Chapter Summaries

Tartaglia, Rosaria, and Coulson uncovered deep Hydra infiltration in Moscow's S.H.I.E.L.D. branch and found a file hinting at Project Insight. In New York, Nick Fury faced an angry visitor and asked whether he could trust Steve Rogers.

• Blaze retrieved a hidden metal sphere from a wine bottle and gave the decoded box to Tartaglia.
• Rosaria killed Blaze, then joined Tartaglia, Sayu, and Coulson, who recovered the key and data from the box.
• Coulson explained that fewer than one in ten Moscow agents they had screened were loyal to S.H.I.E.L.D., and that Hydra had targeted his team to protect a major plan.
• Coulson and Sayu found the words "Project Insight" in the files, leaving Coulson shaken.
• Nick Fury ordered Commander Hill back to New York, then asked Steve Rogers whether he could trust him.

Nick Fury showed Steve Rogers Project Insight and questioned whether S.H.I.E.L.D. was being pushed toward dangerous policies, then asked Steve to deliver a crystal apple charm to Aether. The chapter ended with Bennett, his family, and the elderly man arriving home in New York.

• Fury asked Steve why he had stayed with S.H.I.E.L.D., and Steve said he served the country as a soldier.
• Fury took Steve to the Project Insight hangar and explained the Helicarriers, their targeting systems, and Tony Stark's engine suggestions.
• Fury admitted he feared someone was pushing S.H.I.E.L.D. forward and said he was willing to trust Steve; Steve warned he would oppose any actions that harmed the people.
• Fury gave Steve a crystal apple charm for Aether, and Steve caught it before it fell; Fury joked that Bennett brought bad luck and that Stark was buying stainless steel production lines.
• Bennett arrived at a New York airport with his wife, daughter, and an elderly man, then told a taxi driver to take them downtown.

Fury discovered that someone had sealed the Lemurian Star files under his own authorization, while Steve brought Fury’s Christmas present to Lin Ze, who realized Fury was in danger. Fury fought off a police ambush but was struck by a rocket as he tried to escape.

• Fury found that the Lemurian Star files were sealed under his authorization and feared that a Hydra operative had authority above his own.
• Steve visited Aether and Bennett at Stark Tower, then showed Lin Ze the apple ornament Fury had given him.
• Lin Ze recognized the ornament as a warning sign and concluded that Fury was in danger.
• Fury escaped an attack by armed men posing as police, while Tartaglia and his group ran from the chaos and left their luggage behind.
• Fury drove his damaged SUV through the streets, but a masked, armed man fired a rocket at him and flipped the vehicle.

Nick Fury was trapped in his wrecked car when a little girl and Tartaglia intervened against the masked killer. Tartaglia overwhelmed the attacker and prepared to continue the fight, while Fury used his device to escape the car.

• The masked killer ripped open Fury's car door and aimed a gun at his forehead.
• A little girl in an animal outfit crashed into the killer, dodged his shots, and was saved from a bullet by a blue streak.
• Tartaglia attacked the killer with Hydro-infused blades, overwhelming him and causing a glowing mark on his chest to erupt in pain.
• Fury aimed his metal device beneath himself and activated it as Tartaglia sent the killer crashing onto a car roof.
• Tartaglia drew his bow and challenged the battered killer, who glared back with renewed fighting spirit.

Tartaglia, Rosaria, Coulson, and Sayu escaped the crash site after Tartaglia fought a masked man, and Tartaglia said he knew where Nick Fury was headed. Meanwhile, Tony and Lin Ze realized their groups were being followed, and Tony sent Iron Man suits to wait near the Wanmin Restaurant.

• Tartaglia chased the masked man while Sayu fell asleep, and Rosaria and Coulson arrived to find that the people in the car had escaped.
• Rosaria urged the group to leave, and Coulson woke Sayu and helped her get away as Tartaglia ended his fight and revealed his name to the masked man.
• Rosaria said Nick Fury was in danger, and Tartaglia claimed he knew where Fury would go before leading Rosaria, Coulson, and Sayu away.
• Tony watched surveillance footage of the Teyvat visitors and spoke with Lin Ze, who said he was traveling with Captain Steve and Paimon while people followed them.
• After a suspicious man interrupted Tony in the restroom, Tony ordered JARVIS to send the Mark 16 through 23 suits to stand by near the Wanmin Restaurant.

Alexander Pierce branded Steve Rogers and Nick Fury as S.H.I.E.L.D. fugitives and authorized strike teams to kill them if they resisted. Meanwhile, Klee accidentally blasted the hidden Nick Fury at a fish farm, and Lin Ze left Coulson fearing Barbara might not reach him in time.

• Alexander Pierce told S.H.I.E.L.D. agents that Steve Rogers and Nick Fury had betrayed the organization, then ordered their capture and authorized lethal force if they resisted.
• Diluc let Kaeya take Klee to a fish farm, where Kaeya encouraged her to apologize to Diluc and left her to blast fish.
• Klee accidentally hit a person hiding underwater with her Jumpy Dumpties and ran to Kaeya in tears, afraid Jean would come after her.
• Kaeya found the injured man on the bank and brought the situation to Lin Ze at Wanmin Restaurant, where Nick Fury had been waiting.
• Coulson asked Lin Ze whether Nick Fury could be saved, and Lin Ze said it depended on how quickly Barbara could run.

Lin Ze and the others reunited with Nick Fury and learned how deeply Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. Fury explained his plan to stop Project Insight, revealing that Tony Stark had created a crucial computer virus.

• Tartaglia asked Lin Ze to spar, but Lin Ze turned him down before Kaeya, Klee, and Barbara returned with the injured Nick Fury.
• Fury thanked Barbara for healing him, and Coulson revealed that Alexander Pierce and many others in S.H.I.E.L.D. were Hydra agents.
• Tony arrived in his Mark Armor, and Tartaglia tried to buy one for his little brother before Tony refused.
• Fury smashed the apple ornament and revealed that it contained a computer virus tied to his plan to stop Project Insight.
• Fury explained that the Helicarriers' targeting depended on the Zola Algorithm and that the virus would help disable them, then revealed Tony had created it.

The group planned to stop Project Insight by using Tony's virus chip at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s liaison center, and recruited allies for the mission. The next morning, the children flew off in Mark Armor suits while Fischl and Oz realized they did not know the way.

• Tony explained that his chip could disable the satellites and let JARVIS access S.H.I.E.L.D.'s system, but it had to be installed at the liaison center's central console.
• Fury revealed that Pierce planned to launch the Helicarriers at nine the next morning, giving the group a chance to enter the center alongside World Security Council members.
• Lin Ze recruited Tartaglia, Klee, Kaeya, Xiangling, Barbara, Rosaria, and Sayu, while Tony left Mark Armor suits and Diluc contacted Eddie and Venom.
• Steve asked Natasha and Sam to join the mission, and both agreed.
• The next morning, Tony's Mark Armor suits carried the children toward the mission, while Fischl and Oz discovered that they did not know the way.

Pierce welcomed the World Security Council as Project Insight neared launch, while Klee, Qiqi, and Sayu entered S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters to rob it. Steve broadcast that Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and named Pierce as its leader, leaving agents and council members stunned as the Helicarriers prepared to launch.

• Pierce greeted the council members, gave them unrestricted-access badges, and led them to his top-floor office.
• Klee, Qiqi, and Sayu disrupted the ground control room and politely announced that they were there to rob the agents.
• Pierce toasted Project Insight with the council members as the Helicarrier appeared on the office screen.
• Steve broadcast to S.H.I.E.L.D. that Hydra had infiltrated the organization and identified Pierce as its leader.
• Steve warned that compromised Helicarriers would target anyone opposing Hydra, and agents and council members stopped to listen.

Steve’s speech exposed Pierce’s Hydra takeover, but Pierce ordered Rumlow to launch the Helicarriers before S.H.I.E.L.D. could stop them. Fischl intervened when a junior agent refused to obey, and the chapter ended as the agent noticed his computer screen turn red.

• Steve gave a speech that rallied S.H.I.E.L.D.’s true agents and revealed Pierce’s deception to the World Security Council.
• Pierce’s Action Team took the council members hostage, and he messaged Rumlow to launch the Helicarriers.
• Rumlow ordered a launch-console agent to activate the Helicarriers, but the agent refused despite Rumlow threatening him at gunpoint.
• Fischl shot Rumlow with a Purple Arrow and killed him when he tried to surrender and attack.
• Fischl praised the agent, who clung to her and sobbed, while Oz pointed out that the computer screen had turned red.

Steve, Hill, Sam, and the others prepared to confront the three Helicarriers after Hydra launched them, while Fischl reassured a stranded agent. Pierce ordered an elderly councilman killed, but a disguised ally stopped the bullets and revealed himself as Bieber.

• Hill reported that the three Helicarriers had begun launching, and Steve confirmed that Hydra agents at the launch console had been dealt with.
• The teams checked in using their chosen names, and Steve and Sam headed out to join Tony on Helicarrier number three.
• Fischl told the male agent that the Helicarriers could not be stopped and, as Oz clarified, settled in to play Happy Match.
• Pierce mocked the council members and ordered a Hydra agent to shoot the elderly councilman.
• A stooped middle-aged man stopped the bullets and revealed himself as Bieber, then told the councilman to wait until everything was over before enjoying the wine.

Venti, Natasha, and Tony stopped Pierce’s Hydra forces and began disabling the security systems to expose S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra. Pierce then revealed that Tony’s parents had been murdered and urged Natasha to show him a classified file, leaving Tony demanding the truth.

• Venti revealed his disguise and protected the council members from Hydra gunfire, then used wind to knock out the attackers.
• Natasha took over the central computer and began disabling security protocols so the secrets of S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra could be published.
• A councilman held Pierce at gunpoint while Natasha worked, and Iron Man arrived after carrying Captain America to safety.
• Tony rejected Pierce’s attempt to turn him against S.H.I.E.L.D. and said both organizations could be exposed.
• Pierce claimed Tony’s parents had been murdered rather than killed in an accident and told Natasha to show Tony Top Secret File CN98.
• Tony ordered Natasha to show him the file and threatened Pierce if he was lying.

After seeing footage of his parents’ murder, Tony learned that Bucky Barnes was the Winter Soldier and flew off to confront him and Steve. Meanwhile, Klee and Sayu’s fight against Hydra aboard a Helicarrier ended with an engine exploding, as Eddie and Venom climbed the second Helicarrier.

• Tony watched surveillance footage of his parents’ murder and grabbed Pierce in a rage.
• Pierce identified Bucky Barnes as the Winter Soldier and revealed that he had killed Tony’s parents.
• Tony flew away to find Bucky and Steve, while Fury explained to Lin Ze and Paimon that he had delayed telling Tony the truth.
• Natasha scanned Pierce’s eyes as Klee and Sayu fought Hydra agents aboard the first Helicarrier.
• Klee’s Jumpy Dumpties damaged the first Helicarrier’s engine, and Eddie and Venom hurried up the second Helicarrier after seeing the explosion.

Xiangling, Kaeya, and Diluc cleared their assigned sector of the Second Helicarrier, while Bennett and Barbara confronted Hydra agents in the cockpit. The cockpit remained under Hydra control, and Venom prepared to help them while Qiqi treated the injured Sam nearby.

• Xiangling fought Hydra agents, avoided a grenade blast with Kaeya and Diluc's help, and returned to Sector C to screen the resting S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
• Diluc and Kaeya continued sweeping their sector while trading teasing remarks about Xiangling and their rivalry.
• A terrified agent rushed into the right-sector cockpit, warning that a monster had killed Herbert, but the cockpit agents dismissed her warning.
• Bennett entered the cockpit and asked the agents to leave the controls alone, then discovered that nearly everyone there was Hydra and knocked one agent unconscious.
• Barbara arrived with Venom as Hydra agents fired at Bennett, and she told him that Qiqi was treating the injured Sam.
• Bennett and Barbara planned to rescue the unconscious S.H.I.E.L.D. hostage while leaving the Hydra agents to Venom, who said Diluc spoiled his appetite.

Sam thanked Qiqi for healing him, while Rosaria and Childe fought Hydra agents and the Winter Soldier aboard the ship. Childe and the Winter Soldier were about to clash again when Steve recognized the Winter Soldier as Bucky, who denied knowing him.

• Qiqi healed Sam's wounds, and Sam thanked her before contacting the Assassin Squad.
• Rosaria told Sam that Childe was playing with the Winter Soldier, then defeated the Hydra agents around her.
• Childe fought the Winter Soldier with arrows and twin blades, wounding him as the Winter Soldier retaliated at close range.
• The Winter Soldier removed his damaged mask and prepared to continue fighting Childe.
• Steve arrived, called the Winter Soldier Bucky, and was met with the Winter Soldier's angry denial.

Tartaglia watched Steve, Tony, and the Winter Soldier turn their confrontation into a chaotic brawl while the others stopped Hydra’s Helicarrier attack and ended S.H.I.E.L.D. The crisis ended with Hydra defeated, but Tartaglia’s team was still struggling to contain the fighters as Lin Ze proposed a victory banquet.

• Tartaglia asked for guidance as Steve, Tony, and the Winter Soldier fought one another, and Natasha explained their complicated history and sent Qiqi to help.
• Tony ordered JARVIS to take over the Helicarrier systems, while Eddie and Venom eliminated the Hydra operative at the console.
• Lin Ze told Pierce that the bombs in the council members’ badges had been removed, and Nick Fury watched the Helicarriers descend and surrendered Pierce to General Wood.
• Fury thanked Lin Ze, Venti, Paimon, and their allies, agreed to seek their help against Hydra, and Lin Ze invited everyone to a victory banquet.
• Tartaglia reported that Qiqi’s healing was prolonging the fight and asked Lin Ze to come see the chaos.

Tony left with Qiqi after learning that Bucky had killed his parents, while Steve and Lin Ze stayed behind as Hydra members were arrested. Later, Ceros visited Lin Ze at Stark Tower and gave him a Serenitea Pot, which turned out to be made of plastic.

• Tony calmed down after noticing Qiqi was exhausted, then left with her and decided to tell Pepper the truth about what had happened.
• Lin Ze comforted Steve and reflected on the guilt Bucky would carry for his past actions.
• Hydra members were taken away in handcuffs, and the remaining Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. faced investigation.
• Ceros visited Lin Ze at Stark Tower and complained about the stench from a bag of spoiled fruit.
• Ceros gave Lin Ze his Serenitea Pot, and Lin Ze discovered it was made of plastic.

Ceros gave Lin Ze a Serenitea Pot as a farewell gift, explained his transfer and told him the spacetime gate had been repaired so Lin Ze could return home. Back at the Transmigration Management Bureau, Lin Ze struggled to write a self-criticism, leaving Minister Wu to hand him an old one to copy.

• Ceros told Lin Ze he was being transferred to a minor leadership position and gave him a Serenitea Pot he had crafted.
• Ceros explained the Time Variance Authority’s role and said Lin Ze could return to the Transmigration Management Bureau because its spacetime gate had been repaired.
• Lin Ze clung to Ceros’s hand to absorb his luck before Ceros departed, then realized he had forgotten to ask whether Ceros was really his “Katherine.”
• At the bureau, Minister Wu found Lin Ze’s self-criticism document blank and told him to copy an old one.
• Lin Ze read the old self-criticism aloud, prompting Minister Wu to rap him on the head and remind him to change the name.

Lin Ze chatted with Lucy at the mission counter about the bureau’s history, the Space-Time Gate, and his former mission contact. After trying to summon good luck for a ten-pull, Lin Ze rushed off on a mission, leaving Lucy calling after him.

• Lucy told Lin Ze that the bureau nicknamed him and Minister Wu the “Gate Ultimate Nullifiers” because their departments had caused the only two repairs to the Space-Time Gate.
• Lucy explained that the bureau’s founder had been the first to travel through the completed gate, proving it worked, and that the Infinity Stones were forbidden because they were attracted to the gate.
• Lin Ze told Lucy about a powerful man from the Time Variance Authority who looked exactly like Zhuang Ruo, and Lucy said Zhuang Ruo had taken leave for counseling again.
• Lucy noticed Lin Ze was wearing one glove, and Lin Ze said it kept his good luck from evaporating before he prayed to Ceros for a gold in his ten-pull.
• After seeing the result of his ten-pull, Lin Ze grabbed his mission documents and sprinted out, shouting that he was going on a mission.

Lin Ze and Paimon returned to Stark Tower after three months away and told Tony that Qiqi was on her way with a dependable friend from Liyue. The chapter ended with that friend arriving at the locked tower entrance with Qiqi, while Lin Ze sensed they were there.

• Lin Ze and Paimon found Tony and Potts away in Nepal, and JARVIS connected them to Tony by video call.
• Tony and Potts welcomed Lin Ze and Paimon, and Potts promised to send them gifts.
• Tony worried about Qiqi and offered to send a plane for her and her escort once they arrived.
• Lin Ze explained that Qiqi was traveling with a long-lived, reliable friend, while he and Paimon planned to stay behind and help at Wanmin Restaurant.
• Qiqi and her escort reached Stark Tower, but neither knew how to open its electronic door lock.
• Lin Ze jolted while working inside the pot, sensing that Qiqi and her companion had arrived.