At first, the night had been enjoyable. But then Tony showed up, and everything changed.
Shen He glanced at his phone. Only two missed calls from Two Rituals and a text:
"Violet wants to come see you."
His chest tightened.
It was time to go back.
Checking the clock, he saw it wasn't too late—just past 9 PM.
He dialed Two Rituals.
No answer.
He called again.
Still nothing.
Shen He narrowed his eyes, a creeping unease settling over him.
Something was wrong.
Without hesitation, he activated Summon Command.
As long as his followers were alive, they would be teleported to their Master's side—no matter where they were.
A second passed. No light.
Then—a splash of water.
Dripping wet, a battered Two Rituals appeared before him, gripping Violet tightly in one arm, a knife clenched between her teeth.
"Tch, so this still works."
She spat out the blade, swayed unsteadily—then collapsed straight into Shen He's arms.
She was exhausted.
"Tony!" Shen He roared.
His voice was raw, a mix of guilt, self-blame, and something darker—rage.
Rage so intense he wanted to kill.
At this moment, he fully understood how Tony had felt that night in the villa.
This wasn't about being a hero.
This wasn't about justice.
This was about revenge.
"Holy hell." Dr. Helen Cho rushed over. "They need immediate treatment! Tony, do you have medical supplies here?"
"Yes! Follow me to the basement. Jarvis, cancel the party. Call my private hospital's top surgeons."
Tony's tone was sharp, decisive—no hesitation. This was his new villa, fully equipped with emergency medical supplies and even an operating room.
Shen He lifted Two Rituals, her small frame far heavier than it looked. Helen carefully took the unconscious Violet.
The previous bandages had been used up. This time, only conventional medicine would work.
By the time the doctors arrived, the two were laid out in the villa's medical ward. Advanced equipment whirred softly.
Diagnosis:
Violet: Knocked out by a highly concentrated drug—no lasting damage.
Two Rituals: Left shoulder severely injured, but thanks to her enhanced body, she would recover. She had merely fainted from exhaustion.
Tony walked in, holding a tablet. His face was grim.
"I looked into it. There was an explosion about 15 kilometers from here. The scene was completely cleaned up—no bodies, no evidence. Just destroyed ground."
His sharp gaze locked onto Shen He.
"Do you have any idea who did this?"
"…Yes."
Shen He's voice was cold.
Through the glass, he stared at the two girls resting in the medical bay.
They had been hunting for him—and nearly died for it.
All because of his confusion.
All because of Chaldea's lies about the future.
At that moment, Shen He finally understood.
He had to build Chaldea.
Not the fake organization he had spoken of before.
A real one.
A powerful one.
A Chaldea that truly belonged to him and his followers.
He turned to Tony. His eyes burned with a new kind of calm.
"Tony." His voice was steady. Deadly certain.
"Chaldea does not accept outsiders. But if you're interested, I can create an Earth-based division. A branch of Chaldea that belongs both to us and to your world."
"Would you join?"
Tony's lips curled into a smirk.
"Sounds a hell of a lot more reliable than Fury's super boy scout club."
His answer was instant.
"I'm in."
He had always wanted to know what Chaldea saw in the future. To prepare. To control his own fate.
Shen He's voice dropped lower.
"This stays secret from S.H.I.E.L.D."
Tony raised a brow.
Shen He continued.
"Even if S.H.I.E.L.D. changes its name—it's still Hydra."
Tony's smirk vanished.
"They're the ones who attacked your villa." Shen He's tone darkened. "And now? We have our first common enemy."
Hydra's true horror wasn't their weapons—it was their influence.
They had burrowed into every major power:
S.H.I.E.L.D.
The U.S. Government.
Business moguls.
Global criminal syndicates.
Hydra had existed for over 1,400 years.
Like a cockroach, they infested every parallel world in Marvel.
No matter how many times they were cut down—they always crawled back.
Shen He had ignored them before.
Because he wasn't strong enough.
Because he didn't want to alert them.
But now?
He was done waiting.
Even if it took burning the world down, he would cut them out.
Tony exhaled sharply.
"Alright. What's our first move?"
Shen He's hand gripped Tony's shoulder.
"We're finding someone."
Tony's eyes gleamed with curiosity.
"A hero. Someone who will one day save the world. Some are already out there—others haven't emerged yet. But it doesn't matter.
We will find them first.
Just like Dr. Helen said."
Tony chuckled.
"Sounds kinda badass. I think I like this whole 'predicting the future' thing."
For the first time since the attack, Shen He let out a breath.
His focus had returned.
No more hesitation.
No more confusion.
His greatest weapon wasn't just his power—it was the Summoning System in his mind.
That was his trump card in building Chaldea.
And yet—
He had 15 Summoning Stones.
But he hadn't used them.
Why?
Simple.
Even with only three followers, he could barely manage.
Two Rituals and Violet were manageable.
Kakashi Hatake? A five-star Servant—he was insane.
Kakashi's grinding efficiency in dungeons was ridiculous.
But even with all the EXP he farmed, Shen He's own growth was too slow.
His level was only 16.
And leveling up got slower every day.
Something was wrong.
In his experience, dungeons were for farming.
But the EXP reward didn't match the difficulty.
Which meant—
There had to be another way.
But for now?
One thing took priority.
"Tony." Shen He's voice was firm.
"Before we recruit heroes, we need a base."
Tony grinned.
"Sick of getting ambushed, huh?"
Shen He's eyes flashed.
"We're building a fortress. A stronghold. Something indestructible."
Tony snapped his fingers.
"I got the perfect place. The factory site I showed you earlier?
I own the five-kilometer radius.
If you want an underground castle—consider it done."