Chapter 546 Returning to the Movie Universe
Valeria, though verbally expressing her dislike for Yang Le, still decided to stay and help. However, she needed to return to Universe 982 first, Spider-Woman Mayday Parker's Universe, to inform her brother Franklin.
Although Franklin was in the honeymoon phase with his girlfriend Mayday and might not care about his cheap younger sister's whereabouts, Valeria still needed to retrieve her office supplies and informing him in passing was only reasonable.
According to Valeria, after months of persistent effort, Mayday had finally been won over by Franklin. Mainly because Franklin's methods were indeed effective; he had even healed the broken leg of Mayday's Papa Peter Parker.
Franklin had even established a new identity in Universe 982 and opened several companies, seemingly intending to settle down there permanently. This made Valeria, who had initially worried about him, suddenly feel superfluous.
Consequently, Valeria had long entertained the idea of moving to a different place to live. Although the Parker Family treated her well, Valeria, whose own feelings were not going smoothly, found her brother increasingly irritating no matter how she looked at him.
Franklin was lovey-dovey with Mayday every day, flaunting themselves like peacocks in the marketplace (in Valeria's opinion).
However, returning to her original Universe felt like a defeated retreat. Knowing Yang Le had gone to a new Universe, Valeria was embarrassed to take the initiative to ask him. It was like a timely pillow offered when drowsiness struck, though she only outwardly expressed happiness.
After bidding farewell to Valeria, Yang Le was pondering how to arrange things for Frank when the latter also requested to leave.
Don't misunderstand, Frank wasn't backing out; he simply needed to return to handle the aftermath. The aftermath for his family and the families of the other 41 victims required his attention. Fortunately, the research wouldn't commence immediately, and he wanted to use this time to settle his personal business first.
After declining Yang Le's offer of assistance, Frank turned and departed. Yang Le surveyed his surroundings, realizing the once lively environment was now deserted except for him.
Reluctantly dismissing his Clone Technique, Yang Le decided to head home. He had been occupied for so long that he hadn't even had time for a hot meal. Hunger made him yearn for hometown cuisine the most. Yang Le resolved to buy dishes, go home, and cook himself a meal.
So, he naturally called Gwen, intending to ask if she had any dish preferences so he could prepare accordingly. Unexpectedly, he received an order not to return home.
Just kidding, though the meaning was similar, Gwen's words weren't harsh, and she wasn't being unreasonable but had a valid reason.
Gwen's exact words were:
Gwen: "I brought Katie home to live with us."
Yang Le: "What? Did her family abandon her?"
Not long ago, during the Giant Rampage in New York, Katie might have awakened her mutant ability due to the danger, or perhaps because of being caught in the Sentinel's bomb blast. In any case, she had awakened her mutant ability and become Shadowcat.
It should be known that mutants do not enjoy a good reputation in Universe 9527. The level of public animosity towards them even surpassed Quasimodo. The only thing more reviled than mutants was Mutant Quasimodo.
Therefore, upon discovering she had awakened her mutant ability, Katie's first instinct wasn't to become a super hero; instead, she panicked and nearly broke down. Fortunately, Gwen found her and revealed her own Spider-Woman identity.
Initially, upon seeing her friend, Katie's first reaction was to flee. However, realizing Gwen wasn't an ordinary person either, she seemed to find a pillar of support and burst into tears in Gwen's arms.
Then, they both tunneled into the ground together. Ultimately, Gwen had to use brute force to break free because Katie couldn't skillfully control her ability, otherwise, she wouldn't have buried herself and Gwen.
After Gwen's comforting words, Katie declined Gwen's good intention. She decided to find her parents first and then explain everything to them. Gwen naturally supported this.
However, a day later, Katie, who had initially been full of confidence, called Gwen in tears. Gwen was initially curious about who was calling her from a public phone. Upon hearing it was Katie, she quickly asked what was wrong.
It turned out that Katie had indeed been determined to find her parents, but after parting with Gwen, she realized New York was gone, and she had no idea where to look, not even knowing if they were safe.
Wanting to contact Gwen, her mobile phone was broken, and New York didn't even have a single functional phone booth. Helpless, she could only find a map in a car and walked along the map overnight to the nearest town to finally contact Gwen.
You might ask why she didn't contact her parents? It wasn't due to the unlikely event of not knowing their phone number. Instead, after a night of anxious thoughts, Katie had lost her nerve again.
Helpless, Gwen could only bring Katie back to their new house in Los Angeles to comfort her. Just then, Yang Le's phone call came through.
"Of course not," Gwen sighed. Based on this Universe's attitude towards mutants, Gwen was also skeptical about Katie's parents' reaction to her becoming a mutant.
Parents abandoning their mutant children, even those just a few years old, was commonplace. News reports on such incidents were numerous. In such a society, the chances of Katie's parents accepting her were slim. This was the reason Katie was afraid to find her parents.
However, Gwen couldn't voice this directly. She simply presented the situation objectively to Yang Le, who immediately understood.
"Oh, and Habby," Gwen said hesitantly after explaining.
"Could you help Katie and me find another house? Katie has nowhere to live now, and it's a bit inconvenient for her to stay at our home."
Yang Le expressed understanding. After all, he was a male with a definite gender. Although he could transform into a Walmart shopping bag or an armed helicopter, that didn't change his gender. It was indeed somewhat inconvenient for Katie to live with them.
Yang Le then waved his hand, indicating that Gwen and Katie didn't need to move out. He would find a place to live in himself. After all, Gwen's luggage was already moved in, and moving it out again would be too much trouble.
As for him, it was easy to handle. He could stay on Mutant Island for a few days or just find any house.
Just then, a minor accident occurred.
Yang Le looked at his Omnitrix symbol. The symbol on it kept changing and began to flash white light.
Although Yang Le was unfamiliar with the Omnitrix's current mode, he recognized it. It resembled the Omnitrix's alarm mode, usually used to alert the wearer to dangerous situations.
However, the alarm mode of the Omnitrix at this time was slightly different, as this was one of the modes Yang Le had recently added: Multiverse Communication.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 547: Devastation Everywhere
The so-called Multiverse Communication was modified by Yang Le based on Valeria's invention, which was the Signal Transmitter that tricked him into the Zombie Universe back then.
Its purpose was to facilitate his Communication with his own Clone in Other Universe, and thus he invented the Device.
Originally, it was a Device invented for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but later, in order to become Alien X, he called back all the Clone in the Movie Universe, and then he never sent the Clone back.
Although there is also a Clone in the DC Universe, this Transmitter can only be used within the same worldview, so in theory, this Alarm should not be triggered again.
But now, the fact is that this Alarm has been triggered again, which means someone has found the Base he left behind before the Movie Universe, and triggered this Device.
This greatly exceeded Yang Le's expectations. He really couldn't understand who could find his Secret Base. No matter who that person was, to satisfy his Curiosity, he needed to go back and take a look.
Anyway, he can't go Home now, so why not satisfy his Curiosity first. He is also very curious whether the Avengers with Precognition can turn the original disadvantage into an advantage.
After all, Intelligence Character have always been overpowered. He believes that the Intelligence Avengers can also be in the front line.
…
Under the Deep Sea, a Small Submarine is parked in front of a protruding Underwater Mountain. It seems to have been parked for some time.
The surface of this Submarine is painted gray, and a large Symbol like the letter A is painted in red dye in the center of the hull, which shines brightly even in the dim Seabed.
"I don't know if Captain and the others can succeed." Falcon, Sam Wilson, looked worried, and unconsciously tightened the Control Stick in his hand, causing the Submarine to shake slightly twice.
"Relax, New Recruit." A hand suddenly placed on Sam's Shoulder. Even through the Battle Suit, he could feel the Power of that person's Palm.
"Yes, Hawkeye, Mr. Barton." Sam swallowed his Saliva, calmed down his Mood, and replied.
"I said, you don't have to call me that." Clint chuckled. "I haven't used that Code Name for a long time."
Sam was flustered when he heard this. He was about to Opening an apology, but was stopped by Clint's powerful Palm. The latter pointed to the Operation Console, and Sam realized that the Communication Device was ringing.
"This is Falcon." Sam quickly connected the Communication.
"This is Captain America." A tired but reassuring Sound came from the Communication Device. Sam quickly pricked up his Ear. Having heard too much bad News, he urgently needed good News to cheer up.
"Unfortunately, we didn't find the Allies of the Tinkerer."
As if entering an ice cave, not only Sam, but even Clint standing behind him became noticeably stiff. It seems that heaven did not favor them.
"There is a Secret Base here, but it's empty, and it looks like it's been empty for a while. It is estimated that no one has used it since their collective disappearance."
The crackling Sound of Electric Current, coupled with such bad News, Sam felt that even the Water Pressure of the Deep Sea was not as much Pressure as this News brought him. The Seabed really couldn't shine Light in.
"Roger Captain." Seeing that Sam hadn't spoken for a long time, Clint took the initiative to take over the Duty of replying. "Is there anything valuable there? We are now short of Resources. Since we can't get Manpower help, Resources must not be wasted."
"There are many valuable Things here." Captain's tone improved a little. "Natasha and I just found a spot where Submarines can be docked. You need to go around to the other side of the Mountain, and we will help you open the Door to help move some Things."
After speaking, Steve hung up the Communication. Clint then breathed a sigh of relief. He finally got some good News.
…
"Rumble!"
A deafening Sound came. Steve watched the Gate in front of him slowly open, and the Small Submarine driven by Sam and Clint slowly swam in.
"Captain."
After parking the Submarine, Falcon took the lead in drilling out of the Submarine Door. Then he bent down and pulled Clint behind him, and then helped him get out of the Submarine.
"Actually, the three of us are enough, Barton." Steve looked at his friend wearing Sunglasses with a complicated expression. "You are inconvenient to move, so just stand by on the Submarine."
"I can't be idle, Captain." Clint took out a Short Rod from his waist, and with a casual flick, it turned into a Long Rod. "Besides, a blind man can't see those Instrument. I might as well come down and do some Stamina work."
Helplessly shaking his head, Steve didn't Opening again. He knew he couldn't stop Clint, so he might as well let him go.
"Careful Underfoot."
In the end, Steve just reminded him, and then led everyone into the Base. The sound of da da coming from behind made Steve's Mood very bad.
The Base is not big. The three of them quickly joined Natasha who was searching. The other party was also very surprised to see Clint, but didn't say much. She just directed a few people to move the Things she found onto the Submarine.
"Our Space is limited. Let's move some important Supplies first. If it doesn't work, we can transform this place into our Base. The Ground Surface is becoming more and more unsafe."
Natasha commanded in an orderly manner. Everyone quickly started working enthusiastically, moving Supplies box by box onto the Submarine.
Steve is a Superhuman. He can move many Things at a time. Although Sam is an Ordinary Person, he has at least undergone a lot of training, and he can also move two boxes at a time. Only Clint, because of his Eyes, can only hold one box with his Right Hand, and then use his Left Hand to hold a Stick to explore the way.
Although Steve reminded him to pay attention to Underfoot, Clint was still tripped by an Obstacle that he didn't detect. He lost his Balance all of a sudden because he had Things in both Hands, and fell to the side.
"Pa!"
To Clint's relief, he didn't fall, but instead propped himself up on a platform, and his Palm seemed to press on something, and a subtle Feeling of sinking came.
"Buzz buzz buzz buzz!"
A harsh Alarm Sound came, attracting everyone's Eyes. They didn't understand what happened, but only saw Clint, who had lost his Balance, pressing on a Button.
"Emergency Call! Emergency Call!"
The Broadcast in the Base sounded. Everyone then saw that the Computer Screen, which was originally still gray, was now lit up, and the Emergency Sign that everyone could understand was being played on it.
"What's wrong, Barton?" Steve dropped his Work and quickly ran to Clint's side. The other two were also running towards their Direction.
"I don't know either, Captain." Clint showed a wry smile. "But I seem to have caused trouble."
(End of Chapter)
"Natasha, Barton seems to have accidentally activated something!"
Steve explained to Natasha, who was rushing over from behind, the latter rolling her eyes.
"I see it." Natasha walked past the 'old, weak, sick, and disabled' bunch and went to the huge Computer. After a brief check, she said,
"It's obvious this is some kind of Emergency Program. As long as you press the pre-set Button, the Computer will send something like an SOS signal to a certain Goal. Barton must have accidentally pressed that pre-set Button."
"As long as it's not a Self-Destruct Button." Clint looked embarrassed, and for a moment, he actually forgot to stand steady and was still being supported by Steve.
"Does this mean that we can use this to contact the Tinkerer you mentioned?"
Falcon, who arrived last, asked after listening to the whole story. Hearing this, both Steve and Clint cheered up a bit.
"Is it true? Natasha?" Steve asked.
"Theoretically, it's possible." Natasha nodded, but there was always a hint of worry on her Face that wouldn't go away.
"But I'm afraid that Thanos's army will intercept this Signal before the Tinkerer does."
As soon as Natasha finished speaking, everyone else in the Base stopped talking. Even the joy from just now disappeared from their Faces, and Sam even showed a hint of fear in his Emotion.
"Those Alien Bastards!" Falcon's Face was full of Resentment, and his Right Hand unconsciously reached for his waist.
Steve, of course, noticed the strangeness of his comrade beside him. He put his Right Hand on Clint's Shoulder, and while comforting him, said, "In that case, we shouldn't stay here for long. If it's the Tinkerer, that's fine, but if it's Thanos's army..."
The rest of the Words didn't need to be said. Everyone understood that if Thanos's army came, then this group of them would definitely die here. Those Soldiers were simply like Cockroaches hidden in the Corner, impossible to kill cleanly, and they were fearless of Death. Their group would definitely be overwhelmed by human-wave tactics.
Everyone felt that Steve was right. They hurriedly picked up the Supplies they were going to move. Natasha took out a Cube smaller than a Slap from her Backpack and, after tapping it a few times, placed the Cube on the Operation Console.
"This is from Shuri." Natasha noticed Steve's gaze and explained casually. "A small Multifunctional Robot. It can hide in the dark and then periodically monitor the situation here, and then upload it to the Computer. This way, we don't have to send someone over to check again."
"That's great." Steve nodded. He had originally planned to come and check alone after a few Days. Although they didn't have much Manpower now, all the Resources in the Tinkerer Base were what they needed, and it was worth risking danger for these Things.
After finishing the trivial Business, the group stopped talking and began to Effort to carry Things onto the Ship. While carrying, Clint suddenly stopped moving, making Falcon beside him curious.
"What's wrong, Mr. Clint?"
Who knew Clint didn't answer him, but instead quietly made a Gesture to tell the latter to shut up. Although Falcon didn't understand what was happening, he still did as he was told.
After a little more Time, maybe a second or two, Clint moved. His Hand unknowingly reached for his waist, and then, like lightning, he flung it in a Direction.
A dark Afterimage shot towards the empty Wall, and then surprisingly stopped in Mid-air. Only then did Falcon see clearly what Thing Clint had thrown out. It was actually a Dart with a strange shape.
"Buzz!"
The Dart stopped in Mid-air, and then released an Electric Current. With a burst of illusion, a Figure gradually solidified and appeared in everyone's Presence. It was actually a Humanoid Creature.
That Thing had pure black Skin, with evenly distributed gray-white patterns on its Body. A Flying Knife was inserted straight into its smooth Head. Its terrifying Teeth were completely exposed because it had no Lips. Its slender Limbs were tightly gripping the Wall, allowing it to hang steadily on it.
"It's an Outrider!" Falcon's pupils shrank suddenly, and the Wings behind him suddenly opened, protecting himself and Clint.
Steve and Natasha also noticed the movement over there. The former took off the Shield he was carrying on his Back and hung it on his Arm, while the latter drew her Dual Guns and vigilantly observed her surroundings.
Clint took out more Darts from his waist. Just then, the Outrider that had been hit by the Dart lost its Lifeline and slid weakly down from the Wall. The moment it landed, the Dart inserted in its Crown suddenly erupted with even stronger Electric Current, surging in all Directions.
"Holy shit!" Falcon couldn't help but blurt out the national essence, because he saw a very horrifying Scene. Where the Electric Current spread, those Outriders who were originally invisible revealed their True Form one after another, but the number was truly terrifying.
They were everywhere! These Outriders were all over the Ceiling, Walls, and even on various Instruments, there were one or two standing on them. Simply put...
"We're surrounded, Captain." Falcon's voice was a little distorted. He had no Idea when these Things had come. If it weren't for Clint, they might have all died here without knowing why.
"I see them, Sam." Steve tightened the straps of the Shield on his Hand. "This is going to be a tough fight. I have only one Order: survive, or don't let them take anyone alive!"
"Roger!" x3
This Response seemed to be the Signal to start the war. The Outriders who had been waiting for a long Time around them rushed towards the Avengers in the Center. The latter naturally wouldn't sit still and wait for Death, and launched a counterattack one after another.
Falcon also drew the Gun from his waist and began to strafe the surrounding Outriders. With the cooperation of the Wings behind him, he actually cleared a safe zone in a short Time. The others were also veterans. Without Command, they knew that they couldn't be separated at this Time, and they all spontaneously moved slowly closer to Sam's vicinity.
Clint was already very close to Falcon, or rather, he was under Falcon's Protection, but he was obviously not a Character to be protected. One Hand grabbed a few Darts, while the other Hand drew the Katana from his waist.
As soon as the Katana was unsheathed, a cold light flashed. The sharp Blade sliced through an attacking Outrider, instantly cutting it in half. Even blowing hair and cutting it was no more than this. Without Time to think too much, Clint threw all the Darts in his Hand to the side again.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
Three Sounds came almost at the same Time. Each Flying Knife accurately pierced the Crown of an Outrider Soldier, instantly reaping the Life of three enemies.
"Whoosh!"
A red and blue Afterimage hit an Outrider that had broken through Falcon's defense line. The huge Power even smashed the Outrider's Head in.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 549 Heart Set on Death
The red and blue afterimage that hit the Vanguard Guard didn't stop. Instead, it bounced off at another angle, hitting another Vanguard Guard. This repeated, bouncing several times among the Vanguard Guard before finally losing its powerful momentum and being casually swatted away by a Vanguard Guard who reacted.
The afterimage that was swatted into the air revealed its true form, which was Captain America's iconic weapon—the vibranium shield. The shield tumbled in the air before suddenly stabilizing. It first shook for a while, and then unexpectedly flew towards a direction on its own.
A Vanguard Guard was standing in that direction. Seeing that the shield's momentum wasn't very strong, the Vanguard Guard wanted to imitate its partner and swat away this inexplicably flying shield. However, it suddenly felt footsteps coming from behind. Turning its head, it saw Steve dodging and maneuvering, evading the attacks of other Vanguard Guard as he ran towards it.
The Vanguard Guard roared and decided to prioritize dealing with Steve in front of it. The danger level of the shield was not high, but Captain America's danger level was slightly higher. Only when Captain America picked up the shield would his danger level rise sharply.
Swinging out its pair of right hands, claws cut through the air, creating a sharp sound. Seeing this, Steve immediately lowered his body, performing a sliding shovel to slip under the Vanguard Guard's crotch, and then directly meet the flying shield.
Raising his right arm, the special gauntlet was now emitting a faint light. The shield in the air was attracted by it, returning to Steve's right arm like a swallow returning to its nest.
Not daring to linger, Steve, catching the shield, used his right knee as the center to spin around. The Vanguard Guard behind him also happened to turn around, and his right hand, bound with the shield, just caught the claws swung down by the Vanguard Guard.
"Clang!"
The Vanguard Guard's attack was steadily received. For a moment, the two were evenly matched. However, Steve understood that if he wasted any more time, he would only be torn into fragments by the surging Vanguard Guard army.
Triggering the button on the right hand gauntlet, a surge of purple energy erupted from the five-pointed star symbol in the center of the shield, sending Steve and the Vanguard Guard who were trying to pounce on him flying out.
"Wakanda's technology is indeed good." Steve glanced at the shield in his hand with satisfaction. This small function, ever since it was installed on the shield, had saved him more than once. Moreover, with it, Steve could play even more new tricks.
Casually using the shield to knock down a few Vanguard Guard who pounced on him, Steve pressed another button on the gauntlet, and then threw the shield in his hand out again. The shield once again turned into a red and blue afterimage, the five-pointed star symbol in the center constantly flashing, emitting a dangerous smell.
"Natasha!" Steve used excellent fists and feet to trip an enemy, then shouted at Natasha, who was unleashing firepower.
"Shoot at the shield!"
"Don't ask the impossible, Captain!" Natasha shot through another enemy, one handgun vigilantly guarding against enemies that might attack at any time, while the other handgun obediently aimed at the shield that was thrown out.
Without spending too much time aiming, Natasha decisively pulled the trigger. The energy bullet, flashing with light, left the gun without making any sound, and after a short flight, it concentrated on the shield in the air.
"Bang! Boom!"
First, there was a muffled sound, followed by a deafening explosion. Purple energy erupted from the shield's center in all directions. The surrounding Vanguard Guard were hit one after another. The lightly injured ones had severed hands and legs, while the seriously injured ones died on the spot.
The cooperation between Natasha and Steve once again cleared out a small vacuum open area. This gave Natasha, as a marksman, a chance to catch her breath. She rolled and neatly broke out of the encirclement, arriving at a safe area to join up with her teammates.
The four fought and retreated, finally converging. Each person faced one direction, resisting countless enemies. Natasha looked at the uniquely shaped handgun in her hand, and couldn't help but sigh in her heart.
If it weren't for the plumber called Four Arms who threw this thing to her, ordinary guns would have run out of ammunition long ago, and she would have fallen into the embarrassing situation of close combat early on.
Although the dual guns in her hands didn't require her to reload ammunition, they would still overheat. Natasha had to dissipate heat from the handguns from time to time. Fortunately, she controlled the rhythm very well, and there was always one handgun that could fire.
What was encouraging was that the four Avengers, through their personal abilities and cooperation, actually suppressed the Vanguard Guard troops for a time. But everyone knew that this was only temporary.
Just like what was said before, these Vanguard Guard were inexhaustible. They had once relied on Wakanda's shield to resist countless Vanguard Guard armies, but every time they thought Thanos had suffered heavy casualties, another endless Vanguard Guard army would appear before long.
Fortunately, this plumber base was small, and the Vanguard Guard could only drill in batch by batch. If they were in an open area, Steve and the others might be directly crushed to death by the army.
However, when the Avengers finally exhausted their stamina, although there were superhuman among them, they were not guys of Thor's level after all. They would feel tired. Although they had achieved good results for a time, their death was when they were exhausted.
"We need to find a method to break through!" Steve said after knocking down he didn't know how many Vanguard Guard. The corpses of Vanguard Guard around him were about to pile up into a human wall.
"We know!" Natasha shouted. The Vanguard Guard army was coming more and more fiercely, and with the loss of stamina, her rhythm of firing guns was soon going to be uncontrollable.
"So if you have a plan, just say it! Don't raise problems, because I'm also thinking about this problem!"
Everyone knew that to survive, they could only break through, but how to break through was indeed a problem as difficult as ascending to the sky. The Vanguard Guard didn't want to give them a chance to breathe at all. Such a high frequency of attack, whether it was Zhang Liang's plan or crossing the wall, was of no use.
"I have a method." Steve looked at the shield in his hand. "Wait for me to say run! You guys have to run!"
"Wait, Captain! You don't mean to..." Falcon chopped a Vanguard Guard in half at the waist, then took time to glance at Steve beside him, and found that the other party was looking at the shield with a determined gaze. He immediately understood what the other party's method was, and was about to stop him, but was stopped by Steve's gaze.
"This is the only method, soldier!" Steve tightened the straps of the shield. "If the battle is over, bury my cenotaph with Carter."
A cenotaph represented that the corpse was not found. Everyone could see Steve's determination. Clint and Natasha fell into silence. As teammates who had fought alongside Captain America for many years, they naturally knew the latter's personality and that they could not stop him.
"Preserve more living power, Sam." Steve showed a bright smile, just like when he first became Captain America, and then prepared to rush out, getting as far away from his teammates as possible.
But at this moment, Steve only felt that his legs were weak and disobedient. Gradually, his brain felt a burst of dizziness, and then he fell to the ground weakly.
Before fainting, Steve only felt that he smelled a strange fragrance.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter 550: Covered in Wounds
Steve opened his eyes and suddenly sat up. Judging from his terrified gaze and heavy breath, he must have had a nightmare.
Steve covered his head. After a brief moment of thought, he remembered what he was experiencing before he fainted. With a kip-up, he sprang up from the ground, crouching defensively as he surveyed his surroundings, and pressed the button on his hand armor to summon his shield.
"Whoosh!" After the sound of air being torn, the shield smoothly returned to his hand. Only then did he clearly see the environment around him. He was currently in a room that resembled a dormitory. The entire room was estimated to be less than ten square meters.
And he himself was currently crouching on a single bed. The white bed sheet was possibly covered in a thin layer of dust due to prolonged disuse, but it didn't affect its usability. However, the several clear footprints on it looked awkward no matter how you looked at them.
Steve compared the boot on his foot, and indeed, they were made by him. After a silence of less than a second, he obediently got off the bed and began to observe his surroundings.
"It looks like a teenager's room," Steve commented, but he didn't dare to guarantee it, because he had seen some plastic figurines like these at the homes of several friends.
After a simple search, Steve didn't find anything useful. So he quietly walked to the doorway with light footsteps. There was no door handle on the door, only two buttons embedded in the wall next to it, one red and one green. It was obvious that one of them should be the door opening button.
According to human thought, Steve hesitated again and again but still pressed the green button. Unexpectedly, the door really opened. He quietly poked his head out and just in time to see a sturdy back view not far away.
He was so familiar with that back view that he couldn't be more familiar. It was a member of the Plumbers who had supported them before, the Plumber agent code-named Gutrot. He would never mistake that black and white uniform and unique skin.
But out of safety considerations, Steve still didn't rashly open his mouth to greet him. He slowed his footsteps and approached Gutrot at a constant speed. When Steve was less than five meters distance from him, Gutrot opened his mouth.
"Awake? How was your sleep?"
Steve's body stiffened, and he unconsciously clenched his fist. For a moment, he didn't even know how to answer him.
Gutrot was currently sitting on a swivel chair, but the size of the swivel chair didn't seem to match his figure no matter how you looked at it, making people wonder if the chair would fall apart in the next second.
A slight creaking sound came. It turned out that Gutrot had turned the chair, turned his body sideways to look at Steve behind him, and at the same time, he also revealed the scene hidden behind his sturdy body.
Behind Gutrot was an oval long table. It looked like a dining table or something similar, but at this time, there were no delicacies placed on it, but rather a human. He knew that human, it was his good teammate Clint.
At this time, Clint was lying face-up on the dining table. His upper garment was stripped off, revealing his lean body. There were many scars distributed on it, burns, knife wounds, gun wounds, everything. It was simply an encyclopedia of injuries.
The sunglasses he always wore were also gone without a trace, revealing the wound that Clint himself had always wanted to hide. Below his forehead was a pair of dark and empty eye sockets. His eyeball and eyelids had disappeared without a trace.
Steve was a little anxious seeing his teammate like this. Just as he was about to open his mouth, he was preempted by Gutrot beside him, who stopped him from speaking.
"I find it hard to imagine how this man managed to get himself into this state. There are fifty-three wounds of all sizes on his body. Those eyes, if the injury were any more serious, his life might not be guaranteed."
"But even with such serious injuries, there are four places on his body. Captain, I really want to know what exactly happened here after we left?"
Steve didn't answer Gutrot's problem, instead, he first asked his own problem: "Can you heal him?"
"Eyes are impossible," Gutrot replied with his arms crossed. "His eyeballs are already gone, I have no way to regenerate his eyeball, but if I can find suitable ones, I can find a method to help him transplant them."
Because of Gutrot's ability, while mastering vast chemical knowledge, he also mastered various physiological knowledge. So Gutrot is also one of the few characters in the Omnitrix who can act as a healer.
Relying on that heaven-defying compound synthesis ability, Gutrot can heal most injuries and illnesses. But Clint's case has been delayed for too long. If it was when he was just injured, Gutrot would still have the confidence to heal him, but now it's impossible.
"As long as there's hope," Steve breathed a sigh of relief. "To be honest, Earth now has no way to heal him."
"I can see that," Gutrot placed his hand on the chair beside him, and with a strong push, sent it to Steve's presence. "Otherwise, it wouldn't have been delayed for so long."
Steve stopped the chair with his foot, then sat on it and was about to open his mouth again, but was interrupted by Gutrot once more.
"If you're going to ask about those clone soldiers, they've already been resolved," Gutrot picked up another drink from the side and threw it to Steve.
"As soon as I came back, I saw a dense mass of things had entered my home. I originally wanted to release toxic gas from the start, but luckily I noticed you, so I only released a kind of hypnotic gas."
So the pleasant smell we smelled at that time was this thing, Steve nodded in understanding.
"Later, I research the thing again and found that they are a kind of clone creature. So I mixed a kind of gas that targets this kind of creature, this gas can cause the gene of this kind of creature to collapse, as long as they touch a little, they will surely die."
"That's great!" Steve stood up excitedly after hearing Gutrot's words, but the words that the latter said casually made this human, who wouldn't even change his expression even if Mount Tai collapsed in front of him, couldn't help but tremble all over.
"Can you tell us its formula? We really need this thing! Please!"
"It seems like you guys have encountered a lot of trouble, Captain," Gutrot frowned and scratched his head. In fact, it's not just Hawkeye's body, he has checked the bodies of the other people as well, and they all have quite a few old wounds on them.
According to the degree of injury healing and the scar, the oldest injury should be Clint's eyes, it was an injury sustained about a year ago, at most no more than two years.
According to time calculation, it should be after he left, but the time of the parallel universe to be considered is not completely equivalent, so Gutrot doesn't dare to guarantee it.
"This business is a long story," Steve smiled sadly. Then, as if in exhaustion, he sat back down on the chair and began to slowly tell the story of what happened after they left.
(End of Chapter)