The dust from the Lizard's sudden "molecular vacation" was still settling when Tony Stark drifted down, his faceplate sliding up to reveal a grin that was far too wide for someone who had just been punted through a mannequin display.
"So, did you enjoy the meet-and-greet? Or was the 'spark' between you and the lady a bit too much to handle?" Tony asked, hovering just inches off the ground. He looked at Huang Wen, who was still staring at the spot where Captain Marvel had vanished. Tony leaned in, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "You looked a little star-struck there. Should I be worried that my best sparring partner is having an existential crisis?"
Huang Wen snapped out of his trance and rolled his eyes so hard it looked painful. "Tony, if you're trying to be the comic relief, you're about three minutes too late. And for the record, if I were you, I'd stop worrying about my 'existential crisis' and start worrying about your own. Carol didn't look like she was in the mood for billionaire playboys."
"Oh, please," Tony scoffed, popping his neck. "Did you see that handsome face under the HUD? My charm is a renewable resource, just like the Arc Reactor. I'm pretty sure she was just playing hard to get because she didn't want to fall for me in front of the kids."
"Keep poking the bear, Tony," Huang Wen said with a mocking smirk. "I really hope you have that same energy when she comes back to verify your 'renewable' charm personally. Or better yet, when Nick Fury finds out you let a cosmic nuke loose in the city without a leash."
Huang Wen didn't wait for Tony's rebuttal. He sensed the shift in the air—the sound of shutters clicking and the distant hum of news helicopters. He turned to Huang Liang and Peter. "Time to go. The vultures are here."
Huang Liang glanced at the growing crowd of paparazzi and fans. "Master, the perimeter is breaking."
Huang Wen nodded. With a flick of his wrist and a ripple of white light, the silhouettes of the three vanished. One second they were standing in the crater; the next, they were gone, leaving Tony Stark alone in the center of a chaotic media storm.
"Iron Man! Iron Man!" a reporter screamed, shoving a microphone toward Tony's boots. "Are you going to pay for the millions in damages to this neighborhood? Who is responsible for the giant hole in the street?"
Tony froze. His first instinct was to say, 'Bill it to the City Council,' but then he stopped. He looked at the cameras. Stark Industries' stock had been on a vertical climb since he'd gone public. Paying for a few blocks of asphalt and a shattered storefront was basically pocket change, and the PR boost would be worth billions.
"Stark Industries," Tony said, projecting his most 'heroic' voice. "We take care of our own. My team will coordinate with the city. Every window, every brick, and every pothole will be rebuilt by Stark. Consider it a gift from your favorite billionaire."
The crowd erupted.
"Iron Man is a legend! He's so much cooler than those guys in the cheap cloth masks!" "Hey! Don't talk about the Kung Fu Spider like that! At least he doesn't charge his batteries with our tax dollars!" "We're a Spider Trio now, guys! Did you see the girl in white?"
Tony ignored the brewing fan-war below and rocketed into the sky. He had a lot to think about. If Huang Wen was right about the future, a "Reconstruction Department" wasn't just a PR stunt—it was a necessity.
Back on the fourth floor of the Wing Chun hall, the air was still and smelled of incense. Huang Wen stood by the window, watching the city lights, while the three teenagers caught their breath.
Gwen Stacy, still in her Ghost Spider suit but with the hood down, was pacing the floor. She looked at Huang Wen with intense, unshielded curiosity.
"So... you're the guy?" she asked, stopping in front of him. "Mr. Huang Wen? I'll be honest, you look like you should be in college, not running a secret superhero academy. Are you actually that strong? Like, 'delete-a-lizard-from-existence' strong? Because that lady in the suit... that was something else."
"Does the spider bite come with a 'no-filter' setting for everyone?" Huang Wen asked, glancing at Peter and Huang Liang. Both boys looked like they wanted to crawl into a hole. Peter was frantically signaling Gwen to stop, while Huang Liang was just staring at his feet.
Huang Wen turned back to Gwen, shaking his head with a faint smile. "Invincibility is a myth, Gwen. No one is truly untouchable. Not her, and certainly not me."
"But she flew into space!" Peter chimed in, his eyes wide. "Master, she vanished like a shooting star. Can she actually... survive out there? In the vacuum? No oxygen, no heat, just... nothingness?"
"It's about constitution," Huang Wen explained, his voice becoming calm and academic. "Earth is a small pond. Carol Danvers is a creature of the ocean. Some people, through luck or cosmic accidents, develop bodies that don't care about pressure or gravity. Uncle Wolf might survive out there, though he'd probably be a very grumpy ice cube until someone thawed him out. Carol, though? She thrives in it. Even in the deepest parts of the galaxy, her name carries weight."
"Renowned in the entire universe..." Huang Liang whispered, a look of longing in his eyes. "Earth feels a lot smaller all of a sudden."
"Whoosh!"
The conversation was cut short. Without a word of warning, Gwen Stacy lunged forward. She used her enhanced speed to close the gap, throwing a high-velocity kick aimed straight at Huang Wen's shoulder. "I want to see if the hype is real!" she shouted.
"What a brazen brat," Huang Wen chuckled.
He didn't move an inch. He didn't even raise his hand. He simply focused a sliver of his telekinetic power. Gwen's foot stopped exactly two inches from his face, suspended in mid-air as if she had hit an invisible wall of jello.
"Huh? Why can't I... what is this?" Gwen's eyes went wide. She tried to pull back, but her entire body was locked in place, floating a few inches off the floor.
"Peter was terrified the first time he saw me," Huang Wen said, sizing up Gwen with a half-smile. "He climbed the ceiling like a frightened cat. You? You decide to kick the guy who just finished watching a cosmic deity destroy a monster. Where did you get this much courage?"
"Master! Please!" Huang Liang stepped forward, his hands raised in a plea. "She didn't mean any harm! She's just... she's new. She wanted to test the waters. Please don't hold it against her."
"Yeah, Mr. Huang Wen," Peter added, his eyes darting between the floating Gwen and the Master. "Her spider-sense is probably different from mine. Maybe it's not ringing because she knows you're a good guy? My own sense stopped seeing you as a threat weeks ago. She's probably just sensing your 'hero energy' or something!"
Huang Wen looked at Huang Liang's worried face and sighed, releasing the telekinetic grip. Gwen tumbled back to the floor, landing in a surprised heap.
"Fine," Huang Wen said, his voice softening. "For the sake of Liang and Peter, I'll let it slide. But Gwen, let this be your first lesson: just because you don't sense a threat doesn't mean you aren't in danger. In the real world, the most dangerous things are the ones that don't make a sound."
He turned to Huang Liang. "Since she's so eager to fight, Liang, you're in charge of her. Keep her on a short leash. If she starts kicking billionaires or cosmic entities, it's on your head."