In the living room, on the carpet in front of the grey sofa. Hong Fei was shirtless, wearing only shorts, kneeling on the carpet with his fists pressed against the floor.
A pale golden aura steamed off his body like heat waves. Every inch of his skin seemed to be trembling, and beneath it, every inch of flesh was twitching.
Sweat seeped from his pores, only to be quickly heated and evaporated by his scorching body.
During this breakthrough process, Hong Fei actively opened the gate to the Dragon Power dimension. Amidst the body-advancement process that felt like being torn apart and put back together, he injected a vigorous surge of Dragon Power.
It permeated every cell, causing his fusion rate to climb steadily despite the bone-deep agony. The only difference was that this time, although Hong Fei was still convulsing, he could at least change his position instead of lying flat on the floor.
The process was slow and painful, but after realizing it was a breakthrough, Hong Fei suddenly felt a strange sense of satisfaction.
Perhaps Master Hong had a hidden masochistic streak in his body.
Hong Fei: "Get lost!"
......
Knock, knock! A knock came at the door.
Hong Fei's ears twitched slightly, but since his body was in the middle of a breakthrough, any minor movement was both unnecessary and painful. Moreover, he recognized who it was, so he remained motionless.
A moment later, seemingly convinced there was no one in the room, the door clicked open.
Mei pushed it open, holding a folded piece of white paper and a set of keys. Her expression was strange, and her eyelashes fluttered beneath her glasses. She stepped into the room with a light gait, landing on her heels with every step, as if afraid of disturbing something.
However, after a few steps, she caught sight of Hong Fei piled on the carpet in a strange posture and let out a sudden gasp.
Quickly covering her mouth, she wanted to turn and leave, but was drawn in by the golden aura rising from Hong Fei's body.
At this moment, Hong Fei's arms were once again becoming nearly transparent amidst the interplay of gold and red light, and pure golden liquid was flowing through the veins in his arms.
Drip! Sweat slid down his cheeks, gathered at the tip of his nose, and then dripped onto the fuzzy carpet, splashing into a white spray.
Not just his face, but his chest and abdomen—on those well-defined, angular muscles—were also covered in beads of sweat, which frequently fell off due to gravity.
Mei's gaze drifted downward, and she saw that the patch of carpet beneath Hong Fei was completely soaked, as if it had been submerged in water. Of course, her eyes were inexplicably drawn to his naked body.
Suddenly, Hong Fei let out a pained groan, and his body began another round of rapid trembling.
Seeing this, Mei stopped in her tracks, her brows furrowed tightly. She looked at the door, then back at Hong Fei. Finally, she gritted her teeth, tossed the paper and keys onto the table, closed the door, and hurried to Hong Fei's side.
She reached out to smooth her skirt and crouched down beside him, frowning.
"Mr. Hong, what's wrong?"
Hong Fei turned his head slightly, teeth clenched, giving her a reassuring look. However, Mei refused to leave. She gazed at the golden aura rising from Hong Fei's back. Biting her lower lip, she reached out a finger. Wherever her finger went, the golden aura parted.
When her fingertip touched Hong Fei's back, she gasped and jerked her finger back.
"You're burning hot!"
Hong Fei felt helpless and simply continued lying there with his eyes closed.
Mei looked at his body, pondered quickly, and suddenly got up and rushed into the bathroom. Before long, she came out carrying a bucket of cold water. She lifted the bucket and poured it gently over him.
The cold water hissed against Hong Fei's skin, instantly turning to steam. Mei stared, shocked at the reaction. After dumping the first bucket, she hurried back to the bathroom for more.
In moments, the living room was soaked, a shallow layer of water pooling across the floor.
Hong Fei, drenched like a potted plant, felt a slight relief. The Dragon Power caused his burning heat, but his current stiffness came from his body's breakthrough—the pain remained intense. Still, he appreciated Mei's well-meaning efforts.
Mei poked his back with her finger again. Feeling no heat this time, she dropped the bucket and collapsed onto the sofa, breathing heavily.
As her breathing steadied, an awkward tension settled over her.
Suddenly, Hong Fei clenched his fists, his body trembling violently.
This was the final wave of tearing and restructuring before his breakthrough. Once complete, his strength would surge.
Mei, unaware of this, shot to her feet and crouched beside him. Her hands fluttered helplessly as she stammered, "Mr. Hong, what's wrong? Should I call an ambulance?"
An ambulance? Hong Fei shook his head, groaning as the movement intensified his pain. The golden light around him faded, starting from his arms and moving down his torso and legs. The water on his body evaporated in patches.
Mei, hearing his groan, froze, unsure what to do.
Her gaze lingered on his body. Biting her lower lip, she suddenly opened her arms and hugged him tightly.
Their bodies pressed together, the contours of his muscles making her heart race. Her own body trembled violently, her breathing heavy as she pressed her face against his back.
Hong Fei stiffened momentarily.
Soon, the breakthrough ended. Hong Fei exhaled a deep, murky breath.
"I'm fine now," he said.
Before he could finish, Mei's hands began to gently caress his chest, one sliding down over his abdominal muscles.
Hong Fei's eyes widened.
No... don't... not there... he thought, but his body stayed perfectly still. If he were to move, now wasn't the time.
......
Stark Tower buzzed with activity. With the government stepping in and the city's refugees returning, Frank and his team withdrew from search and rescue efforts.
They returned to Stark Tower to find the Avengers gathered around Loki, standing motionless.
Frank led his team inside, the seven of them lining up in formation. Stepping forward, he asked coolly, "Where did he go?"
Steve answered, "Something urgent came up. He left just a moment ago."
"He left?" Frank repeated.
"He said he'd be back," Steve added. "We're waiting for him."
No one objected. Even Tony Stark remained silent. Despite Hong Fei being an enemy, he had just become an undeniable hero. Some might privately find it outrageous, but no one dared to voice dissent openly.
On this matter, opposing Hong Fei wasn't an option. The superheroes who'd fought alongside him wouldn't stand for it, and the civilians he'd saved certainly wouldn't either.
Frank gave a slight nod and gestured for his team to relax. Only then did the six break their rigid stance.
The group dispersed, some finding spots on the floor to rest while others stood in quiet conversation. Their hushed tones created an atmosphere of mutual respect—exactly what Steve imagined a true team should feel like.
Frank approached Loki, who lifted his head to meet his gaze.
Chains bound Loki's wrists and ankles, but his eyes held no trace of defeat. Instead, they glimmered with a faint, knowing smile.
Thor stepped forward, his voice breaking the silence. "He's my brother, though not by blood."
Frank gave him a curt nod before turning away. The room remained eerily quiet.
Hulk sat cross-legged on the floor, his gaze locked onto the Abomination. The two titans stared each other down, unblinking. Nearby, Ivan's eyes bored into Tony with equal intensity.
Yelena moved to Natasha's side, slinging an arm over her shoulder and leading her away for a whispered conversation. The rest of the group exchanged glances, the silence heavy and unbroken.
The door swung open abruptly, and a S.H.I.E.L.D. special ops team marched in. All eyes turned toward the newcomers.
Rumlow and Sitwell hesitated for a moment before Rumlow composed himself and stepped forward.
"We're here to take custody of the criminal and the items."
Thor glanced at Loki, saw that infuriating smile, and decided it wasn't worth arguing.
Frank, seated nearby, didn't bother to look up. "Not now. We'll discuss it later."
Rumlow's gaze shifted to Frank, then to the group of black-armored figures beside him. His mind flashed back to the Rand Building—the humiliation, the beating, the disfigurement. A flicker of rage burned in his eyes.
After a pause, Rumlow clenched his jaw. "This is our mission."
Big Head cut in without hesitation, his tone blunt. "Mission or not, you'll have to wait!"
Rumlow opened his mouth to retort, but Sitwell intervened smoothly. "Fine, no problem. We'll come back later."
He grabbed Rumlow's arm and ushered him out.
The room settled into silence once more.
Minutes later, a sonic boom echoed from outside the tower. Heads turned as Hong Fei landed in his armor just beyond the room. He strode inside, the faceplate retracting to reveal his calm expression.
"Yo, everyone's here?"
Frank answered dryly, "Everyone's waiting for you."
Tony shot Hong Fei a glance before turning away, nursing his drink in solitude.
Steve stepped forward, his tone measured but curious. "Where did you go? Why'd it take so long to get back?"
Hong Fei smiled warmly. "Went home. Got tied up with some things. Sorry to keep everyone waiting."
"It was a while," Steve admitted, "but no harm done. Come take a look—everything's here."
He gestured toward Loki and then to the two items resting nearby.
The Tesseract and the Mind Stone.
Steve asked, "How should we handle these two?"
Hong Fei scanned the group, his gaze lingering on each face before responding with a question of his own.
"What about you all? What are your thoughts?"