Chapter 43: Tony Has Disappeared!

Moving wasn’t difficult. That very day, Skye helped find a suitable apartment: two bedrooms, a living room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, just near the single’s apartment Mr. Wang was renting.

Robbie wasn’t sure what excuse he’d used to persuade Gabe, but he returned to the repair shop, working overtime to fix up Skye’s battered old truck. He replaced the best brake pads and tires free of charge, then told the shop owner he’d be taking a break for now and would get in touch later.

Early the next morning, the four of them, in two cars, set out for New York.

Robbie hadn’t actually planned to stay in New York for long.

Mr. Wang had said that a month would be enough for Gabe to learn how to defend himself.

He’d just come back after a month—Gabe still had to go to school!

Hearing Robbie’s plan, Skye just chuckled.

Once you board Mr. Wang’s express, you think you can just get off when you want? Is this a kindergarten shuttle or a city bus that stops at every corner?

Young man, you’re far too naïve.

The moment you got in, Mr. Wang welded the doors shut.

For a thirty-million-dollar bottle of essence wine, you’ve basically sold yourself and your brother as a package deal!

A Ghost Rider, sold so cheap…

Mr. Wang had once said that Captain America’s shield alone cost at least fifty million dollars in materials, with its true value incalculable. If you added in Captain America himself, the total would be worth billions.

Robbie, forget about Cap—you’re not even worth as much as his shield. How are you going to make it in this world…

Since Mr. Wang was driving, Skye opened her laptop to see if she could find some gig jobs online. This trip had left her wallet truly empty; three years of hard work gone in a flash. Wang, you must compensate me with that essence wine—I want to squeeze every last drop out of you…

Suddenly, a piece of news caught Skye’s attention.

Breaking news: Tony Stark, chairman of the military’s major partner “Stark Industries,” a peerless genius, top ten on Forbes’ billionaire and celebrity lists for ten years running, darling of fashionistas and starlets alike, a self-centered madman, proud egotist, and perpetual bachelor, has gone missing after being attacked by terrorists in Afghanistan.

Stark Industries shares have plummeted by 22.34 percent, with investors fleeing en masse.

Skye froze, then slapped her laptop and let out a cry, nearly sick with regret.

Mr. Wang had always told her to keep an eye on Stark Industries’ stock price. This was only the second time it had dropped so dramatically since the company went public—an absolute plunge.

When was the last crash?

When founder Howard Stark died in a car accident!

Wang had said it many times: whenever the stock drops, buy like crazy—guaranteed profit.

Skye believed it; Wang did seem trustworthy.

The problem was, she had no money…

Wang’s essence wine was worth a million dollars per drop, wasn’t it?

Perhaps…

She could persuade him to sell a little?

As for customers?

S.H.I.E.L.D. would be perfect—or any of those billionaire tycoons, old and sick, with not much time left!

…

Driving a red sports car to their destination, then transferring to a Quinjet, Coulson and Melinda quickly arrived at S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Triskelion headquarters.

Without taking a break, they headed straight to the director’s office, placing freshly assembled documents on the desk. Coulson began a ten-minute-long briefing.

Besides “Egghead,” Black Widow, who was involved in the case, was also present.

Her complexion was rosy; clearly her injuries had healed remarkably well, thanks to the essence…cough, the life force Mr. Wang had infused.

Egghead was silent throughout.

He listened, pondered, and analyzed.

The emergence of Hydra was no surprise; but the “Winter Soldier’s identity” revealed by the “Iron Fist of Kunlun” did catch him off guard, even sparking a chain of thoughts:

If the Winter Soldier really was Sergeant Barnes, and if Hydra’s enhanced experiments kept him alive even after falling off a cliff, then could Captain America—with an even stronger physique—have survived as well?

The idea flickered and vanished. Egghead didn’t dwell on it.

When Captain America disappeared, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s predecessor, the Strategic Scientific Reserve, had organized countless searches. They found nothing—not even Cap’s plane.

He must be dead; otherwise, he’d have returned.

Of course, amnesia was always possible—like in those Korean dramas.

Perhaps someone should be sent to investigate the area where Cap disappeared.

The Winter Soldier’s strength was surprising; clearly, he’d undergone body enhancement experiments similar to Red Skull and Cap, matching the latter’s combat abilities, but still not unbeatable.

What truly concerned Egghead was the “Iron Fist of Kunlun.”

Strange, that name sounded familiar…

Egghead’s mind was a vault of the world’s secrets, but memory is finite. He stored the majority of detailed information in a small black cube.

Smaller than a Rubik’s cube, this device used S.H.I.E.L.D.’s most advanced tech:

The latest smart system, the toughest metal casing, an unbreakable encryption system, the largest storage capacity, and Level 10 clearance.

It was the Toolbox.

Nick Fury’s personal Toolbox.

“Kunlun, Iron Fist!” Egghead’s lips were dark, his teeth white, every syllable precise.

The black cube began an intelligent search, pulling up every record related to “Kunlun” and “Iron Fist.”

“Kunlun, home of the gods...no, not that.”

“Kunlun, a novel by Feng Ge…no, not that.”

“Kunlun, a Chinese character designation…no, not that.”

“Kunlun, a legendary organization…yes, that’s it!”

“Iron Fist, referring to a hardened fist…no, not that.”

“Iron Fist, a movie…no, not that.”

“Iron Fist, one of the seven immortal weapons of the legendary Kunlun…yes, that’s it!”

Egghead read through each entry.

At first, he was calm.

Then increasingly so—a calm that felt almost terrifying.

Ephemeral legends, oral accounts, the notes of those in the know…

All the information shredded and fused together in his mind.

A powerful and mysterious organization began to take shape.

Kunlun—an immortal realm no one could find.

Iron Fist—a mystical legacy connected to a dragon called “Shou Lao,” passed down through generations.

“Chi”—a mysterious Eastern force that could grant ordinary people superhuman strength, speed, endurance, and senses, even the ability to heal wounds, perhaps even resurrect the dead. The mysterious person who had defeated the Winter Soldier fit this description perfectly.

So, was that man truly the Iron Fist of Kunlun?

No, there were other possibilities.

Kunlun didn’t possess only the Iron Fist, just as Kung Fu Panda wasn’t the only panda.

Iron Fist wasn’t the only one who could wield “chi.”

According to decades of S.H.I.E.L.D. intelligence, many had connections to “chi.”

For example, Shang-Chi.

For example, the Five Fingers of the Hand.

What was their connection to Iron Fist?

What was their connection to Kunlun?

Egghead closed his eyes, then opened them after ten seconds.

“We can’t lose the Kunlun Iron Fist thread. The Darkhold is still in his possession.”

His single eye fixed on Natasha. “Agent Romanoff, you’ve had contact with Iron Fist and know him better than anyone. You’ll investigate. Focus on the Hand, and on Chinese martial artists. Coulson, May, hand all relevant files to Agent Romanoff.”

The Hand?

Director, how does your mind make such leaps—how did you get from here to the Hand?

Natasha was helpless, but the director’s orders had to be obeyed.

“Shouldn’t the priority be dealing with Hydra? Agent Romanoff is our top agent, best suited for Hydra. I can handle the Iron Fist investigation,” Coulson volunteered.

“I’ll handle Hydra myself.”

Egghead offered a brief explanation, then continued, “Coulson, May, you have a more important job…Tony Stark has gone missing.”