, Fury had ignored Frank's plea for help back then. Sure, Frank had no grounds to resent him, but that didn't mean the wound wasn't still raw.
If Fury had lifted a finger back then, maybe the world wouldn't have the Punisher today. Maybe it'd have another top-tier agent instead. Hell, Fury had some nerve showing his face at all. Hong Fei wouldn't have been able to look Frank in the eye.
The World Security Council's offer surprised Hong Fei, though. Not that it was unprecedented—look at John Garrett. Once a wanted criminal, now a high-ranking S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with a shiny clean record. Proved their moral compass only pointed toward self-interest.
All that noise about freedom and democracy? Hot air. Stank worse than a landfill and accomplished just as much.
Come to think of it—if they'd approached Frank, had they tried recruiting Ivan and the others? Unlikely. They'd wanted Abomination for the Avengers before. Fury was probably playing both sides again.
Hong Fei grinned. Another bargaining chip secured. And Natasha? Basically his already. Even if she resisted, she couldn't ignore her foster parents' safety. S.H.I.E.L.D.?
Either do the job right or don't bother.
Hong Fei pivoted. "Who'd you go see earlier?"
Frank shook his head. "Old friends. And I mean old—no fire left in them, not that they need it anymore. Happy families, the whole package. I just… watched from a distance."
His tone had no fluctuation, but the sad emotion was still unmistakable under Psychic Power. Dragon bone resurrection required intact remains. Frank's family had none left to resurrect. Hong Fei could only grip his shoulder.
"Yuri, then. First time meeting him. How'd that go?"
"Not bad."
"Just as I figured, he's a capable man—and so is his father." "That goes without saying. He's the Lord of War, after all. Got guts, talks a good game. Perfect for selling arms." Frank glanced at Hong Fei. "Still, you scared the hell out of him." Hong Fei chuckled. "Can you blame me? I just bought a little too much. He should be thrilled." Frank shook his head. "What's the next mission?"
"You guessed it already?" "Saw you grinning the moment I stepped out of the car. If there wasn't something brewing, would you bother picking me up?" "Fair point. But if I didn't pick you up, who would?" Hong Fei smirked.
"That said, there is a mission. This time, we're taking down an aerial base. But this operation's different from the others. No grand spectacle. We need to seize full control without alerting anyone, then fly it right over our heads."
"Russia?" Frank frowned. "You're targeting their..." "No, it's not theirs. It might've had ties in the past, but now it's practically unknown. And I intend to keep it that way. This trip's just for the five of us. The core strategy? Four words: Fast battle, quick decision."
Frank thought for a moment. "You're saying this base is airborne, but aside from the people inside, no one knows it exists?" "Exactly. Don't ask me how they pulled it off, but that's the reality. Probably some Soviet-era black tech, developed and refined over time." Noticing Frank's lack of interest, Hong Fei rolled his eyes and added, "This organization's called the Red Room. Originally, it was a Soviet agency for training agents—especially the Black Widows.
I'm sure you've heard of them."
Frank nodded in realization.
"Let's skip the history lesson," Hong Fei continued. "You've seen Natasha. She's the strongest Black Widow to come out of the Red Room—and she destroyed it with her own hands. Though, to be fair, she didn't finish the job. The Red Room today is even more secretive. They use chemical methods to control people's will.
"The Black Widows scattered across the globe? They're girls abandoned or selected by the Red Room. Training starts young, and through countless trials, the elite rise to the top. The methods are brutal, the nature vile—countless families destroyed. This mission? It's a righteous act, punishing evil and promoting good."
"You don't need to sell me on it. I didn't say I wouldn't go," Frank muttered darkly, though his calm demeanor couldn't hide the anger simmering in his eyes. Kidnapping children, tearing apart families—it was the kind of thing that made him want to carve the perpetrators into pieces. Then, inexplicably, he asked, "So, does this count as a good deed you're forcing yourself to do after doing something bad?"
Hong Fei had indeed said something like that before. Still, he shook his head. "Not quite. The Rand Building situation was half good, half bad. The Hand is pure evil, and S.H.I.E.L.D. isn't exactly a saint. If you want to look at it that way, you could say I'm doing a good deed first to lay the groundwork for the bad things I'll do next."
Frank rolled his eyes and turned away.
"In short," Hong Fei pressed on, "we do good deeds, but we also take the spoils. This base is valuable. It'll complement Blackwater Town on the ground, and at a critical moment, it'll deliver a nasty surprise to our enemies."
Frank paused. "Wait, what's Blackwater Town?"
Hong Fei leaned back in his chair, a sly grin spreading across his face. "While you lot were off gallivanting on vacation, your dear boss was hard at work. I've secured all thirty-eight square kilometers centered around the castle." He paused for dramatic effect, steepling his fingers. "We're going to flatten these mountains and build a proper town. Blackwater Town."
The name hung in the air like a promise. In "Red Dead Redemption 2," Blackwater was where it all began—and ended—for the protagonist. A place of no return. Now, it would serve as both starting point and terminus for their own story. Meanwhile, Melina's research was progressing at breakneck speed.
Seven days later, the pheromone inhibitor research project, which had dragged on for over a month, finally reached completion. Success. As if that weren't enough, fortune smiled twice: Danny Rand, the Iron Fist of Kun-Lun—the very man Master Hong had been obsessing over—turned up in New York one morning, battered and bruised but very much alive.