"Little Kid, you must be scared, I'm sorry you had to go through something like this."
Bucky didn't bother with the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent leading the team, who was Phil Coulson, the man he'd met before whose hairline was already receding despite not yet being middle-aged.
Instead, he gently comforted Skye, who was clinging tightly to him in his arms like a baby koala.
Such a scene, such an experience, had not only scared Frank Castle's youngest daughter, but also the little kid in his arms.
"No, I'm not scared! Uncle, I'm fine!"
Skye's small body was still trembling, but she seemed to think of something, lifted her head, and bravely spoke through her tears.
"How could you not be scared? The first time I encountered this, I couldn't eat for three days. Are you some kind of perverted serial killer?"
"...Wah! You stinky uncle, I'm so scared! Wuwuwu, there's so much blood! And dead people!"
Bucky didn't intentionally provoke Skye... well, maybe he did a little, but in this situation, it was clearly better to let it out than to bottle it up.
"Alright, alright, it's okay, it's okay, I'm here..."
Bucky continued to comfort her softly, sighing inwardly. Ever since this little kid met him, ever since he knew she was Skye, she was bound to encounter such situations, sooner or later.
It was just that, originally, she wouldn't have had such an experience until adulthood, but now it was so much earlier. Although it wasn't caused by Bucky, he still felt a little bad.
"Mr. Castle, you should go to the hospital first. You can leave these people to us. Please rest assured, we will interrogate them thoroughly."
"No, I want to know who ordered this! You call Nick Fury, I'll talk to him!"
On the other side, two S.H.I.E.L.D. SUVs arrived. Some dealt with the bodies and the two surviving gang members, while others blocked the belated Police, keeping them only on the outer perimeter.
The receding-hairline brother leading the team was trying to stop Frank Castle, who insisted on going to the interrogation—no, who was itching to wake up those two gang members and torture them immediately.
Bucky originally didn't want to get involved, not because he didn't want to see a good deed through.
On the contrary, this was an accidental encounter, so maintaining this distance was best.
Otherwise, HYDRA might think Frank was involved with him, or if he really helped him and got involved, it would be bad for Frank.
However, the receding-hairline brother was too familiar; they had only met once, yet this time he kept looking at him with the benevolent gaze of an old good guy, seeking help.
Bucky had no choice but to go over, gently pick up the still dazed little Lisa by Frank's side, hand her to Frank, who instinctively caught her, and then said in a deep voice:
"You should take care of the children first. And your wife's funeral arrangements also need to be made. Although I'm not qualified to advise you, I know no one can understand your anger and pain, but you still have to bear it. For your children, restrain yourself."
Bucky's feeling was that Frank's heart housed a ferocious beast named Anger, but normally, his family had become the strongest cage, firmly sealing this fierce beast.
But with this encounter, the cage named family shattered, and the sleeping fierce beast had awakened.
"...I understand."
The expression in Frank's eyes kept changing. After a moment of hesitation, he sighed, hugged his daughter, and went to the S.H.I.E.L.D. car, where his son was. The family of three headed to the S.H.I.E.L.D. hospital.
The receding-hairline brother came over, a benevolent smile on his face: "Sir, thank you for your help. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't know how to persuade him."
Oh please, you guy, you're clearly just curious about me because my good buddy is your idol—Bucky didn't feel particularly pleased by the receding-hairline brother's implied admiring gaze, knowing he was thinking of someone else.
"It's nothing, Agent Coulson, right? We didn't get to chat properly last time, but I guess we'll have to save it for next time. Want to exchange numbers?"
However, this was also a famous person, arguably the most prominent supporting character in the MCU, almost catching up to Hawkeye. Bucky also wanted to deepen his connection with him.
"Okay, okay!"
The receding-hairline brother nodded profusely. Being able to keep in touch with his idol's... sidekick meant he might have a chance to learn his idol's secrets!
Bucky, who could guess what this guy was thinking, had an urge to send him to the South Pole right now to find his old ice-pop good buddy, and not to come back until he found him.
"Then we'll be going first."
Bucky had called the people, and he really had nothing more to say. It was just a sudden incident. After a few instructions, he left with Skye in his arms.
"Should I send someone to take you back?"
"No need, you guys are busy. If you need help, contact me, or if there's any progress on this matter, or any information about that person, let me know?"
"Absolutely, absolutely."
Although he didn't have an official S.H.I.E.L.D. identity, the receding-hairline brother knew that this person had a close relationship with Howard Stark. It wouldn't affect their work; he just wanted to follow up on the information. This convenience could be given, and he even planned to deliver it himself, so he could also inquire about his idol's situation.
And Bucky hadn't gone far from the scene when he received a call from Nick Fury.
"I heard about what happened. It was Frank. Thank you for your help."
"It's nothing. What a pity... Are you very familiar with him?"
After exchanging a few more words with Nick Fury, they happened to reach the outer perimeter, where the yellow Police tape was set up.
The one who pulled up the tape for Bucky was a young, beautiful woman in her early twenties, with reddish-brown permed hair and long legs, looking more like a model than a patrol officer.
The young female Police officer saw Bucky carrying big and small bags he had picked up, and also holding a little girl. And at the scene, the guys from whatever department had been blocking the Police had also driven away.
Her eyes darted around, and before the (patrol officer instructor) who was calling her to join the team arrived, she quickly asked Bucky: "Sir, do you need help?"
Bucky looked at the very green, presumably rookie, beautiful female Police officer for a moment, then nodded and said: "Sure, thank you."
After letting the female Police officer symbolically help carry a few bags, the female Police officer greeted her instructor and followed behind Bucky. After only a few steps, she heard the female Police officer continue to strike up a conversation:
"Sir, I'm Officer Becket. May I know your name?"
"You can call me Johnny."
"Mr. Johnny, can you tell me what happened just now?"
Sure enough, she wasn't interested in my stunning good looks.
Bucky was a little amused, listening to the female Police officer's clumsy attempts to pry information, but his heart also stirred.
Another accidental encounter, or was there another motive?