The Director Outside the Script and the Collapsing Clown

Helmut Zemo, the former Sokovian colonel who had lost his entire family and devoted his life to revenge, was currently hiding in a base on the Siberian ice fields. Through carefully fabricated evidence and psychological manipulation, he had successfully driven a wedge between Iron Man and Captain America. His script was reaching its climax as planned—he was about to lure both sides to the Soviet base where the truth lay buried and detonate the final bomb.

However, just as he prepared to send the last piece of bait, his encrypted communicator and every one of his backup devices flickered simultaneously, forcibly switching to a familiar scene—the interior of the Siberian base where he was currently hiding, filled with dust and dormant Winter Soldiers! The camera even gave a close-up of his hate-filled face concealed in the shadows!

A calm voice rang out through the device speakers, echoing through the empty base:

"Mr. Helmut Zemo, your performance can end here."

Zemo's entire body shuddered as though ice water had been poured over his head! He abruptly looked around, trying to find the hidden cameras, but found nothing. How had they located this place? How had they infiltrated his absolutely secure channels? It was even as if they could see everything he was doing with their own eyes?!

"No need to look, Mr. Zemo." Li Wei's voice continued, carrying a trace of boredom, as though he were reviewing a terrible play. "Your plan was very thorough. You used Bucky Barnes as the fuse, exposed the truth behind Stark's parents' deaths, and made the Avengers collapse from within... As mortal scheming goes, it was quite impressive."

Zemo's heart pounded wildly, and cold sweat soaked through his undershirt. His greatest advantage—hiding in the shadows and exploiting information asymmetry—had vanished completely at this moment!

"But," Li Wei's tone turned as cold as a blade, "you made one fatal mistake—you overlooked an existence beyond the chessboard. You were immersed in the revenge script you wrote for yourself, never realizing that the real director had long since changed."

The next second, the screen before Zemo split in two.

One half showed Tony Stark and Captain America Steve Rogers. They had clearly received the forced transmission as well and were staring at their screens in shock and uncertainty. The suspicion and anger they had once directed at each other were gone from their faces, replaced by shared astonishment and confusion.

The other half showed Li Wei in Sky City.

"Stark. Rogers." Li Wei spoke directly to the two protagonists. "Take a look at this 'spectator' beside you. Helmut Zemo, a Sokovian. He orchestrated the Vienna Bombing, framed the Winter Soldier, and lured you here to kill each other—all to avenge his family, who died in Sokovia."

In the most concise terms, Li Wei laid Zemo's entire conspiracy bare! At the same time, the Crimson Sovereign transmitted records of Zemo's fabricated evidence, the money trail behind his purchase of explosives, and even his family's files from the Sokovia incident to Tony and Steve as data attachments.

The truth was revealed!

Tony looked at Zemo's face on the screen, twisted by the exposure of his plan, then at the irrefutable evidence displayed on the tablet in his hand. His fury over Bucky killing his parents still burned, but his rage at being manipulated and used as a tool of revenge was just as intense! He felt like a fool!

As Steve reeled from the truth, he also let out a sudden breath of relief! At least Bucky was not some madman who had launched a terrorist attack for no reason. They had all been used!

"And as for you, Mr. Zemo." Li Wei's image turned toward Zemo, whose face had gone ashen. "Your revenge is narrow-minded and pathetic in my eyes. You blamed a team for your personal tragedy and paid for it with more innocent lives and potential risks to global stability... If your family could see you from heaven, would they be proud of you?"

Those words were more lethal than any blade, piercing straight through Zemo's psychological defenses!

"What do you know?! You have that kind of power, so of course you can stand above everyone else and judge!" Zemo howled in collapse, losing all his composure and elegance. "They... my family... because of those so-called 'heroes'... everything was taken from them! I have nothing left!"

"So you chose to become a clown, putting on a revenge play you think is tragic and heroic?" Li Wei's tone was filled with undisguised contempt. "Your pain is real, but your methods are unworthy of it. Now, this farce should end."

Li Wei did not even act personally. He simply gave the Crimson Sovereign an order.

A low hum of energy came from outside the Siberian base. A small transport ship belonging to the "Myriad Realms Secret Society," painted with crimson and silver insignia and integrated with Kree technology, cut through the wind and snow and hovered at the base entrance. Several upgraded Phantom Shadow warriors entered the base like ghosts, effortlessly subduing the dispirited Zemo, who had collapsed to the ground, then packing up the dormant Winter Soldiers and all relevant research materials and taking them away.

The entire process was efficient and swift, carrying an unquestionable, crushing sense of order.

Only Li Wei, Tony, and Steve remained on the communication channel.

"Do you see it clearly now?" Li Wei said to the silent pair. "The real threat was never each other, nor was it an agreement. It was the malice hiding in the shadows, along with the dangers from the sea of stars. Wasting your energy on internal conflict is utterly foolish."

"Sky City's special district has already been established. It has the most advanced research facilities, an environment free from political interference, and... the intelligence and support needed to face the real threats. The choice is yours."

With that, Li Wei cut off the transmission.

On the Siberian ice fields, only Tony and Steve remained, staring at each other. The air was filled with awkwardness, relief, and a deep sense of powerlessness. Their civil war had not even truly begun before an outsider forcibly brought it to an end in a manner that was almost humiliating.

Zemo's conspiracy had completely collapsed, and in the way he found most unbearable—he had not only failed, but had been taken away like trash before the very people he hated, making him seem incomparably small and ridiculous.

Li Wei's intervention was like a clap of thunder. It not only shattered Zemo's script, but also carved the profound impression of the Myriad Realms Secret Society's transcendence and irresistible authority into the hearts of everyone involved.