Chapter Summaries

Li Qian tracked down Wanda and Pietro’s hotel in hopes of finding Leo, whom she had been trying to reach for a week. After the hotel contacted him, Leo came down to meet her, and she greeted him while pretending to be angry.

• Li Qian arrived at the hotel and asked the receptionist to find Wanda and Pietro and book her a room.
• The receptionist contacted Wanda and Pietro using the number they had left, but the call was answered by no one.
• Leo ignored Li Qian’s first call while receiving a massage with Pietro, then answered the hotel’s call and hurried to the lobby.
• Leo recognized Li Qian, greeted her as Sister Xixi, and asked how she had been.

Leo took Wanda and Pietro out late at night to explore Shanghai, while Li Qian learned where Leo was staying and hurried to find him. The chapter ended with Li Qian arriving at the Peninsula Hotel and telling the doorman she was there to see someone.

• Leo agreed to take Wanda and Pietro out to experience Shanghai at night, and they chose a hotel massage over visiting a bar.
• A Dragon Fang staff member suggested nighttime activities and guided Leo and the twins to the hotel’s massage area.
• Li Qian visited Elder Zhang at the Shanghai Dragon Fang Branch Base and asked where Leo had gone.
• Elder Zhang sent Li Qian the twins’ hotel information, and she rushed to the Peninsula Hotel.
• The doorman told Li Qian where to park, but she glared at him and said she had come to find someone.

Wanda told Li Qian that Leo seemed emotionally changed and possibly carried a faint trace of brutality, though she could not see through his mental defenses. Li Qian and Li Xiaotian treated the warning as serious and assigned Li Qian to learn what was troubling Leo.

• Wanda said she could not help Li Qian with her emotional troubles and suggested asking Leo, then warned that his emotions seemed different from before.
• Li Qian reported Wanda’s concerns to her superiors, and Li Xiaotian arrived soon afterward.
• Li Qian introduced Wanda to Li Xiaotian and told him to clear the floor’s surveillance records; he said teammates were already handling it.
• Wanda described sensing Leo’s earlier joy and sunlight, followed by low, gloomy emotions and a faint possible trace of brutality.
• Li Xiaotian told Li Qian to stay that night and investigate Leo’s state of mind the next day with support from psychological experts.

Langdu, Dick, and four others fought five members of The Hand on the upper floors while reinforcements turned the battle on the first floor in their favor. Explosions and gunfire on the eighth floor revealed that another Demolition Expert had attacked there.

• Langdu and Dick confronted five newly appeared members of The Hand on the upper floors and fought to protect the Desperate Potions.
• A Demolition Expert used a high-powered assault rifle and Low-Temperature Freeze Bombs, but the bombs failed against the Desperate Reinforcers' heat.
• The fight spread across the lobby and neighboring floors, with both sides still unable to secure a quick victory.
• Reiz held off two Silver Medal Assassins despite losing an arm, while three reinforcements helped the defenders overwhelm the attackers on the first floor.
• Explosions and gunfire erupted on the eighth floor as Black Prison Group security forces fought another Demolition Expert operating alone.

Stark joined Rogers in fighting the black-robed Master Assassin, who revealed his identity as Delisa and used a vial of medicine to restore his failing body. The chapter ended with Delisa charging at Stark after knocking Rogers into a wall.

• Stark found Zost badly wounded on the sixteenth floor, and Zost told him Rogers had pursued the enemy into the laboratory.
• Stark entered the laboratory and helped Rogers fight the black-robed man, but their attacks failed to bring him down.
• Rogers explained that the enemy's black inner armor dispersed force and warned that the man was near collapse.
• The black-robed man removed his tattered disguise, revealed his ruined face, and said his name was Delisa.
• Delisa inserted a vial of white medicine into his armor, regained his strength, dodged Stark's Repulsor Cannons, and struck Rogers into a wall.
• Delisa charged toward Stark.

Natasha, Barton, and Zost defeated Delisa during the Hand’s assault on Black Prison Tower, while Stark treated the injured Rogers. The Avengers and Black Prison Group repelled the attack, but Stark suspected the Hand’s real objective was not the Desperate Potion formula.

• Natasha fought Delisa and severed one of his arms, but Barton killed him with an arrow before he could attack her again.
• Zost arrived, found Delisa dead, and cut off his head as promised.
• Stark brought out the wounded Rogers, whom Natasha assessed and carried back to the aircraft for treatment.
• The battle ended with one enhanced fighter and twenty-four Black Prison security personnel dead, while more than a dozen others were injured; the Hand’s North American forces were nearly wiped out.
• Stark questioned the purpose of the attack, and Zost said the Hand wanted the Desperate Potion formula; Stark suspected Delisa had only meant to distract them, while J.A.R.V.I.S. reported no other Hand members inside Black Prison Tower.

Leo sensed trouble at the Black Prison Tower and left Li Qian to help Barton and the others fight Madam Gao. Madam Gao battled Barton, Sven, and Stacy as reinforcements approached, and the story left the fight unresolved with Leo on his way.

• Leo spoke with Li Qian about choosing a gift, while she hesitated because his promise affected China’s interests.
• Madam Gao hid in the stairwell as Barton, Sven, and Stacy descended, but Barton’s arrow exposed her stealth device.
• Madam Gao attacked Barton and threw a bomb at him and his companions; the blast hurled Barton toward the tenth floor and forced the others to endure the shockwave.
• Barton, Sven, and Stacy fought Madam Gao, but she wounded all three as Langdu and the others approached.
• Leo noticed Barton was in trouble, left Li Qian, and vanished from the street in Shanghai.

Madam Gao fled after Barton’s arrows and Dick’s counterattack forced her to abandon the assault. J.A.R.V.I.S. detected traces leading to Stairwell One on the tenth floor, and Barton, Sven, and Stacy hurried after her.

• Madam Gao attacked Dick, but Barton’s arrows let Dick strike back and wound her, forcing her to escape.
• J.A.R.V.I.S. sent Microrobots to search Black Prison Tower while Barton checked on Dick and Sven.
• Zost carried the recovering Dick to the Command Center, while Barton took Sven and Stacy to search the building.
• Madam Gao reached the tenth floor and decided to target Barton first, moving under her cloaking system.
• J.A.R.V.I.S. found traces leading to Stairwell One, and Barton, Sven, and Stacy changed direction to pursue them.

After Leo vanished during a shopping trip, Wanda and Pietro returned to the hotel with Li Qian while Leo’s allies fought a second Master Assassin in New York. Leo arrived after Madam Gao escaped the stairwell, learned that Reiz and Dick had lost arms, and set off after her.

• Leo disappeared from the shopping area, and Li Qian led Wanda and Pietro away from the crowd and back to the Peninsula Hotel.
• Madam Gao overwhelmed Barton, Sven, and Stacy in the Black Prison Tower and fled upward after stabbing Langdu in the chest.
• Leo arrived in the stairwell and used Golden Light to heal Barton’s injuries.
• Barton told Leo that the Hand-in-Hand Society had invaded and that Reiz and Dick had each lost an arm to the two Master Assassins.
• J.A.R.V.I.S. located Madam Gao in Room 1604, and Leo vanished to pursue her.

The Milan crew escaped the Krom Civilization with three Flowers of Revival after winning a battle and completing their mission. Leo arrived with Madam Gao as Rocket prepared to give one of the flowers to Groot, and Leo was surprised to see they had acquired more than one.

• The Milan crew celebrated escaping the Krom Civilization with several million in profits and three Flowers of Revival, while Groot continued recovering in his milk bathtub.
• The crew explained that Quill's Destructive Lightning had broken the enemy's assault and let them reach the hidden flowers before the Kromm Civilization could stop them.
• Jason urged Rocket to give a Flower of Revival to Groot and notify the boss, while Gamora explained that its life-giving nectar only worked inside the flower.
• Rocket carried a Flower of Revival toward Groot, but Leo arrived with Madam Gao and asked why the crew had three flowers instead of one.
• Madam Gao looked at the Flowers of Revival with faintly bloodshot eyes.

After Madam Gao’s mission to steal the Desperate Potion formula failed, Zost worried that the danger to the Black Prison Tower had not passed. The others left with the mole and the formula’s backup, while Barton stayed with Zost overnight.

• Leo explained that he had destroyed the men’s car and that the police had been assigned to protect the group.
• Madam Gao realized her operatives and infiltrator had been lost, then vowed to obtain the Desperate Potion formula.
• Zost ordered the Black Prison Tower sealed and asked Stark to arrange S.H.I.E.L.D.’s withdrawal after daybreak.
• Zost told Maya to give Stark a backup of the Desperate Potion data and destroy the remaining copies.
• Natasha and Captain Rogers left with the mole, Stark departed with the backup, and Barton stayed with Zost.

Leo confronted Madam Gao after The Hand killed one of the Desperate Reinforcers and demanded the locations of its forces. He took her away to seek a way to make her talk, while Barton stayed with the Black Prison Group under Nick Fury’s orders to monitor Leo.

• Leo threatened Madam Gao and demanded information about The Hand, but she insisted that torture would not make her reveal anything.
• Barton said S.H.I.E.L.D.’s truth serums were unlikely to work, and Zost offered to interrogate her, but Leo refused.
• Leo realized he could seek a solution beyond Earth, then took Madam Gao away and disappeared from the room.
• Zost, Langdu, and Barton speculated about Leo’s plans, while Barton recalled Nick Fury’s orders to monitor him from inside the Black Prison Group.
• Maya declared that Earth had found its savior.

Groot began recovering as the Flowers of Revival repaired his Heart Core, but Quill’s Light of Life rapidly weakened after he restrained a Destructive Lightning bolt on the Kromm Civilization’s planet. Leo left to deal with the threat while the Milan stopped so the growing distance would not drain Quill further.

• Leo determined that three Flowers of Revival were enough to heal Groot’s Heart Core, and Groot began absorbing one as the team celebrated.
• Quill’s aura suddenly weakened, and Leo explained that Quill’s body depended on the Light of Life, which Groot’s healing energy could not replace.
• Quill revealed that he had restrained about thirty percent of the final Destructive Lightning bolt after releasing two and a half bolts on the Kromm Civilization’s planet.
• Leo shackled Madam Gao, told the team to watch her, and left the spaceship to handle the situation alone.
• Quill explained that maintaining the restraint drained more power as the Kromm Civilization’s planet grew farther away, so Jason stopped the Milan near the first Warp Point.

Leo questioned Madam Gao about The Hand’s hidden forces, and Nebula prepared to interrogate her. After seeing the Milan and its alien crew, Madam Gao offered to reveal The Hand’s locations in exchange for visiting a real alien planet, and Leo agreed.

• Leo asked his companions how to uncover the locations of The Hand’s forces, and they found they had no interrogation serum available.
• Nebula approached Madam Gao and prepared to use her mechanical instruments to torture her for information.
• Madam Gao said she would reveal The Hand’s locations if Leo took her to a real alien planet.
• Madam Gao explained that seeing the universe had become more important to her than her loyalty to The Hand.
• Leo agreed to Madam Gao’s request.

Leo spent the morning sightseeing and shopping in Shanghai with Wanda, Pietro, and Li Qian, then met Elder Zhang after lunch. He announced that he planned to uproot The Hand completely and told Elder Zhang to prepare to clean up the aftermath in China.

• Leo reassured Li Qian, Wanda, and Pietro that he would leave after lunch, and the four spent the morning sightseeing and shopping together.
• After lunch, Wanda and Li Qian offered to help Leo, but he declined and parted from them as they headed to the Oriental Pearl Tower.
• Elder Zhang caught up with Leo and explained that The Hand was a widespread assassin organization with a known location in China.
• Leo said he planned to destroy The Hand completely and asked Elder Zhang to prepare to handle the aftermath of its bases in China.

After helping Elder Zhang deal with The Hand, Leo vanished without warning, and Elder Zhang hurried to report the consequences. Aboard the Milan, Madam Gao marveled at space travel while Chen Haoran asked to learn how to pilot the ship, and the chapter ended with a familiar figure appearing beside Madam Gao.

• Leo told Elder Zhang that his grievances with The Hand were personal, then disappeared without Elder Zhang noticing how he left.
• Elder Zhang worried that The Hand's connections would cause turmoil and rushed to report the situation at the sub-base.
• Gamora removed the Leo II from Madam Gao when it began flashing warnings after its hour-long limit.
• Rocket told Gamora that the Milan was three Warp Points and about thirty-five minutes from its destination, and said Quill would recover.
• Chen Haoran asked Rocket and Jason to teach him to fly the Milan, but Gamora showed him the extensive training materials he would need to study.
• Madam Gao turned her head as a familiar figure appeared beside her.

Quill used his power over the planet to build a huge church, impressing the Guardians and Madam Gao while revealing the limits of his control. After Leo studied Quill’s strange power, the group discussed completing their transaction and what they would do next.

• Quill raised four enormous Stone Pillars and shaped them into a crude church, exhausting himself in the process.
• Leo told Quill that his Mental Power and control were far below Ego’s, while Madam Gao watched the display in shock.
• Leo secretly examined the mysterious power surrounding Quill and asked the group about their plans.
• Rocket said they would finish the transaction and make sure Groot recovered fully, while Jason planned to return to Xandar.
• Gamora warned that Thanos was still searching for the Infinity Stones and would threaten the universe if he found one.

Leo discovered that the Hand’s South Korean headquarters was a large human-organ trafficking operation hidden inside a Seoul skyscraper. After learning everyone in the building was involved, he began slaughtering its occupants, leaving the fate of the remaining Hand bases unresolved.

• Leo traveled to a marked location in downtown Seoul and found a Hand base hidden inside a skyscraper.
• Leo saw that the underground levels held prisoners for organ harvesting, including women, elderly people, and children.
• J.A.R.V.I.S. infiltrated the building’s network and confirmed that its workers, assassins, and doctors all served the Hand’s operation.
• Leo sealed the skyscraper, ignored gunfire, and turned bullets and personal belongings into weapons that killed everyone on the floor.
• Leo sent Metal Darts through the building, killing its occupants as gunshots rang out and then quickly stopped.

Leo returned to Earth with Madam Gao, crippled her and left her bound while he verified the information she had given him. Meanwhile, Stark watched Leo’s recording of the Milan’s cockpit and the alien crew, then learned that Leo was attacking the Hand and had already made substantial progress.

• Leo brought Madam Gao to the Black Prison Tower, restrained her, and damaged her muscles and nerves so she could not move even if she escaped.
• Leo told Madam Gao he would fulfill her final wish if her information proved accurate, then disappeared.
• After Quill recovered, the group prepared to continue its trade while Groot remained asleep amid the life energy of the Flowers of Revival.
• J.A.R.V.I.S. processed Leo’s hour-long recording and showed Stark the Milan’s cockpit and Leo’s companions.
• Stark studied the recording through the night, then asked J.A.R.V.I.S. where Leo was.
• J.A.R.V.I.S. reported that Leo was carrying out a devastating assault on the Hand and had progressed beyond 65 percent.

Leo rescued three Dragon Fang agents from The Hand’s Seoul headquarters and confirmed their identities with Elder Zhang. He left them to recover while he set out to eliminate The Hand’s remaining bases in Seoul, and the agents speculated about who he was.

• Leo told the three rescued men that he had killed everyone in the building and asked who they were and why The Hand had captured them.
• The most severely injured man explained that he had been investigating The Hand’s organ-trafficking operation, while Leo healed him.
• Leo contacted Elder Zhang, who recognized the three men and confirmed they were Dragon Fang agents.
• Leo gave the men water and said he would deal with The Hand’s other Seoul bases before leaving by teleportation.
• Xiao Peng, Brother Zhao, and Old Liu discussed Leo’s abilities and status, then Old Liu ordered them to secure the area and gather evidence.