Two soft gunshots, accompanied by the sound of two tires deflating, and the two people inside the car immediately felt it swerve!
When Howard was young, he was also a good racer, but now, old and frail, he couldn't control the steering wheel at all and could only step on the brakes to stop the car.
"Howard!"
"Maria, be careful! The gun! Help me get the gun!"
The car braked sharply, leaving a trail of sparks on the ground, and quickly came to a stop. Howard didn't panic. He looked at his wife and gestured for the gun!
Maria composed herself, quickly opened the storage compartment in front of her, but trembling slightly, she accidentally dropped the delicate pistol to the ground!
By the time she picked up the pistol and handed it to her husband, the attacker on the motorcycle had already stopped and approached them!
He stood right outside the car door on Howard's side. But because of the person's tall stature, only his black combat suit and a strange metal left arm could be seen; his face was obscured.
Bang!
Screech!
The two people inside the car didn't hear a gunshot or see the car window shatter!
Instead, they were dumbfounded as the person used his metal left arm to insert it into the car door and then tore the entire door off as if it were paper!
Howard finally got the gun, raised it, and aimed at the enemy, who was no longer blocked by the door, but before he could even ask, "Who are you?" he felt a blur before his eyes, a huge force came from his hand, and the pistol was snatched away in an instant!
This made his heart turn cold.
"Don't...!"
As Howard struggled to turn around, wanting to shield his wife, he discovered that the stranger had tucked the pistol into his lower back!
"Don't be nervous, I have no ill will. On the contrary, I'm here to save you."
Following this, Howard saw the person lean down, revealing shoulder-length hair and a face with goggles and a mask, and heard the person say so. Although the voice was deep and magnetic, showing no hostility, and even made Howard feel a strange sense of familiarity, he still found the situation absurd.
Save? You blew out our tires, tore off our car door, and you call this saving us? If you're going to rob us, then rob us. Be professional, show some respect for your profession, okay?
"Of course, someone really wants to kill you."
Perhaps the other person understood his gaze? Howard heard the person, who seemed increasingly familiar, say this, prompting Howard to subconsciously ask again:
"Who? Who wants to kill us?"
"Me."
This person must be insane... Howard, who had been trying his best to remain calm, suddenly felt an indescribable impulse—he had encountered a madman, and there was probably nothing more to say. He might as well give him one last punch, at least to vent his anger, right?
However, at this moment, Howard's eyes suddenly widened, his face full of shock!
Because he saw the stranger take off his goggles and mask, revealing a very familiar face... and that voice! It was him...
"You, you... You're Sergeant Barnes!?"
"That's right, it's me. Glad you still recognize me, old friend. Oh, and this beautiful lady, hello, nice to meet you. My name is, oh, Mr. Stark has already said it."
"This, how is this possible?"
In an instant, countless questions flooded Howard's mind, making it impossible for his genius brain to process all the information quickly. He couldn't help but stare blankly at the familiar face, still the one from his memory.
"I know I'm handsome, but now is not the time to admire my stunning looks, nor is it a good place to reminisce. Let's get out of the car first."
"But what exactly... You didn't die? Who saved you? Is this arm a technique from the Soviet side?"
As expected of Tony Stark's father, a genius brain passed down through generations. After only a slight daze, he had already concocted a relatively reasonable plot in his mind, and he couldn't help but ask rapidly.
"No time to explain, get out of the car quickly. There's still a lot to do. Do you really want to listen to me tell stories here? Do you have any alcohol?"
In his memory, Bucky wasn't this... lively? Although it was decades ago, Howard's genius mind remembered clearly that he was a cool young man who loved to show off.
But what Bucky said was true, and after speaking, he simply walked away. Howard could only comfort his still-shaken wife and follow him out of the car.
"Howard, who exactly is this person...?"
Maria didn't have a genius mind; she was just a virtuous and considerate wife, but she had an inherent resilience in her character, and at this moment, she could barely hold on.
"He is Bucky Barnes, Captain America's former comrade-in-arms."
"How is this possible?"
"I have some guesses..."
Bucky Barnes's sudden appearance, though incredibly surprising to Howard, still made him frown deeply when linked to the purpose of his trip. He felt that this matter was extremely serious, perhaps even beyond his imagination.
"Don't just stand there, time is short, take off your clothes."
"...Huh?"
At this moment, the two of them saw Bucky untie two large bundled bags from behind his heavy motorcycle, carry them over with one hand, and then tell them to take off their clothes?
"What do you want to do?"
"I don't want to..."
"Ah!"
Howard and Bucky's conversation was interrupted by Maria's scream, as she saw that inside the two bags were two naked corpses!
"You want them to impersonate us?"
Howard, however, remained calm; he had seen plenty of dead people.
"Of course, here."
"This... our feigning death, isn't it a bit unrealistic?"
Howard took the two sets of sportswear Bucky threw over and continued to ask, wanting to grasp more information as quickly as possible.
"It's just to buy time. We'll hide it for as long as we can."
Hearing this, Howard stopped asking questions and, taking Maria, went behind a large tree by the road to change clothes.
...
"You really came for this."
"Mmm-hmm, but I also came to save you."
Howard and Maria quickly changed their clothes. However, just as Bucky was putting their clothes on the two anonymous corpses he had stolen from the morgue, and Howard was going to the car's trunk,
He heard Bucky say, "Don't move, let me do it... And, you two hide outside the road."
The two could only listen to Bucky, hiding in the darkness, watching him put the two corpses into the car, then pull out a gun and shoot, then go to the trunk to get something, then pour gasoline, and ignite it with one shot.
A raging fire consumed the car, and the firelight reflected Howard's somewhat puzzled expression.
So skilled... Who are you doing this for?
Boom!
But just as Howard was about to ask, he saw Bucky get back on his motorcycle, twist the throttle, and speed away.
He ran away.
Ran away.
Away.
Listening to the engine sound of the motorcycle gradually fading away and disappearing, Howard was utterly bewildered.
Hey, is this a scam?