"A son? Uncle Wolf actually has a son with Mystique? And wait—if Nightcrawler is also her kid, does that mean Logan is technically... no, let's not even go there. My head hurts just thinking about the family tree," Huang Wen muttered, his voice echoing over the humid canopy of the Amazon rainforest.
He was currently perched on a massive mahogany tree in South America, looking at a message from Zhong Qiang that Silly Girl had just decrypted. Two days. He had been gone for exactly forty-eight hours, and in that time, Chinatown had apparently turned into a daytime soap opera.
"I knew Logan had been around the block, but I didn't think his 'winning rate' was high enough to produce a blue-skinned shapeshifter with bone claws," Huang Wen mused, scratching his chin. "The multiverse is a strange place."
However, the "Logan's son" drama was nothing compared to the ticking time bomb currently sitting in his own hotpot restaurant.
Back in New York, Zhong Qiang had officially "fallen in love."
It had started when a woman named Xiao Na walked into the restaurant. She was radiant, with a shock of red hair and a poise that made every man in the room forget how to breathe. At first, John and Zhong Qiang had been on high alert, thinking Mystique had pulled a fast one and returned with a fresh face. They treated her with a cold, professional distance that would have made a monk proud.
But then Logan had walked downstairs. He took one look at her, sniffed the air, and let out a dry snort. He didn't sense the chaotic, shifting ozone smell of Mystique. He just saw a very beautiful, very dangerous human woman. He gave a subtle nod of "all clear," and the gates were opened.
Zhong Qiang, feeling guilty for his initial rudeness, had spent the next hour apologizing profusely. And Natasha Romanoff—the Black Widow—saw her opening. She didn't need a sledgehammer to break a man like Zhong Qiang; she just needed a soft smile and a listening ear.
By the end of the week, Zhong Qiang was head over heels. He was smitten, blinded by the "Xiao Na" charm. Fortunately, the boy still had a shred of self-preservation left. He didn't tell her about the underground base or the fact that Huang Wen could move mountains with a thought, but he did talk. He talked about himself, his dreams, and his "boring" life as a martial arts student.
Through this, Natasha had gathered two critical pieces of data: a complex, nonsensical map of human "meridians" that she couldn't make heads or tails of, and the fact that the watch on Zhong Qiang's wrist was worth more than a fleet of SHIELD quinjets.
"It's too early to move," Natasha had told Nick Fury in their latest briefing. "The boy is a goldmine of indirect info, but he's fiercely loyal to Huang Wen. If I take the watch or push too hard, the trust breaks. I'll wait for the Master to return. I'll join the school as a student. If I can learn these 'miraculous' techniques from the source, SHIELD won't just have a spy; we'll have an army."
Huang Wen, now crossing the icy plains of Antarctica, stared at the holographic projection Silly Girl displayed.
"Boss, this is Ms. Xiao Na," Silly Girl said, her voice dropping into a tone that was almost mocking.
Huang Wen nearly choked on his water. He might not know every obscure mutant in the Marvel archives, but he knew the Black Widow. Seeing her sitting across from Zhong Qiang, sharing a plate of spicy tofu, was surreal.
"Silly Girl, keep a 24/7 watch on Xiao Qiang. If she so much as reaches for a concealed blade, I want to know. But don't interfere yet," Huang Wen commanded.
He knew Natasha wouldn't kill his friend. She was a professional. She was looking for a way in, not a way out. And since Zhong Qiang didn't actually know any of Huang Wen's real secrets—like the System or the origin of his powers—she could dig for a century and find nothing but a very frustrated martial artist.
The reason Natasha had such an easy time infiltrating was simple: the "heavy hitters" were gone. Logan and Yuriko, driven by the revelation of the boy named Laz, had left Chinatown. They were currently scouring the tri-state area, using Silly Girl's sub-programs to analyze the background of Mystique's video, looking for any clue—a specific brand of milk, a unique brick pattern—that could lead them to the boy.
Meanwhile, Huang Wen had arrived in Asia. But as he tried to cross into the heart of the continent, he hit a wall.
Not a physical wall. Not a mountain range. It was a barrier that defied all logic. He stood on the coast, looking toward the mainland, and saw planes flying overhead. He saw cargo ships steaming into port. Ordinary people were moving back and forth with zero resistance.
But when Huang Wen tried to step forward, his Dream Butterfly Escape felt like it was hitting a sheet of solid diamond. The land was right there, but it was "locked." Only Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan remained accessible.
"What the hell is this?" Huang Wen growled, pushing against the invisible force. "Why can a tourist walk across the line, but I can't? Is there a literal divine beast guarding the border?"
He tried every trick in his repertoire. He tried flying at high altitude, he tried diving under the sea, he even tried to phase through using his most advanced energy manipulation. Nothing. It was as if the land itself had decided he was an "illegal entity."
"It's a waste of energy. You won't get through."
The voice was calm, ancient, and entirely too close. Huang Wen spun around, his internal energy flaring, only to see a familiar figure in yellow robes.
The Ancient One.
Huang Wen realized with a start that he had circled all the way into the mountains of Nepal. He was standing just a few miles from Kamar-Taj.
"Master Ancient One," Huang Wen said, lowering his guard but remaining wary. "You have a habit of showing up when I'm having a bad day. Why is this land blocked? I'm not a demon."
The Ancient One smiled, her eyes twinkling with a knowledge that spanned centuries. "The barrier is not about morality, Huang Wen. It is about nature. For the ordinary, the world is one. But for those of us who touch the extraordinary, the lines are drawn in blood and ancient law. That land is protected by a chasm that no foreign power—mystical or otherwise—can cross without an invitation."
She stepped forward, looking at the invisible boundary. "If you were born from within that power, you could return. But you are... an anomaly. You are from somewhere else, even if your blood says otherwise. To the barrier, you are an outside force."
Huang Wen sighed, a deep sense of frustration washing over him. He had traveled halfway across the globe just to be told the "Final Boss" area was region-locked. "Fine. I guess I'll have to settle for the scenery out here."
"You should have healed Erik," the Ancient One said suddenly, her tone shifting to something more serious. "Without his balance, the mutants will descend into a chaos that even Charles cannot manage. The vacuum of power is a dangerous thing."
Huang Wen shook his head. "I'm not a doctor for hire, and I'm definitely not a savior for mass murderers. He got the ending he earned. If the world falls apart because one man can't move metal anymore, then the world was already broken."
"Perhaps," the Ancient One murmured. She looked off into the distance, her gaze piercing through the layers of reality. "Every choice creates a branch. I see a world where a Phoenix is born from the ashes, and without a pillar to stand against her, the fires will consume everything."
"Phoenix? I thought Jean Grey went down in the water," Huang Wen muttered, though the Ancient One didn't seem to hear him.
She turned back to him, her smile returning. "You will find what you are looking for on this journey, Huang Wen. Not what you wanted, but what you needed. We likely won't meet again in this cycle of time, so I will offer my congratulations now."
"Congratulations for what?" Huang Wen asked, confused.
But the Ancient One was already stepping into a swirling ring of orange sparks. "For the gain you do not yet see. Safe travels, Master of Wing Chun."
The portal snapped shut, leaving Huang Wen alone in the cold mountain air. He felt a familiar surge of irritation—the same one Logan felt whenever Huang Wen talked in riddles.