Chapter Summaries

Li Congxin humiliated Tony Stark at the masquerade ball with a trick question, then left to consider how to grow stronger in the Marvel world. A roadside encounter earned him an unexpected reward from the Cosmic Source Will.

• Jarvis revealed that Li Congxin was wealthy, but Li Congxin challenged the guests to prove they were poorer than him and gained Impression Points.
• Li Congxin challenged Tony Stark to solve a bus problem, then asked how many stops the bus made, leaving Tony and the onlookers baffled.
• Tony tried to leave the exchange gracefully, but Li Congxin called him “Old Iron” and showed his student ID to mock Tony for being old.
• After the ball, Li Congxin declined Hope's offer of a ride and ran while considering higher-ceiling power systems, including becoming Ancient One's disciple.
• A drink-stand owner's comment about music prompted the Cosmic Source Will to award Li Congxin a Random BGM Draw Card.

Li Congxin suspected that a powerful Cosmic Source Will had noticed him, but he set aside the mystery and agreed to study quantum mechanics with Old Pi while continuing to write. After Old Pi and Hope left, he turned to the system and prepared to use his Random BGM Draw Card.

• Li Congxin noticed that the water stall had vanished, suspected the Cosmic Source Will was watching him, and took a taxi home.
• Li Congxin paid the driver, Jerome Arnold, after Jerome questioned whether he had money for the fare.
• Old Pi and Hope visited Li Congxin, and Old Pi offered to teach him quantum mechanics and give him Pym Particles in exchange for help rescuing Janet.
• Hope told Li Congxin that their interests were aligned, and Old Pi agreed to let him keep writing if he studied quantum mechanics for two hours each day.
• After Old Pi and Hope left, Li Congxin opened the system interface and focused on his Random BGM Draw Card.

Li Congxin used the BGM “Kan Wo 72 Bian” to fall into a deep sleep and met Janet in a dream. She began teaching him quantum mechanics, while he remained unaware that Old Pi and his daughter had drawn the attention of people with ulterior motives.

• Li Congxin learned that “Kan Wo 72 Bian” induced deep sleep and could gradually improve his appearance, then played it as he went to bed.
• Li Congxin dreamed that he was in the Quantum Realm and recognized the woman before him as Aunt Janet.
• Janet told Li Congxin she could enter his dreams through quantum entanglement and teach him about the Quantum Realm.
• Janet explained that although Li Congxin would forget the lessons after waking, the knowledge would remain in his subconscious for when Hank taught him.
• Janet began Li Congxin’s first lesson in quantum mechanics as Old Pi and his daughter drew the attention of people with ulterior motives.

Alexander Pierce sent Rumlow to extract information about Hank Pym from Li Congxin without revealing S.H.I.E.L.D. or Hydra. After studying quantum mechanics with Pym, Li Congxin described visions of Captain America’s discovery and a future alien threat, leaving Pym asking for more details.

• Alexander Pierce told Rumlow to question Li Congxin about Hank Pym while concealing S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra’s involvement.
• Li Congxin continued studying quantum mechanics with Hank Pym and made rapid progress.
• Li Congxin told Pym that fragments from the Quantum Realm showed Captain America being discovered frozen in ice years later.
• Li Congxin described an alien seed that would threaten Earth in 2017 and be stopped by the alien’s son and others.
• Hank Pym asked Li Congxin whether he knew more detailed information about the future threat.

Li Congxin visited Nalan Martial Arts School for the Mid-Autumn Festival, where Nalan Bai teased him about his novel and Nalan Long assessed his training. The chapter ended with Nalan Bai and Nalan Long discovering that Li Congxin had been casually carrying four hundred kilograms of custom weights.

• Li Congxin told Old Pi that a seed had been planted in Missouri and shared what he claimed to know about the alien who left it.
• Li Congxin bought mooncakes and visited Nalan Martial Arts School, where Nalan Bai accused him of using the Nalan Family and Nalan Yanran in Doupo Cangqiong to take indirect shots at them.
• Nalan Long invited Li Congxin to dinner and told him to limit his weighted training to two hours a day before asking to see his progress.
• Li Congxin removed his custom Osmium alloy weights, and Nalan Bai struggled to lift his two-hundred-kilogram vest.
• Li Congxin explained that his weights totaled four hundred kilograms, surprising Nalan Bai and Nalan Long.

Li Congxin encountered Crossbones and his gang in the alley, then fought the Hydra enforcer after provoking him. The chapter ended with Li Congxin charging into battle and wondering what would happen if he killed Crossbones.

• Nalan Long praised Li Congxin’s talent and effort, while Nalan Bai discovered he had forgotten his music player and set out with Nalan Qing to return it.
• Li Congxin ran into the same gang of thugs in the alley and recognized Brock Rumlow as Crossbones when he appeared.
• Crossbones challenged Li Congxin, then struck first and knocked him back when Li Congxin was distracted by his claim about a twin brother.
• Li Congxin mocked Crossbones with a story about frying a nine-headed venomous snake, provoking him to charge.
• Li Congxin activated the A Man Should Better Himself BGM, met Crossbones head-on, and considered the consequences of killing him.

Li Congxin fought Crossbones in the alley but realized he still lagged behind the Hydra fighter in strength and technique. When Crossbones drew a knife and attacked, Nalan Qing arrived to help, leaving the fight unresolved.

• Li Congxin fought Crossbones and discovered that his hesitation and limited training left him at a disadvantage.
• Crossbones recognized Li Congxin's rapid improvement and grew increasingly alarmed by his talent.
• The two exchanged injuries until Crossbones abandoned his capture mission and decided to kill Li Congxin.
• Crossbones drew a short knife, but Li Congxin used his weighted gear to scatter iron sand and create an opening to escape.
• Nalan Qing knocked down the punks blocking the alley and rushed to strike Crossbones with his metal staff.

Li Congxin and Nalan Qing fought Crossbones in an alley, but Crossbones shot Nalan Qing and wounded Li Congxin. Li Congxin stabbed Crossbones and then killed him with the last bullet in the pistol, leaving Nalan Qing injured and himself wounded.

• Nalan Qing disarmed Crossbones with his staff, but Crossbones drew a pistol and shot Nalan Qing beneath the ribs.
• Li Congxin pulled Nalan Qing behind a dumpster, then attacked Crossbones with a sandbag and used a weighted arm to take a bullet while closing in.
• Li Congxin knocked Crossbones's gun aside and stabbed him in the lower abdomen with the knife Nalan Qing had disarmed.
• Crossbones punched Li Congxin away, but Li Congxin kicked the pistol from his hand and caught it.
• Crossbones showed Li Congxin the pistol's magazine, but Li Congxin fired the round already in the chamber and killed him.

Li Congxin arranged for Nalan Qing to be taken to the hospital after Crossbones wounded them, with help from the disguised Hawkeye. Nalan Qing needed a difficult emergency operation, so Li Congxin sought Dr. Stephen Strange’s phone number to make him operate.

• The system congratulated Li Congxin for killing Brock Rumlow but gave him only encouragement, and Li Congxin turned his attention to the wounded Nalan Qing.
• Nalan Bai explained that she and Nalan Qing had followed Li Congxin to deliver his portable music player, and the two helped carry her brother to their van.
• Hawkeye appeared and drove them to the best hospital in New York while concealing his identity.
• At the hospital, Christine told Li Congxin that Nalan Qing’s kidney injury required an operation only Dr. Stephen Strange could confidently perform.
• Li Congxin comforted Nalan Bai and asked Christine for Dr. Strange’s phone number so he could get him to operate.

Li Congxin persuaded Doctor Strange to perform surgeries for him and Nalan Qing in exchange for a VIP gym membership that saved time. After recovering, Li Congxin learned Old Pi’s secret martial arts and heard how Old Pi had arranged to make the shooting of Crossbones appear to be an attack by a still-at-large criminal.

• Li Congxin called Doctor Strange and offered him a time-saving VIP gym membership in exchange for working an extra shift and performing surgeries.
• Strange operated successfully on Li Congxin and Nalan Qing, and Old Pi thanked Li Congxin for arranging the surgery.
• After leaving the hospital, Li Congxin learned Twelve-Road Shaolin Tan Tui and Four Gates Staff Technique from Old Pi, mastering the staff technique in just over ten days.
• Old Pi told Li Congxin that the official account portrayed him and Nalan Qing as victims of an attack, with the shooter still at large.
• Old Pi explained that the attackers had targeted him and that evidence had been removed before police arrived.

Li Congxin joined Old Pi and Hope in Siberia to search for Captain America’s crash site, which Old Pi hoped contained equipment connected to the Tesseract. After nearly a month of searching, Li Congxin’s life detector finally picked up a signal.

• Old Pi explained that he wanted to find the plane that carried Captain America because it might have contained equipment for handling the Tesseract.
• Li Congxin, Old Pi, and Hope traveled to Siberia, where Old Pi managed equipment, Hope handled supplies, and Li Congxin searched the frozen wilderness.
• After nearly a month, Li Congxin complained about being sent out alone, but continued searching the final nearby area.
• Old Pi said they would return home after the search and resume in spring if necessary, since Steve would not emerge for more than ten years.
• The life detector sounded while Li Congxin was searching, and he followed its signal toward Captain America.

Li Congxin found an abandoned Hydra base containing five frozen Winter Soldiers, but a hidden guard opened fire and killed four of them. After the gunfire stopped, Li Congxin launched a metal rod at the attacker.

• Li Congxin used Old Pi's instructions to open the entrance to a heated, abandoned military fortress.
• Li Congxin discovered five people frozen in glass chambers and recognized the base as Hydra's Winter Soldiers' lair.
• Li Congxin found still-warm military rations and realized someone was guarding the base.
• A hidden attacker shot through the glass chambers and killed four Winter Soldiers before running out of bullets.
• Li Congxin sprang from behind the console, aimed toward the gunfire, and launched a metal rod at the attacker.

Li Congxin fought Bucky in Hydra’s underground base, but Bucky’s strength and combat experience overwhelmed him. As Bucky closed in, Li Congxin shrank the Ruyi staff and switched his BGM to Qing Xin Zhou, leaving its effect on Bucky unresolved.

• Li Congxin used the Pym Particle-powered Ruyi staff to surprise Bucky, but Bucky recovered and blocked Li Congxin’s heavy strike with his metal arm.
• Bucky seized the staff and attacked Li Congxin, who kicked away Bucky’s pistol before they fought at close range.
• Bucky endured Li Congxin’s kicks, struck him in the chest, and sent him crashing into the control console.
• Li Congxin realized he could not overpower Bucky with his current BGM and prepared another song as Bucky advanced.
• Li Congxin shrank the staff in Bucky’s grip and changed the music to Qing Xin Zhou, which could calm minds and affect everyone in range.

Li Congxin escaped Bucky by playing Qing Xin Zhou and captured a frozen Winter Soldier. After moving into Old Pi’s Manhattan villa, Li Congxin learned Old Pi had asked Alexander Pierce to investigate Crossbones, then received the captured Winter Soldier’s background file from Hope.

• Qing Xin Zhou triggered Bucky’s memory confusion, and Bucky fled without taking the pistol.
• Li Congxin recovered the pistol and placed the surviving bald Winter Soldier in a portable freezer.
• Old Pi explained that he had asked Alexander Pierce to investigate the killer who had attacked Li Congxin.
• Li Congxin reasoned that Pierce’s cautious Hydra faction would likely avoid trouble after Crossbones had been exposed.
• Hope brought files detailing the Winter Soldier’s background, and Li Congxin was shocked by what he read.

Yi Long awoke from his long captivity with his memories restored and his mind calmed by Li Congxin’s music. Old Pi persuaded him to remain under observation before returning home, and Yi Long agreed.

• Yi Long relived his life in a dream, including his capture and brainwashing by Hydra, and awoke feeling that he had overcome his trauma.
• Yi Long found himself restrained and questioned Li Congxin about who he was and what he wanted.
• Li Congxin explained that he had rescued Yi Long from Hydra and freed him after Yi Long promised not to attack.
• Yi Long offered to repay Li Congxin and said he wanted to go home, but Old Pi warned that Hydra’s brainwashing might still have lasting effects.
• Old Pi recommended that Yi Long stay under observation for a few months before returning to China, and Yi Long agreed.

Li Congxin trained with Yi Long, then visited Marcus for his birthday and met Mindy Macready, whose unexpected Impression Points made him realize her connection to Kick-Ass. Mindy suddenly attacked him with a butterfly knife.

• Li Congxin sparred with Yi Long, who corrected his fighting techniques while holding back.
• Yi Long said he needed to recover before returning home, and Li Congxin asked Old Pi about the music's effects and Yi Long's condition.
• Li Congxin headed to Marcus Williams's home for his birthday and met Mindy Macready.
• Mindy awarded Li Congxin 233 Impression Points, prompting him to connect her to Kick-Ass.
• Mindy drew a butterfly knife and lunged at Li Congxin's brow.

Li Congxin bested Mindy Macready’s attack, learned how she was connected to Marcus, and explained why Dave Lizewski’s ineptitude as Kick-Ass had made him famous. Old Pi then revealed that Li Congxin had taken over the headlines from Dave after a visit to the Stark household.

• Li Congxin disarmed Mindy Macready, returned her butterfly knife, and earned Impression Points by joking that she counted as both a child and a woman.
• At dinner, Li Congxin gave Marcus a Patek Philippe watch and learned that Marcus had raised Mindy after her father, Damon Macready, went to prison.
• Li Congxin continued training but sensed that he was approaching the limits of human ability, while Old Pi dismissed the prospect of quickly making a Super Soldier Serum from an inferior sample.
• Hope complained that Dave Lizewski’s viral Kick-Ass video and imitators dominated the news, and Li Congxin said Dave became famous because he was lousy.
• Old Pi explained that the public supported Kick-Ass because he challenged criminals without making the police seem unnecessary, then showed Li Congxin a newspaper headline about his visit to the Stark household.

Li Congxin learned that Tony Stark had funded the expansion of Doupo Cangqiong and sent him a cheeky thank-you, earning more Impression Points. He collected a mysterious inheritance from a bank and went looking for street punks, who fled when they recognized him.

• Hope explained that Tony Stark had invested 6.66 million to help publish Li Congxin’s novel across Europe after losing their bet.
• Li Congxin texted Tony, “Thanks, bro—666!” and received 66,666 Impression Points.
• Li Congxin claimed his parents’ bank inheritance, which contained a wrapped sunflower painting and a USB drive labeled “Freedom.”
• Li Congxin carried the painting through secluded alleys, hoping to attract criminals who might attack him.
• Morrison Gerard recognized Li Congxin and warned the other punks to run, but Li Congxin chased them and claimed the painting was Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.

Li Congxin beat up seven punks until they vowed to quit crime, then returned home to examine his inheritance. Old Pi identified the painting as a genuine Van Gogh Sunflowers worth potentially over $100 million, while Li Congxin remained unable to unlock the flash drive.

• Li Congxin chased down seven punks and repeatedly beat them until they agreed to rob him, then gave up when they begged him to stop.
• The punks said they would reform, and Li Congxin, hiding nearby, was disappointed that they intended to become good people.
• Li Congxin handed Hope the briefcase and tried to open the flash drive, but failed to guess its password after testing more than fifty possibilities.
• Old Pi examined the painting and identified it as Van Gogh's Sunflowers, citing a previous auction price of £22.5 million.
• Li Congxin realized he had been carrying a potentially $100 million painting while searching the streets for robbers.

Li Congxin and Hope watched a video his parents had left on a USB drive, revealing that they had hidden evidence of a gang’s crimes and urging him to contact Uncle Marcus. The message ended with his parents’ love and left Li Congxin determined to settle the grudge tied to his predecessor’s memories.

• Old Pi identified Li Congxin’s painting as one of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, then cracked the password on the USB drive.
• Old Pi and Hope joined Li Congxin to watch the video his parents had left for him.
• Li Congxin’s father revealed that Uncle Sinclair had uncovered evidence of a gang’s crimes and hidden it before the gang could kill him.
• Li Congxin’s father told him to inform Uncle Marcus and began to explain where the evidence was hidden.
• Li Congxin’s parents said they loved him, and Li Congxin wiped away tears before resolving to settle his predecessor’s grudge.