After picking up Shang-Chi, Razor Fist quickly went to Hong Kong to fetch Xialing.
There was some unpleasantness when they met Xialing, but with Shang-Chi's intervention, everything was resolved.
Xialing, hugging Shang-Chi tightly, said angrily, "You said you would come back soon..."
"Five years! It's been five whole years! Why did you wait until I left to come back?"
Shang-Chi, holding his sister, replied sorrowfully, "Father is gone..."
"What?"
Shang-Chi then explained what had happened and, along with Xialing and Razor Fist, returned to the Ten Rings' headquarters.
As they flew in the helicopter, Shang-Chi looked down at the now-leveled headquarters, memories of his childhood life there flooding back.
Xialing, covering her mouth, had tears welling up in her eyes.
"Oh my God, how can this be...?"
"Our home, our home is destroyed..."
The helicopter soon landed, and Shang-Chi took in the surroundings. The entire headquarters was in ruins, with only one corridor left intact.
Shang-Chi walked over to a wall and gently touched the murals there. This was where he had spent his childhood, and now it was the only thing left.
At that moment, Razor Fist approached with a stack of documents and said, "These are the materials the master was researching about Ta Lo. They might be of help to you."
"Now, the underground base is still functional. I'll be waiting for you there."
Xialing came up to Shang-Chi, her expression sorrowful, "I still can't believe it—Father is really gone."
Shang-Chi, stroking the mural and looking at the dragon head in front of him, recalled his mother's words from his childhood.
"Shang-Chi, one day in the future, you will find your way home."
"Ta Lo will truly appear before you."
Touching the dragon's eyes, Shang-Chi noticed that the size of the spot where the eye was located was similar to the necklace his mother had left him.
Seeing that this was the only place in the headquarters that remained, it felt like some kind of destiny. Shang-Chi removed his necklace and placed it in the right eye of the dragon, where it fit perfectly.
He turned to his sister and said, "Give me your necklace."
Xialing, puzzled, still followed her brother's request and removed the necklace from around her neck.
"Are you going to place the necklace here?"
"What's the point?"
Despite her confusion, she handed the necklace to her brother.
Shang-Chi placed the other necklace in the dragon's left eye. In the next moment, light began to shine from within the dragon's eyes.
Water droplets suddenly flowed from the dragon's head, and in the next instant, a large amount of water gushed out of the mural, spraying into the air and then hovering in place.
The droplets then fell to the ground, forming a map of Ta Lo.
A golden light emerged from within, resembling a route on the map.
Seeing the scene before him, Shang-Chi immediately understood that this was the treasure their mother had left for them, showing them the way to Ta Lo.
Xialing, looking at the sight in front of her, asked, "Is this... Ta Lo?"
Shang-Chi nodded, "This should be Mother's home, Ta Lo."
The map then disappeared, turning back into water. Shang-Chi stepped forward, retrieved the necklaces, and said, "Maybe we should study the materials Father left behind."
"There's hope for our revenge in them."
"They destroyed our home; we need to avenge it."
Xialing nodded in agreement with her brother's words, and the two of them headed to the underground base.
Before they could head to Ta Lo, there was still much to prepare.
…
Meanwhile, in East Los Angeles, California-
A young boy gazed longingly at superhero action figures in a store window. His father, noticing this, turned to him and said, "Your birthday is coming up in a few months."
"Which one do you like the most?"
Looking at the Avengers and ninja action figures in the display, the boy, showing maturity beyond his years, replied, "It's okay, I don't need one."
The father's face showed a flicker of sadness. He knelt down, looking into his son's eyes, and said, "Hey, times are tough right now, but I'll find work soon."
"Not back at the factory, but I'm confident."
The father smiled at his son, asking again, "What are we, you and me?"
The boy responded, "A team."
They fist-bumped, and the father laughed, "That's right."
He then pulled his son closer and asked, "So, which figure do you want?"
Before the boy could respond, a massive explosion suddenly erupted from the top floor of a nearby building, sending flames shooting out of the windows.
"Boom!"
Panic immediately ensued among the people nearby. The father instinctively pulled his son into his arms, glancing toward the source of the explosion.
Seeing the explosion, the father's eyes widened in disbelief. He turned back to his son, asking, "Are you okay?"
"Look at me, Ace."
Ace nodded, indicating he was unharmed.
The father looked at the Charles action figure in the window and said, "Stay here with Charles, okay?"
"Maybe someone's hurt. I'm going to see if I can help."
With that, the father ran toward the building where the explosion had occurred.
As people evacuated the building, he looked up toward the room where the explosion had taken place and quickly heard a woman's desperate cries for help from the top floor.
"Help! Somebody, help!"
Recognizing the voice, he glanced around to ensure no one was watching. Satisfied that he was alone, he pulled up his hood, took a deep breath, and faced the wall.
"Ha!"
He punched the wall, creating a deep indentation, and then kicked it, forming another foothold.
Using his fists and feet, he continued to punch and kick his way up the side of the building, quickly reaching the floor where the explosion had occurred.
Inside the burning room, he found the woman who had been calling for help. Just as a second explosion rocked the room, he grabbed her and leaped from the top floor, performing a classic superhero landing as he safely brought her to the ground.
After ensuring the woman was out of danger, he pulled down his hood and hurriedly left the scene.
Unbeknownst to him, everything had been captured on video by a bystander named Skye, who had recorded the entire incident on her phone.
After the hooded man left, Skye approached the rescued woman, checking to make sure she was okay and finding that she was no longer in immediate danger.
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