110. Red Alert: The Great Wall Guardians

Things were settled for Max. He would no longer have to return to Oscorp to work as a miserable electrical engineer, nor would he face life as a prisoner, locked away in some sunless, specialized water dungeon. Instead, he could join the Red Shield Branch directly, becoming a revered hero dedicated to protecting the planet. At the thought of this, Max grinned so wide the gap between his front teeth seemed to widen.

However, given all that had happened that night, Max still had to return with the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents for necessary questioning.

"Don't worry, I'll have someone follow you. They won't—and wouldn't dare—do anything to you." Su Ye tapped the car door, and a hulking man in sunglasses stepped out from behind the vehicle, looking for all the world like the Terminator. "This is Arnold. He’ll be with you to ensure your safety for the time being. If anything comes up, just talk to him directly."

Arnold’s public identity was that of an external member of the Red Shield Branch, tasked by Su Ye with monitoring and protecting Max, though in reality, he was a clone of Su Ye himself. Max was quite satisfied with the arrangement. Where else could he find such a thoughtful boss who handled everything for his subordinates so clearly and spoke so kindly? In his forty-some years of life, Max had never received such respect. Combined with the friendship formed when Su Ye had posed as the intern Snake Zhang, Max felt a strong sense of affinity toward him. If this were a strategy game, Max’s loyalty level would already be over 80—the kind that wouldn't waver unless something drastic happened.

After settling Max, Su Ye headed home with Sharon. Having spent the day out in the sea breeze and finishing with an easy fight, he hadn't even broken a sweat. Going home to play some games or drive an off-road vehicle to enjoy the sensation of speed and rough terrain sounded like a great way to end the day.

That night, it was rumored that Alexander Pierce had slammed his desk in his office so hard his hand turned beet red and his pinky finger suffered a hairline fracture. Pierce had suspected that the "Martial Saint" would be able to handle the trouble, but he had expected some struggle, given how many police and soldiers had been left incapacitated at the scene. It was with that consideration that he had signed the supplementary agreement; if any accident occurred during the Martial Saint's intervention—even if it was just a bystander getting startled by a stray movement—he intended to use it as a pretext to turn the Red Shield Branch's founding documents into waste paper.

Yet, no one had anticipated that the final battle would end so quickly, so suddenly, and—above all—so simply. Who could have imagined that a fire truck and a high-pressure water hose would take down such a powerful super-villain?

One misstep, a lifetime of regret. Alexander Pierce cradled his fractured pinky, his teeth gnashing in frustration. He was more familiar with the "Red" faction than Nick Fury, so he knew exactly what would happen now that this branch was established. The foundation that Hydra—his "Snake Shield"—had spent decades building was likely to be destroyed in an instant.

But what could he do now? Send his secret weapon, the Winter Soldier, to take out Su Ye just as he had handled the Starks years ago? Pierce worried that if he sent the Winter Soldier, it would just be throwing him to the wolves. After all, Su Ye was a powerful Martial Saint who had once defeated the Abomination with raw strength. More importantly, he feared that if the Winter Soldier went, he wouldn't cause any waves but would instead end up being recruited into the Red Shield Branch, losing both his prize and his soldier. And it wasn't impossible; that electric blue man had just finished fighting the police and military, and look at him now—already a member of the Red Shield Branch.

This was a Red Alert!

Compared to Alexander Pierce, the American Secretary, the other ministers of the World Security Council were quite pleased, especially the minister from the Dragon Kingdom. S.H.I.E.L.D. had been dominated by the Americans for so many years that the Dragon Kingdom couldn't even stick a needle in. They hadn't voiced their dissent, but that didn't mean they lacked opinions; after all, the UN and S.H.I.E.L.D. didn't belong to any single family. Of course, when one's national strength couldn't match another's, no one listened. Only when one’s strength increased could one speak with authority.

Now, things were different. A student studying abroad had, through his own sheer force of will, firmly planted a red flag within S.H.I.E.L.D. This left the Dragon Kingdom’s minister both surprised and curious. What kind of high school graduate could accomplish something so exhilarating? He looked into Su Ye’s background: father, Su Mutian. Ah, the minister understood instantly. Like father, like son—if it was old Su’s boy, then there was no problem at all.

"You may send people to contact and cooperate with the Red Shield Branch, but remember: absolutely no meddling in their affairs without authorization. Whoever dares to overreach, I will chop off their hand and send them back home for an investigation. Do you understand?"

With the order given, everyone on the Dragon Kingdom side understood the gravity of the situation; there were no hotheaded fools looking to cause trouble. Eventually, the minister dispatched someone to contact Su Ye, explain the Dragon Kingdom's stance, and handle future communication.

"Hello, my name is Zheng Xian."

In the Oscorp office, Su Ye met the liaison sent by the minister—a tall, thin, middle-aged man with a smile that failed to mask the killing intent in his eyes.

"Hello, Zheng..." Su Ye felt an immediate kinship, being among his own people; he nearly called out "Brother Zheng." Then he heard Zheng Xian add, "I was a comrade-in-arms of your father, Su Mutian."

Well, Su Ye understood immediately: this wasn't a brother; this was an uncle.

"Hello, Uncle Zheng. Please, sit," Su Ye said, pulling up a chair while mentally groaning. Was this another instance of his father "flexing" without even being present? He hadn't done a thing, yet he was everywhere. You really are my dad!

"Mutian didn't mention you coming to the United States to study. I only found out recently myself," Zheng Xian said, thanking Sharon for the tea. It wasn't an excuse; old Su truly wasn't the type to burden others.

Su Ye nodded in understanding. After a few pleasantries, they got down to business, discussing how the Dragon Kingdom’s representative on the Security Council could collaborate with the Red Shield Branch. Su Ye expressed his gratitude for the minister’s goodwill, but there was one thing he still needed the Council’s help with.

"It’s like this, Uncle Zheng. Establishing the Red Shield Branch was something I’d planned for a long time, but 'Red' operations are my weak point, so I hope to get some guidance from the Council in that regard."

Zheng Xian agreed immediately. This contact had gone much more smoothly than expected, all thanks to the connection with old Su. Once he returned home, he’d have to find that old man for a drink and ask how he’d raised such an excellent son.

No sooner had Zheng Xian left than Harry came running in.

"Xiao Ye, you’re too much!" As soon as he entered, he punched Su Ye in the chest—not hard, just a bit more than a playful tap. "You were actually an agent for the UN Security Council, or some 'Red Shield Branch' Director..."

"It's 'Red Shield Branch Uncle'!" Su Ye corrected.

"Branch Uncle? Your puns are truly shameless, but that’s not the point. The point is, you didn't tell me about something this big! Do you still consider me your brother?" Harry looked indignant. "Am I not qualified to be a member of the Red Shield Branch?"

*You’re dressed in green from head to toe; you really don't match the color red at all,* Su Ye thought to himself.

"Fine! Since you’re not saying anything, I’ll take that as a yes!" Harry clapped his hands together.

Su Ye sighed. *Whatever makes you happy.*

"It’s settled then! I’m going to call a board meeting, clear out the top two floors of the tower to serve as our headquarters, and we’ll need to equip it with helicopters and other transport." Harry continued, "And the Red Shield Branch can't just be the few of us. I’ll hire from the company—no, I’ll go out and recruit graduates from Ivy League schools to expand our team. If they couldn't get into the Ivy League, we’ll make the Ivy League students work for us! And another thing..."

Harry went on a long, rambling monologue, acting as if he were the true executive of the Red Shield Branch, while Su Ye, the actual "Uncle," just needed to sit in a lounge chair and drink soda while world peace was achieved. *Wait, hadn't Iron Man said something like that?*

Thinking of Iron Man, Su Ye recalled that in the comics, the Green Goblin, Norman Osborn, had spent a period of time wearing an Iron Man suit, calling himself the Iron Patriot. Su Ye wasn't sure if Norman Osborn was patriotic, but the idea of wearing a suit of armor was worth borrowing. Harry’s current method of riding a glider was a massive security risk to his physical safety.

He could modify Harry’s flight suit into a lightweight, Iron Man-style armor capable of flight and combat. The glider could then serve as an external attachment for long-distance travel and heavy payload delivery. To use an analogy: the flight suit would be the fighter jet, and the glider would be the transport and bomber. If an enemy thought they could disable him by destroying the glider, he would shed it and transform into an armored warrior, losing nothing in terms of flight or combat capability.

When Su Ye explained this, Harry’s eyes lit up.

"Your Spider-Man suit could be modified this way too! Use the glider as a flight tool for travel, and then install Dr. Otto’s mechanical arms—six of them! You'd be a true spider!"

Dr. Otto’s civilian-grade mechanical arms were already in development. The number of tentacles—err, mechanical arms—was tentatively set at eight, perfectly capable of clearing multiple sewers and drainage lines simultaneously. As his mind opened up, Harry began to feel like a researcher himself, excitedly contributing his own wild ideas.

"Also, I think we should mass-produce the gliders as transport for Red Shield members. No, wait, they’re too hard to pilot. We’ll just equip the superheroes with them." Harry paused. "By the way, what should we name our superhero team?"

Hearing Harry’s question, Su Ye looked toward the East, his eyes seemingly reflecting five thousand years of a civilization that was as brilliant and glorious as it was hardened by trials.

"Have you ever heard of the Great Wall?"