Chapter Summaries

Li Congxin tried to stop Tony Stark from killing Bucky after Tony saw footage of Bucky murdering his parents. Tony attacked Li Congxin after he helped Captain America and Bucky escape, leaving the two of them poised to fight.

• Tony went to collect a package while Li Congxin upgraded his driving BGM and received a warning when Eris transformed.
• Tony returned in his Iron Man suit and attacked Bucky, but Li Congxin deflected his repulsor blast with Miraculous Hands, Spring Returns.
• Eris played surveillance footage showing Bucky killing Howard and Maria Stark in 1991, and Li Congxin admitted he had known about the murder.
• Li Congxin explained that Hydra had brainwashed Bucky, but he had no proof, and Tony launched missiles at Bucky.
• Li Congxin opened an Any Door so Captain America and Bucky could escape, then knocked Tony away when he tried to pursue them.
• Tony carried Li Congxin through a window and out over the sea, but Li Congxin escaped and prepared to fight him.

After battling Tony over Bucky, Li Congxin returned to his villa and found Captain America, Winter Soldier, and Agent Maria Hill waiting for him. Hill revealed that her physical abilities had improved, and the next morning Li Congxin was called to his company after Ivan Vanko arrived demanding to see him.

• Li Congxin fought Tony until Tony’s suit ran low on ammunition and energy, but Tony remained determined to avenge his parents and flew away.
• Li Congxin returned to his villa, where Captain America, Winter Soldier, and Agent Maria Hill were waiting, and Hill showed him videos exposing his identity as Black Mask.
• Hill told Li Congxin that her strength, speed, and reflexes had greatly improved, and he discovered that his qi had begun transforming her after he protected her in the mountains.
• The next morning, Nalan Bai called Li Congxin to report that Ivan Vanko had arrived at the company demanding to see him, and Li Congxin decided to go there himself.

Ivan Vanko sought Li Congxin’s help against Tony, but Li drove him toward Hammer Industries so he could keep Tony occupied. Over lunch, Li and Egghead settled casting plans for the Superman film, and Egghead warned that Tony was negotiating with the military over the Iron Man suit.

• Ivan Vanko learned that Li Congxin was a billionaire and asked him to join forces against Tony, but Li intimidated him and sent him away.
• Li Congxin deliberately mentioned Justin Hammer, prompting Ivan Vanko to seek cooperation with Hammer Industries.
• Nick Fury called Li Congxin to discuss the Obelisk and then arranged lunch with Li and Sharon to talk about casting Natasha as Wonder Woman.
• Sharon said she preferred playing Reporter Lois, and Li agreed to cast Natasha as Wonder Woman while S.H.I.E.L.D. covered the reshoots.
• Nick Fury told Li Congxin that Tony had offered the Iron Man suit to the military as a bargaining chip.

After Tony Stark declared that he and Li Congxin would be mortal enemies, Li Congxin decided to help Tony grow through adversity and prepared for their conflict. He brought Tony’s Artificial Intelligence research to Nirvana Group and used his skills to direct a spectacular airborne fight scene for the Superman film.

• Tony sent Li Congxin the Artificial Intelligence information and declared that they would be mortal enemies the next time they met.
• Li Congxin thanked Egghead for the information, warned him to enjoy life, and drove back to Nirvana Group Headquarters.
• Li Congxin copied the Artificial Intelligence files from his office computer onto a flash drive and went to the studio to urge his comrades to keep training.
• Li Congxin showed Zack Snyder and David Diey how to use specialized equipment to stage Captain America and Yi Long’s airborne fight, controlling the machinery to match their moves.
• Li Congxin told the crew to prioritize the box office and ordered them to film an epic battle before the machinery broke down.

After Captain America disappeared, Li Congxin organized a worldwide search and pieced together clues suggesting Steve had gone to Tony’s villa to sacrifice himself in hopes of easing Tony’s anger. Li Congxin flew there to stop him, while S.H.I.E.L.D. pursued the suspicious monk who had inspired Steve.

• Li Congxin reviewed Tony’s artificial-intelligence research, modified the designs, and prepared to work on his own AI before Bucky called to report that Captain America was missing.
• Li Congxin persuaded Egghead to send Hill and S.H.I.E.L.D. resources to search for Steve, then gathered his household to assist the operation.
• Li Congxin and S.H.I.E.L.D. searched for hours without finding Steve, until Bucky recalled a monk telling a story about Buddha sacrificing himself to save animals.
• Li Congxin told Hill to identify and arrest the monk, but his attempt to open a portal failed before Sharon arrived with photographs showing that Captain America’s museum uniform had been stolen.
• Li Congxin concluded Steve had gone to Tony’s villa intending to sacrifice himself, and he flew there to stop him.

Captain America failed to persuade Tony to spare Bucky and left Tony’s villa carrying the burden of their feud. As a mysterious armed man confronted him and Tony refused to hand him over to Li Congxin, Li Congxin faced Tony and ten Iron Man suits outside the villa.

• Captain America endured Tony’s beating and spent hours explaining Bucky’s past, but Tony refused to change his mind.
• Captain America offered his own life to ease Tony’s pain, but Tony kicked him away, reclaimed his father’s shield, and warned him to prepare to fight for Bucky.
• Captain America left the villa in despair and was confronted by a burly man who said he would not let him go and that it was not personal.
• Li Congxin flew to Tony’s villa, called out to Tony, and saw Captain America’s bloodstained shield in Tony’s hand.
• Tony refused Li Congxin’s demand to hand over Captain America, threw the shield back toward the villa, and surrounded Li Congxin with ten Iron Man suits while ordering him to leave or die.

Li Congxin fought Tony Stark and his Queen Knight mecha, then learned that Steve Rogers had been ambushed after leaving Tony’s villa. Li Congxin returned home convinced Steve was alive but unsure where the enemy had taken him.

• Li Congxin saw Eris’s Queen Knight mecha and learned she had designed them using Tony’s data and Li Congxin’s Bionic Mask research.
• Tony attacked Li Congxin, who destroyed the other suits and disabled Tony’s armor while asking Eris when Steve had left.
• Eris said Steve had left about twenty minutes earlier after Tony beat him and blasted him away; Li Congxin told Tony they had both been used and hurried off to search.
• Li Congxin failed to find Steve and returned home, where he told Hill, Sharon, and Bucky that Steve had been ambushed near Tony’s villa.
• Li Congxin reassured Bucky that Steve was alive, but said they still had to discover where the enemy had hidden him.

Li Congxin investigated Hydra’s role in Captain America’s disappearance and brought him back safely, though he suspected the rescue had gone suspiciously smoothly. He then offered Black Widow two ways to treat her bullet wounds, leaving her to consider the options and payment.

• Li Congxin suspected Hydra had orchestrated the conflict between Tony and Captain America, and Bucky identified a Los Angeles base where he had once been brainwashed.
• Li Congxin and his allies raided the abandoned base, then gave Hill a list of Hydra sites for S.H.I.E.L.D. to investigate.
• After a week of searches, Black Widow reported that a fake monk named Johnson Turner had led Captain America to Tony; Turner poisoned himself, but clues from his home led S.H.I.E.L.D. to Captain America in a dental clinic basement.
• Li Congxin confirmed Captain America was genuine, sent Bucky to check his memories and bond with him, and remained suspicious that the rescue had unfolded too smoothly.
• Li Congxin offered Black Widow two scar-free treatments for her bullet wounds, and she asked about their effects and the payment.

Li Congxin offered Black Widow two ways to heal her wound, and she chose Mindy’s secret treatment, which restored her skin without a scar. After Black Widow discussed the treatment and the coming conflict with Tony with Hill, Li Congxin examined the ring recovered from The Mandarin, which Old Pi had finished analyzing.

• Li Congxin offered Black Widow a nanotechnology treatment and a secret method that would restore her body, but required her to keep the process from everyone, especially Nick Fury.
• Black Widow deduced that Mindy was the one who would treat her and agreed to keep the secret, while teasing Li Congxin before leaving.
• Mindy’s treatment healed Black Widow’s wound completely, and Black Widow refused to tell Hill how it had been done.
• Black Widow told Hill she would remain neutral in Li Congxin’s conflict with Tony and warned her that Sharon had stronger feelings for Clark than before.
• Li Congxin examined the ring that had fallen from The Mandarin after their Middle East battle, as Old Pi had completed its initial analysis.

Li Congxin received the partially unlocked Blood Sky ring from Old Pi and headed out to test it. Meanwhile, Pi Llama persuaded Tony to accept Hydra’s help against Li Congxin by revealing the Cosmic Cube, leaving Tony eager to use it to build a powerful suit.

• Old Pi gave Li Congxin the Blood Sky ring, which had 60 percent of its functions unlocked, and Li Congxin imprinted it with his qi.
• Li Congxin opened an Any Door to the outskirts of New York and flew toward the Atlantic to test the ring, while reflecting that Tony had apparently blocked teleportation near his villa.
• Pi Llama visited Tony, offered covert resources, and explained why Li Congxin would not yield to government or public pressure.
• Pi Llama told Tony that defeating Li Congxin would require Tony’s own strength and opened a briefcase containing the Cosmic Cube.
• Tony recognized the Cosmic Cube and resolved to use it to build a suit powerful enough to defeat Li Congxin.

Li Congxin tested Blood Sky’s powers above an uninhabited island, discovering that the ring amplified his strength and let him unleash devastating attacks. Old Pi called with news that the American government had issued a worldwide wanted notice for Bucky Barnes and was searching Li Congxin’s Los Angeles villa, so Li Congxin headed back toward New York.

• Li Congxin tested Blood Sky’s energy beam, shockwave, and electromagnetic attraction and repulsion on a boulder, the sea, and a shark.
• Li Congxin combined Blood Sky’s energy amplification and vibrations into a punch that shattered the uninhabited island and sent enormous waves into the sky.
• Old Pi called Li Congxin, who agreed to return immediately and follow the original plan.
• The American government issued a worldwide wanted notice for Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier and targeted Li Congxin’s Los Angeles villa in its search.

Li Congxin deflected the FBI’s questions about Bucky while preparing to release Captain America training footage as a promotional move. Nalan Bai learned from Old Pi that Li Congxin was gambling his standing in America, while Li Congxin used a Random BGM Draw Card.

• Li Congxin returned to his Los Angeles villa after the FBI search and told Agent Ross he knew little about Bucky or his whereabouts.
• Li Congxin advised Nalan Bai to deny knowledge of the situation and ordered her to release Captain America's training videos to promote the film.
• Nalan Bai visited Old Pi, who explained that Li Congxin was taking a major gamble and said he would rise again if he lost.
• Nalan Bai resolved to manage the company so Li Congxin could focus on his gamble.
• Li Congxin reviewed his plans, then used the Random BGM Draw Card.

Li Congxin upgraded the vicious BGM “Ritual” while his group grew stronger and rival forces advanced during two months of escalating tension. After Nirvana Company reignited publicity by naming Steve Rogers as Superman, a video appeared showing Captain America killing civilians, leaving Steve questioning his memories.

• Li Congxin maxed out “Ritual,” increasing its ability to multiply the pain inflicted on selected targets or everyone in the music’s range.
• Nirvana Group’s training video of Captain America sparked an online dispute over whether the footage was authentic, while Li Congxin stayed silent and let the controversy promote the movie.
• Over two months, Li Congxin rose to twenty-six Gua, Captain America and Yi Long reached five and 4.8 Gua, and Bucky reached about four Gua as other factions advanced their plans.
• Nirvana Company announced that Steve Rogers would play Superman, renewing public interest in the film.
• Pi Llama released a video depicting Captain America killing civilians during a fight, and Steve said he remembered no civilians in the warehouse and wondered whether his memories had been altered.

Li Congxin rejected Secretary Ross’s superhero oversight agreement and learned the government was monitoring his businesses. After warning Captain America that more trouble was coming, he received a call from Hope saying something had happened to Mindy at school.

• Li Congxin told Captain America that the video of him harming civilians had been fabricated and suspected Hydra was using it to link him to Nirvana Pictures.
• Secretary Ross presented the Superhero Conduct Protocol, which required Congress to approve superhero actions and government departments to cover their operational losses.
• Li Congxin refused to sign the protocol, arguing superheroes needed to elect a representative to help draft any agreement.
• Ross said Congress had ordered surveillance of Li Congxin’s businesses and left without changing Li Congxin’s position.
• Li Congxin told Captain America that the government was exploiting conflict between him and Tony Stark, then advised him to stay cautious.
• Hope called Li Congxin and reported that something had happened to Mindy at school.

Li Congxin dealt with an alleged school bullying plot targeting Mindy by mobilizing Nirvana’s resources, then learned that the people involved had died in a warehouse fire. As Nirvana attacked Captain America’s reputation and Li organized superheroes to elect a representative, T’Challa told him that his requested shield was ready, and Li evaded the agents monitoring him.

• Hope told Li Congxin that Mindy had beaten classmates who tried to bully her, while a teacher and their parents had blamed Mindy and threatened her.
• Li Congxin had Qingfeng investigate the teacher and parents, found suspicious payments, sent Nirvana’s legal team, bought the school, and fired the teacher.
• That evening, Li Congxin learned that the involved teachers, students, and parents had died in an accidental warehouse fire, which reminded him of Frank D'Amico’s death.
• Nirvana spread negative stories about Captain America and Bucky, while Li Congxin dismissed the accusations and focused on gathering superheroes to elect a representative.
• Doctor Connors continued his limb-regeneration research, and T'Challa told Li Congxin that his shield was ready.
• Li Congxin flew toward New York to evade surveillance, circled back to Chicago, and disappeared into the evening crowds.

Li Congxin’s villa was destroyed by a hammer that fell from the sky, killing sixteen FBI agents and putting him at risk of blame from the government and Hydra. He reached the crater and confronted Tony, Agent Coulson, Secretary Ross, and the military as they arrived.

• T'Challa gave Li Congxin a pair of antique Wakandan arm shields, and Li Congxin asked him for help with another urgent matter.
• Qingfeng told Li Congxin that his villa had been attacked, and Hill reported that a hammer had left a crater where it stood.
• Hill warned Li Congxin that sixteen FBI agents monitoring the villa had died in the impact, threatening to complicate his plans and expose him to blame.
• Li Congxin asked T'Challa for help, then flew to the villa and found the hammer in the crater.
• Tony arrived and taunted Li Congxin, followed by Agent Coulson, Secretary Ross, and a large military contingent.
• Li Congxin demanded that Secretary Ross explain the armed forces gathered at the scene.

Li Congxin lifted Mjolnir in front of S.H.I.E.L.D., the FBI, and the military, despite claiming that only Thor could move it. After Odin privately asked him to look after Thor, Li Congxin fled the soldiers and fought Tony, who demanded that he reveal who killed his parents.

• Li Congxin and Secretary Ross argued over the crater and the deaths of sixteen FBI agents while S.H.I.E.L.D., Tony, Ross, and the military failed to move the hammer.
• Li Congxin identified the hammer as Mjolnir and explained its connection to Asgard, Odin, and Thor.
• Li Congxin lifted Mjolnir, received a message from Odin asking him to look after Thor, then dropped the hammer and denied having a special connection to it.
• Ross ordered Li Congxin to come to the FBI, so Li Congxin flew away as the soldiers fired at him and his cape blocked their shots.
• Tony pursued Li Congxin and attacked him, demanding that he hand over the person who killed Tony's parents.
• Li Congxin stopped fleeing, thrust his cloth spear at Tony's reactor, and warned that he would tear apart Tony's suit; Tony told him to try.

Li Congxin battled Tony’s new Anti-Li Congxin Armor, then fled as Tony pursued him and summoned six reinforcements. At an abandoned airport near New York, Thor arrived and was knocked unconscious by Tony, while a horned man attacked Tony and claimed Thor as his brother.

• Li Congxin fought Tony’s upgraded armor, but its automatic defenses blocked his attacks and Tony revealed it was designed to counter him.
• Tony admitted the armor’s defenses consumed substantial energy, then revealed that six other Iron Man suits were coming to help him.
• Li Congxin fled with Tony in pursuit, and the chase ended at an abandoned private airport near New York, where the six suits surrounded the area to prevent his escape.
• Tony and Li Congxin prepared to resume their fight, but Thor arrived and Tony electrocuted him unconscious with a special bullet.
• Tony sent Rhodey to take Thor somewhere safe, and a silver dagger struck Tony’s armor before a horned man appeared and threatened him for attacking his brother.

Li Congxin caught Loki’s attacks and beat him relentlessly while Tony watched from outside the warehouse. After Tony bought Li Congxin’s airport, Li Congxin used a pain-amplifying effect to finish pummeling Loki, who called for Heimdall to take him home.

• Loki attacked Tony with an illusion, then tried to stab Li Congxin, who caught his dagger and slapped him through a warehouse wall.
• Li Congxin confronted Loki inside the warehouse and slapped him again after Loki declared that he would kill him for coveting Mjolnir.
• Tony suspected the warehouse concealed an escape route and prepared to destroy it, but Loki crashed through the wall before he could fire.
• Qingfeng announced that Tony had bought Li Congxin’s airport for one billion dollars, netting Li Congxin 666 million dollars, and Li Congxin taunted Tony over the profit.
• Li Congxin activated a tenfold pain setting and battered Loki into submission, prompting Loki to call for Heimdall and beg to go home.

After Loki was taken away by the Bifrost, Li Congxin faced Tony and Abomination, then called in Captain America, Yi Long, and Wasp to help him. The fight was about to become far more dangerous when the resurrected Crossbones transformed into a powerful monster and Rhodey arrived in War Machine.

• A pillar of Bifrost light swept Loki away, and Tony questioned Li Congxin about his identity because he had lifted Mjolnir and had a nine-year gap in his records.
• Abomination arrived, and Tony let him and five Iron Man suits surround Li Congxin despite claiming he wanted a one-on-one fight.
• Li Congxin used Almighty Push to scatter his attackers, then brought Captain America and Yi Long into the fight while Wasp hid on Captain America's shoulder.
• Rumlow revealed he was Crossbones, the assassin Li Congxin had killed eleven years earlier, and said S.H.I.E.L.D. had revived him and given him new powers.
• Crossbones transformed into a blue, scaled monster stronger than Abomination, while Rhodey returned in War Machine and worsened the odds against Li Congxin's side.