Chapter Summaries

Coulson and the command room monitored reports from S.H.I.E.L.D. bases as Hydra’s coordinated uprising left many sites devastated or overrun. After the map showed nearly equal numbers of red and green bases, Skye discovered that a Hydra-occupied base had turned white.

• Agent Wever reported that the Golden Legend had helped S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy defeat Hydra, though more than 150 students had died.
• Coulson reviewed reports confirming the Cold Storage Room was safe and Cube Prison had survived, while Sandbox Base suffered heavy casualties and faced an approaching army.
• Skye’s map showed red lights spreading across bases that Hydra had occupied, while green lights marked bases that remained safe.
• Coulson saw that several key S.H.I.E.L.D. bases had survived and that reports from nearly every green base mentioned the Golden Legend’s help.
• Skye found that Central Base’s network could access the hangars of smaller bases, and one red-marked base turned white.

Thanos learned that Star-Lord had taken the Orb of Power and ordered the Supergiant Star to balance Baron Planet within eight days. Ronan sent Gamora after the Orb, while Star-Lord planned to sell it to the Broker and visit the Red Whale Shop.

• The Supergiant Star told Thanos that Star-Lord had defeated Ronan's men and taken the Orb of Power, and that Gamora was pursuing him.
• Thanos asked how long it would take to balance Baron Planet, and the Supergiant Star estimated eight days, a plan that could kill 2.5 billion Baronians.
• Ronan learned from Kollat that Star-Lord's client was the Broker on Xandar Prime, and he sent Gamora to retrieve the Orb of Power.
• Gamora ignored Ronan's intimidation, insisted she had never failed, and set out for Xandar.
• Star-Lord admired his new Element Guns, took out the Orb of Power, and planned to sell it to the Broker before visiting the Red Whale Shop.

Jason and his companions found Rocket and Groot on Xandar and tried to bring them to meet Leo, who knew them. Rocket initially refused, but Jason persuaded him with a 25,000-credit offer to wait ten days for Leo.

• Jason, Roller, and Little Jie found Rocket and Groot, the pair Leo had asked them to locate.
• Rocket received a wanted alert for Peter Quill, whose capture for Yondu Udota carried a 40,000-credit bounty.
• Jason told Rocket that Leo wanted to meet him, but Rocket refused to deal with underlings and headed after Peter Quill.
• Little Jie suggested offering money, and Jason raised his offer until Rocket agreed to wait ten days for Leo in exchange for 25,000 credits and covered food and lodging.
• Rocket introduced himself and Groot to Jason, remarking that they had passed up a more valuable bounty job.

Jason negotiated with Gamora and Star-Lord over the Orb of Power after Gamora threatened Quill, while the Nova Corps arrived and Jason paid to keep everyone out of trouble. Back at the Red Whale Shop, Jason prepared to discuss the Orb’s price with Gamora, leaving Quill worried he would not get it back.

• Gamora held a blade to Quill’s neck and demanded the Orb of Power, while Jason and Rocket argued over the terms of handing it over.
• Gamora lowered her weapons when Jason warned that the Nova security forces were coming, and Quill agreed to negotiate rather than resist.
• Eight Nova Corps spacecraft arrived, and Jason convinced the guards the group had only been sparring, then paid them twenty thousand to let everyone stay.
• Jason had Roller stand beside Gamora as a precaution, and the group returned to the Red Whale Shop for a meeting.
• Jason took out the Orb of Power, looked at Gamora, and said they should discuss the price.

Jason and his crew learned that Gamora had betrayed Ronan and offered to split a four-billion reward for the Orb, but Jason decided to wait for Leo before making the deal. On Earth, Leo told Banner that Hydra members had escaped and that he could not oversee every S.H.I.E.L.D. branch, while Dragon Fang had seized the Hong Kong branch and its files.

• Jason recognized Gamora as someone with a connection to Ronan and stopped her from approaching the Orb.
• Gamora said she had betrayed Ronan, found a buyer for the Orb, and offered to split the four-billion reward among the group.
• Jason questioned Gamora about Ronan and Thanos, then insisted the crew wait for Leo before completing the deal.
• Jason said he trusted Leo to help him kill Ronan more than he trusted the reward, and expected Leo to return within ten days.
• At Avengers Tower, Leo told Banner that some Hydra members had escaped and that he could not handle S.H.I.E.L.D. branches in every country.
• Dragon Fang captured the S.H.I.E.L.D. branch in Hong Kong and obtained classified files, while China suffered no losses from the incident.

Leo noticed Dragon Fang agents monitoring him in Shanghai and identified one of them while eating at a food court. Commander Zhang Huan approached him personally, and Leo realized Zhang had arrived the previous night as they stood outside the Peninsula Hotel.

• Leo sensed an armed man watching him in the food court and used his Leo Three glasses to confirm that Jenny and George were safe in their hotel suite.
• A Dragon Fang agent secretly observed Leo, while Zhang Huan ordered the outer teams not to clear the area or provoke him.
• Leo sat across from the agent, identified him as Dragon Fang, then left the food court to check on Jenny and George.
• The agent reported that Leo had exposed him, and Zhang Huan ordered the surrounding agents to withdraw before approaching Leo alone.
• Zhang Huan greeted Leo and walked with him toward the Peninsula Hotel, where Leo recognized him as Uncle Li’s Commander Zhang Huan and guessed he had arrived the night before.

Leo left Red Whale in hiding and went to find breakfast near the Peninsula Hotel, where Dragon Fang agents were searching for him. After agents spotted him near the food court, Zhang Huan ordered them not to approach and rushed to the scene.

• Leo shrank Red Whale and told him to wait while he went into the city.
• Leo headed toward a food court, reflecting on his life in the Marvel world and his desire to enjoy the day.
• Dragon Fang received a first-level mission order to find Leo and avoid acting without authorization.
• A Dragon Fang agent recognized Leo walking toward the underground food court and reported his sighting.
• Zhang Huan ordered the agents not to contact Leo and hurried toward the food court.

Leo reunited with George and Jenny, told them about his Enhancement Serum, and planned to spend time with them before meeting Zhang Huan and his guard, Ye Wei. After Ye Wei challenged Leo’s authority, Leo compared Ye Wei’s combat ability with the Chitauri and the Avengers, leaving Ye Wei asking how many Leo could kill.

• Leo told George and Jenny that his team had developed an Enhancement Serum that could slow aging, improve fitness, and extend lifespan, and they agreed to stay a few days and see it.
• Zhang Huan arrived with his guard, Ye Wei, and introduced him as the top fighter on Dragon Fang’s Earth Ranking.
• Leo assessed Ye Wei’s abilities, but Ye Wei scoffed at Leo and questioned his qualifications because he was not on the Heavenly Ranking.
• Zhang Huan rebuked Ye Wei and ordered him to apologize, while Leo said he was not offended and asked how many Chitauri Ye Wei could defeat.
• Leo estimated Ye Wei could kill only a dozen or so Chitauri, and Ye Wei challenged Leo to say how many he could kill.

Zhang Huan revealed that he commanded China's Dragon Fang Special Forces Brigade and explained why Leo's adoptive parents had become important targets. He asked George and Jenny to arrange a meeting with Leo, arguing that China wanted to speak with him as fellow countrymen.

• Zhang Huan apologized to George and Jenny for frightening them and introduced himself as the commander of China's Dragon Fang Special Forces Brigade.
• Zhang Huan explained that Leo's identity had drawn the attention of the World Security Council and the five permanent member states, though China had only recently learned who he was.
• George confirmed that he and Jenny knew Leo's identity, and Zhang Huan warned them that Golden Legend could change the balance of power in the world.
• Zhang Huan told them Leo had killed thousands of elite agents across the United States in two hours and said no known force on Earth could threaten him.
• Zhang Huan urged George and Jenny to arrange a meeting with Leo, describing them as his only known weakness and asking to talk with him as fellow countrymen.

Leo told Zhang Huan that he planned to enhance Jenny and George so they could defend themselves, while declining Dragon Fang’s offer to keep them in China. After Leo left to spend time with them, the story shifted to Xandar, where Rocket, Groot, Jason, Lorelei, Quill, and Gamora gathered uneasily inside the closed Red Whale Shop.

• Leo told Zhang Huan he would bring S.H.I.E.L.D. materials for him that night.
• Zhang Huan offered Dragon Fang’s protection for Jenny and George, but Leo said he would enhance them and take them traveling.
• Leo said his partners had developed a serum better than Steve Rogers’ Super Soldier Enhancement Potion, but refused to identify them.
• Leo left to take Jenny and George for a walk, and Zhang Huan ordered his agents to clear the area and conceal their presence.
• On Xandar, Rocket, Groot, Jason, Lorelei, Quill, and Gamora gathered inside the closed Red Whale Shop in an uneasy alliance.

Leo demonstrated that he could form a fully functional, accurate pistol from metal beads, then shaped the scattered gun parts into a Tang dao and effortlessly cut another firearm into fragments. Ye Wei was left stunned by Leo’s abilities, while Zhang Huan and the Dragon Fang members witnessed the display.

• Leo melted metal beads into a pistol and loaded it with bullets drawn from a damaged gun.
• Ye Wei disassembled Leo’s pistol, examined its parts, and fired three shots that struck the same point over twenty meters away.
• Zhang Huan took the pistol from Ye Wei and inspected its markings and details, which matched Ye Wei’s custom firearm.
• Leo gathered the scattered gun parts and transformed them into a Tang dao with a blue radiance along its blade.
• Leo sliced a pistol into smooth-edged fragments with rapid swings of the Tang dao, leaving Ye Wei so bewildered that he staggered and fell to the floor.

Leo spent a carefree day in Shanghai with Jenny and George while Zhang Huan prepared to meet him and searched for records of his childhood in China. The chapter ended with Zhang Huan hosting Leo and his guardians at an elaborate dinner, where Leo invited him to ask whatever he wanted.

• Nick Fury went to Europe, Rogers continued searching for Bucky and other Winter Soldiers, and Natasha considered finding a new identity while Hill oversaw S.H.I.E.L.D.
• Leo strolled along Nanjing Road with Jenny and George as Dragon Fang teams followed them.
• Zhang Huan reviewed personality analyses and searched for records that might reveal Leo's biological parents, but his staff found no useful leads.
• Zhang Huan arranged security and summoned professors and state banquet chefs to prepare for Leo's visit.
• Dragon Fang brought Leo, Jenny, and George to its Shanghai base for a lavish dinner hosted by Zhang Huan.
• Leo sat beside Zhang Huan and invited him to ask whatever he wanted.

Leo used the Space Stone and Time Stone to view Earth through time and space, then traveled back to the Shanghai street where his forgotten memories began. He spotted a man behaving strangely behind Zhang Huan and reaching toward them.

• Leo’s contact with the Space Stone and Time Stone put him into a god’s-eye state, where he could perceive and manipulate time across Earth.
• The Ancient One warned Leo not to alter the past, and Leo assured her he understood.
• Leo stopped time and moved the world backward until he reached the Shanghai streets from more than ten minutes earlier.
• Leo watched his earlier self walk through a short alley while Zhang Huan followed behind him.
• Leo noticed a man at the alley entrance turn back and reach toward him and Zhang Huan.

Jason showed the Guardians a close-range recording of a Red Whale, explaining why he named his shop after the legendary beast. He insisted that Leo could show them a real Red Whale when he arrived.

• Rocket and Gamora asked Jason why he had named his shop the Red Whale Shop, and Jason said he had seen a real Red Whale.
• Little Jie projected the recording of the Red Whale that he had copied from the Ghost Shadow's video data.
• Rocket and Groot were awestruck by the Red Whale's immense form, while Gamora admired Jason for surviving the encounter.
• Quill tried to bring up the four billion, but Gamora interrupted him to remark on Jason's and Leo's luck.
• Jason declared that the group underestimated Leo and said Leo might show them the only A-level Starry Sky Giant Beast in the universe.

Leo revealed that he possessed the Tesseract and explained the power of the Infinity Stones to Dragon Fang’s leaders. He urged China to protect George and Jenny, and Zhang Huan left to report the revelations and investigate Leo’s identity.

• Zhang Huan reasoned that the aliens were after the Tesseract rather than vibranium, and Leo confirmed the Tesseract was in his hands.
• Leo summoned the Space Stone, demonstrating its power, then explained that it was one of six Infinity Stones capable of destroying the universe together.
• Leo told Zhang Huan, Elder Zhang, and Old Li that Earth was protected by a powerful figure and shared secrets about the universe, hoping to secure China’s protection for George and Jenny.
• Leo promised to bring back alien technology if China cared for George and Jenny, then disappeared and left the three men shaken.
• Zhang Huan ordered Old Li to protect George and Jenny, deliver the hard drive to the General Research Institute, and investigate everyone at the Peninsula Hotel.
• Zhang Huan left to report to the top leader and use the Number One Computer to search for Leo’s identity.

Jason and the others waited at the Red Whale Shop for Leo to arrive, while Gamora considered who might be able to protect the Power Stone from Thanos. Jason entrusted the Orb of Power to Roller, and the group settled in to wait under a tense arrangement.

• Rocket told Groot they could not pursue their bounty because they had a more important job, while Gamora weighed whether Difan or Xandar could keep the Power Stone from Thanos.
• Quill asked Jason whether Leo owned the Red Whale Shop, and Jason confirmed that he did.
• Jason handed the Orb of Power to Roller and said they would wait for Leo before deciding what to do with it.
• Jason arranged rooms for the group and ordered them to stay at the shop until Leo arrived.
• Gamora refused to share a room with Quill, while Quill flirted with Roller and nearly collapsed under the effect of her seductive voice.
• Jason put headphones on Quill and explained that Roller's voice affected men, while Rocket suspected she might use mind control and Gamora remained wary of her intentions toward the Orb.

Zhang Huan asked Leo to help strengthen China’s defenses as Hydra’s destruction left terrorist groups more chaotic, and Jenny and George urged Leo to help safeguard world peace. After they left, Leo questioned Zhang Huan’s decision to make the request in front of them, then sensed something was wrong and examined him with Golden Light.

• Zhang Huan described how S.H.I.E.L.D.’s decline and Hydra’s destruction had left terrorist groups worldwide more dangerous, then asked Leo to strengthen China’s defenses.
• Jenny and George understood Zhang Huan’s request and looked to Leo hopefully, wanting him to help protect world peace.
• Leo sent Jenny and George back to rest, then continued eating with Zhang Huan.
• Leo asked why Zhang Huan had raised the matter in front of Jenny and George instead of waiting for the information Leo had promised to provide.
• Zhang Huan said he wanted to be open with them and avoid damaging their relationship with Leo.
• Leo sensed that Zhang Huan felt unreal and flooded him with Golden Light to inspect him.

Leo told Zhang Huan that Dragon Fang was stronger than the current S.H.I.E.L.D. and urged him to prevent needless clashes between them. He then explained that Earth faced far greater dangers beyond its borders, leaving Zhang Huan to consider whether he would gamble on a universe-wide threat that could wipe out half of all life.

• Zhang Huan said Dragon Fang could match the current S.H.I.E.L.D. but could not catch up with S.H.I.E.L.D.'s decades of past experience, and he promised Leo that Dragon Fang would not deliberately harm S.H.I.E.L.D. teams.
• Zhang Huan asked Leo whether his great power had made him want to do anything he pleased, and Leo explained that his age and experience had kept him from acting impulsively.
• Leo told Zhang Huan that the Chitauri were only a small military force under a far more powerful command, which could send vastly more of them to Earth.
• Leo drew a small circle to represent Earth and warned Zhang Huan about powerful forces and a lunatic who wanted to erase half of all life in the universe.
• Leo asked Zhang Huan whether he wanted to gamble on a fifty percent chance of that threat succeeding.

Gamora tried to steal the Orb of Power from Roller, hoping to escape and split its value, but Roller defeated and restrained her. Roller urged Gamora to stay with Jason’s group if she wanted a better chance to take revenge on Thanos and Ronan.

• Gamora questioned Roller about recognizing the Orb’s ancient pattern, while Roller kept the Orb and warned her not to try taking it.
• Three hours later, Gamora crept through the dark room and reached for the Orb at Roller’s waist.
• Roller caught Gamora’s wrist, and Gamora drew her blade and offered to flee with her and divide the Orb’s value.
• Gamora attacked, but Roller used the Orb to knock away her blade and overpowered her in close combat.
• Roller restrained Gamora and told her to consider staying with Jason’s group if she wanted revenge on Thanos and Ronan.

After Leo suddenly disappeared, Zhang Huan arranged urgent protection for Jenny and George and sent a hard drive to Dragon Fang headquarters. He summoned Heavenly Ranking fighters to Shanghai while Leo hurried to a temple-like complex.

• Zhang Huan contacted the base and ordered its personnel to keep Jenny and George safe and prevent them from leaving.
• Zhang Huan ordered five Earth Ranking members to carry a hard drive to the Capital City and called Old Li to request Heavenly Ranking support.
• Old Li agreed to bring other fighters, and two modified jets carrying elderly Heavenly Ranking members raced from the Capital City toward Shanghai.
• Zhang Huan went to the Peninsula Hotel to meet Jenny and George and prepare for their protection.
• Leo arrived at a complex of ancient temple-like buildings and hurried toward its main hall.