It was actually quite reasonable to think that Maria Hill was Peggy Carter's secret fangirl.
They were both strong women, both ambitious, and both wanted to achieve great things.
Peggy Carter was one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s founders, and Maria Hill would become the future Commander Hill.
Bucky told Hill some things from back then. Of course, he didn't try to flirt with Peggy at the time, but Peggy only had Steve in her eyes, which had nothing to do with him now.
Hill listened with great interest, and her mood gradually calmed down.
"Actually, not many people know my identity. It's limited to Howard, Fury, Coulson, Frank, and you. Secrecy is naturally required. I mean, in daily interactions, just treat me as Johnny. A name is just a code name; I am still me."
"...I'll try."
Hill knew that Bucky was talking about the most natural way of getting along, but knowing was one thing, and doing it was another.
She wasn't the future Commander Hill who had seen countless black technologies, superpowers, and immortals; she still needed some time to digest the facts.
"I'm going out. Do you want to come?"
"Of course."
But Hill quickly suppressed all her emotions. Whether it was Bucky or Johnny, they were her mission targets, and she still had to complete the mission.
Bucky was going to the bank to have an agent process those bearer bonds, convert them all into U.S. dollars, and then inject them into his company.
Yes, Bucky also had a company, but it was naturally a shell company, registered overseas with Howard's help. Under the name of an enterprise, he would make capital injections, then invest, do charity, etc., which could reasonably avoid a large portion of taxes.
Moreover, with this large sum of money, he didn't have to wait for the copied books to sell well to have already made his first pot of gold. When he really wanted to make some investments, it would be more convenient.
After finishing these, he went to a computer store in the mall and ordered thirty top-configured computers in one go.
"Why are you buying so many computers?"
Hill didn't ask much about why Bucky had so many bearer bonds and cash before, but now she was genuinely curious.
"You'll know then."
Bucky wasn't planning to hide his abilities from Hill, but no amount of explanation was as good as a demonstration, so he kept her in suspense for now.
Last time, it was just bad luck; computers weren't a household essential electronic device in that era, and they happened to be sold out, waiting three days for new stock. This time, the supply was ample, and he bought them directly from stock.
Bucky also paid extra for express delivery, and they were delivered to his home the same day.
Then came Hill's once again dumbfounded sight of disassembly. First, he disassembled all the brand-new computers into loose parts, and then broke down each component one by one.
Yes, Bucky bought so many computers just to disassemble components.
With the blue rare Network Access Pod, Bucky's Quick Hack slot expanded to 4, requiring the crafting of two new plugins.
And 486 computers had a small chance of disassembling purple epic-grade Quick Hack components, but the probability was very touching. It took a full 30 computer motherboards, CPUs, monitors, etc., to disassemble only 11 epic-grade components, which made Bucky question again whether he might not be a European Emperor.
But it was enough.
"System, craft Quick Hack plugins 'Contagious Infection' and 'Sonic Shock'."
"System Information: Consumes 50 excellent Quick Hack plugins, 30 rare, 10 epic. Crafts 1 green excellent-grade Contagious Infection and 1 Sonic Shock.
Contagious Infection (non-lethal): Poisons 3 targets within an 8-meter radius and spreads to an additional 2 targets within a 20-meter radius, causing them to experience extreme physical pain, including but not limited to headaches, vomiting, tinnitus, and abdominal pain. Costs 3 RAM, lasts 6 seconds; cooldown 15 seconds.
Sonic Shock: Creates a violent sound in the target's ear, causing the target to become deaf, dizzy, and lose physical balance; costs 1 RAM, lasts 30 seconds, cooldown 10 seconds."
Although Bucky had a new Network Access Pod [Network Monitor Net Drive 3], the Electromagnetic Short Circuit skill could also jump to 3 targets, but three was still too few and difficult to handle situations with many people.
Contagious Infection was different: 3 targets within 8 meters, then spreading to 2 more, and with Network Access Pod and specialization bonuses, jumping to 2 more, affecting a total of 7 targets. Although the damage was a bit small and couldn't kill ordinary people, if Bucky cooperated himself, it would be very useful in situations with many subordinates, like Billy and Rollins.
Moreover, it could be used with Electromagnetic Short Circuit and Sonic Shock, instantly controlling up to 11 targets.
As for choosing Sonic Shock as the last skill, it was because although this skill was single-target control, it had good effects, a long duration, and a short cooldown, making it convenient for Bucky to deal with more situations.
Bucky's current four skills—one for detection and positioning, one for high damage, one for area damage and crowd control, and one for single-target control—were quite reasonably matched.
And he had also transformed from a rookie "mage" into a qualified one, no longer just capable of throwing small Fireballs, but able to handle many situations with just "magic."
As for Hill, she was dumbfounded for the nth time that day, still not accustomed to Bucky's continuous unconventional displays. She returned home somewhat dazed, continuing to digest the facts.
As for whether it would scare her, Bucky wasn't worried at all. This was the future Commander Hill, who had seen countless grand scenes, could chat and laugh with legends, magnates, and immortals, and could even shush people and make dark sarcastic remarks. His little superpower was a piece of cake.
When Skye came home in the evening, the computer boxes and discarded parts had been cleaned up. During dinner, Bucky asked her about her school day, and the little one proudly said that she and a classmate named Mary had introduced themselves to each other and even had lunch together.
Bucky praised the little one well, and also eased his worries a bit.
And at night, Bucky told the little one a bedtime story, coaxed her to sleep, and then left home again.
When he arrived at his silver-gray Mustang, Hill just arrived and, as before, directly opened the door and got into the car.
"Where are we going tonight? Still regular activities?"
"Sort of. Tonight, we're going to the old place."
"The old place? That nightclub?"
Hill came wearing a black combat uniform, and saw Bucky dressed similarly, originally thinking Bucky was going on a street patrol again.
"Yeah, but this time it's not for a 'date,' but to have a chat with that boss Kevin."
"Tsk, last time wasn't really... Are you going to take on that gang?"
"Yeah, the police's efficiency is a bit low. I don't care about others, but knowing there's someone constantly breathing and polluting the air, I don't want to wait another day."
Bucky had spent nearly a hundred thousand U.S. dollars on computers just to get the Quick Hack plugin working. He wouldn't just let it sit quietly in his mind; he had to see its effects.
He stepped on the accelerator, and the car sped away. Bucky was itching to get started.
ADVANCE CHAPTER AVAILABLE IN PATREON
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