The nuclear bomb detached from the fighter jet's underbelly and streaked toward the city. Tony watched the jet bank sharply away, teeth grinding as he accelerated straight for the falling warhead. Matching its velocity, he positioned himself beneath it and took the weight on his armored shoulders.
"Sir, incoming contact," JARVIS warned.
Tony glanced up to see Hong Fei rocketing toward him at breakneck speed. His breath hitched—he opened his mouth to protest when Hong Fei's voice crackled through his comms: "Hold position until I reach you."
Their trajectories crossed in a blur of motion. Hong Fei shot past, chasing the retreating fighter jet as golden energy flared around his fists.
From a kilometer out, Hong Fei saw the jet kick in its afterburners. He unleashed a searing beam of Dragon Power from his palm before whipping back toward Tony. The pilot dumped flares and twisted into evasive maneuvers—useless against energy that didn't track heat signatures.
Dragon Power wasn't some dumb missile. Guided by the Eyes of Death, it struck with bullet-like inevitability. Three seconds later, the golden blast overtook the jet and turned it into a fireball.
Hong Fei fell into formation beside Tony as they raced toward the city.
"I'll take it from here."
Tony stayed silent for three wingbeats. "You sure about this?"
"Not entirely. But I'm the better choice."
"Says who?"
"Says the guy who doesn't need a tin can to fly."
"That's not—do you even know my plan?"
"Educated guess. Though personally, I'd reroute this to Washington."
"You're insane!"
"Relax, just spitballing."
The city limits rushed toward them.
"You're thinking what I'm thinking—send these invaders a parting gift through their own portal before it closes."
"Damn right, but you—"
"But nothing. I bleed red same as you."
Hong Fei shoved Tony aside mid-flight, slapping his palm against the bomb's casing. Nanotech filaments spread from his armor, locking onto the warhead.
"Less talking, more trusting."
He shot over Frank's team, Jessica's upturned face, Big Head's gaping mouth—streaking toward Stark Tower's energy pillar under Steve's horrified stare.
"Hong! What the hell are you doing?" Steve's voice boomed through the comms.
What did it look like? Saving their asses in style.
"Sorry, Cap. Only play we've got."
Steve's reply caught in his throat. When it came, the words sounded leaden: "You come back. That's an order."
Hong Fei opened his mouth to retort when movement snagged his attention—a figure standing on a rooftop, sunlight glinting off a smooth, pale scalp. Not just any bald head, but one radiating warmth. Her smile held galaxies in its curve, eyes deeper than the portal he was about to enter.
She came.
No time to dwell. The light pillar engulfed him.
"Thor—now!"
The Asgardian lunged forward with the Mind Scepter as Hong Fei angled upward, the nuke cradled against his chest. Metal met cosmic energy—
BOOM.
Silence louder than thunder.
Then darkness swallowed him whole.
......
The void of space stretched endlessly, illuminated only by the eerie glow of Chitauri flyers, Leviathans, and the colossal command ship looming in the distance. Its sheer size made it resemble a planet adrift in the darkness, pulsing faintly like a dying star.
Hong Fei gazed at it, a pang of frustration tugging at him. If only he were stronger. With enough power, he could charge straight in, capture their leader, or even seize their warship. But he wasn't. And as the saying goes, you don't hit the dog without dealing with the master first.
He sighed inwardly, his focus shifting to the nano armor keeping him alive in the vacuum of space. The display in front of him ticked down relentlessly—his time was running out.
He released the nuke, watching it streak toward the Chitauri command ship. The enemy's weakness was glaringly obvious. Their army was a fusion of technology and biology, their survival tethered to the mothership in orbit. Destroy it, and every Chitauri soldier on Earth would drop dead in an instant.
Oddly, Thor seemed unaware of this fact. It made sense. Thor had spent the last thousand years wandering the Nine Realms, rarely venturing beyond.
Back on Earth, the group watching Hong Fei's journey through the space portal had wildly different reactions.
Frank stared in disbelief. "Even with a plan, this is insane. What kind of man is he?"
Big Head grinned. "The boss is so cool!"
Jessica echoed, "The boss is so cool!"
Yelena pressed a hand to her chest. "My heart's racing!"
Ivan frowned. "Why didn't Tony go to die?"
Antonia murmured, "He's a brave man."
Abomination growled, "I want to fly."
Thor beamed. "He truly has a pure and upright heart!"
Steve nodded. "He's a genuine hero."
Tony sighed. "I forgive you. At least for this moment, I forgive you."
Barton raised an eyebrow. "Isn't he afraid of death?"
Luke Cage muttered, "Will he die?"
Matt snapped, "I can't fucking see!"
......
On the roof of Stark Tower, Thor hesitated, his grip tightening on the Tesseract. Tony flew over, pausing as he watched Hong Fei vanish through the portal.
"Thor, hurry up!" he urged.
Thor didn't budge.
A flicker of yellow firelight suddenly appeared within the portal. Tony's voice grew frantic. "Close it now, or the nuke will still threaten the city!"
Thor's gaze remained fixed on the portal, his expression conflicted. Just as Tony moved to act, Abomination spoke up.
"Thor, the boss said to close it."
Thor's eyes flickered with hesitation. The firelight in the portal grew brighter, closer. Finally, with a grimace, he slammed the Mind Stone into the Tesseract.
A shockwave rippled across the rooftop, and high above, the space portal snapped shut.
At the last possible moment, a golden silhouette shot through. Thor grinned, tossing the Mind Stone aside and waving at Hong Fei.
Hong Fei exhaled in relief. If Thor hadn't closed the portal in time, he'd have had to slip out from the side, ruining the entire act.
Below, the Chitauri soldiers collapsed as the blue light in their eyes faded. The Leviathans plummeted from the sky, crashing to the ground with thunderous roars. The other fighters breathed easier, the tension finally easing.
Countless people cheered as they watched the space portal close.
Hong Fei looked down at the city, now a sprawling ruin. The battle's devastation had far exceeded anything he'd imagined. Manhattan was unrecognizable, its proud skyscrapers reduced to tombstones that buried the city in the wake of war. The surrounding districts fared little better, scarred by the conflict.
The initial rush of survival faded as the escapees took in the endless ruins. A wave of sorrow crashed over them, spreading like wildfire through the crowd. Whispers gave way to choked sobs.
Hong Fei descended from the sky, followed by Frank and the others who landed behind him in silent coordination. Across from them, Tony, Steve, Natasha, Barton, and the rest gathered.
Hulk still raged in the distance, pounding his fists into a Leviathan's corpse. Thor stood guard over Loki, who sat slumped on the ground with his head bowed.
The tension among the dozen gathered figures thickened until Loki finally broke the silence. He lifted his head, scanning the circle of faces with bitter resignation.
"What's the matter? Didn't you win?"
When no one answered, Steve stepped forward. "Whether we won or not is one thing. You definitely lost."
Loki's gaze darted to Hong Fei, who retracted his helmet to meet it with a look that promised violence. Flinching, Loki turned to Thor instead.
"You got what you wanted. Though I doubt they'll let you take me."
His words drew sharp glances from Tony's group toward Thor—all except Hong Fei and his Seven.
Steve observed the standoff before speaking up. "Hong? Anything to add?"
"Not much. If you want war with Asgard, by all means, keep Loki here."
Thor shot Hong Fei a grateful look—hearing it from someone else carried weight.
"But rest assured," Thor added, squaring his shoulders, "Loki's crimes are undeniable. Asgard will judge him. I swear on my honor as God of Thunder that justice will be served."
Tony cut in, voice tight. "The death toll's catastrophic. The damage? Immeasurable."
"And he will pay," Thor insisted.
"Will he?"
Their locked stares turned the air to ice until Hong Fei moved between them, hands settling on both men's shoulders.
"Enough. Right now, search and rescue takes priority. Everyone—check for survivors. Frank, lead your team."
Frank nodded, signaling his six to fan out across the ruins. Tony stalked off without another word while Natasha and Barton headed downstairs to assist.
Thor rounded on Loki with a snarl. "Look what you've done!"
Loki remained stone-faced.
Steve pulled Hong Fei aside to the rooftop's edge, where the carnage below stretched like a nightmare.
"That was reckless."
"No choice," Hong Fei said simply.
"I know. Which is why I'm saying: good work."
Steve's stern expression cracked into a grin before he pulled Hong Fei into a brief, back-thumping hug. As they separated, he added, "You should lead the Avengers. Your team operates like clockwork—no infighting, just results."
Hong Fei laughed. "Fury would have an aneurysm."
"Let him."
Steve gazed at the clearing sky, exhaling. "It's finally over."
A long silence followed before Hong Fei murmured, "This isn't an ending. Just a pause before the real fight begins."
Steve frowned, turning to question him—
Hong Fei was about to speak when his body suddenly trembled.
"Gotta go," he blurted, already stepping back. "We'll talk later!"
The breakthrough surged through him, urgent and undeniable.