Although they had managed to escape the compromised S.H.I.E.L.D. base, a grim reality settled upon the team as their aircraft sped through the night sky. The plane was equipped with a S.H.I.E.L.D. positioning system, a detail not lost on anyone aboard. They knew Hydra would be tracking them, and it was only a matter of time before pursuit arrived. Landing was not an option; the moment they touched down, they would be surrounded and captured.
The weight of their predicament pressed down on them. Fitz, ever the pragmatist, voiced the unspoken fear. "They will catch up to us very soon, won't they? And we cannot land. We are trapped." His gaze, like everyone else's, turned to Su Zhan. Even Coulson, the nominal leader of their team, looked to Su Zhan, a silent plea for a solution in his eyes. In this desperate moment, Su Zhan was their only hope.
Su Zhan surveyed their anxious faces, a faint smile playing on his lips. "Everyone seems quite disheartened. Spirits are low, I see. What are you so afraid of? It is not the end of the world. And even if it were, I would save this world. So, do not worry. No matter what Hydra intends, I am here." He paused, letting his words sink in, then continued, his tone confident. "I have already formulated a plan. Our destination is the War Alliance base."
"But… they will likely send pursuers, will they not?" Fitz asked, his voice still laced with doubt. "They will not allow us to escape so easily."
Su Zhan's smile widened, and he emphasized a single, chilling word. "Kill."
"Kill?" Fitz repeated, taken aback.
"That is correct. If they dare to come, then we will kill them."
"But what if they attack the War Alliance when we arrive there?" Coulson asked, his concern evident.
Su Zhan shook his head, his smile unwavering. "Your worries are unnecessary. Although my War Alliance has not yet had many opportunities to demonstrate its strength, anyone who dares to underestimate it, anyone who dares to become an enemy of the War Alliance, will pay a very painful price."
As if on cue, Skye, who had been monitoring their systems, said softly, "There appears to be an aircraft pursuing us from behind."
"They are fast!" Coulson exclaimed, surprise momentarily overriding his worry. But Su Zhan had already walked toward the rear of the plane, his expression calm.
Without hesitation, he opened the cabin door and jumped out into the roaring wind. Two fighter jets were closing in fast. Seeing Su Zhan, one of the jets immediately opened fire, a missile streaking toward him.
Su Zhan curled his lip in disdain. A massive hand of green energy, conjured by his Green Lantern Ring, materialized and snatched the missile from the air, then hurled it directly at the other fighter jet.
Boom!
The second jet exploded in a ball of fire and debris, spiraling rapidly toward the ground. The pilot of the jet that had fired the missile stared in stunned disbelief. Suddenly, he heard a sound from above his cockpit. Looking up, his eyes widened in horror. Su Zhan was perched on top of his aircraft, smiling and waving.
The pilot frantically tried to maneuver, attempting to shake Su Zhan off, but it was too late. With a swift, brutal motion, the black Fear Blade pierced through the cockpit glass as if it were paper, silencing the pilot instantly. Su Zhan pulled out the blade, shook off the blood, and floated back with an air of casual ease. He watched the second plane crash into the darkness below, then returned to his own aircraft. "Solved," he said with a nonchalant shrug. "It is that simple."
Fitz and the others stared at him, speechless. The dangers they had worried about, the seemingly insurmountable odds, were nothing to Su Zhan.
Having lost two fighter jets so quickly, Hydra apparently gave up the chase. They knew that with Su Zhan present, any further pursuit would be futile. They still had the positioning system, so they could track the aircraft's destination and make other arrangements.
With Hydra's immediate threat neutralized, the aircraft continued its journey peacefully, eventually arriving at the War Alliance base. Although the base was not yet fully completed, it was more than halfway done, and landing the aircraft posed no problem.
As everyone disembarked, Blink and a group of War Alliance members walked over to greet them. All the core members were present. Coulson's eyes widened as he took in the assembled group. He recognized several faces, and his shock was palpable, especially when he saw Blizzard and the Lizard. A series of troubling puzzle pieces clicked into place. The Lizard was Su Zhan's man. Su Zhan had instructed the Lizard to rescue Blizzard. This meant… Su Zhan was the mastermind behind it all?
"Do not look at me like that," Su Zhan said to Coulson, a knowing smile on his face. "I began planning many things a long time ago, but the circumstances were not right to reveal them. I will naturally tell everyone when the opportunity is right, like now."
Coulson paused, then asked slowly, "So, I, or rather, this team… we are also…?"
"That is correct," Su Zhan admitted without hesitation. "I have only one goal: to replace S.H.I.E.L.D., to replace the Avengers, to become the true protector of this world. This world is not safe. It is like a prized delicacy, and there are countless greedy and powerful entities who wish to devour it. Can we only passively resist? No. We must let all invaders know that we are not delicacies. We are tigers."
"What an ambition!" Coulson gasped, stunned by the sheer scale of Su Zhan's goal.
Su Zhan shrugged. "Believe it or not, my aim is to become the king of this world so that when any invader mentions Earth, they will avoid it like a venomous snake, fearing for their very lives." He looked directly at Coulson. "You have experience, you have ability. If you are willing to join, you can accomplish much more. You should seriously consider it."
Su Zhan had always held Coulson in high regard. After all, Coulson was destined to become the next director of S.H.I.E.L.D. He possessed skill, experience, and a way of doing things that was refreshingly different from Nick Fury's. Su Zhan had been considering recruiting Coulson and his team for a long time.
"I will seriously consider it," Coulson nodded, his mind clearly reeling.
Su Zhan nodded in satisfaction, then introduced Coulson's team to the members of the War Alliance. He arranged accommodations for them and encouraged them to get to know each other. He noticed Fitz already gravitating toward Blizzard, while Simmons had sought out Natasha, whose reputation within S.H.I.E.L.D. was legendary.
Night fell quietly over the base. Skye knocked on Su Zhan's door and walked in. Su Zhan smiled when he saw her and reached out his hand. Skye threw herself into his arms, looked up at him, and asked, "Will I be able to stay here from now on? I do not have to be separated from you anymore?"
"Of course. I have been looking forward to this day for a long time," Su Zhan said with a warm smile.
"Are you looking forward to me staying, or are you looking forward to everyone else staying?" Skye asked, her eyes sparkling with a playful tease. "Is this your base, or your harem?"
Su Zhan did not panic. Instead, he nodded and said, "It is all the same. Wherever I am, you will be."
"I want to sleep here tonight," Skye murmured, snuggling closer. "This is the first time I have slept in an alien spaceship."
"Even if you had not said it," Su Zhan whispered, pulling her tighter, "I would not have let you go."