Recaps

Li Congxin discovered that using Not Beneath Me on three targets had drained most of his Impression Points, then regrouped with his injured allies after their battle with The Hand. Mindy revealed she had preserved clues left by Marcus, giving Li Congxin a lead for planning their next move against The Hand.

• Li Congxin learned that he lacked enough Impression Points to use Not Beneath Me again and realized the skill had cost three million points when he targeted three elders.
• Mindy reached for Li Congxin’s dangerous pistol, but he snatched it back and explained that the failed product could still be lethal.
• Li Congxin arranged hospital treatment for Daredevil and Punisher, then apologized to them and Hawkeye for involving them in the conflict.
• Punisher, Daredevil, and Hawkeye told Li Congxin they had each opposed The Hand for months or years, and the group agreed that The Hand was their common enemy.
• Li Congxin worried that The Hand might have discovered their identities and began thinking about a practical plan to defeat its leaders.
• Mindy revealed that she had switched out Marcus’s clues while The Hand pursued her, and Li Congxin urged everyone to retrieve them immediately.

Li Congxin and Mindy recovered the flash drives from Egghead, who shared information about The Hand because of his bond with Frank Castle. After Marcus’s funeral, Li Congxin agreed to bring Mindy home, though he did not formally answer her request to become her guardian.

• Li Congxin found Egghead at the vending machine, and Egghead gave him two flash drives: one with Marcus’s clues and one with classified information about The Hand.
• Egghead explained that he provided the information for Frank Castle, his former comrade-in-arms, then drove away.
• At Marcus’s funeral, Li Congxin and Mindy silently mourned the officer and walked home together through the snow.
• Mindy asked Li Congxin to become her guardian and offered him her three million dollars for food and lodging.
• Li Congxin told Mindy to keep her money, ruffled her hair, and invited her to come home with him.

After Mindy moved into Old Pi’s villa, Old Pi warned Li Congxin that The Hand’s remaining leaders might come after them and urged him to recover until Yi Long returned. Old Pi revealed he had secretly arranged Yi Long’s wife’s remarriage, then suddenly collapsed after dropping his juice bottle.

• Old Pi happily welcomed Mindy into the villa, but she politely declined his offer to become her guardian.
• Old Pi told Li Congxin that The Hand had five leaders and that the remaining Fingers might come to New York.
• Old Pi advised Li Congxin to recover and wait for Yi Long before acting against The Hand.
• Old Pi explained that Yi Long’s wife had remarried and admitted he had helped the professor advance his career.
• Old Pi said he had donated five million dollars to Shaolin Temple, then dropped his bottle and collapsed on the sofa.

After Old Pi fell into a coma from the side effects of the Ant-Man Suit, Li Congxin recognized how deeply he cared about his mentor and resolved to grow stronger. The system awakened a BGM that could evolve his life form, and Li Congxin sought a widely broadcast television interview to earn the Impression Points needed to use it.

• Stephen Strange told Li Congxin and Hope that Old Pi's examinations showed no illness or injury, but he could not predict when Old Pi might wake up.
• Hope explained that years of using the Ant-Man Suit and the strain of the Pym Particles had pushed Old Pi's aging body beyond its limits.
• Li Congxin realized he no longer saw the people around him as distant figures and felt determined to become strong enough to protect them.
• The system awakened the BGM "Maha Incredible Adventure," which could evolve Li Congxin into a stronger life form for 100 million Impression Points.
• Li Congxin called Old Cook and asked him to arrange an interview with the television program that had the widest reach as soon as possible.

Li Congxin arranged to appear on the live talk show The Real You to build his reputation while searching for a way to wake Old Pi. After striking a preliminary deal to buy Pic Piff Special Effects Studio, he recognized that his injured allies needed a safe support base.

• Li Congxin chose The Real You for his television appearance and was scheduled to appear Saturday night.
• Hope stayed at the hospital with Old Pi while Li Congxin returned home and spent the night studying Old Pi's research for a cure.
• Matthew visited Li Congxin with Chelsea Bernie, owner of Ona Pictures, to discuss selling Pic Piff Special Effects Studio.
• Li Congxin and Bernie reached a preliminary agreement to sell the studio for five million dollars, pending legal procedures.
• Matthew told Li Congxin that he and Frank had left the hospital because it was unsafe for people like them, prompting Li Congxin to consider building a support base.

Li Congxin appeared on a live New York TV show and answered hostile questions about his studies, fitness, and writing. The chapter ended with a critic accusing his books of being a substitute spiritual drug, leaving Li Congxin to respond.

• Li Congxin went to New York TV Station on December 26 to appear on the live show "The Real You."
• Gerald Walker challenged Li Congxin for writing books instead of focusing on school, and Li Congxin replied that he ranked first in every subject at midterms.
• Gerald questioned Li Congxin's lack of school sports, and Li Congxin showed off his muscles before telling Gerald he was unfit to criticize his fitness.
• A literary critic asked Li Congxin about scholars calling his books worthless, and Li Congxin said readers' approval mattered more to him than their opinions.
• The critic claimed Li Congxin's books could replace narcotics as a spiritual drug, provoking an uproar and putting Li Congxin on the spot.

Li Congxin handled hostile questions about his novels and revealed that he had studied Chinese Kung Fu. He demonstrated his kicking power on a skeptical guest, sending him flying into a padded wall.

• Li Congxin said Doupo Cangqiong was about one-third complete and would likely end in the latter half of next year, then mentioned two ideas for his next novel.
• Li Congxin sparred verbally with four guest interrogators during the first half of the program, impressing the host and keeping viewers tuned in.
• Li Congxin told the host he had studied Chinese Kung Fu and agreed to demonstrate his speed and strength.
• A chubby white guest challenged Li Congxin to kick him while he wore protective gear, betting on whether he would reach the padded wall.
• Li Congxin kicked the guest, sending him five or six meters into the padded wall and making the studio tremble.

After earning more than 100 million Impression Points, Li Congxin activated Maha Incredible Adventure and broke through his body's limits, gaining a dramatic increase in combat ability. He headed home determined to master his new strength, defeat The Hand, and then focus on Old Pi's condition.

• Li Congxin visited Old Pi in the hospital and talked with Hope beside his bed, helping her regain some of her composure, but Old Pi remained unconscious.
• Li Congxin discovered that his Impression Points had reached 102 million and activated Maha Incredible Adventure on a quiet New York street.
• Li Congxin endured a minute and fifty seconds of intense transformation as his body and senses changed, then realized his combat strength had increased substantially.
• Li Congxin decided to familiarize himself with his new strength, eliminate The Hand as a threat, and later find a way to help Old Pi.

Madame Gao’s attempt to break through her qi bottleneck was ruined by a vision of Li Congxin, leaving her badly injured again. Murakami decided to target Damon Macready’s orphaned daughter, while Li Congxin experimented with qi and noticed Hit-Girl sneaking into his villa.

• Madame Gao saw a phantom of Li Congxin attacking her during her breakthrough and suffered qi deviation after striking back.
• Murakami told Madame Gao he had identified Damon Macready’s daughter as a possible way to draw out their enemies, and planned to target her.
• Li Congxin practiced controlling his newly acquired qi in the snowy villa courtyard.
• Hit-Girl entered the courtyard carrying a samurai sword, and Li Congxin spotted her approaching the villa.

Li Congxin learned that Ghost Rider had rescued Mindy from Murakami and warned her not to act alone again. Nick Fury, Phil Coulson, and Alexander Pierce then arrived at the villa, where Li Congxin recognized them as trouble and mocked the name of Mindy’s sword.

• Li Congxin confronted Mindy about going out as Hit-Girl and asked how she had obtained Murakami’s katana.
• Mindy explained that she had attacked a Hand hideout, been captured by Murakami, and been rescued when Ghost Rider arrived and killed him with a glare.
• Li Congxin recognized Ghost Rider’s intervention and warned Mindy that her recklessness could have endangered the Heroes Alliance.
• Li Congxin returned the katana to Mindy, and she asked him what it was called.
• A suited man identified the sword as Raikiri, formerly wielded by Tachibana Dōsetsu and later owned by Murakami.
• Nick Fury, Phil Coulson, and Alexander Pierce arrived, and Li Congxin greeted their explanation with a sarcastic remark about Chidori.

Li Congxin confronted S.H.I.E.L.D. agents seeking the Ant-Man Suit, then rushed to the hospital after Hope reported that the FBI was pressuring her to surrender it. He found Old Pi under FBI protection and challenged Agent Ross as he defended Pym Uncle’s service to the country.

• Pi Llama, Egghead, and Coulson visited Li Congxin and demanded that he hand over the Ant-Man Suit, but he denied knowing about it.
• After the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents left, Mindy asked if they were in trouble, and Li Congxin told her to practice with her new blade.
• Hope called Li Congxin to say FBI agents at the hospital were demanding that she surrender the Ant-Man Suit, so he hurried there with Mindy.
• Li Congxin found Old Pi under FBI protection and met Agent Ross in a temporary office.
• Li Congxin gripped Agent Ross's hand painfully and declared that Pym Uncle had served S.H.I.E.L.D., saved millions of lives, and bled for the country.

Li Congxin rejected Agent Ross's demand to hand over the Ant-Man Suit after the FBI summoned him and Hope to a congressional hearing in three days. He told Hope he had a theoretical way to wake Pym Uncle, but they would still have to handle the hearing and deal with The Hand first.

• Agent Ross demanded that Li Congxin surrender the Ant-Man Suit and gave him an invitation for a congressional hearing.
• Li Congxin played "FBI WARNING" as Ross left, flustering him, then took Hope home to discuss the hearing.
• Li Congxin told Hope he had devised a way to wake Pym Uncle, though building the necessary instrument would take time.
• Li Congxin said they would give the government the Ant-Man Suit and whispered his plan to Hope.

Li Congxin prepared for the hearing over Hank Pym’s Ant-Man Suit while he and Hope avoided acting under surveillance. At City Hall, he handed officials a suit from Pym’s wardrobe but claimed he could not confirm it was the real one, leaving its authenticity unsettled as Hope visited her father.

• Li Congxin flicked a coin at a guard dog to frighten an affectionate couple, then told Hope that the Heroes Alliance would handle preparations while they stayed cautious.
• Li Congxin and Hope remained home for three days as their watchers waited for the hearing.
• Li Congxin carried a gray briefcase to New York City Hall, where Senator Stern asked him to hand over the Ant-Man Suit for safekeeping.
• Li Congxin presented a gray uniform from Hank Pym’s wardrobe and insisted he did not know whether it was the Ant-Man Suit.
• Senator Stern privately messaged that the suit’s authenticity was unconfirmed and warned against moving against Hank Pym.
• Hope returned to the hospital to visit her father.

Hope and Hawkeye rescued Old Pi from FBI surveillance while Li Congxin distracted the factions at a hearing by offering them a fake Ant-Man Suit. After leaving city hall, Li Congxin sent a signal to the Heroes Alliance and prepared to shake off his pursuers and deal with The Hand.

• Hope visited Old Pi in the hospital and waited for Hawkeye to arrive disguised as a nurse.
• Hawkeye and Hope subdued the FBI agent, replaced him with a disguised dummy, and smuggled Old Pi out in a shrunken metal box.
• Li Congxin presented a fake Ant-Man Suit at the hearing, drawing the factions’ attention while the rescue proceeded.
• Li Congxin offered the suit to the government and left the hearing as senators argued over which agency should secure it.
• Li Congxin messaged the Heroes Alliance and decided to confront The Hand without waiting for Yi Long to return.

After escaping the agents pursuing him, Li Congxin returned to Martha's Fitness Club and organized a Black Mask photo contest that sent nearly a hundred disguised participants running into the city. The agents were left baffled by the crowd, while Coulson asked Pierce if he had heard of the Cloning Technique.

• Li Congxin noticed agents tailing him from City Hall and outran them on his way back to Martha's Fitness Club.
• The agents used surveillance footage and satellite reconnaissance to locate Li Congxin at the club.
• Li Congxin announced a Black Mask photo contest, and ninety-six customers dressed in matching outfits and ran out to take photos.
• Stephen Strange accepted the Brocade Flag Li Congxin had received for him from Old Mr. Nalan, then gave it back to Li Congxin.
• The arriving agents saw the Black Masks scatter in different directions, and Coulson asked Pierce whether he had heard of the Cloning Technique.

Li Congxin and his allies launched an assault on The Hand’s Manhattan base, where Madame Gao had obtained Dragon Bone to treat her injuries. Li Congxin evaded an ambush, while a mysterious trench-coat visitor and the Dragon Bone remained inside the factory.

• Li Congxin, Punisher, Hawkeye, and Daredevil prepared to attack the Must-Lose Guest Food Processing Plant, and Frank confirmed that Madame Gao and a sword expert were there.
• A white man in a black trench coat arrived with a briefcase, prompting Li Congxin to notice Hawkeye’s unease.
• Li Congxin entered the plant, while Madame Gao, Bakuto, and the trench-coat man focused on the Dragon Bone in the briefcase.
• The trench-coat man said the Dragon Bone could treat Madame Gao’s injuries, and Bakuto ordered the others to bring guns against Li Congxin.
• Li Congxin sensed an ambush on the third floor and smashed through a wall into an empty office as a dozen armed men turned their machine guns toward him.

Li Congxin stormed The Hand’s stronghold, using his cloth club to break through rooms and overwhelm its armed forces. He confronted Bakuto and Barney Fransis Sibaton as the Punisher attacked below, while Daredevil occupied Madame Gao and Hawkeye stopped Barney and asked if he was Barney.

• Li Congxin smashed through the stronghold’s rooms, scattering gunmen, swordsmen, and ninjas with flying glass and bricks.
• Bakuto and Barney Fransis Sibaton ambushed Li Congxin as he approached the tenth room, but he avoided their attacks and faced them.
• Barney revealed that he knew Li Congxin was Clark Li and claimed responsibility for his parents’ deaths, while Li Congxin feigned anger to mislead him.
• The Punisher opened fire on The Hand’s forces, and Li Congxin attacked Bakuto and Barney as they were distracted.
• Daredevil confronted Madame Gao outside the monitoring room, while Bakuto sent Barney to help her.
• Hawkeye stopped Barney with an arrow and asked whether he was Barney.

Barney revealed himself as Hawkeye’s long-lost brother, but attacked him and offered him immortality, while the battle continued across four fronts. Li Congxin defeated Bakuto by enlarging Ruyi Bang while Bakuto used it to pick his ear.

• Hawkeye recognized Barney as his biological elder brother, but Barney attacked him and urged him to join The Hand.
• Hawkeye fought Barney, while Daredevil battled Madame Gao and the Punisher cut through their enemies.
• Li Congxin disarmed Bakuto and continued fighting him hand to hand, discovering that Bakuto was also a powerful karate master.
• Bakuto stole Ruyi Bang and tested its ability to change size, while Li Congxin realized the curse had left Bakuto’s intelligence impaired.
• Li Congxin enlarged Ruyi Bang while Bakuto held it to his ear, killing him.

Li Congxin helped the Heroes Alliance finish off Madame Gao and discovered Dragon Bones and a strange manual among the spoils. The battle ended with Barney dead, while Li Congxin was left trying to identify the manual titled “Gas Source Influenza.”

• Madame Gao unleashed her suppressed injuries, struck Daredevil down, and charged to kill him, but Li Congxin intercepted her with his expanding metal case.
• Li Congxin used the Brocade Flag as a staff and killed the weakened Madame Gao.
• The Punisher shot Barney dead while Hawkeye and Barney were fighting, and Hawkeye mourned his brother.
• Li Congxin found two Dragon Bones in Barney’s leather case and used a failed shrinking-device experiment to erase Madame Gao’s corpse.
• Li Congxin searched Bakuto’s belongings and found a possible secret manual titled “Gas Source Influenza.”

Li Congxin and the Heroes Alliance found and freed the children imprisoned by the Hand Black Society, learning they had planned to use the children’s blood and Dragon Bone to heal Madame Gao. As S.H.I.E.L.D. was called to take the children, Li Congxin gave a brave boy his Brocade Flag as a cape, and the boy vowed to become a hero.

• Hawkeye asked to take Barney’s body for a proper burial, while Punisher defended killing him.
• Daredevil sensed children behind a hidden door, and Li Congxin tore open the entrance to free more than twenty captives.
• A brave little black boy told the heroes that the Hand Black Society planned to use the children’s blood and Dragon Bone to heal Madame Gao.
• Punisher said he had contacted Nick Fury, and the heroes decided to leave the children for S.H.I.E.L.D. to rescue.
• Li Congxin draped the Brocade Flag over the boy like a cape, and the boy thanked him and vowed to become a great hero.

Li Congxin’s warning through the Hand’s destruction made most factions hesitate to pursue the Ant-Man Suit, while Hawkeye left New York to grieve Barney. In a hidden base, Li Congxin finished calibrating equipment for a planned attempt to rescue Pym Uncle in seven days, though he remained uncertain whether it would work.

• Pi Llama canceled the mission to track Li Congxin and ordered surveillance of the Hand’s bases after Black Masks appeared across the city.
• Egghead and Nick Fury interpreted the Brocade Flag left at the destroyed Hand base as Li Congxin’s warning, and Pi Llama decided not to provoke him.
• Li Congxin’s warning made many factions hold back from pursuing the Ant-Man Suit, while Hawkeye buried Barney and left New York to clear his head.
• Li Congxin finished calibrating the equipment and told Hope and Mindy that the best time to rescue Pym Uncle would be seven days later.
• When Mindy asked how they could help, Li Congxin told them to pray, then silently opened the system interface.

Li Congxin prepared for a risky experiment and asked Nalan Bai to run Nirvana Pictures while he dealt with trouble from a group of congressmen. The chapter ended with Nalan Bai being formally appointed acting CEO.

• Li Congxin upgraded the “Praying for You” BGM to Level 5, giving it the power to shift probability by 10%.
• Li Congxin shared the translated Source of Qi manual with the Heroes Alliance and prepared a notebook for Hope in case his experiment went wrong.
• Nalan Bai returned to her empty family home and mistook Li Congxin, waiting in the shadows, for a threat before recognizing him.
• Li Congxin told Nalan Bai that congressmen were causing him trouble and that he had founded Nirvana Pictures but needed to lie low.
• Li Congxin formally hired Nalan Bai as acting CEO of Nirvana Pictures until he returned.

Li Congxin entrusted Nalan Bai with running his film company while he was away, then attempted to use quantum energy to wake Old Pi. The treatment appeared to work, but the energy turned unstable and pulled Li Congxin into the Quantum Realm, leaving his fate unresolved.

• Li Congxin persuaded Nalan Bai to take charge of his film company, and she agreed after considering it for half an hour.
• Li Congxin gave Hope the Dragon Bone and his research notes as a backup in case his experiment failed to wake Old Pi.
• Li Congxin explained that he would draw energy from the Quantum Realm and channel it into Old Pi, accepting that the process could leave him unconscious for up to three years.
• Li Congxin activated the instrument, endured the quantum energy, and saw Old Pi's right index finger twitch.
• The quantum energy suddenly grew violent and dragged Li Congxin into the Quantum Realm as Mindy grabbed his thigh.

Li Congxin and Mindy woke in an abandoned basement after their trip through the Quantum Realm, where Mindy discovered a healing superpower and Li Congxin found himself vastly stronger. They decided to leave the basement and find food while figuring out where they were.

• Li Congxin and Mindy woke after crashing into each other in the sealed basement.
• Li Congxin recognized the basement where he had been before entering the Quantum Realm, though it was dusty and his quantum device was gone.
• Mindy explained that she had rushed into the experiment because she feared losing Clark, and a burst of white light revealed her new healing ability.
• Mindy used her holy light to cure Li Congxin's discomfort, and he realized his strength and qi had increased dramatically.
• Li Congxin tested his qi by firing an invisible blast through the basement floor, then decided he and Mindy should go outside and find food.

After emerging from the Quantum Realm, Li Congxin learned that nine years had passed and that Matthew had become the leader of New York’s Hand and its largest underground empire. Li Congxin asked Matthew how his friends and Nirvana Pictures had fared while he was gone.

• Li Congxin and Mindy left the secret room, found food, and saw Tony Stark on a billboard, confirming they were still in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
• Matthew Murdock found Li Congxin in Hell’s Kitchen and asked where he had been; Li Congxin learned they were still in the same universe and asked what had happened during his absence.
• Matthew explained that nine years had passed and that it was April 16, 2008.
• Matthew said he had taken over the remnants of The Hand, with the Punisher’s help, and become the king of New York’s largest underground empire.
• Li Congxin asked Matthew how Pym Uncle, Hope, Hawkeye, Nalan Bai, and Nirvana Pictures had been doing.