Chapter Summaries

Wanda and Pietro sensed Leo’s return through the Mind Stone, but he slept through their attempts to reach him. Meanwhile, Tony Stark contacted Zhang Huan, and the call appeared to be connected to Leo.

• Wanda and Pietro explained that their connection to the Mind Stone let them sense Leo inside his room.
• Li Qian, Wanda, and Pietro knocked on Leo’s door, then left him to sleep when he did not answer.
• Li Qian reported Leo’s return to Elder Zhang, who tried and failed to contact Zhang Huan.
• Tony Stark called Zhang Huan and said he had something to discuss with him.
• Zhang Huan realized Stark’s call was probably connected to Leo.

Stark told Zhang Huan that Leo had returned to China in an unstable state after witnessing The Hand’s cruel experiments, and Zhang Huan promised Dragon Fang would handle the situation carefully. As Dragon Fang teams gathered outside the Peninsula Hotel, Wanda and Pietro went to wake Leo.

• Stark warned Zhang Huan that Leo’s emotional distress could make him dangerously powerful and asked Dragon Fang to help him.
• Stark explained that The Hand’s human experiments in Thailand had enraged Leo, who wanted to destroy the world’s darkness by himself.
• Zhang Huan assured Stark that he understood the danger and instructed Elder Zhang to pay close attention to Leo.
• The Hand’s destruction exposed its worldwide crimes, prompting unrest and crackdowns, while two teams waited outside the Peninsula Hotel.
• Wanda sensed that Leo was in the hotel, and she and Pietro went to wake him.

Leo brought Wanda and Pietro to the address their Uncle Cao had given them, where they found a lavish restaurant that seemed too old to belong to him. As the twins feared that Uncle Cao had deceived them, Leo decided to ask the restaurant’s owner about him, and the twins froze after tasting the food.

• Leo, Wanda, and Pietro arrived at the grand Cao Family Restaurant and questioned whether it was the place their Uncle Cao had meant.
• A waitress told them the restaurant had been open for thirty years, leading Wanda and Pietro to believe their uncle had given them a false address.
• Leo reassured the disappointed twins that they could ask the owner about their uncle and ordered several signature dishes.
• Leo recognized the freshly cooked food as authentic local cuisine, and Wanda and Pietro froze after their first bite.

After a missile attack exposed a possible traitor within Dragon Fang, Leo suspected a remnant Hydra base had launched it and trusted the organization to investigate. His plane reached the Hubei Dragon Fang Branch, where a welcoming party awaited him and his companions.

• Leo concluded that someone inside Dragon Fang had leaked his location and movements, and suspected a remnant Hydra base because the missile used a Spatial Energy Battery.
• Leo reassured Li Qian that the attack was likely only a probe and that George and May would be safe, while hoping Dragon Fang's security around them was strong enough.
• Zhang Huan informed Old Li of the attack, strengthened surveillance around George and May, and secretly watched the Command Center for signs of a traitor.
• The plane continued to Wuhan and arrived three minutes early at a Dragon Fang branch base, where Wanda and Pietro grew nervous at the imposing welcoming party.
• Leo led Li Qian, Li Xiaotian, Wanda, and Pietro off the plane as a Dragon Fang representative welcomed him to the Hubei Branch.

Wanda and Pietro reunited with Uncle Cao in China and thanked him for helping them survive as children. As Leo spoke with Grandpa Cao about the twins joining his team, Wanda and Pietro reflected on their abilities and responsibilities.

• Uncle Cao joyfully recognized Wanda and Pietro and apologized for assuming they needed his support.
• Grandpa Cao explained that Uncle Cao had worried about the twins for years, and Wanda and Pietro thanked Uncle Cao for helping them in Sokovia.
• Leo watched the reunion and noted that reconnecting with Uncle Cao was easing the twins' emotional burdens.
• Grandpa Cao asked Leo how he had met the twins, and Leo said he wanted them to join his team and contribute to the world.
• Grandpa Cao told Leo and the twins to live their lives and leave the burden of saving the world to the Avengers.
• Leo replied that those with greater ability should accept greater responsibility, leaving Wanda and Pietro deep in thought.

Leo and the twins finished exploring Wuhan and traveled north to Shenyang, where Jenny, George, and Old Li prepared to meet them before a trip to Changbai Mountain. The chapter ended with George asking Old Li why his granddaughter was not coming with Leo and the others.

• Pietro and Wanda enjoyed Wuhan's local breakfast while Leo promised they would try more Chinese food and see the city's attractions.
• Leo postponed reuniting with Jenny and George so he could take the twins sightseeing around Wuhan for several days.
• Wanda and Pietro said goodbye to Uncle Cao, then Leo took them to Shenyang after explaining that the northeast would not be cold in summer.
• In Shenyang, Jenny, George, and Old Li set out for Changbai Mountain and expected Leo to meet them soon.
• George asked Old Li why his granddaughter was not joining Leo and the others, just as an unfamiliar figure approached.

A shapeshifting operative sent by Thanos arrived on Earth to locate his target and gather information without taking other action. After disguising himself as an Asian youth, he flew into China and landed in a remote snowy forest, unaware that he was in Changbai Mountain.

• Thanos’s operative searched Earth’s networks for information about his target, but an Earth program interfered with his data-stealing program.
• The operative transformed his body into an ordinary Asian youth and studied Earth’s civilization, relying on his ability to sense and find targets.
• He prepared counterfeit-looking Hua nation banknotes, gold, and identity cards using his spaceship’s fabricator.
• The Shapeshifting Bug flew into China and landed in a snowy mountain forest before taking a one-person aircraft toward a city.
• The Shapeshifting Bug did not realize that he had landed in Changbai Mountain.

Leo brought Wanda and Pietro to meet Jenny, George, and Old Li before taking them on a trip through China. After learning that the twins had lost their parents, Jenny and George comforted them, and the group left together in a specially modified minibus.

• Leo introduced Wanda and Pietro to Jenny, George, and Old Li as his friends from Sokovia.
• Wanda told Jenny and George that her and Pietro's parents had died in the fighting and that they had no relatives left in Sokovia.
• Jenny embraced Wanda, while George comforted Pietro, and both twins responded warmly to their kindness.
• Leo hurried everyone into the minibus when passersby began watching and trying to record them.
• Wanda and Pietro grew more comfortable with Jenny and George as they shared stories about Leo's childhood during the drive.

Leo used surveillance footage and a wide-area scan to track down the Shapeshifting Bug, whose transformations had made him difficult to follow. He spotted the Bug in a residential district and identified him by his mismatched physical fitness and unchanged pants.

• A Dragon Fang team member found footage of Zhang Di entering a fitting room and emerging with a different appearance.
• The team traced Zhang Di as he kept his disguise long enough to board a taxi and located its drop-off point.
• Leo appeared in the sky above the residential district and scanned everyone within a two-kilometer radius.
• Leo spotted the Shapeshifting Bug, whose enhanced physical fitness and unchanged pants gave him away.
• The Shapeshifting Bug recalled leaving his old clothes and backpack behind and heading for a hideout, unaware that his slight enhancement would expose him.

Leo and his allies confronted Shapeshifting Bug, an alien spy who transformed into a heavily armored monster and charged at them. After Pietro failed to break through its defenses, the monster revealed its terrifying form and fixed its six red eyes on the group.

• Leo explained that the creature could transform its muscle tissue and speculated that it had been preparing to spit something out.
• Old Li warned Jenny and George that the alien might release a virus, and the couple activated their heat-resistant combat armor.
• The creature burst out of the tree and charged toward Leo's group, prompting Pietro to attack it at super speed.
• Pietro's blows only deflected the creature into a tree, which it smashed through before skidding to a stop near the group.
• The dust cleared to reveal a massive, spiked monster covered in dark-red armor, and its six blood-red eyes fixed on the group.

Leo convinced Wanda and Pietro to join him by explaining the Avengers' role in defending Earth and the wider universe. The three reconciled their feelings and set out together, with Leo planning to visit Aunt May and Uncle George the next morning.

• Wanda and Pietro recognized their feelings for Leo and stopped resisting their growing closeness.
• Leo explained that the Avengers faced threats beyond petty crime, including alien invasions and dangers to the universe.
• Leo offered to show Wanda and Pietro the wider universe, and Pietro agreed to join him while Wanda voiced her doubts about the Avengers.
• Leo reflected on how his presence had spared Wanda from grief and resentment and helped the Twins become more open with him.
• Leo led Wanda and Pietro to find a place to rest and said he would head northeast in the morning to visit Aunt May and Uncle George.

Old Li and George questioned Zhang Di after he offered to join them on their trip to Changbai Mountain. Though the checks found nothing unusual, Old Li and George sensed something cold and threatening about him as he left.

• Zhang Di approached Old Li, Jenny, and George and offered to pay for a ride to Changbai Mountain.
• Old Li refused Zhang Di’s request, while the team checked his identity and found no apparent problems.
• Zhang Di accepted the refusal calmly and walked away.
• George asked Old Li whether Zhang Di’s approach seemed suspicious, and Old Li said the man’s background appeared normal but still felt wrong.
• George watched Zhang Di leave and described the feeling as being watched by a cold-blooded giant insect.

The Shapeshifting Bug used Zhang Di’s identity while searching Shenyang for a target assigned by Lord Thanos. After Old Li began investigating him, Leo arrived with the Twins but narrowly missed him.

• The Shapeshifting Bug explained how he had devoured Zhang Di, copied his appearance, and chosen his identity to blend into human society.
• After arriving in Shenyang, the Shapeshifting Bug relied on his mysterious ability to draw near a target within three months.
• The Shapeshifting Bug spotted Old Li, Jenny, and George, sensed their unusual power, and approached them as possible clues to his target.
• Jenny and George sensed the cold aura the Shapeshifting Bug had briefly leaked, prompting Old Li to assign two guards to watch Zhang Di.
• Leo appeared with the Twins less than a minute after Zhang Di left and missed him.

The Shapeshifting Bug traveled from the mountains toward a Chinese city, perfecting his Mandarin and disguising himself as an ordinary person. After arriving in the urban district, he began preparing to find his target and secure an identity by replacing someone.

• The Shapeshifting Bug learned Mandarin aboard his concealed aircraft while traveling toward the city.
• He hid the aircraft inside a mountainside, removed his alien equipment, and walked toward the main road.
• He gathered pheromones from people he passed and refined his human appearance.
• He bought a backpack, changed clothes, and boarded a vehicle bound for the urban district.
• The Shapeshifting Bug decided to find his target and obtain an identity by silently replacing someone.

The Shapeshifting Bug realized Leo’s scrutiny had exposed a serious danger, so he changed his plans while still using Zhang Di’s identity. He lured two Dragon Fang Team members into an old neighborhood, transformed into a monstrous insect-like creature, and killed them.

• Leo judged Zhang Di to be an ordinary passerby, and the minibus continued on.
• The Shapeshifting Bug noticed the danger posed by Leo’s gaze and decided he could not keep Zhang Di’s identity.
• Two Dragon Fang Team members followed Zhang Di as he headed toward the travel agency and then an old residential neighborhood.
• The Shapeshifting Bug ambushed the two agents, killing them before they could call for help.
• The creature swallowed their wristwatches and heads, mimicking their heartbeats to keep the watches from raising an alarm.

Leo recognized Zhang Di, the Shapeshifting Bug, as the man who had tried to join their trip and began investigating him, but his scan failed to uncover the alien spy’s disguise. The chapter ended with Leo wondering whether Zhang Di’s presence near the minibus was only a coincidence.

• Old Li spotted Zhang Di beside the road and explained that the Dragon Fang Squad was monitoring him, though his background showed no known ties to foreign organizations.
• Zhang Di saw the specially modified minibus pass and wondered who was inside, unaware that Leo was his mission’s target.
• Leo sensed someone watching the vehicle, asked Old Li about anything unusual, and heard that Zhang Di had recently approached Jenny and George.
• George and Jenny told Leo that Zhang Di had given them a cold, evil feeling, so Leo requested his information and recognized Zhang Di in the photograph.
• Leo scanned Zhang Di from a distance but found no sign of his disguise, then questioned whether their encounter had been a coincidence.

Leo reunited with Jenny and George in China, where Wanda and Pietro met his adoptive parents and Old Li. After sharing a warm reunion and agreeing to keep Leo’s destruction of The Hand from his parents, the group prepared to begin a four-day trip.

• Jenny excitedly greeted Leo when he arrived with Wanda and Pietro, and the twins noticed how openly emotional he became around her.
• Leo explained that he had strengthened Jenny and George, while Old Li congratulated him on destroying The Hand.
• Leo asked Old Li not to tell Jenny and George about his actions, and Old Li agreed as they approached.
• Jenny hugged Leo and worried about his long absence, while Leo reassured her that he had been busy and out of signal range.
• Old Li called everyone to the minibus to avoid attracting attention and announced their planned four-day trip, starting at North Slope and then going to West Slope.

A surveillance team discovered that two operatives monitoring Zhang Di had likely been killed after finding their tracking watches hidden inside strange living flesh. Leo went to confront Zhang Di, while Old Li and the others prepared to return to the scene.

• The Dragon Fang Team found two tracking watches wrapped in throbbing balls of living flesh inside stray dogs and reported the incident to Old Li and headquarters.
• Old Li told Leo that Zhang Di was suspicious and that two operatives assigned to watch him might have been killed.
• Leo teleported with Old Li to the command vehicle, then left to drag Zhang Di out after realizing he might have been disguised as someone else.
• Pietro brought Wanda, Jenny, and George to the command vehicle, where Old Li explained what had happened.
• Wanda asked Pietro to return to the scene, and Old Li and Mr. and Mrs. George volunteered to go with them.

Leo and the Dragon Fang team pursued the attacker who had killed two teammates, while Pietro brought Jenny and George back to the scene. Leo searched for the disguised enemy near Zhang Di’s last known location but found no trace of him.

• Old Li warned Jenny and George to stay behind because the attacker might be a powerful enemy disguised as Zhang Di.
• Wanda and Pietro decided to join Leo, and Pietro transported Old Li, Jenny, George, and Wanda back in separate trips.
• Leo examined the two victims, whose bodies had been reduced to pulsing masses of flesh, and learned that Zhang Di had vanished from surveillance twenty-three minutes earlier.
• Leo went to Zhang Di’s last known location while two others questioned local businesses and contacted the police.
• Leo searched nearby people for someone whose physical strength did not match their appearance but found no likely suspect.

The Avengers discussed Leo’s safety, his time in China, and whether he had brought back anything from the Alien Planet while he remained unaware of their conversation. Leo, Wanda, Pietro, and Li Qian boarded a Dragon Fang private plane to continue north, planning to stop in Wuhan to pursue Wanda and Pietro’s lead.

• Natasha, Banner, Rogers, and Barton questioned Stark about Leo’s mood, safety, and possible romantic interests, but Stark said he trusted Leo and would let him stay in China as long as he wanted.
• Natasha asked whether Leo had brought back more Beck Stones or other Alien Planet specialties, and Stark told the group to ask Leo themselves.
• Leo and his companions prepared to travel northeast and planned to stop in Wuhan to find the man whose address Wanda and Pietro had received.
• Leo traveled with Wanda, Pietro, and Li Qian on a Dragon Fang private plane, while Li Xiaotian and his team stayed behind in Shanghai.
• Li Qian admired the plane, Wanda and Pietro said it was their first time flying, and Leo recalled turning down Stark’s offer of a plane.