Even though it was only the 29th of the lunar month, Hong Kong was already thick with New Year vibes.
Tons of shops rolled out Spring Festival discount signs and blasted the lively *Gong Xi Fa Cai*.
Yup, it's the dream of the whole Eastern Country… no, scratch that, the whole world.
That song proves it again: what's national is global.
After lunch, Ronan took Gwen Stacy strolling around Hong Kong.
How to put it? In terms of hustle and bustle, Hong Kong's close to New York—maybe a hair less.
But Hong Kong's safe!
At least while you're out shopping, you don't have to constantly worry about a "little friend" poking your back, demanding your wallet and valuables.
That alone was beyond Gwen Stacy's wildest dreams.
Even into the next day, Gwen was still buzzing with excitement.
Because day two brought a slew of fresh events.
Sure, she'd caught glimpses of stuff like this in Chinatown, but to Gwen Stacy, it was all brand spanking new.
Only hitch? Jet lag. After a rough night's sleep, she wasn't exactly chipper during the day.
They kept at it till the afternoon of New Year's Eve, when Ronan finally brought Gwen back to New York.
Not that he didn't want to keep the fun going—she was just wiped out.
Lucky for her, New York's thirteen hours behind Hong Kong.
So, Gwen had a solid thirteen hours to shake off the time difference.
It was tough, but the thrill of this "trek" outshone the fatigue.
Ronan, though? No such issues.
Insomnia? Just a quick spell away.
No harm to the body, no addiction risk like sleeping pills.
A godsend for insomniacs.
After dropping Gwen Stacy home, Ronan headed back to his apartment.
He had school tomorrow too, after all.
He checked the homework his double wrote—flawless, not a single mistake.
Satisfied, Ronan tucked it back into his bag, then spread his hands. A red light curtain flared up between them.
With a gentle push, the curtain zipped to the blank wall.
And on that wall appeared a very familiar scene.
---
Sokovia.
In a snowy mountain forest, the roar of artillery echoed nonstop.
Soldiers in combat gear manned machine guns, tanks, and flyers, fending off invaders.
They never imagined their enemy would turn out to be the legendary Avengers.
Yup, the whole crew showed up.
Even Thor, who'd been chilling in Asgard like a homebody, popped back to Earth.
Their goal? Nothing less than the scepter Loki brought to Earth way back when.
Aka, the Mind Stone.
Tony Stark piloted his Iron Man suit, weaving through the trees, lobbing missiles that took out Hydra goons left and right.
For a Tony Stark who'd conquered his "inner demons," killing—especially Hydra scum—barely fazed him.
What he didn't know? His every move was being live-streamed.
Far off in a New York apartment, Ronan munched popcorn, a cold Pepsi at his side, watching this blockbuster unfold with glee.
Sure, it was just Tony Stark's POV, but it still packed a punch.
Every now and then, he'd catch Hulk bounding into frame or Thor hogging the spotlight like a pro.
Hm…
Besides Tony Stark, these guys were all melee fighters.
Even Thor, with tech millennia ahead of Earth, stingily held back his ten-thousand-volt zaps.
Nah, he stuck to close-quarters brawling.
Guess to him, fists-up was a man's true romance.
As for Black Widow's fleeting glimpses, Ronan couldn't help but smack his lips.
Big sis was still big sis.
Adults are like that—always drawn to stuff they can control.
Ronan, though?
He didn't like folks slandering him—he was still a minor!
"Sh*t!"
Tony Stark's curse blared through Ronan's bedroom.
Right before his eyes, Tony blasted through a blue energy screen.
Something about it made Tony let out a soul-deep yelp.
This spell didn't just beam the live feed to Ronan—it piped in the audio too.
Talk about thoughtful.
"No swearing!"
Steve Rogers' voice cut in quick.
"Jarvis, anything up top?"
Steve's voice rang out again.
Looks like Tony shared some of Jarvis' access with Steve Rogers.
Hm…
A little "in front of the husband" action?
"The central structure's shielded by some kind of energy barrier."
"Strucker's tech is more advanced than other Hydra bases."
"It's kinda like… the energy Mr. Ronan used before."
Jarvis' voice chimed in.
Ronan wasn't fazed by Jarvis' words.
Tony Stark was still Tony Stark—if he *didn't* log this stuff, that'd be the shocker.
"Ronan?"
Black Widow's voice popped up.
Clearly, she didn't know the deal between Ronan, Steve Rogers, and Tony Stark.
"Loki's scepter's gotta be here."
"No scepter, no way Strucker pulls this off."
*Thud!*
Thor's voice came with a heavy *thunk*.
Bet his hammer just landed on some Hydra grunt's skull.
Nice headshot.
"Our surprise attack doesn't seem to be working."
Hawkeye piped up, half-invisible as usual.
Outside of Hulk—who barely talked to them—he had the lowest profile.
Can't help it—everyone else was up close; he's the bow guy.
Meanwhile, in Hydra's base, Baron Strucker stormed forward, face grim.
"Who ordered the attack?"
Baron Strucker's voice bounced off the underground tunnel walls.
"Baron Strucker, it's the Avengers."
"They dropped out of nowhere into the forest—our front line's struggling."
A researcher-looking guy explained.
"Can you hold them?"
Baron Strucker didn't harp on who gave the order—just fired back.
"They're *the Avengers*."
The researcher repeated it, point blank.
How were grunts like them supposed to stop a superhero onslaught?
Was this a joke?
"They're after the scepter."
Baron Strucker muttered to Dr. List.
Dr. List knew the secret too. He glanced around, then bowed his head.
"Why not test our research results?"
"Like the twins—or Boneclaw."
Dr. List suggested.
His "results"? Quicksilver and Scarlet Witch.
Oh, and their "Boneclaw."
Boneclaw was that beefy guy who'd scrapped with Ronan before.
"No, it's not time yet."
"Last time we sent Boneclaw out half-cocked, we almost didn't get him back."
"We're one step from our final breakthrough—I won't risk that again."
Baron Strucker clearly remembered the last fiasco.
Boneclaw got pummeled by Ronan's posse—if not for the older twin, he'd be toast.
"My men can hold for now."
"Take them and get out—move to another base."
Baron Strucker mulled it over and decided to pull them out.
Going toe-to-toe with the Avengers right now? Not his plan.
He knew the "big babies" under his wing had way more potential.
A little more time with the scepter, and they'd be unstoppable!
"But…"
Dr. List hesitated.
Strucker's glare shut him down.
This base? Still his call.
What they didn't know? The twins they pinned their hopes on were already itching to ditch the cage.
Done being puppets.
And what no one else knew? Baron Strucker was ready to surrender.
"Mr. Stark, the city's under attack."
Jarvis' voice cut in again.
"Knew Strucker didn't give a damn about civilians."
"Jarvis, time to roll out the Iron Legion."
With a few *beep-beep-beeps*, Tony Stark's long-prepped Iron Legion sprang into action.
Jarvis-controlled bots zipped into the crowds, urging Sokovians to evac.
Outcome? Predictable.
In a Hydra-run dump, the Avengers were Public Enemy No. 1.
Meanwhile, Steve Rogers and crew got blindsided by Quicksilver.
Dude was too fast—they couldn't even track him.
Hawkeye took a bad hit.
As Tony Stark blasted through the castle's outer defenses, he was the first inside.
After mowing down some small fry, he found Dr. List mid-data wipe—one blast sent him packing.
"Jarvis, security mode."
"Copy this data and send a batch to Hill at HQ."
Tony pulled out a hard drive-looking gizmo and plugged it in.
File transfer kicked off, and Tony's eyes wandered.
"Jarvis, run an infrared scan."
First glance in here, Tony had a hunch there was a hidden spot.
Sure enough, post-scan, Jarvis pinged him.
"On the wall to your left."
"I'm picking up airflow."
Watching Tony crack open the secret passage and head down solo, Ronan perked up.
Here it comes—the big moment.
Tony Stark crept down the steps and spotted a massive Leviathan.
No doubt—this was part of the Chitauri army Loki brought during the invasion.
S.H.I.E.L.D. scooped it up, and it ended up in Hydra's hands.
As Tony's gaze stretched further, he locked onto their prize.
"Thor, I found our trophy."
Tony edged toward the scepter.
But right then, Scarlet Witch—lurking behind him—closed in silent as a shadow.
Red energy flickered in her hands.
A wisp of it slipped into Tony Stark's mind.
Instantly, he reacted.
And right then, Ronan's spell picked it up!
"Telepathy?"
"Not Chaos Magic?"
When his spell brushed Scarlet Witch's energy, Ronan clocked it fast.
But soon, his brow furrowed.
No, it wasn't that simple.
Beyond the telepathy, he caught something else.
Like… a vibe he'd felt when messing with the Time Stone before.
Time, huh?
Ronan narrowed his eyes.
It hit him—this was the moment Scarlet Witch's mind trick showed Tony Stark "the future."
A future where everyone's dead, and he's the last one standing.
Steve Rogers clutching his hand, repeating one line:
"You could've saved us—why didn't you go all out?"
That one line drove Tony Stark to his final choice.
Brainwave hitting, Ronan tapped his left hand, fingers splaying. The Infinity Gauntlet slid onto him.
*Buzz!*
The Reality Stone's glow flickered.
A thread of Ronan's mind shot straight into Tony Stark's head.
Right now, Tony was staring at a swarm of Leviathans barreling toward a portal.
On the other side? Earth!
Smart as he is, he got it in a flash.
Earth was under attack!
The Avengers would get wiped out.
And he was the only one who could save them.
Then he remembered what Ronan told him.
In the future, some guy named Thanos would come for these Infinity Stones and invade Earth.
Per Ronan, this Thanos alien would bring a disaster like nothing they'd seen.
Looking at this scene, Tony finally got what Ronan meant.
What "unprecedented disaster" really was!
Snapping to, Tony jerked his head up, scanning the ground like he was hunting something.
Yup—he was looking for Ronan's body!
Ronan had said his job was guarding Earth too. So if Steve Rogers and the rest were dead, where was Ronan?
Did he bite it in this fight too?
Right then, a familiar voice rang out behind him.
"Yo, Tony."
"Looks like you're the root of all this dumbassery, huh…"