Chapter Summaries

Lee Stein denied that the players were an organized group and refused Nick Fury's offer to join S.H.I.E.L.D. He declined to sell the Thunder King Battle Suit's technology but offered to sell finished upgraded suits, leaving Fury to wait for a sample and further talks.

• Lee told Nick Fury that the players were wealthy, curious customers who did not belong to a serious organization.
• Lee refused Fury's invitation to join S.H.I.E.L.D., insisting he was an ordinary high school student.
• Nick Fury asked to buy the Thunder King Battle Suit's technology, and Lee pointed out that S.H.I.E.L.D. had failed to reproduce it.
• Lee refused to sell the technology but offered upgraded finished suits for ten thousand dollars each and mentioned his lottery.
• Lee promised Fury a sample to test later, then left for Osir Tower and postponed further discussion until the next day.

Li Si ended his prize-drawing scheme with over twenty-seven million dollars, but realized the money was far short of what he needed to take control of Oscorp. He paid Max for his work and prepared to rely on his backup plan to raise more funds.

• Li Si stopped the prize draws after the players in New York finished, and he and Max gathered more than twenty-seven million dollars in cash.
• Li Si reflected that too few players had come to New York to fund his plan to take control of Oscorp, so he would have to extort wealthy people after all.
• Max asked what they would do with the cash, and Li Si offered him some as payment for his work.
• Max initially refused the money, but Li Si insisted that he take it as earned pay.

Lee Si delivered Max’s money to a Citibank branch after arranging for the bank to stay open late. Their deposit was interrupted when Peter Parker chased three fugitives into the street, fell after his webbing missed the low bank building, and called on Lee Si to help stop them.

• Lee Si accepted twenty thousand dollars from Max and drove with him to Citibank, where the manager and employees waited to handle the cash deposit.
• A bald bank manager welcomed Lee Si and called employees over to unload the van.
• A Russian man and two Black men fled down the street, pursued by Peter Parker in a mismatched Spider-Man, police-uniform, and flag-cape outfit.
• Peter Parker missed with his webbing, fell onto his back, and sprang up unharmed.
• Peter Parker shouted for Lee Si to help stop the fugitives.

Li Si and Peter Parker stopped three robbers outside the bank, then revealed that Peter had joined the police as an auxiliary officer. The bank staff recognized both heroes and eagerly praised them.

• Li Si kicked the Russian giant into a trash can, while Peter Parker webbed the two Black robbers and flung them into the other cans.
• Peter pinned all three robbers in place and explained that the Russian giant was the only one seriously injured.
• Li Si credited his strength to his Lee Stein Tuxedo and teased Peter about his ugly uniform.
• Peter told Li Si that he had become an auxiliary officer and that Captain Stacy had promised to help find Uncle Ben's killer.
• The bald bank manager and employees recognized Spider-Man and Li Si, then enthusiastically praised them.

Lee Si watched Max awkwardly show off to the bald manager and decided to teach him how to do it better. While unloading twenty-seven million dollars for the bank, Lee Si used his banter with Peter Parker as a demonstration, leaving Peter confused about the lesson.

• Max struck up an enthusiastic conversation with the bald manager, but soon ran out of things to say.
• Lee Si called Max over to help unload the van, and the bald manager offered to have the bank employees assist.
• Peter Parker carried two large boxes with ease, then nearly dropped them when Lee Si revealed they held twenty-seven million dollars.
• Peter Parker joked that Lee Si had flaunted his wealth and demanded a feast, and Lee Si happily agreed to treat him.
• Lee Si scolded Max for laughing and explained that showing off required more subtlety, while Peter Parker wondered what they were talking about.

Li Si took Peter Parker and Max out to eat after depositing more than twenty-seven million dollars, then brought the drunk Max home. He made three different battle suits in his garage for his upcoming meeting with Nick Fury and called someone afterward.

• Li Si told Peter Parker he had taken a leave from school, and Peter teased him about his fan club and Gwen before Li Si turned the questions back on Peter and Mary Jane.
• Peter Parker directed Li Si to a small restaurant, where Max got drunk boasting about the electric grid he had designed and passed out.
• Li Si took Max to his home, covered him with a blanket, and left water nearby before going to the garage to work.
• Li Si manufactured three battle suits, including the Thunder King Battle Suit 0 Version and two Unnamed Human Enhancement Suits, and gained Universal EXP.
• Li Si called someone after finishing the suits he needed for his meeting with Nick Fury.

Li Si contacted Jonathan to arrange a meeting with his general, offering a partnership that could make soldiers two to three times stronger. After discovering that his Nine-to-Five skill woke him exactly on time, Li Si went to Osborn early to improve his standing with Otto Gunther.

• Li Si called Jonathan and teased him before proposing a partnership to strengthen soldiers two to three times.
• Jonathan spoke with his general, then called Li Si back to arrange a meeting at Li Si's place for ten the next morning.
• Li Si tested the Office Worker template's Nine-to-Five skill and woke up precisely at seven.
• Li Si woke Max and drove to Osborn, hoping to make a good impression on his superior, Otto Gunther.

Li Si checked on the Super-Large War Weapon research at Oscorp and learned that Luna was taking a few days off because her brother had returned. He then visited Gwen, who was monitoring his stock investments, and decided not to give her more money to invest.

• Li Si visited the Individual Armor Project Department and approved Luna's request for a few days off after Otto Gunther explained that her brother had returned.
• Otto Gunther reported that the mechanical arms could generate enough force, but the team had made no progress on antigravity technology for the Super-Large War Weapon.
• Li Si told Otto Gunther not to rush the long-term research project and explained that the weapon needed antigravity or magnetic levitation to offset its weight.
• Li Si visited the Cross-Species Genetics Laboratory and found Gwen absorbed in tracking the stock market.
• Li Si decided against giving Gwen another ten million dollars to invest and considered hiring a professional stockbroker instead.

Li Si presented his advanced battle suit to General Ross and claimed it could increase a wearer’s physical abilities fivefold. Ross was impressed, and the meeting ended with Li Si confident he had won over the military buyer.

• Li Si welcomed General Ross and Jonathan to his home and led them to the garage.
• Ross examined the three battle suits Li Si had prepared, while Li Si directed his attention to the special-order model.
• Jonathan questioned whether the vest-like suit could really triple a person’s physical abilities.
• Li Si explained that the suit combined protective layers, bionic muscles, and electrical stimulation to boost physical abilities at least fivefold.
• General Ross was impressed by Li Si’s claim that the suit could turn its wearer into a super soldier.

Li Si sold General Ross on a large order of super-soldier suits and negotiated a deal involving Bumblebee. The chapter ended with Ross accepting Li Si’s promises, while Li Si still needed to secure his position before delivering.

• Li Si offered General Ross suits for a hundred thousand dollars each, and Ross ordered a thousand, appointing Jonathan to handle follow-up negotiations.
• Li Si demonstrated Bumblebee’s transformation and weapons, but Ross rejected the robot’s fifty-million-dollar asking price as poor battlefield value.
• Li Si offered to donate robots and discount the suits in exchange for Ross’s help, and Ross countered by demanding at least twice as much.
• Li Si accepted Ross’s terms but said he could deliver only after securing his position, and Ross questioned whether Li Si could be trusted in business.

After General Ross left, Li Si reflected on how he had protected his Thunder King Battle Suit technology and planned to use competition between the military and S.H.I.E.L.D. to secure his position and profits. He intended to sell and continually upgrade the suits while keeping a hidden backdoor, and concluded that the original version was far less dangerous to superheroes than its strength boost suggested.

• Li Si relaxed after General Ross departed and considered how the military might exploit or seize his exposed technology.
• Li Si explained that he had presented the 0 Upgrade Version with Bionic Muscle Fiber Technology to divert attention from the original suit and justify its price.
• Li Si decided to approach Nick Fury and sell suits to S.H.I.E.L.D. as well as the military, using their rivalry to protect himself.
• Li Si planned to profit from repeated suit upgrades by drawing the military and S.H.I.E.L.D. into an arms race.
• Li Si reasoned that the original suit boosted strength but offered little extra defense, leaving its users vulnerable to superheroes and firearms.

Li Si showed Nick Fury the upgraded Thunder King Battle Suit and tried to sell him a stronger model. Nick Fury learned that General Ross had exclusive approval over the high-end suit and left intending to negotiate with him.

• Nick Fury visited Li Si and inspected the upgraded suit, which Li Si said had improved movement tracking and electrical stimulation.
• Nick Fury tried on the Thunder King Battle Suit, 0 Version, and said he liked how it felt.
• Li Si jokingly suggested that Nick Fury become the One-Eyed Egg Hero, but Nick Fury declined.
• Nick Fury spotted the stronger fivefold-boosting suit, and Li Si explained that General Ross had to approve any sale of it.
• Li Si quoted Nick Fury one hundred thousand dollars with a twenty percent discount on the first batch, and Nick Fury left without placing an order.

Li Si completed the military and S.H.I.E.L.D. orders for 0 Version suits, bought and renovated his home, and built a secure biological laboratory. He began analyzing the Lizard Tail Whip, a Technology Equipment item redeemed from the faction shop.

• Li Si arranged for a contract manufacturer to assemble two thousand 0 Version suits after he synthesized the Bionic Muscle Fiber himself.
• General Ross and S.H.I.E.L.D. collected their suit orders, and Li Si received the payment.
• Li Si bought his house, renovated it, and expanded its basement into a heavily secured biological laboratory.
• Max moved in next door and visited Li Si with cola, and they ordered pizza for dinner.
• Li Si went to the basement laboratory and started his third analysis experiment on the Lizard Tail Whip.

Li Si analyzed the Lizard Tail Whip and discovered it was a living, self-healing severed tail controlled through an advanced neural interface. As he began disassembling it, he found artificial neural strands linking the handle to the tail and stopped before cutting them, deciding he needed to disable its healing first.

• Li Si tested the Lizard Tail Whip and found that its severed tail remained alive and could heal itself without nutrients.
• Li Si determined that the whip used a neural interface and complex signal-processing technology to interpret a user's target and control the tail's attacks.
• Li Si used buffs from his Rapid Construction and Research and Development skills to begin carefully taking apart the Lizard Tail Whip.
• Li Si discovered artificial neural strands connecting the handle to the tail and realized he could not safely remove the handle by cutting them.
• Li Si stopped dissection and decided to disable the tail's healing ability after his cut healed within seconds.

Li Si studied the Lizard’s severed tail and discovered that its blood was actually a network of microorganisms that replaced blood’s functions and recycled nutrients through the metal handle. He began considering how the regenerative technology could support human enhancements or even Bio-Colonial Armor.

• Li Si decided to preserve and study the severed tail rather than destroy it, since he was unsure whether it contained the regenerative technology used in the Tail Whip.
• After more than a week, Li Si found that the game system had adjusted the tail’s genes to resemble those of a natural Lizard-man.
• Li Si discovered that microorganisms in the tail replaced blood, transported oxygen and nutrients, and carried waste and dying cells to the metal handle for recycling.
• Li Si considered using the microorganisms to create heartless human enhancements and a flesh-and-blood Bio-Colonial Armor.
• Li Si questioned whether ordinary biological genes would make suitable armor and murmured that Bionic Muscle Fiber might be better.

Li Si completed two Lizard serums based on his own genes and tested the Healing Serum, confirming that it rapidly healed severe wounds. He prepared the Transformation Serum and other serums for storage in his belt, while leaving the transformation serum untested for now.

• Li Si replicated the Lizard Tail Whip’s technology and continued developing the Lizard Serum.
• Li Si injected himself with the Lizard Healing Serum and cut his wrist to test its effects.
• Li Si confirmed that the serum healed the deep wound without leaving a scar, but noted that it had to be tailored to each person’s genes.
• Li Si prepared a Lizard Transformation Serum using Lizard-men genes and adjusted it to avoid claws, fangs, and a tail.
• Li Si stored the Transformation Serum, Healing Serum, and a restorative serum in his belt’s crystal containers.

Tony Stark returned to the United States after three months of captivity and announced he would hold a press conference, sending Stark Group shares soaring. Li Si sold his shares at the peak and urged Gwen to sell hers as he watched Tony’s car approach.

• Jonathan told Li Si that the person he had asked him to watch had returned to the base, and Li Si headed there.
• Tony Stark arrived at the air force base with Colonel Rhodes, reunited with Pepper Potts, and refused to go to the hospital before declaring he wanted a press conference.
• News of Tony Stark’s return drove Stark Group shares sharply higher, so Li Si ordered his broker Bernie to sell all his stock.
• Li Si called Gwen and urged her to sell her five million dollars’ worth of Stark Group stock, and she agreed despite doubting his timing.

Li Si attended Tony Stark’s press conference, where Tony reflected on the deaths caused by his weapons and announced that he would shut down Stark Group’s weapons division. Obadiah Stane rushed to Tony’s side as reporters surged forward.

• Socialites and reporters gathered to welcome Tony Stark as he arrived with his arm in a sling.
• Li Si entered the press conference and watched Phil Coulson greet Pepper Potts before Coulson came over to greet him.
• Tony Stark sat on the stage steps, ate a hamburger, and spoke about his father and the soldiers killed by his weapons.
• After a reporter asked what had happened to him in Afghanistan, Tony said he had realized he could contribute more than making weapons.
• Tony announced that Stark Group’s weapons division would shut down immediately, prompting reporters to surge forward as Obadiah Stane hurried to him.

After Tony Stark announced the shutdown of Stark Group’s weapons division, the stock crashed and investors panicked while Li Si celebrated his profits. He talked with Gwen about her decision to sell her shares and invited her on a Qixi Festival date as he drove to Oscorp.

• Tony Stark announced that Stark Group would shut down its weapons division, causing its stock to plummet and investors across the United States to panic.
• Li Si left the Stark Group building pleased with the tens of millions he had made.
• Gwen called Li Si, delighted that she had sold her shares and avoided losses, and told him how her coworkers had mocked her for selling.
• Li Si advised Gwen to show off her wealth next time, then blamed Tony Stark for inspiring his boastful attitude.
• Li Si invited Gwen on a Qixi Festival date and drove toward the Oscorp building to pick her up from work.

Ten days after Tony Stark announced the closure of Stark Group’s weapons division, Li Si realized the Iron Man and Obadiah battle was approaching and hurried to check on Bumblebee’s upgrade. With military-grade parts and weapons secured through Ross, Li Si prepared to use the coming battle to gain fame and money.

• Stark Group’s stock plunged by 56% as public anger toward Tony Stark and the company grew.
• Li Si saw news of Tony Stark’s Los Angeles charity party and recalled that Tony would soon take the Mark III to Afghanistan and fight Obadiah two days later.
• Li Si went to the garage, where Max expected Bumblebee’s modifications to finish the next day while Otto Gunther estimated at least thirty more hours and two stability tests.
• Li Si inspected Bumblebee’s disassembled components and noted that Ross had helped him obtain high-precision parts and firearms for the upgrade.