Late night.
Bucky's vision went black for an instant, completing the system's 1-hour sleep, fully restoring his energy and physical state.
Then, after glancing at Skye, who had fallen asleep sweetly after hearing the story, he quietly left the house, went downstairs, and got into the car.
He started the car and synced the in-car audio to the police radio in his bionic ear.
He was about to shift gears and step on the gas when he heard a rapid sound of footsteps.
He then saw a slender figure in home clothes, holding some items, with slightly disheveled hair, jogging over, opening the car door directly, and slipping into the car.
"Sir, it's so late, is there still something to do?"
He looked at Maria Hill, who was breathing a little rapidly, still smelled of apple shower gel, and had a hint of reproach in her expression.
Bucky thought, if you are annoyed, then I am too.
How should I answer this now?
Low EQ: You know it's so late, aren't you going to sleep and waiting to die suddenly?
High EQ: Always vigilant, Special Agent Hill is truly dedicated.
"Isn't that you here? It's perfect, you can help me watch the house, and I'll go out and play for a bit."
Hearing such an answer, Hill couldn't help but roll her eyes. In that combat suit, where are you going to play?
It must be something important!
What is this mysterious guy going to do?
"Sir, my responsibility is to protect your safety. I need to know your whereabouts and maintain a distance that allows for timely action."
Bucky also curled his lips. What good are you to me? When I'm working, will you stand by me and help me with the child?
However, Bucky couldn't directly send her away. After all, she was the future Commander Hill, someone trustworthy when HYDRA was still lurking within S.H.I.E.L.D.
So he said to Hill, "Then sit tight and buckle up."
After speaking, Bucky didn't step on the gas; instead, he got out of the car himself and closed the door.
Because this girl, Hill, either didn't treat Bucky as an outsider or didn't treat Bucky as a man, she actually took off her clothes directly, intending to change into her combat suit in the car.
Tsk tsk, those long legs… Well, although the body is that of a gentleman, just as Sheldon said, superheroes all peek.
"Aren't you cold?"
Seeing Hill change into a thin combat suit on this cold winter night, and finally feeling cold in the still-unheated car, Bucky couldn't help but find it a bit amusing.
"I've received the most professional training and can adapt to any combat requirement."
Hill's face was slightly red, well, it must have been from the cold.
"Go change, I'll wait for you."
"No need."
"Where is the trust between people? …It's not gone, is it?"
"In short, no need."
So there isn't any.
The problem is Bucky doesn't have any either; his physical strength, which surpasses human limits, means that sub-zero temperatures in winter nights won't affect his actions.
"Forget it, let's go."
So he drove to a military supply store first and bought Hill a suitable outfit.
"So where exactly are we going?"
Hill was very much looking forward to Bucky saying they were going on some top-secret mission.
"To fight evil."
"Huh?"
"To uphold justice, a street hero, a city guardian in the night, like Batman, Nightwing, and so on."
Yes, this world has DC comics, which put Bucky at ease quite a bit. Although Marvel isn't much better than its neighbor DC, at least there aren't cities as 'quaint' as Gotham, and there won't be constant Flashpoint reboots.
"Sir, are you serious?"
Hill looked disbelieving, having eagerly anticipated doing something big, only for it to be this?
The comics are all made up, alright? Even if you want to be Batman, where are you going to find Superman and Joker?
"I've never been more serious in my life. What, do you want to be my little sidekick? You can call yourself Winter Maiden."
Hill, who felt Bucky was mocking something, felt like she had never rolled her eyes so many times in her life.
And she was also very conflicted. She was a maintainer of the law; she was the one who upheld world peace, justice, and righteousness. So why was she going to become an outlaw vigilante who challenged the law?
Bucky ignored the rookie Agent's inner struggle and drove straight to a certain neighborhood in Brooklyn.
Last night, Bucky accidentally discovered someone buying and selling 'washing powder' in a dark corner, then followed the seller all the way here, to a gathering point for an African-American gang.
However, Bucky did not drive into the neighborhood.
Because the surrounding few streets are all African-American gathering places, with many gang members, as well as unemployed people and homeless individuals.
On the cold winter night, there were also several places where people gathered around burning oil drums, warming themselves and drinking.
And many houses had their lights on.
Bucky would bet that if he drove over and got out of the car, within five minutes, car thieves or people with guns would come looking for him.
And Bucky didn't want to be seen either.
"Sir… where is he?"
Hill, in a combat suit and masked, followed Bucky out of the car, bewildered, and walked behind him. Just as she was about to ask, she felt that in the blink of an eye, the figure in front of her disappeared. Upon closer inspection, she realized that he had cleverly used the contrast of light and darkness to hide in the shadow.
This isn't a thief, is it? He's actually just itching for some action, so he tricked her into coming along to steal something, right?
But she found that Bucky wasn't heading towards an empty house.
Instead, he was going to the largest house nearby, a two-story detached private residence, and it was brightly lit. From not far away, she could still hear rap music coming from inside.
"Eleven people, one dog."
Bucky scanned the area with his bionic eye and said to Hill, "I'll take care of the dog, you go help me cut the fuse."
"Where is this, and what do you want to do?"
Hill, however, grabbed Bucky's arm and asked very seriously.
Clearly, the answer "You'll know when we get there" wouldn't make her let go.
"Although this is Ben's gang, they are involved in a secret concerning the influx of CIA's overseas 'washing powder' into the country. I'm going to take down this stronghold and interrogate their boss."
Bucky was completely making things up; if you listened carefully, you could hear Bucky's occasional pauses.
Hill, however, was completely taken in, her breathing even becoming a little rapid. Sure enough, she was here to do something big!
"No problem, leave it to me. What do you need me to do afterward?"
"Hmm, help me keep watch and notify me if anything happens."
Hill looked at Bucky's empty hands and couldn't help but ask, "But you said there are quite a few people there, and they should all have guns."
"Action."
She then saw Bucky disappear rapidly from her sight, which made Hill feel a bit annoyed, but she had no choice but to cooperate with Bucky's actions.
Zzzzt.
Then she saw the bully dog in the yard, as if sensing something, suddenly stand up on all fours from its lying position, only for a surge of electric arc to emanate from its body, flashing and vanishing instantly. It didn't make a sound, falling to the ground motionless.
What's going on?
Hill felt increasingly uneasy.
ADVANCE CHAPTER AVAILABLE IN PATREON
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