The roster of defendants read like a who's who of power players: Nick Fury, General Ross, and S.H.I.E.L.D. As director of the covert agency, Fury's name wasn't widely publicized—nor was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s existence as a classified organization. While General Ross might not be a household name, his military rank alone commanded respect.
His inclusion stemmed from his base's proximity to New York—and his conspicuous absence during the battle.
When the Federal District Court received the lawsuit, they handled it with kid gloves, immediately kicking it up to the Supreme Court. Beyond the high-profile plaintiffs and defendants, the extensive list of law firms and attorneys involved gave everyone headaches.
These legal eagles were courtroom regulars, most boasting undefeated records. Yet despite the initial shock, everyone privy to the case shared the same thought: "How could they possibly win?"
Had the plaintiffs' names been less extraordinary, the District Court would've dismissed the case outright.
They had plenty of methods to invalidate such lawsuits or force settlements. But facing Steve's resolute expression and the battalion of aggressive lawyers behind him, nobody dared try.
The Supreme Court's reaction mirrored the lower court's shock when the case landed in their laps—except they had nowhere left to pass the buck.
After heated deliberation, the Supreme Court officially notified the defendants.
"Motherf*cker!"
Fury's roar echoed through the Triskelion when the paperwork arrived. Shock gave way to white-hot rage—likely exacerbated by his position as first-named defendant. The simultaneous notice naming S.H.I.E.L.D. as co-defendant landed in his other hand. His single eye twitched as he stared at "Steve Rogers" heading the plaintiffs' list.
General Ross's reaction upon receiving his notice proved equally explosive.
Steve faced mounting pressure too—his rarely-used flip phone rang incessantly after filing the lawsuit until he yanked out the battery. Most of Big Head's hired legal team suffered similar harassment, though they took it in stride.
They knew victory was unlikely—this might even mark their first career losses. But the case would undoubtedly become a landmark legal battle, win or lose. The unprecedented publicity promised career-making exposure. For lawyers, fame translated directly to fortune. Besides, Hong Fei had already paid them obscenely well.
For now, the lawsuit remained under wraps. Television screens overflowed with Battle of New York coverage instead. The Avengers dominated airtime, followed by footage of the Seven-Member Group's coordinated fighting. Hong Fei's segments got buried at the end.
The crucial footage of Hong Fei carrying the nuke through the portal had been blurred to pixelated oblivion—as if filmed through a brick. The editing clearly aimed to minimize the Seven-Member Group's and Hong Fei's screen presence, subtly positioning the Avengers as the primary heroes.
The propaganda machine worked flawlessly. Avengers merchandise already flooded online pre-order pages—though whether royalties would line the heroes' pockets or S.H.I.E.L.D.'s coffers remained unclear.
The Seven-Member Group and Hong Fei were fully clad in black armor and never showed their faces, so although they occasionally received some attention, it did not spark much discussion. This situation continued until someone uploaded various battlefield footage filmed privately.
Although most of these videos had shaky footage, noisy audio, and were not even properly focused, they had a bit more authenticity compared to the propaganda on television. Especially the scene of Master Hong using his hands to conjure a dragon, which quickly earned an astonishing number of views.
......
In the afternoon, everyone woke up from their drunken state one after another.
Hong Fei, however, had long since been holding the Tesseract and absorbing energy. He hadn't absorbed it before, firstly, because he was worried that absorbing it might affect its ability to open portals; now, that concern was gone. The second reason was more direct: at that time, Hong Fei couldn't absorb it yet.
Now, both problems were solved.
The energy within the Tesseract was pure. It originated from the Space Stone at the core of the Tesseract and the structure of the Tesseract itself. Under the combined effect of both, the Tesseract had been continuously drawing in wandering energy from external space. After accumulating over a long period, the Tesseract could be called a fully charged, super-capacity battery.
Under the influence of the Space Stone, this energy could be transformed into space energy. However, after Hong Fei absorbed it, he used it to replenish the Dragon Power he had consumed, while storing the excess energy in the Dragon Power dimension, thus allowing for timely replenishment after consumption.
Dragon Power, energy, and Qi were the three things that could be recovered after consumption because they had their own fixed upper limits of storage. But the energy stored within the Tesseract was completely different; its total amount or upper limit would decrease with consumption. In other words, it was the difference between renewable and non-renewable.
The blue energy swimming inside the cube was fading. It surged rapidly through Hong Fei's palms. After a while, through the slightly crystalline cube, one could roughly see the glowing gem inside with the naked eye.
After a long time, Hong Fei put down the Tesseract. The last wisp of blue light in his hand swam upward, crept along his neck, and then suddenly disappeared.
In the Dragon Power dimension, the faintly flickering blue light was like a vast ocean, looking as if it were even greater than the total amount of Dragon Power.
Dragon Power Fusion Rate: 22.14%
One Battle of New York, and the fusion rate had doubled. Both his body and energy had broken through to the third stage.
At this moment, even without Dragon Power, relying solely on his body, he had completely stepped through the threshold into the extraordinary sequence from head to toe.
Seeing Hong Fei stop his movements, Big Head tiptoed over.
"Boss, Steve has filed the lawsuit."
Hong Fei nodded. The three main entities among the plaintiffs could be said to be controlled single-handedly by Hong Fei.
Needless to say about Steve, and the appearance of the New York City government was the first small fruit he had harvested after he had scattered the Black Widows into the U.S. Who would have thought that more than half of the council members in New York City were under the control of the Black Widows. It was control, not means like seduction.
The Mayor of New York had also become one of his own. God knows how much pressure the Battle of New York had brought to the city government. The mayor, council members, and other government officials had started trembling the moment they watched the Chitauri descend from the sky, and upon seeing the chaotic ruins of the city, they almost burst into tears.
Hong Fei knew instinctively that even without the Black Widows' influence, these people would rally behind Steve the moment he suggested it. They'd be waving flags and shouting slogans, desperate to lend a hand. This lawsuit offered them the perfect opportunity to clear their consciences. Once it gained momentum, it could even help them secure votes that hadn't been theirs to begin with.
In this land, whether you wanted to keep your position or climb higher, votes were everything.
As for the victims' families, they barely required any effort. Hong Fei glanced at Big Head.
"How many families did you manage to contact in just one night?"
Big Head grinned. "Plenty. By the time we filed the lawsuit, it was over 4,700. Arthur helped me reach out through phone calls and the internet. We only listed them as plaintiffs after getting their signatures or video verification. I'm betting that number could grow tenfold."
"Good. Keep at it. The more people, the better—as long as everything's authentic. Make sure these victims understand that while the alien invasion was an act of God, the losses they're facing now aren't just the aliens' fault. Those who acted recklessly and those who did nothing—they're all to blame."
Big Head nodded eagerly. "Exactly! If Fury hadn't been so reckless with his research, the Chitauri might never have come. And if General Ross hadn't sat on his hands, New Yorkers wouldn't have suffered so much."
He paused, then added, "Boss, most of those victims worked in Manhattan but live in other districts. Some are luckier—their homes are still standing. Others aren't so fortunate. Their companies and homes are gone. These are the people we need to focus on."
Hong Fei gave a slight nod, considering for a moment before speaking.
"Set aside some funds to establish a Post-War Emergency Relief Foundation. Besides us, reach out to the Avengers. Add their names to it. Those who can contribute money should. Those who can't can just lend their names. Then organize aid for those who were injured or lost everything in this war."
"Boss, you're truly generous!"
"Don't rush. Make it clear upfront: the aid is only for those directly affected by the war—people who've been displaced and left with nothing. If someone's sitting on a fortune and just lost one property or company, or if they're capable of supporting themselves but expect us to cover their losses, tell them to stay far away. Got it?"
"Understood! If anyone like that shows up, I'll have the legal team shut them down!"
"That's stupid. Lawyers cost money. Don't you have hands?"
"Right, right. My mistake."
Hong Fei shot him a look and added, "Tony Stark might not join, but he'll probably contribute in his own way. When the time comes, make sure to exchange updated aid lists with him. We can't let anyone exploit this. The money needs to go where it's needed."
Big Head nodded solemnly. "Boss, you're really a good person."
Whether he was good or bad, Hong Fei didn't know—and didn't care. He just wanted to see if throwing money at relief efforts could improve his condition. If it worked, he'd benefit. If not, he'd consider it a good deed and use it to build some goodwill among everyone involved in this battle.
The establishment of this foundation would also help Steve's upcoming lawsuit indirectly. At the end of the day, it was all about making a profit. It definitely wasn't because he felt a twinge of guilt!
......
Later that afternoon, Thor woke up. After a moment, he declared, "Hong, I should go!"
Hong Fei smiled and shook his head. "I'm afraid you can't."
Thor frowned. "Why?"
Hong Fei gestured behind him. Thor turned to see Jane Foster stepping through the doorway. Her eyes widened, instantly reddening as tears welled up.
Thor froze for a moment, then quickly nodded his thanks to Hong Fei before striding toward Jane.
They rushed into each other's arms, oblivious to the onlookers, and shared a passionate, lingering kiss.
Hong Fei turned to Big Head, his expression blank. "Get them a bed," he said dryly.
......
The day after the Battle of New York, television and internet platforms were flooded with recaps of the conflict, updates on New York's recovery, tributes to the victims, and discussions about the individuals who had fought in the battle. The tone of these conversations ranged from heated debates to somber reflections, but overall, the discourse remained controlled.
However, on the second day, the Daily Bugle released an urgent press statement that immediately captured global attention. It reignited the curiosity of online spectators, propelling the superhero narrative to new heights with unprecedented intensity.
Led by Captain America, supported by the New York City government, and backed by over ten thousand signatures from victims and their families—a number that continued to grow—a lawsuit was filed in Federal Court. The defendants named were "S.H.I.E.L.D. Director Nick Fury," "Military General Ross," and "S.H.I.E.L.D." itself.
The plaintiffs argued that these three parties bore primary responsibility for the Battle of New York and were obligated to issue apologies and provide compensation. The accusations were detailed and damning.
First, they claimed that Nick Fury, while withholding information from his superiors, had acted independently to conduct research on a particular item. The true purpose of this research allegedly contradicted its publicly stated objectives, and it was this research that provided the alien invaders with Earth's coordinates, enabling the invasion.
Second, General Ross was accused of inaction during the critical hours following the battle. Despite the crisis, he deployed no more than a hundred personnel to the conflict. His indifference during and after the battle was cited as a major factor in the extensive damage to New York City and the high number of casualties.
Third, S.H.I.E.L.D., as the custodian of the Tesseract, was charged with inadequate oversight. The agency failed to deploy sufficient personnel during the battle and neglected search and rescue efforts afterward, violating its own responsibilities and thus deserving accountability.
Fourth, and perhaps most egregiously, when the outcome of the battle was still uncertain, someone had authorized the launch of a nuclear bomb at Manhattan. This decision disregarded the lives of millions of New Yorkers, the soldiers fighting on the ground, and the potentially catastrophic consequences. Intercepted mission briefings and audio data from the fighter jet confirmed this horrifying act. Whoever was behind the order, whether an individual or an organization, must face justice.
In short, the situation had escalated dramatically.