Half a month later. Hong Fei moved his recliner onto the platform at the top of the castle, placing himself under the Sun wearing only a pair of shorts. On his body, the cyan patterns that covered almost his entire frame had faded significantly. Light Energy is the form of energy corresponding to the movement of photons.
Light Energy is a form of energy released by luminous objects such as the Sun, candles, and so on. Merging with Photonic Energy Control meant that from now on, Hong Fei could become stronger by basking in the Sun or by lighting candles. After merging with "Photonic Energy Control," Hong Fei began to absorb Light Energy to strengthen himself.
Because his body was in a damaged state, the strengthening program autonomously shifted to a repair program, which meant that basking in the Sun could heal his injuries. The repair speed was decent enough. Unfortunately, the fusion of Dragon Power and Light Energy had not been achieved, the main reason being that Hong Fei's control over Dragon Power had not yet truly reached perfection.
And since his physical state at this moment was not optimal, Hong Fei had not yet attempted to activate the "Binary Form" that connected to the white hole. However, one would imagine that his strength in the Binary Form would be explosive.
Photonic Energy Control strengthens the body, and the massive energy ejected by the white hole requires a strong body to support it; the two could be said to complement each other. If Carol had spent her time and energy over these years mainly on improving her own growth, then at this stage, Hong Fei would definitely not be her match.
Of course, her actions of helping others were good in themselves, and Hong Fei had no angle or stance to criticize them; his reasons for targeting her were simply due to conflicting interests. Hong Fei was tossing a small white sphere up and down in his hand.
As the ball of light was tossed into the air, it rapidly changed into various shapes—sometimes animals, sometimes plants, and other times inanimate objects. Except for the fact that the color was off, the shapes themselves were lifelike. The morphological transformation of Light Energy allowed it to change into anything he could imagine.
From now on, Hong Fei would not need to rely on eating to obtain the basic necessities of life, because Light Energy could be converted into chemical energy to provide the necessary energy for survival; in other words, he had gained an ability similar to "Photosynthesis."
Of course, he hadn't turned into a plant, nor would he turn green.
Through this point, Hong Fei recalled knowledge he had learned before: Light Energy is an electromagnetic wave, so he should be able to indirectly master magnetism; Light Energy can be converted into electrical energy, so he could use this to master lightning; Light Energy can also turn into thermal energy, so he could conjure fire at any time; Light Energy could also...
Speculation is necessary; imagination might just be converted into combat power, and what is realized is called creativity. It was just that, currently, apart from the simple conversion of Light Energy into heat, he had not yet found the correct path for the other directions. From a scientific perspective, all of the above were completely achievable.
However, Master Hong thought about it and felt that sometimes one really shouldn't be too scientific, otherwise, it would be too unscientific. Photonic Energy Control was very simple; for Hong Fei, it was an instinct like breathing, and it did not require muscle coordination. This was the wonder of the Fusion Card; it could turn an ability into an innate talent.
This was more convenient and practical than the awakening of the X-Gene because it would not produce any side effects outside of what was described by the Fusion Card itself.
Sunlight bathed Hong Fei's body as he absorbed its energy, channeling it into his Dragon Power for internal regulation. Combined with his enhanced self-repair abilities, the imperfect Regeneration Cradle, and Asgardian healing potions, his recovery progressed far faster than Ancient One or Dr. Helen Cho had predicted.
Big Head descended gracefully from the sky, landing beside him with a respectful bow.
"Boss, Steve's been officially wanted. The Federal Government stripped him of his hero status, sealed all Captain America museums nationwide, and declared all related merchandise contraband."
Hong Fei rolled onto his stomach, exposing his back to the sun. The White Dragon, previously hidden on his back, slithered across his skin in two-dimensional form, settling on his chest. Apparently, it wasn't a fan of sunbathing.
"I get the first three," Hong Fei mused, "but the merchandise—did Steve ever authorize that?"
Big Head answered without hesitation, "Not that I know of. And all copyrights for Steve's merchandise belong to us now."
Hong Fei chuckled darkly.
"Interesting. Any idea how much they've made off that merchandise over the past seventy years? And how much of it's in government or military hands?"
"Hard to say exactly, but it's got to be a substantial amount. Plenty of independent companies are backed by the government or military too."
"Exactly. They never had the right to sell it in the first place. We acquired the copyright too late to go after past profits, but now that Steve's a wanted man, they're trying to weasel out of paying up."
Big Head's eyes widened as realization dawned.
"You're right, Boss! Back then, Steve was considered dead, so they didn't give him a cut. But now that he's alive? Silence. Plus, Steve should be getting a pension, but from what I've seen, he's been living on a shoestring budget. It's downright disgraceful."
Hong Fei closed his eyes, playing along.
"So what do you suggest?"
"Sue them! In Steve Rogers' name."
"He's a wanted man now. Won't that complicate things?"
"Different issues entirely. Being wanted doesn't strip him of his right to sue. We can file under the trustee from before he was wanted."
"Then get in touch with Steve. Give him a heads-up."
"Understood. Those lawyers will get back every penny Steve's owed, and they'll pay every cent of compensation!"
Hong Fei hummed contentedly.
"A few tens of billions will do. No need to bankrupt them."
Big Head's face twitched, but he nodded with a forced smile.
"Don't worry, Boss. I'll make sure they give it their all."
"Good. How's New York?"
"Mr. Xu negotiated it. They've approved a large ruined area in Manhattan for the Superpower Park. Same terms as London."
"Then get moving. You can relax the worker recruitment criteria."
"Yes, Boss."
"If there's nothing else, you're dismissed."
Big Head hesitated, then added, "Boss, Shuri's back, and she seems... very unhappy."
Hong Fei's voice turned icy.
"Then go comfort her. If you can't, I'll hold you responsible."
Big Head winced.
"I already talked to her, Boss. She says their God has completely perished. I wanted to ask... is Wakanda's God the big Black Panther I skinned earlier?"
"That's the one. Excited?"
"You, Mr. Big Head, personally skinned a god."
Big Head's eye twitched violently.
"Boss, I didn't know it was a god beforehand!"
Hong Fei frowned, cracking one eye open.
"So what if it was? Are gods so special? They die like everything else. When the knife went in, didn't its skin peel just fine? What's there to fear?"
"This… well, true, but it was still a god. Even dead—"
"You know it's dead and you're still trembling?"
"It's not fear, just—"
"Hesitation gets you killed. Decisiveness gets you dinner. 'God' is just a title, a rank. It means something, but we're humans—living beings in this universe with our own worth. You're still human, just stronger than most."
Hong Fei propped himself up on one elbow.
"A thousand years ago? Even a few centuries? They'd have called you a god too."
Big Head blinked, then nodded slowly as realization dawned.
Hong Fei grinned.
"Though you'd probably be the Big Head God."
Big Head's face twisted into a pained smile.
"Point is, 'god' looms large in people's minds. Ordinary folks treat it like a synonym for power—maybe even omnipotence. But you? You've met gods. Laughed with them. Some of you outmatch them."
Hong Fei jabbed a finger at him.
"You, with your skills and brains? Hunting a god isn't some impossible dream. So why the hesitation?"
Big Head's gaze sharpened.
"Boss… I think I get it. Old memories and common sense were messing with me."
Hong Fei flopped back down.
"Should've let you fight that Black Panther yourself."
Big Head's eyes lit up.
"Boss! It's not too late—let's have leopard meat tonight! I stored the leftovers from last time."
"You sure it's edible?"
"Books say it's slightly sour."
"That's normal leopards. This was the Panther God—shouldn't it taste better?"
Big Head scratched his head.
"Want me to test a piece first?"
Hong Fei rolled off the recliner, tore open a portal, and yanked out a grill from the kitchen.
"Make it quick."
Half an hour later:
"Ptooey! Ptooey!"
Hong Fei spat violently, his face contorted.
"This is vile!"
He flung the skewer away like it burned him.
Big Head gagged beside him. Both gulped water, shuddering as they eyed the remaining meat.
"So the more 'divine' the leopard, the more it tastes like battery acid," Hong Fei rasped.
"Worse than lemons."
Big Head nodded frantically.
"Boss, should I trash these?"
"Waste not."
Hong Fei waved a hand.
"Distribute them. Everyone gets a taste!"
"But… Frank and Mr. Xu—"
"Tell them it's my order. Deliver and bolt—they won't chase you."
Big Head froze, his expression pleading.
Hong Fei scoffed.
"Coward. Fine, I'll portal you out when it's their turn. Now move!"
"Okay!"
Big Head scurried out, holding the remaining dozens of meat skewers.
Hong Fei collapsed back onto the recliner.
"Arthur? Blacklist Big Head."
"Right away, sir."