Chapter 810: The Chinese Superhero Alliance

After all these years in Hollywood, Duke had always known exactly where he stood: he was a commercial film director.

Because of this, Duke never ignored rapidly developing markets, especially China. Over the past few years, he had placed increasing emphasis on developing the Chinese market, and his staff even included a specialized team dedicated to Chinese affairs.

Many members of this team were former international students from across the ocean who had stayed in America, giving them an ample understanding of China. Aside from routine administrative work, they had another important task: reading and replying to letters from Chinese "Duke fanboys." They regularly selected a few of these letters to pass on to Tina Fey, who would read and reply to them on Duke's behalf.

Occasionally, Duke would read some himself and write a few replies, though this only happened a few times a year.

The "handwritten" replies widely circulated on the Chinese internet were almost entirely penned by Tina Fey.

From the time The Avengers was greenlit until now, Duke's team had received thousands of letters from Chinese fans. After reading one particular letter, Tina Fey personally forwarded it to Duke.

Tina Fey had been studying Chinese for the past few years to keep up with the needs of Duke and the market. While she was far from a China expert, she still possessed some understanding of Chinese culture.

"This is a script a Chinese fan wrote specifically for you."

Duke was enjoying afternoon tea in the garden with Scarlett on his weekend off when Tina Fey placed a thick file folder in front of him.

"It's a story about the Chinese Avengers," she said.

"The Chinese Avengers?"

Scarlett opened the file folder, her eyes full of curiosity. But since the contents were entirely in square characters she couldn't read, she handed it to Duke.

"I've heard Kevin Feige say that Marvel is creating Chinese-oriented superheroes, but I've never heard of a Chinese Avengers," she said.

Since Tina Fey had brought it directly to him, its contents had to hold some value, or at least be very interesting.

Duke was certain of this, so he opened the folder and began reading in earnest. However, he had barely read a few lines before he nearly spat out the tea he had just swallowed.

Strictly speaking, it wasn't a script; it was, at best, a story synopsis. The Chinese "Duke fanboy" mentioned in the letter that upon hearing Duke had started filming The Avengers, he couldn't help but think of the heroes of his own country. He wrote this letter specifically in the hope that Duke might one day produce a film about Chinese superheroes.

Although this was merely the fantasy of an ordinary moviegoer, Duke still took a serious look at what he had written. To be precise, there was a certain degree of feasibility to it, though it would be very difficult to actually realize.

"The Chinese Avengers: Characters and Basic Plot Synopsis."

This was the title the fan had written. Duke merely glanced at it before moving on to the main text.

An orphanage director, an old grandpa, adopted seven children who had been abandoned due to various congenital defects. The eldest had congenital muscle weakness. The second was born deaf and blind. The third had primary osteogenesis imperfecta. The fourth was abnormally sensitive to temperature changes, fearing both cold and heat. The fifth could not eat or drink normally. The sixth had a facial deformity and limited mobility. The seventh had autism.

The grandpa's true identity was a former researcher for the mysterious "Relevant Authorities." He had always been dedicated to creating a new drug capable of altering human genetic defects, but later worried that the Relevant Authorities would abuse his research results, so he retreated into seclusion.

The grandpa planted gourds all over the orphanage. Beyond their ornamental value, he believed the key ingredient for his new drug would be extracted from this plant.

The seven children gradually grew up, and the grandpa's research was on the verge of success.

An accident occurred. The impulsive third child secretly took the experimental drug. As a result, not only was his illness cured, but he also gained superpowers. Faced with such temptation, the other children all took the drug as well.

In truth, the drug did not simply cure their defects; instead, it enhanced their originally defective traits to superhuman levels. The eldest gained boundless strength and the ability to freely stretch and shrink his body. The second gained clairvoyance and clairaudience. The third gained bones of steel and muscles of iron. The fourth's body became immune to extreme temperature changes and could limitlessly raise its own heat to emit flames. The fifth could instantly inhale and store massive amounts of liquid, spraying it out as needed. The sixth regained a normal appearance and also acquired the abilities to turn invisible and move rapidly. Only the seventh seemed unaffected by the drug, his body undergoing no changes whatsoever.

And so, the group began using their superpowers to act as superheroes in the city.

An agent of the "Relevant Authorities" codenamed "Pangolin" had been constantly inquiring about the whereabouts of the mysteriously vanished genius scientist—the grandpa of the Calabash Brothers.

The superhero activities of the Calabash Brothers attracted attention from all sides. Aside from the "Relevant Authorities," Scorpion King and Snake Queen—the leaders of the terrorist organization known as the "Snake and Scorpion Brotherhood"—also wanted to uncover their secrets.

Pangolin constantly used various opportunities to approach the Calabash Brothers, hoping to invite them and their grandpa back to the Relevant Authorities, while the terrorist organization hid in the shadows, attempting to seize the miraculous drug the grandpa had developed.

The grandpa of the Calabash Brothers was captured by the terrorists. To rescue him, both sides engaged in a series of fierce battles. During this time, although the six superpowered brothers all showcased their abilities, they fell one by one to the enemy's tricks. However, the ever-silent seventh brother actually possessed the strongest ability of all: the legendary "Tesla force," which allowed him to create objects through sheer intent. He forged the phantom weapon, the "Dare You Answer When I Call" Precious Gourd. Unfortunately, because his power was unstable, he suffered mental corruption and ended up viciously fighting his own brothers.

Seizing the opportunity, the terrorists captured the Calabash Brothers in one fell swoop and brought them back to their base, preparing to dissect them and isolate the serum that granted superpowers. Agent Pangolin secretly infiltrated the base and freed the imprisoned grandpa. Upon hearing his grandpa's call, the seventh brother regained his sanity and united with his brothers to defeat the enemy.

Post-credits scene: The seven Calabash Brothers and their grandpa returned to their residence, but the perceptive second brother discovered that someone had infiltrated their home. A tall man dressed in black, wearing a large black peaked cap, emerged from the shadows.

"Did you think you were the only superheroes? I am the head of the 'Relevant Authorities,' Agent Codename: Black Cat Detective. Would you like to talk about the Superhero Alliance Initiative?"

Seeing this, images of those nostalgic characters from the past surfaced in Duke's mind. But the story written by the fan wasn't over yet; there was still plenty more below...

Calabash Brothers 2: The story primarily revolves around the side effects the drug has on the Calabash Brothers' bodies, and how the heroes overcome them.

At the same time, the villains make a comeback, armed with the ancient divine artifact possessing mysterious powers—the "Jade Ruyi"—to challenge the Calabash Brothers once more. Ultimately, the Calabash Brothers not only overcome the drug's side effects but also utilize the seventh brother's ability to create a white humanoid mecha that combines the power of all seven: Calabash Little King Kong. They defeat the enemy once again and save the world.

This installment will also introduce a new hero character: "Little Butterfly," a female agent who was originally a terrorist but later received leniency and rehabilitation, joining the "Relevant Authorities" to become Black Cat Detective's right-hand operative. In this film, she will assist the Calabash Brothers in fighting against Scorpion King and Snake Queen.

In the latter half of the story, the Calabash Brothers' old friend, Agent Pangolin, comes to bid them farewell. Commissioned by Black Cat Detective, he is heading to the uninhabited western regions of the Celestial Empire to investigate a mysterious meteor crash.

In the barren desert of the no man's land, a massive crater sits conspicuously on the ground. Right in the middle of the crater lies an iron staff, golden at both ends and red in the middle...

On a distant mountain, Agent Pangolin watches the scene while reporting to Black Cat Detective. The mountain beneath his feet is named Five Elements Mountain.

Coming soon: The new superhero—Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong!

Sun Wukong: Havoc in Heaven: The Great Sage Equal to Heaven, Sun Wukong, is arrogant by nature, leading him to be framed by his good friend and junior fellow apprentice, the "Fallen One" Tianpeng, and banished to the mortal realm. Finally, after undergoing a series of trials, he transforms into a true superhero, returns to Tiangong, defeats the "Fallen One," and seals him in another dimension.

Shuke and Beta: A Superhero Duo Baptized by War: During World War II, the invading Japanese army committed various human tragedies across the lands of China.

Two pet house mice, Shuke and Beta, are thrown into a concentration camp by the Japanese forces along with their master, Pipilu, and subjected to inhumane biological weapon experiments. In the end, Pipilu does not survive, but due to the effects of the biological weapons, the two mice undergo genetic mutations. Their bodies instantly grow to human size, they master human language, and gain superhuman physical prowess.

After escaping the concentration camp, they resolutely join the army to avenge their master. They soon become airplane and tank pilots respectively, sweeping through the enemy forces.

The two mice's sworn enemy is an evil scientist working for the Japanese army: a researcher codenamed "Super Blue Cat," who originally hailed from the puppet army but was given a prominent position due to his outstanding talents. He initially attempted to use drugs to enhance his own physical functions but suffered a rejection reaction. His facial skin ulcerated and his bones deformed, ultimately transforming his head into that of a blue cat.

Regrettably, during a mission to capture the blue cat, they received false intelligence and were ultimately outnumbered. To cover his good friend Shuke, Beta was shot down into the sea, his fate unknown.

As WWII draws to a close, Shuke, originally depressed over the loss of his friend, decides to pull himself together and heads to Northeast China to wipe out the remnants of the Kwantung Army. Also arriving in the Northeast is the unwilling-to-admit-defeat Super Blue Cat. He attempts to use the ancient divine artifact found in China, the Lotus Lantern, to open an interdimensional gateway and summon ancient beasts to attack the Chinese army.

To stop this mad plan, Shuke doesn't hesitate to sacrifice himself. In the end, both Shuke and the Lotus Lantern vanish into the vast, snowy expanses of the Northeast...

Post-credits scene: Beta did not die. He was later pulled from the sea and brought to Treasure Island. Meanwhile, the blue cat had also changed his identity and become a politician on Treasure Island. When he discovers the secretly hidden Beta, he decides to personally oversee his physical reconstruction plan. Beta's body is battered and broken, so the blue cat uses his technology to install mechanical prosthetics. However, for Beta's ear that was damaged in battle, the blue cat decides against repairing it and instead names him One Ear...

There was still quite a bit more at the end. After flipping through it all, Duke handed the folder back to Tina Fey.

"Have the people at Warner pass this along to the China Film Group," he said.