The shadow of the Avengers' Civil War hung over everyone like a knife, ready to fall at any moment.
At present, the Avengers had already gathered the key pieces of information. First, a doctor had been using Bucky, the Winter Soldier, to create chaos, intending to drag Steve Rogers into it while trying to extract the location of the Siberian Hydra base from Bucky.
In other words, it seemed like a tactic to delay the Avengers' investigation.
And the Avengers had already been aware of this years in advance.
The second key point was the so-called "Accords"—a contract clearly designed to regulate superheroes.
Tony Stark immediately leveraged his contacts to look into it. At that time, no formal proposal existed. While some legislators occasionally called for oversight of superheroes, most of these efforts were mere posturing—actions to appease voters rather than enact real change.
Launching an actual law required not just U.S. approval but the agreement of the four other major world powers and global recognition—likely through the United Nations. So at present, there was no real momentum.
Real progress could only occur when a major global event forced countries to agree—like the massive battle in Eastern Europe surrounding Pietro Maximoff's death and the army of robots. Many mysteries remained unsolved.
Meanwhile, Lin Feng had no idea that his diary had sent shockwaves through the Avengers. He lived his days normally, already a billionaire tycoon with influence far beyond most people's imagination.
As a Chinese man reaching this level, it was unprecedented. Not just for Chinese people—even for anyone outside white elites, reaching this position in the U.S. required one thing: the ability to fight.
And Lin Feng could fight.
Although he tried to remain discreet, once his secret base was built, people began coming and going. Routine check-ups inevitably exposed his strength.
Even though S.H.I.E.L.D. covered up some of it, they could only slow the spread of information—they couldn't fully hide it.
Even if only high-level officials knew, that was enough to intimidate them.
Naturally, this drew attention. Powerful forces always attract followers. Even vampires had their worshippers.
Lin Feng's straightforward and brutal style prevented anyone from acting against him recklessly.
He killed methodically—if someone attacked, he eliminated them entirely.
Some even employed mercenaries, essentially full-fledged regiments with heavy weapons, comparable to the U.S.'s elite forces. Yet Lin Feng cut through them like slicing through vegetables.
Although the U.S. government blocked the news from spreading among the public, Lin Feng's reputation at the top echelons was undeniable. Even a brigade-level force would struggle against him.
Only extraordinarily powerful weapons could pose a real threat.
To the elites, Lin Feng was already a monster. And the fact that this "monster" was willing to sit down and negotiate was the best-case scenario.
They had become like S.H.I.E.L.D., fully understanding Nick Fury's mindset: if you can't win, cooperate.
In the cutthroat capitalist world, people got shot in the back without consequence. Even Kennedy couldn't imagine the audacity of some elites.
Tony Stark had no choice but to give up equity to appease them—pay them off and maintain peace.
Lin Feng, though willing to give up some profit, didn't satisfy the vampires' full appetite. But he could fight, and in one year, he had already eliminated several century-old rival families, causing a huge stir in the underworld.
When Lin Feng agreed to cooperate, the elites had no choice but to tread carefully.
One day, Lin Feng received a meeting request from Darren Klaus, the acting CEO of Pym Technologies.
At first, he hesitated. Then he realized: Darren Klaus was the bald antagonist from Ant-Man, Hank Pym's former student who betrayed him. He had joined forces with Hope van Dyne, the second-generation Wasp, to oust his mentor from Pym Technologies.
This kind of corporate betrayal was common in the U.S.—even founders could be removed if they obstructed profit.
Lin Feng didn't refuse and soon met Darren Klaus.
"Hello, Mr. Lin," Klaus greeted, stepping forward humbly.
Lin Feng nodded and led him into the meeting room. Klaus still resembled the villain Lin Feng remembered.
"Mr. Klaus, what brings you here?" Lin Feng asked.
"Simple," Klaus replied. "I want you to invest in my company."
In truth, Klaus was desperate. Pym Technologies was only a second-tier company in the tech industry, with no standout products—except for Hank Pym's Pym Particles.
But Hank was conservative and refused to deploy the technology, even locking it away. This forced Klaus and his ally to remove him from the company.
For years, Klaus had attempted to replicate the Pym Particles from the fragments of data left behind, but without success. It was a technological black hole—massive investment, zero results.
Now, investors wanted out, seeing the project as a financial sinkhole. Without capital, the company would collapse. Klaus had no choice.
Lin Feng, however, was extremely wealthy. In American high society, his financial power was no secret. Many connections could be gained over time, and he represented an opportunity.
"Invest in your company?" Lin Feng mused, recalling Ant-Man's plot and Pym Technologies' history.
He understood: to replicate Pym Particles, Klaus had endured countless trials, pouring in capital with no output. Unlike Tony Stark, a natural genius, Klaus had no military contracts or clean energy profits to fall back on.
Pym Technologies was a mediocre company. Without Pym Particles, its products were average at best. Add to that Hank Pym still watching from the sidelines—the company's glory was mostly superficial.
Capital was pragmatic: without potential profit, investors withdrew.
Most investors would have pulled out, but Lin Feng recognized the value. Pym Particles, like Stark Industries' Arc Reactor, relied entirely on a genius scientist: Hank Pym here, Tony Stark there.
Klaus, though not as extraordinary as Pym, was brilliant enough to replicate the Pym Particle from limited materials—a remarkable feat.