Healing Is So I Can Beat You Up

After passing through the Portal, the group quickly met Fury under Hill’s lead.

Seeing Fury lying in the hospital bed looking half-dead, as if he could croak at any moment, Li Feng greeted him with a smile. "Stark asked me to pass along his regards. Also, he wanted to ask where your ideal burial site would be. Don’t worry, Stark said he’d let you use it for free for a hundred years."

"As for after those hundred years," Li Feng said with a shrug, "someone might dig up your ashes and scatter them into Outer Space, so you can drift around out there."

"Thank Stark for his kindness," Fury said, twitching at the corner of his mouth. He looked at Steve and Natasha and complained mournfully, "You finally made it. Spinal injury, fractured sternum, shattered collarbone, punctured liver, and my head hurts like hell."

From the side, Fury’s attending physician added, "Don’t forget the ruptured lung."

"Oh, can’t forget that," Fury said, raising a brow. "Other than that, I’m doing pretty well."

Natasha was certain she had seen Fury undergo surgery and die with her own eyes. Remembering that Silvert was a biotechnological human, she could not help wondering whether Fury was one too. "I saw them cut you open. Your heart even stopped beating—"

Before Natasha could finish, Fury understood what she was suspecting and interrupted her. "Tetrodotoxin B. That stuff can lower your pulse to one beat a minute. Banner wanted to use it to relax, but it didn’t do much for him, so we put it to good use."

Still carrying Bucky, Steve fell silent for a moment before saying, "Looks like Austin and Stark guessed right. You really didn’t die. But I don’t understand why you kept it such a secret. Why hide it even from us?"

Hill explained, "So people would believe the director had really been murdered. We kept it from you because you’re bad at lying."

Is that a compliment for being honest, or an insult that I can’t act? Steve thought helplessly.

Fury casually explained, "A dead man can’t die twice. Besides, I didn’t know who I could trust."

Natasha and Steve exchanged a look, their eyes filled with bitterness. Compared to the tiny tip of the iceberg Fury had uncovered, they had personally heard Dr. Zola explain how Hydra had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D., transforming a perfectly good S.H.I.E.L.D. into Hydra S.H.I.E.L.D.

Seeing everyone fall silent, Li Feng scratched his head and walked over to Fury. As he cast a Healing Spell on him, he said, "Egg, I’d like to discuss that little saying of yours about how a dead man can’t be killed again. And while we’re at it, let’s talk about Pierce showing up at S.H.I.E.L.D. safe and sound."

Feeling his body suddenly improve, Fury yanked off the blanket and jumped out of bed. Carefully stretching his chest, he gave Li Feng a thumbs-up. "I think even my internal organs have been healed. Thanks."

Li Feng smiled and waved a hand. Just as everyone thought he was about to say "you’re welcome," his expression suddenly changed. He kicked Fury flying, then cast a Healing Spell on Fury’s spine, which had been broken again, while grinning viciously. "Don’t mention it. I just thought bullying someone barely clinging to life wasn’t much fun. I healed you so you’d be tougher to beat up."

As he spoke, Li Feng took a quick step and leaped in front of Fury, who had been healed once more. He grabbed Fury by the throat and flung him away. Healing him as he spoke, Li Feng said, "I told you to hand over the person who launched the Nuclear Weapon. And what did you do? You just fed me nonsense. I was stupid enough to believe your crap."

"Now…" Li Feng cracked his knuckles, grabbed Fury by the collar, and gave him a powerful over-the-shoulder throw.

Steve stared dumbfounded at Fury, who alternated between vomiting blood and being full of life. He hurriedly set Bucky down, ready to break up the fight, when he saw Li Feng help the dazed Fury up. After throwing several Healing Spells at him, Li Feng gripped Fury’s shoulder and said coldly, word by word, "Take me to Pierce. I want to finish him myself."

Fury shook his dizzy head and said expressionlessly, "No problem. I was just about to settle accounts with him too."

"Heh." Li Feng walked to the side, leaned against the wall, and folded his arms. "Considering you used a biotechnological human to fob me off before, this time I want the real Pierce." Pointing at the silent Silvert nearby, Li Feng sneered. "If the Pierce I see is another fake like Silvert, I want to know everything about Pierce, including the records sealed away in the paper archives. Oh, and to keep you from lying to me again, I’m going to search the paper archives myself."

Fury did not think much of it. He simply assumed Li Feng had been driven mad with rage by Pierce. After all, merely concealing the truth about Pierce had earned Fury a brutal beating. It was obvious how much Li Feng hated Pierce now.

There was nothing wrong with wanting to dig through old records to determine where Pierce might be hiding.

Fury had done that sort of thing often before. Just as Zola had said, "The twenty-first century is all about digital books." Only by understanding someone’s past could one more easily deduce their whereabouts.

Still, Fury blinked his innocent little eyes and explained, "When I handed Pierce over, I didn’t know he was a biotechnological human."

"I don’t care whether you knew. I just want Pierce," Li Feng said, rolling his eyes.

Fury nodded slightly, wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and crouched beside Silvert for a look. Then he looked at the petrified Bucky and asked, "Captain, what are you going to do about the Winter Soldier? Hydra controlled him when he committed those crimes, but most of the victims won’t care whether he was controlled."

Steve looked at Bucky with conflicted eyes. After a moment of silence, he said, "He’s a brother I trust. Bucky and I will repay those debts together."

After speaking, Steve looked at Li Feng.

Li Feng instantly understood the meaning in Steve’s eyes. Secretly summoning the Mind Stone, he extended his right index finger and touched Bucky’s chest.

A few seconds later, Li Feng released Bucky’s petrification while panting heavily. "I removed Hydra’s control and sorted out his memories a little. As for fully restoring Bucky’s memories, he’ll have to find them himself."

"Thank you. I owe you two favors." After thanking him, Steve stood before Bucky, whose eyes were full of confusion, and asked softly, "Hey, Bucky. Do you remember me?"

Bucky fell silent for a moment. "Can you stop asking that? You’ve asked me hundreds of times already, Steve."

Hearing Bucky call him "Steve," Steve smiled and patted Bucky’s shoulder. "Welcome back."

Fury glanced at Li Feng. For some reason, he felt Li Feng’s spellcasting process looked very similar to how Loki had controlled Selvig and Barton—both involved casting something at the heart.

The only difference was that Loki had relied on a scepter embedded with an energy gem, while Li Feng used his finger.

But Fury had no desire to ask about it now. Li Feng had just beaten him half to death, and Fury had no intention of experiencing that feeling a second time.

More importantly, they needed to deal with Project Insight, which would slaughter more than a million people.

With that thought, Fury put on his beloved black trench coat, pushed open the hospital room door, and clapped his hands to draw everyone’s attention away from Bucky. "Guys, we don’t have much time."

After handing Silvert and Bucky over to another agent, Hill led everyone into a cramped conference room.

Sitting in a chair, Fury took out an early photograph of Pierce and sighed. "This man refused to accept the Nobel Peace Prize. He said peace was not an achievement, but a responsibility."

Fury tossed the photo onto the table and gritted his teeth. "See? It’s people like this who make me unable to trust anyone."

Li Feng curled his lips slightly and muttered, "Serves you right. You brought this on yourself. Why didn’t Pierce kill you on the spot?"

Big brother, this isn’t the time to discuss who was right and who was wrong, Natasha thought, covering her forehead. She interrupted, "We need to stop the Helicarriers from taking off."

"You think the council will still answer my calls?" Fury mocked himself, then pulled out a small case from behind him and opened it.

Steve looked at the three chips inside the case and asked, "What are these?"

Hill explained, "Once the Helicarriers reach three thousand feet, they’ll form a triangle with the Insight satellites. Only then will the Helicarriers be armed."

Fury continued, "We have to infiltrate the Helicarriers and replace their targeting chips with our own."

"Replacing one or two chips won’t do anything. We have to connect to all three Helicarriers." After a pause, Hill explained, "Because even if only one Helicarrier remains operational, a lot of people will still be killed."

Fury said with some helplessness, "We can’t tell who is Hydra and who is one of us." At that, Fury glanced at Li Feng. "That means our Mage here can’t make use of his Dementor army. We have to assume everyone aboard the Helicarriers is Hydra. We’ll have to fight our way through them and insert the chips into the Helicarriers."

Fury looked around the room and added, "Maybe, and I mean maybe, we can salvage some—"

Before Fury could finish, Steve interrupted, "We’re not salvaging anything."

Fury stared wide-eyed at Steve. Buddy, can you say that again? Do you know how much money it takes to build a Helicarrier? It’s easy for you to say when you never embezzled any of that money and don’t feel the pain.

Ignoring Fury’s dumbfounded gaze, Steve said, "We’re going to destroy the Helicarriers. And S.H.I.E.L.D. too."

What does that mean? Fury was bewildered. He could not understand Steve’s train of thought and asked blankly, "S.H.I.E.L.D. has nothing to do with this."

Steve shook his head slightly. He had dealt with Hydra his entire life, and he knew exactly what it meant for Hydra to be hidden within S.H.I.E.L.D.

If they did not destroy S.H.I.E.L.D., were they supposed to watch Hydra continue parasitizing it and slowly grow stronger?

With anger in his voice, Steve said, "You gave the mission back to me. This is how I’m doing it."

Fury’s expression stiffened. I barely have any subordinates left. If I don’t give the mission to you, who am I supposed to give it to? Should I outsource it to Stark or Austin?

Fury looked at Hill and Natasha, hoping his two right-hand women could persuade Steve not to destroy S.H.I.E.L.D. at the drop of a hat.

But Steve, growing angrier by the second, did not wait for anyone to persuade him. He spoke rapidly, "S.H.I.E.L.D. has changed. You said it yourself—Hydra grew right under your nose, and you knew nothing."

Fury retorted, "If I hadn’t discovered Hydra, why would I be hiding here to meet with you?"

"Before you identified the Hydra members, how many people died because of it?" Steve declared forcefully, "S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra—neither will be spared."