Recaps

Kingpin killed Sowande, Matt and Peter subdued Bakuto, and Lin Hai killed Murakami, ending the battle against The Hand’s leaders outside the Stone Prison. Madame Gao remained captive, watching as the battle ended and her hopes of escaping faded.

• Kingpin exploited Sowande’s exhaustion, broke his ribs, and killed him with a backward throw.
• Matt and Peter worked together to disarm Bakuto, knock him unconscious, and bind him in webbing.
• Lin Hai shattered Murakami’s Demon Blade and killed him with a thrust from the Plum Blossom Spear.
• Madame Gao watched Kingpin, Matt, Peter, and Lin Hai defeat The Hand’s leaders, and the battle outside the Stone Prison ended.

After the battle, Lin Hai and Kingpin decided to spare Madame Gao and execute the captured Bakuto. Lin Hai killed Bakuto after waking him so he could hear his last words.

• Lin Hai cleared the bloody arena by dissolving most of the vines, and Peter and Harry's banter eased the tension.
• Lin Hai and Kingpin silently agreed to keep Madame Gao alive for now and turned their attention to the unconscious Bakuto.
• Madame Gao denounced Bakuto and praised her own ability to read the situation when Lin Hai suggested killing him.
• Lin Hai woke Bakuto, who cursed Madame Gao and begged Lin Hai and Kingpin to spare his life in exchange for his wealth and connections.
• Lin Hai mocked Bakuto's final outburst and drove his Plum Blossom Spear through Bakuto's heart.

After Lin Hai killed Bakuto, Madame Gao chose to prioritize survival and followed the group to the Stone Prison. Lin Hai opened it to reveal the Dragon Bone, while his companions went inside to look and Madame Gao stayed cautiously at the entrance.

• Madame Gao reflected on the deaths of the other Fingers and decided that staying alive mattered more than revenge or rebuilding The Hand.
• Kingpin contacted his men to clean up, then asked Lin Hai how the group would leave; Peter and Harry persuaded Lin Hai to visit the Stone Prison first.
• Lin Hai led the group to the Stone Prison, and Madame Gao followed because she wanted to see the Dragon Bone.
• Lin Hai opened the sealed door and warned Peter and Harry not to damage or take any of the Dragon Bone.
• Kingpin, Harry, Peter, Gwen, and Elektra entered to look around, while Matt and Madame Gao stayed at the entrance.

After exploring the Dragon Bone, Kingpin took Madame Gao into custody while Lin Hai and his companions returned to their home in Los Angeles. There, Peter and Lin Hai helped Harry clean and remove his battered Nova Armor, and the friends ended the chapter joking together.

• Kingpin's subordinates began clearing the underground space, and one of his confidants escorted Madame Gao away after she gave up on escaping.
• Lin Hai opened a Portal to Matt's law office and sent Matt and Elektra through before opening another Portal to the underground laboratory in Los Angeles.
• Gwen went upstairs to shower while Lin Hai and Peter rinsed the blood and grime from Harry's Nova Armor.
• Lin Hai and Peter spent more than ten minutes helping Harry remove the armor, then Harry teased Peter about giving his suit the same thorough cleaning.
• Harry, Lin Hai, and Peter inspected and stored the armor components before heading upstairs.

After a year without major supernatural incidents, Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry settled into college life while making personal and practical progress. As their senior year began, new challenges and possibilities approached before their graduation from the California Institute of Technology.

• Lin Hai and Gwen visited each other's families during school breaks, and The Ancient One reforged Gwen's staff with Dragon Bone fragments.
• Madame Gao used the Dragon Bone medicine Kingpin gave her to control her organ failure, then helped the Fisk Group absorb The Hand's remaining businesses and assets.
• Peter invited Mary Jane to meet Uncle Ben and Aunt May, whose attention to her eased their nagging and delighted Peter.
• Harry analyzed the Nova Armor's battle data and refined its thrusters, joints, fire-control systems, and prediction models.
• Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry reached their senior year at the California Institute of Technology, with graduation and new challenges ahead.

As senior year began, Lin Hai prepared for Tony Stark’s impending kidnapping by commissioning surveillance cameras and strengthening his ties with Kingpin and Vanessa. He revealed to Gwen that his plans concerned time, then invited her to travel with him to Afghanistan.

• Lin Hai asked Peter and Harry to build at least twenty miniature cameras with long battery life, clear low-light footage, and extensive storage or real-time uploading, and they agreed.
• Lin Hai visited Kingpin and Vanessa more often, prompting Kingpin to ask why; Lin Hai cryptically refused to explain.
• Gwen questioned Lin Hai about his recent behavior, and he used the Eye of Agamotto’s connection to time to hint at the nature of his plans.
• Lin Hai invited Gwen to Afghanistan, and she agreed to go with him.

Lin Hai took Gwen to Afghanistan to search for the valley where the Ten Rings Gang would imprison Tony Stark, but kept its purpose secret until they arrived. They explored the surrounding mountains and encountered wildlife, then returned to Los Angeles without finding the valley.

• Lin Hai brought Gwen to a barren Gobi region in Afghanistan and promised to explain his plans within about six months.
• Lin Hai told Gwen he was scouting for a valley secretly occupied by an armed group, and said he would use Life Force to search through the sparse vegetation.
• Lin Hai and Gwen encountered Afghan wildlife, including Afghan Foxes, Kashmir Musk Deer, and a Golden Eagle.
• Lin Hai and Gwen failed to find the valley before dinner, so Lin Hai opened a Portal and took them back to Los Angeles.

Lin Hai planned to add Life Energy-infused Sandalwood bracelets to Starsea Studio’s product line, with basic models for sale and stronger ones for friends and family. He also intended to give Pepper a bracelet so he could locate and protect Tony, and he began acquiring seeds for two kinds of cultivation.

• Lin Hai decided to make Sandalwood bracelets with health benefits and test affordable basic models through Starsea Studio’s existing sales channels.
• At dinner, Lin Hai told Gwen, Peter, and Harry about the bracelets, and the three pressed him to explain their effects.
• Lin Hai planned to tell Pepper about the bracelets so she might give one to Tony, allowing Lin Hai to locate him and provide protection if needed.
• With Harry’s help, Lin Hai obtained high-quality Sandalwood seeds.
• Lin Hai planned to cultivate a small batch with concentrated Life Force for friends-and-family bracelets, then grow a larger batch for commercial bracelets that could calm the mind and improve sleep.

Lin Hai grew a sandalwood seed into a long, bead-shaped rod for the bracelet he planned to make for Gwen, then used his Life Force to transform it into small, smooth beads. The beads were ready, but the bracelet itself had not yet been assembled.

• Lin Hai asked Gwen what kind of sandalwood bracelet she liked, and she chose a strand of 108 small beads that could wrap around her wrist several times.
• Lin Hai altered a sandalwood seed with his Life Force and grew it into a slender rod with rounded sections resembling beads.
• Lin Hai decided to shape the rod directly into individual beads instead of having it cut and polished later.
• Lin Hai transformed the rod into around a hundred fragrant, smooth sandalwood beads with holes through their centers.
• Peter, Gwen, and Harry examined the beads as Lin Hai declared the materials ready.

Lin Hai made sandalwood beads for special bracelets and asked Peter to create a durable, elastic cord for them. Peter finished and tested the cord, and Lin Hai planned to assemble bracelets for their families after breakfast.

• Lin Hai asked Peter to make a strong, elastic cord for a few dozen friends-and-family bracelets rather than for mass production.
• Lin Hai made sandalwood beads in four sizes and chose recipients for small multi-loop and larger single-loop bracelets.
• Peter rushed to the lab early the next morning and returned with a translucent cord that stretched and survived repeated knife strikes.
• Lin Hai, Gwen, and Harry applauded Peter as he showed off the cord, then Lin Hai set it aside for bracelet-making.
• Lin Hai and the others ate breakfast while discussing bracelet designs and their families' reactions.

Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry finished making sandalwood bracelets and began delivering them to their loved ones. Lin Hai gave bracelets to Chen Bing, Matt, Elektra, and Foggy, then opened a portal to visit Kingpin.

• Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry completed their bracelets and sorted the gifts they planned to deliver.
• Lin Hai gave Chen Bing a bracelet, explained its health and longevity benefits, and watched him put it on.
• Lin Hai visited Matt's law office and gave bracelets to Matt, Elektra, and Foggy.
• Elektra chose the delicate multi-strand bracelet and asked whether it could preserve youth or improve her complexion; Lin Hai said it might improve her skin and slow aging over time.
• Lin Hai opened a portal to Kingpin's office to deliver the next bracelets.

Lin Hai visited Kingpin and Vanessa to give them custom bead bracelets that improved health and longevity, then asked Vanessa to tell Pepper Potts about their effects. He explained that he wanted to sell a bracelet to Tony Stark through Pepper, not promote them among New York’s elite.

• Lin Hai opened a Portal into Fisk Tower and apologized to Kingpin and Vanessa for arriving without warning, offering bracelets as gifts.
• Kingpin examined his custom bracelet and praised Lin Hai’s progress, recalling how their relationship began and the past danger to Vanessa and Richard.
• Vanessa asked whether the bracelet’s beauty benefits were genuine, and Lin Hai assured her it could improve complexion through better health.
• Lin Hai asked Vanessa to reveal the bracelet’s effects only to Pepper Potts at high-society gatherings.
• Lin Hai clarified that he did not intend to promote the bracelets broadly and wanted to sell one to Tony Stark through Pepper.

Lin Hai arranged for Vanessa to introduce his health-improving bracelet to Pepper, hoping it would reach Tony Stark before his kidnapping. After securing Vanessa’s help, he returned to the clinic, tended the plants, and later departed for Los Angeles with Gwen, Peter, and Harry.

• Lin Hai explained to Kingpin and Vanessa that Pepper might become interested in the bracelet through Vanessa and give one to Tony Stark, helping him survive the coming missile explosion and kidnapping.
• Vanessa agreed to contact Pepper about attending an art and charity salon, where she could tell her about the bracelet and direct her to Lin Hai’s clinic.
• Lin Hai thanked Kingpin and Vanessa, then left through a magical Portal and returned to the clinic.
• Lin Hai greeted Chen Bing and tended the plants at his Herbal Plant Shop while waiting for Gwen, Peter, and Harry to return.
• Harry returned with gifts from Norman, followed by cheerful Gwen and energized Peter.
• Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry said goodbye to Chen Bing and headed back to Los Angeles.

Lin Hai arranged for Pepper to visit the Herbal Plant Shop after Vanessa’s introduction, then brought Gwen, Peter, and Harry to New York for medicinal hot pot with Chen Bing. As they finished their meal, Pepper arrived at the clinic.

• Vanessa told Lin Hai that Pepper was interested in buying a bracelet and planned to visit the Herbal Plant Shop the next day.
• Lin Hai invited Gwen, Peter, and Harry to New York for medicinal hot pot, and all three eagerly agreed.
• Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry crossed through the Portal and bought ingredients in Chinatown before returning to Chen Bing’s clinic.
• Chen Bing prepared the medicinal hot pot broth, and the group enjoyed a meal together in the backyard.
• After the meal, the doorbell rang, and Lin Hai suspected Pepper had arrived and went to check.

Lin Hai gave Pepper Potts two special sandalwood bracelets and agreed that she would pay after experiencing their effects. After Pepper bought several potted plants, Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry finished cleaning up and left through a Portal after saying goodbye to Chen Bing.

• Lin Hai gave Pepper two special bracelets and explained their claimed benefits, while Pepper considered the effects and accepted them.
• Lin Hai proposed that Pepper pay an amount she considered appropriate after wearing the bracelets for several days or a week, and Pepper agreed.
• Pepper asked Lin Hai to help her choose several potted plants for her office and home, then left with Happy Hogan.
• Lin Hai joined Gwen, Peter, and Harry in cleaning up the meal and kitchen.
• Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry said goodbye to Chen Bing and departed through a Portal.

After Pepper paid for Lin Hai’s bracelet, she gave another to Tony Stark, who discovered through experience and data that it improved his sleep and eased his fatigue. Lin Hai saw Tony wearing it in a photo and continued preparing for the events ahead.

• Lin Hai received Pepper’s message confirming payment and reporting that the bracelet worked as promised.
• Pepper left Tony a sandalwood bracelet and a note saying it might relieve fatigue and improve sleep.
• Tony put on the bracelet and fell asleep more easily than usual.
• Tony tracked his sleep and recovery data, then ran control experiments that convinced him the bracelet was useful.
• Lin Hai saw a photo of Tony wearing the bracelet and continued work on the miniature cameras and reconnaissance in Afghanistan.

Lin Hai accelerated his thesis work while preparing to document Tony Stark’s captivity in Afghanistan. He located the Ten Rings Gang’s cave and set up a concealed camera network, then remotely calibrated it from Los Angeles.

• Lin Hai and Gwen returned to Los Angeles after a brief family visit and focused on finishing their theses, while Harry began writing his and Peter spent most of the break dating MJ.
• Lin Hai found a snow-covered Afghan valley with Stark Industries crates inside its military tents, confirming it as the Ten Rings Gang’s base.
• Lin Hai used Heartbind Vine seeds to install miniature cameras inside the cave walls, reserving five cameras for close-up footage of Tony.
• Lin Hai returned to Los Angeles and used Harry’s encrypted tablet to connect to and calibrate the cave cameras.
• Lin Hai imagined giving Tony the complete footage as a souvenir album and selling it to him years later.

In his final semester at Caltech, Lin Hai finished his thesis while monitoring the Ten Rings Gang and managing Starsea Studio, expecting Tony Stark’s kidnapping to happen soon. After Tony won the Apogee Award for the Jericho missile, Lin Hai watched the Afghanistan cave feeds and waited for Tony to arrive.

• Lin Hai, Gwen, Peter, and Harry agreed they would focus on their theses and would not pursue graduate degrees or ordinary jobs.
• Peter rapidly caught up on his thesis, Gwen resumed studying Kamar-Taj magic, and Harry studied the Osborn Group’s business and management under Norman’s guidance.
• Lin Hai monitored the Ten Rings Gang in Afghanistan and noticed its ranks growing and more Stark weapons arriving in the cave.
• Starsea Studio began producing small batches of sandalwood bead bracelets and researching the market for them.
• Lin Hai finished the final version of his thesis and received a news alert that Tony Stark had won the Apogee Award for developing the Jericho missile.
• Lin Hai opened the cave surveillance feeds and waited for Tony Stark to arrive in Afghanistan.

Tony Stark skipped his Apogee Award ceremony, delayed his flight to Afghanistan, and gave a successful Jericho missile demonstration. As his convoy left the site, the lead jeep was blown up, beginning the attack that would lead to his capture.

• Tony Stark missed the Apogee Award ceremony, so Obadiah Stane accepted the award on his behalf.
• Tony spent the night with Christine Everhart, then delayed his Afghanistan flight by working on his hot rod until Pepper hurried him along.
• Tony arrived three hours late at the airport, where James Rhodes waited, and flew with him to Afghanistan.
• Tony demonstrated the Jericho missile to U.S. soldiers, and it destroyed its target in the mountains.
• Tony declined Rhodey's offer to ride with him and joked with soldiers as his jeep traveled in the convoy.
• An explosion destroyed the jeep leading Tony's convoy.

Tony Stark survived the Ten Rings Gang’s attack and was kidnapped, while Lin Hai monitored his capture from afar. Tony woke in a cave, where an unseen man warned him not to move.

• The Ten Rings Gang attacked Tony Stark’s convoy, killed the guards, and left Tony unconscious but alive.
• The gang leader ordered his men to take Tony captive so they could exploit his weapons expertise.
• Lin Hai watched the kidnapping from hiding, then monitored Tony’s treatment and captivity through surveillance feeds.
• Tony briefly woke during a ransom-video recording, then lost consciousness again.
• Tony later woke in the cave, removed an oxygen tube, and reached for water despite a tug in his chest.
• A man shaving before a broken mirror warned Tony not to move.

Tony Stark woke in captivity with an electromagnet keeping shrapnel from reaching his heart, then refused to build Jericho missiles until his captors tortured him into agreeing. Back in the cave, Yinsen urged the despairing Tony to use the crucial week he had left, and Tony appeared to make a decision.

• Tony Stark woke to find a car battery wired to the electromagnet embedded in his chest, and Yinsen explained how it was keeping shrapnel from reaching his heart.
• Militants demanded that Tony build Jericho missiles, but he refused and was repeatedly submerged in water until he agreed.
• The militants showed Tony crates of Stark Industries weapons and promised to release him after he built the missiles; Tony and Yinsen privately agreed that they would not.
• Back in the cave, Tony despaired over his injuries, his limited time, and the certainty that his captors would not release him.
• Yinsen urged Tony to treat the coming week as crucial, and Tony's gaze sharpened as he appeared to make a decision.

Tony Stark built a Miniature Arc Oscillation Reflector and revealed that his blueprints formed a steel suit of armor, then began assembling its parts with Yinsen. The Ten Rings Gang leader grew suspicious, threatened Yinsen, and gave Tony until the next day to assemble the Jericho missile.

• Tony melted palladium plates and built the first Miniature Arc Oscillation Reflector, which replaced the electromagnet in his chest and removed his immediate risk of dying.
• Tony showed Yinsen how his separate blueprints aligned to form a steel suit of armor, and Yinsen helped him install the reactor.
• Tony and Yinsen tested crude armor parts, catching the attention of the bald leader, who led armed militants into their cave.
• The bald leader examined Tony’s reactor and blueprints, then threatened Yinsen with a red-hot iron while questioning him about their work.
• Tony spoke up to protect Yinsen, and the leader ordered Tony to assemble the Jericho missile by the next day.

As Tony Stark’s Mark I armor neared completion, Lin Hai secretly entered the cave and protected Yinsen while the Ten Rings Gang closed in. The armor powered up and Tony began fighting back, while Yinsen remained surrounded by armed men outside.

• Tony and Yinsen nearly finished putting on the Mark I before a guard noticed Tony was missing from the surveillance feed.
• Two armed men opened the cave door, triggering an explosion that killed them and alerted the Ten Rings Gang.
• Tony told Yinsen to start the armor’s power-up sequence as the gang’s men rushed toward the cave.
• Yinsen ran into the passage to draw the attackers away, and Lin Hai secretly used Life Force to protect him from fatal injuries.
• Yinsen reached the cave entrance and found more than a dozen armed men waiting for him.
• Tony’s armor powered up, and its steel arm struck an armed man as the others fired wildly into the cave.

Tony used Mark I to fight his way through the cave and reach Yinsen, while Lin Hai watched and livestreamed the escape. After Yinsen warned Tony about the bald leader’s grenade, Tony brought the leader down with a rocket and urged Yinsen to leave, but Yinsen said his plan had always been to stay behind.

• Tony piloted Mark I through the cave, defeating the armed men and smashing through the locked iron doors at the exit.
• The bald leader fired a grenade at Mark I, but Tony dodged it after Yinsen shouted a warning.
• Tony fired a small rocket that triggered a rockslide and buried the bald leader.
• Tony found Yinsen badly wounded and urged him to escape with him, but Yinsen said he had always planned to stay behind.
• Lin Hai watched the scene on his tablet and worried that Yinsen’s Life Force would keep him alive long enough to accompany Tony.

Lin Hai recalled how Pepper Potts had asked him to find Tony Stark, then intervened when Tony was about to lose more time in the Afghan cave. He made Yinsen appear dead so Tony would leave, while secretly keeping Yinsen alive, and Tony emerged in the Mark I as the militants opened fire.

• Pepper asked Vanessa Fisk to help her reach Lin Hai, and Vanessa confirmed that he had extraordinary abilities.
• Lin Hai agreed to search for Tony and used Life Force to restore Pepper after her exhausting days.
• Watching Tony and Yinsen on the tablet, Lin Hai stimulated Yinsen’s carotid sinus, causing him to lose consciousness while Lin Hai’s Life Force kept him alive.
• Believing Yinsen had died, Tony put on the Mark I and left the cave to fight his way out rather than delay further.
• The militants fired on Tony’s steel armor, but the Mark I remained standing at the cave entrance, apparently unharmed.