081. The Man with a Star on His Chest and a Plan Hidden Away
It wasn't until Duke left that everyone realized something was off.
They had just been stunned by Duke's'supernatural powers,' but afterwards, they realized that the letter didn't really prove anything.
While the handwriting looked very similar and it had a fingerprint, that didn't mean anything.
If they really wanted to go through legal channels, they could have demanded the return of Dr. Abraham Erskine's body.
After all, American lawsuits are long and tedious, and the current system is quite flawed, with plenty of loopholes to exploit.
For instance, the first person to be notified should be the doctor's immediate family; if there are no immediate family members, it should be passed to extended relatives like uncles, aunts, or siblings; next would be the organization the doctor worked for, which is the the military; only then would this so-called 'last will' come into play.
After all, this thing is too simple, riddled with holes, and could easily be forged. Since its authenticity cannot be proven, the law generally wouldn't recognize such a letter.
Unfortunately, his display of power was too overwhelming; they had been completely stunned.
By the time they came to their senses, he had already vanished...
Senator Brad was furious: "Colonel, I need an explanation for this. Who exactly is that guy? Why was he able to waltz into our classified laboratory?!"
Although Colonel Chester Phillips was somewhat resistant to Duke, he wasn't an enemy; he was just genuinely repulsed by this kind of 'mysterious behavior.'
Likewise, he was even more repulsed by these bullshit committees.
"Fine! Then you first explain how a German spy managed to sit in your car and sneak into my secret base?"
The Senator looked very awkward.
— — The next day.
"Starting today, the Strategic Scientific Reserve has a new mission. We are going to fight Hydra to the death. Pack your bags, Agent Carter. You too, Stark. We're flying to London tomorrow night," Colonel Chester Phillips ordered.
"Sir! If you're going after Schmidt, I want in too," Captain America requested.
"You are a test subject; you need to go to Alamogordo."
"But the serum worked." Captain America was very annoyed by this treatment of being used as a 'tool'.
In this moment, he seemed to understand the doctor's thoughts a little better.
"I wanted an army, but all I got was you. You alone are far from enough." Colonel Chester Phillips shook his head. "What's even worse is... forget it! The dead deserve respect..."
The Colonel sighed and turned to leave.
He actually wanted to berate Dr. Abraham Erskine. Although that letter was still full of suspicious points, he understood the doctor's intentions. From the moment the doctor chose Rogers instead of Hodge, he understood.
The doctor was worried that these'Super Soldiers' would become social tumors or bullies in the future, endangering the country. As for him, he wanted to take off Adolf's head and end this war. Whether they became bullies was a matter for the future and had nothing to do with him. Moreover, in his view, no matter how much of a 'bully' one might be, they were no match for the state machine.
But he never expected that Dr. Abraham Erskine had planned to commit suicide long ago.
Although he was very annoyed, he still admired the doctor quite a bit; not everyone could die while holding onto their 'convictions.'
Even though he really wanted to berate that old guy to his face.
Unfortunately, there was no chance.
"It's not that I have an issue with the Colonel, I just think he didn't see the main point. But I saw your ability, Steve. More importantly, the whole country saw it," Brad said.
Hmm? Saw what?
Saw a scrawny little guy turn into a tall, muscular hunk?
"The newspaper!"
Unlike before, the original newspaper headline was [Mysterious person defeats 'Nano-Soldier', saves children], and now it is also [Mysterious person defeats 'Nano-Soldier', saves children].
However, the former was about holding a car door and saving the one who fell into the water, while the latter was about shooting down several 'Nano-Soldiers' outside an antique shop, saving the children who were almost killed by the 'Nano-Soldiers' guns.
This was thanks to Diana's combat training; if it weren't for her, he might not have been in time to save them.
His body, at an impossible angle, grabbed a car door and threw it, perfectly blocking the incoming bullets.
The key was that Captain America didn't throw the car door in front of him, but swung it backwards...
The pose was incredibly cool.
"Since your exploits were reported, the streets have been lined with people wanting to enlist. We can't let an idol-level figure hide in a laboratory."
"Kid, do you want to serve your country on the most important battlefield?"
"I would love to."
"Then congratulations, you've been promoted."
Captain America smiled. Who doesn't want a promotion and a raise?
However, the next moment... he was wearing a tight suit.
"This doesn't seem to be what I had in mind."
— — — — Meanwhile, at Karazhan.
"Wahahaha—as expected, selling bonds, a man with a star on his chest and a plan hidden away. Wahahaha—" Dukelaughed until he was convulsing.
Dr. Abraham Erskine took the newspaper and tossed a few salted peanuts into his mouth: "This is simply wasting my hard work!"
Although the words sounded angry, his expression betrayed him.
The old guy was saying it in jest.
The doctor who died in the laboratory yesterday was a fake, just an 'illusion.' The real doctor had long since been quietly pulled into the 'Mirror Dimension' by him.
"Sigh, this is a necessary part of a person's growth."
"Phillips, that old man, has some ideas."
The newspaper didn't report on the Senator's incident; Duke didn't want to appear too heaven-defying.
"No, Colonel Phillips wouldn't do that. This looks... like Senator Brad's idea," Dr. Abraham Erskine said.
"Oh? Forget it, let's not talk about him. How about it, how does it feel to be here for a day?" Duke also tossed a few peanuts, had a little wine, and life was good.
"I have to thank you for letting me come into contact with a whole new world," Dr. Abraham Erskine smiled.
After entering Karazhan, a brand new door opened before his eyes, and the world inside was incomparably wonderful.
Outside the Mage Tower, no matter how he ran, he couldn't reach the woods on the outer ring.
He ran for the whole afternoon, nearly exhausted, yet it felt like he was just circling in the same spot.
One moment your foot is on a normal path, and it looks no different ahead, but after you take that step, you realize the vast difference.
Because your next step might take you into a polar glacier, freezing you into an icicle; or you might fall straight into a lava canyon and be burned to ashes.
It was super exciting!
In short, if you aren't given 'permission,' never walk around Karazhan and its surroundings, because there are 'traps' everywhere.
"No need. The reason I brought you here is partly because it would be a pity for you to die, and partly because I want you to work for me as my subordinate," Duke waved his hand.
"But I'm just an ordinary person; I can't help you, can I?" Dr. Abraham Erskine asked, somewhat puzzled.
Duke took out a small piece of 'Mana Essence' and placed it on the table: "This is your next task."
"This is..." No matter how he looked at it, he couldn't figure out what it was. It just looked like a piece of red crystal.
"A treasure that can restore one's youth."
"Ah..." The doctor's hand loosened, and the crystal fell. Fortunately, he reacted in time and caught it.
082. "Captain America and His Howling Commandos"
"Just a small piece like this can restore you to your prime," Duke continued, munching on peanuts.
"Really?"
Dr. Abraham Erskine's eyes flashed with intensity.
He had thought he didn't have the time to experience this brand-new world, as he was already old. At most, he had maybe 10 years left, and after that... he didn't know if his mind would be able to keep up.
Now, however, being able to "reclaim his youth," that...
"Really, but how to use it is for you to research yourself. Equipment and instruments, I will get them for you later." Duke finished off the peanuts in a few bites, wiped his mouth, and continued, "This is your task. I need you to convert it into a liquid state and make its shelf life as infinite as possible. Additionally, I want maximum 'utilization rate' from it."
"Alright, I will try." Dr. Abraham Erskine thought for a moment and nodded.
"Mm, good luck, I believe you can do it."
Duke turned and left.
He had discovered that while using magic to draw out life force, a portion was lost. And when it was subsequently injected into a human body, another small portion was lost.
The utilization rate was less than 80 percent.
And that was under ideal conditions.
Utilization by non-mages was very low; ordinary people's absorption was often less than 50 percent, with more than half of the "life force" being wasted.
Dr. Abraham Erskine was the one who researched "potions," which was why Duke had chosen him.
It was also for the sake of the future Hulk, ah... can't spoil too much.
( ￣ ３ ￣ ) a.
In short, Duke wanted to utilize the power of these crystals to the maximum extent.
You have to know, these were all materials given by the system to build Karazhan, and there wasn't much left. The system had only provided five-colored gems—the "Red Dragon line," "Blue Dragon line," "Bronze Dragon line," "Green Dragon line," and... the "Black Dragon line."
The red dragon essence served as the core, binding all of Karazhan together; the blue dragon essence served as the magic power, complementing the red dragon essence, and the threat the Ancient One felt came mainly from the magical pressure of the blue dragon essence; the bronze dragon essence controlled the power of time, while the Black Dragon line represented the earth, and these two complemented each other to set up one "trap" after another around Karazhan.
The lava hell and polar glaciers that Doctor Erskine had accidentally stumbled into were all based on the Black Dragon essence.
As for the even more mysterious "time traps," he hadn't encountered those yet.
Oh, actually, he had encountered them.
No matter how he ran, he couldn't reach the forest in the distance; this was also an application of time constraints.
The green dragon essence controlled "dreams," and dream traps were spread throughout the inside and outside of the tower.
After building Karazhan, there was still a small portion of "magic essence" left, but... there wasn't much, so he couldn't be so generous with its use anymore.
He had to be frugal.
If he wanted to buy it from the shop, it would cost a fortune...
----
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, several months had passed. Duke had been staying inside Karazhan, reading the newspaper and closely monitoring the movements of the "man with a star on his chest and a plan hidden away."
"Still reading news about him?" Diana walked over holding two cups of coffee. "If it weren't for your decent performance at night during this time, I would have really thought you had fallen for a man."
As she spoke, she took a sip of coffee.
Coffee with milk; it tasted not bad.
"Me? Heh, rest assured, I will never fall for a man in this lifetime. You created a 'little monster,' so of course, I have to keep an eye on him. Hmm, not bad; he is already worthy of the title 'Captain America.'" Duke smiled and picked up his coffee; he liked it a bit bitter.
"It has nothing to do with me; that is Doctor Erskine's contribution. Without me, he would still have become 'Captain America.'" Diana shook her head.
"But you added fuel to his path. Let's not talk about him anymore; how are you?"
As he spoke, he placed the newspaper on the table.
---- "Captain America and His Howling Commandos"
Winning battle after battle, they had already wiped out over a dozen Hydra strongholds, dealing a heavy blow to Hydra's forces.
The once scrawny kid from Brooklyn had gradually grown into a towering tree.
"What else could I be doing? Going to school," Diana said.
That's right; after leaving Camp Lehigh, she had gone back to school, studying art this time. Last time she studied to be a Doctor, but twenty years had already passed. Although a person wouldn't die in twenty years, but... sitting in a hospital office every day was also a bit dull and boring.
By day she was a Doctor, and by night, she was occasionally a lonely hero walking in the dark.
That was Diana's daily routine during the twenty-one years Duke was asleep...
Wearing a magic mask, she had transformed into a thirty-year-old appearance. Logically speaking, she should look forty to outsiders, but... couldn't she be well-maintained?
Then, being absolutely bored out of her mind, she resigned from the hospital and went back to school.
It was nothing more than changing her identity.
Come to think of it, she quite liked art, especially sculpture.
Watching a piece of plaster turn into a beautiful work of art in her hands gave her a great sense of accomplishment.
Diana's personality was of the "placid" type; you definitely couldn't tell from her appearance that she was a powerful older sister figure with an overwhelming aura.
If not for Batman finding the photo, she wouldn't have appeared in the public eye again.
School life was actually quite nice for her; she could experience the changes in society so she wouldn't be completely clueless.
If it weren't for Duke's request, she wouldn't have gone to that Camp Lehigh to train some "Captain America." Seeing Captain America holding a shield in the newspaper, she had an illusion, as if she had become the bootleg version? That's right, the reason Captain America in this timeline picked up a shield was because of Wonder Woman's influence.
As for why it was that way in the original timeline, Dukewasn't too sure; very few people would take a shield to the battlefield during this period, right?
"How about you come to school with me?" Diana coaxed.
"Me?" Duke pointed to his own nose and said exaggeratedly, "Forget it! I really don't understand why you like school so much."
"Just like how you don't like school."
"Fine." Duke shrugged. "So, is anyone pursuing you?"
In his previous life, all sorts of schooling.
Kindergarten, elementary school, middle school, high school, university... all sorts of schools.
Before school, he was disciplined by his parents at home; after starting school, he was disciplined by all sorts of teachers; after finishing school and starting work, he was disciplined by superiors in various departments.
A person's life is just being "managed"!
Therefore, after transmigrating, he vowed that he would never be managed by others again; he had to be the one managing others.
"Do you want there to be, or not?" Diana smiled playfully.
"Of course..."
"Of course there is. I'm so beautiful; unless men are blind, they wouldn't turn a blind eye to me."
"Who? I'll go hack him to death." Duke stood up angrily.
083. Make a choice, Rogers
The system issued a new task: "Obtain the Tesseract!"
"What?"
Duke froze for a moment, then cried out in astonishment.
"What's wrong?" Diana asked curiously. Why did this guy have an expression like he'd seen a ghost?
"Oh, nothing. Just remembered something," Duke smiled, glossing over it.
The system had been gone for quite a while now.
Don't think that waking up from a nap is like only one second has passed; in reality, he had truly lived in the "Astral Realm" for 21 years, although the flow of "time" was not consistent.
For 21 years, he had never spoken to the system, nor had he communicated with it since waking up.
He even felt that the system was gone.
It didn't matter if it was there or not.
After all, with Medivh's inheritance, he was already strong enough to walk sideways in this world; all that remained was the advancement of his rank.
The system suddenly popping out out of nowhere made him feel a little unaccustomed to it.
Obtain the Tesseract?
Have to deal with Captain America again.
However, what does the system want the "Tesseract" for?
Does it want to break it down?
"Hey, you only issued a task, no task reward?"
"Reward: One card draw."
"What level is it?"
"No level, random, new rate."
Got it.
It's just a "Newbie Gift Pack" with the rates reduced tenfold.
"My dear, tell me... why is Hydra's technology so advanced? It's like... a feeling that it completely doesn't belong to this world; their weapons are at least decades ahead of this world," Duke said, pretending to be ignorant.
Duke had always been curious whether Hydra's "blue light weapons" were lasers or something else.
Theoretically, those people shouldn't be dead, right?
Their power comes from the Tesseract, which is the Space Stone, a kind of "spatial" power. Does that mean, just like Red Skull, they were teleported somewhere?
Of course, it might also be a kind of "spatial" conversion power; after all, the guys who were hit all turned into carbon and disappeared.
"You mean they have alien technology, or perhaps... tools left behind by the gods?" Diana also frowned.
"Most likely." As he said this, Duke stood up. "Looks like I need to make a trip. Are you coming?"
"I won't go." Diana shook her head.
"Ah, why?"
"I just started school, it's not good to skip class."
Duke raised a hand to his forehead: "You... I think you've become addicted to school and can't extricate yourself."
Diana shrugged and smiled.
"It's fine if you don't go. I don't think there's much to fight in this battle," Duke said, shaking his head. "I'll be back soon."
— — — —
In the small town that had been bombed, Captain Americawas drinking alone, holding the kind of alcohol that DoctorAbraham Erskine had once given him. His buddy was dead, having fallen from the cliff train; he was destined not to survive. Perhaps they couldn't even find a complete corpse.
He didn't dare to look, and he was afraid!
Afraid of seeing a scene he couldn't accept.
— — Censored.
"What's this, drinking alone here?"
"Swish—" A white portal lit up, and Duke slowly stepped out from it, wearing a smile.
After seeing clearly who it was, Captain America froze for a moment, then rubbed his eyes and stood up abruptly: "Instructor!"
"Alright, alright. I'm not your instructor anymore, no need to be so restrained." Duke walked up with a smile and patted Captain America on the shoulder. "But I'm very pleased; you've done very well, I've heard all about it. Sit down and talk!"
"..."
"What's wrong, why aren't you talking?"
Steve Rogers hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and asked: "Instructor, you clearly have the ability, why didn't you..."
"Why didn't I step forward to stop all these tragedies from happening? What, are you questioning me? Do you think you're very impressive now, that you have the ability to question me, your instructor?" Duke laughed.
"I wouldn't dare."
If you wouldn't dare, why are you asking?
"People, everyone needs to have a sense of responsibility and do their own job well. Do not concern yourself with matters outside your position! The 'work' I have to do is far more dangerous than a world War. If you can live for seventy years, you should understand."
Yeah, if you live another seventy years, there's going to be an alien invasion.
"By the way, what's wrong with you? Why is your attitude so negative!"
"..."
"Bucky, my childhood friend, he..."
"You mean—'James Barnes'? He is still alive."
[Boom—]
Like a bolt from the blue!
Steve Rogers stood up abruptly: "W-w-what? Bucky... is still alive? How is this possible? Instructor, you don't need to comfort me. He fell from a hundred-meter cliff, it's impossible for him to still be alive."
"I have observed the flow of time; he appears seventy years later."
"H-how... this is impossible."
Captain America was stunned. Seventy years, how could Bucky live for seventy years? Seventy years, even if he were alive, he would already be a withered old man; how could he possibly be recognized?
He didn't doubt Duke's ability.
Mysticism, perhaps it really can glimpse the future...
"Instructor, you must have mistaken the person. There aren't many people in this world who look alike, but there are certainly some."
"I am 100% sure that it is James Barnes."
"This... I find it hard to believe." Captain America shook his head; he still couldn't believe Duke's words, after all, it was too mysterious.
"Have you ever thought that Doctor Zola might have also injected him with the 'Super Soldier Serum'?" Duke sat opposite Captain America with a smile, revealing a shocking answer.
Steve Rogers' body trembled violently. He looked up, his face filled with shock, confusion, and suspicion. Finally, he suddenly remembered something: when he found Bucky, Bucky was indeed tied up in the laboratory.
Could it be...
"No! I have to go find him." Captain America slammed the table, stood up, and turned to leave.
Just at this moment, Peggy Carter arrived: "I've been looking all over for you; Colonel Phillips is looking for you. Schmidt's final base has been confirmed, it's in..."
Then she saw Duke.
"Why are you here?"
Captain America gritted his teeth, pushed past Agent Carter, and ran outside: "Move aside."
"Where are you going?" Peggy Carter sensed something was wrong.
"I'm going to save Bucky."
"We have less than 24 hours!" Peggy Carter shouted.
Captain America froze upon hearing this.
He turned his neck mechanically.
"What... do you mean?"
"According to the latest intelligence, Schmidt has a weapon capable of destroying the world. It will be activated within 24 hours, and then it will blow up the United States. And then... the entire world!" Peggy Cartersaid quickly.
"It's not that serious; at most, it will only blow up Washington," Duke walked out slowly. "Now is the time for you to make a decision: are you going to save your friend, or are you going to stop Schmidt's crazy actions?"
084. A Severed Arm Is Thrown In
Captain America was caught in a dilemma.
"Instructor..."
Duke raised his hand to interrupt Captain America: "I know what you are going to say, but this decision must be made by you. However, I want to remind you that according to the future I have glimpsed in the flow of time, if you choose to stop Schmidt, then... you might die."
"..." Peggy Carter was slightly stunned.
"If you choose to save your buddy, then... he might die." Duke pointed at Peggy Carter, which stunned the latter.
Similarly, Captain America was dumbfounded: "..."
Stop Schmidt, and he would die; save his buddy, and his sweetheart would die!
This, how the hell is he supposed to choose?
"Instructor!... If I ask you to stop Schmidt..."
Duke waved his hand: "I only came this time to 'warn' you, and also to tell you that your buddy is still alive, so don't feel guilty or blame yourself. But you must know, I am very busy right now and don't have time to deal with you all. I am in a place you cannot see, protecting this world from invasion. Compared to Schmidt's little antics, that is something that could truly destroy the world."
Captain America and Peggy Carter both gasped.
They knew how powerful Duke was.
Battles in other realms?
Suddenly, they felt a bit panicked!
"Destiny? I believe in myself; I will definitely be able to overcome destiny." Captain America clenched his fists tightly, "I'm sorry, Bucky, forgive me."
Saying this, he turned and walked out.
Peggy Carter gave Duke a deep look and followed.
"You have passed the test."
Captain America came to a'screeching' halt.
"I will go save your buddy. Where did he fall off the cliff?"
So excited.
Steve almost cried, his eyes turning red.
"At..."
"Don't tell me the place name, I don't know it. I want an exact map," Duke said.
"Right, right, map, map." Captain America frantically searched his pockets, but he didn't have a map on him, "Instructor, come with me to the command post."
----
"Eh, Uncle Duke, why are you here?" Howard was a bit curious after seeing Duke.
"Came to give you a hand." Saying this, Duke patted Howard on the shoulder and tossed a piece of jade to him, "Wear it around your neck."
Looking at the white jade pendant in his palm, Howard had a lewd expression: "Uncle Duke, this isn't very appropriate, is it? We are uncle and nephew."
"What are you thinking?!" Duke said testily and slapped him, "Wear it properly on your body; it can save your life at a critical moment."
"It's that good? Then I must wear it." Howard chuckled, quickly took off the necklace around his neck and tossed it aside, replacing it with the white jade pendant.
Duke glanced at it; he guessed it was probably another token of love from his Nth lover, right?
He gently patted Howard's shoulder and followed Captain America.
He thought and thought, and still decided to save Bucky.
Bucky was a bit too tragic, being brainwashed every day, almost turned into an idiot.
And he also killed Tony's father, Howard, which led to Iron Man and Captain America turning against each other and the Avengers splitting up.
Howard was his nephew, how could he let him die such a miserable death as before?
So he decided to save Bucky, and at the same time, to prevent other Hydra assassins from taking over Bucky's mission, he gave him a jade pendant for protection.
Anything below the legendary realm would absolutely be unable to 'break the defense'.
Colonel Chester Phillips also noticed Duke: "What are you doing here?"
Duke's strength was very strong; if they had his help, they could complete the mission better.
However, Duke completely ignored him.
"You are playing with Fire."
A faint warning, and then he left.
The Colonel's face turned livid. Playing with fire, my foot. Can you speak clearly?
He hated such mysterious behavior the most.
Captain America walked over quickly with a map, pointing at it: "Instructor, it's right here. He should have fallen here."
"Hmm... I will try my best. I hope he is still there when I arrive." Saying this, Duke took the map and left.
When did Doctor Zola find Bucky and drag him away?
It should be within these next one to five days.
Because Bucky fell off the cliff, his arm was broken, he was bleeding profusely, and had internal and external injuries... coupled with the cold weather, Bucky couldn't hold on for too long.
The Super Soldier Serum he injected was not perfect; it wasn't as powerful as Captain America's.
Didn't you see that after fighting for so long, he was still just an ordinary soldier, just a bit stronger than a regular grunt?
There wasn't really any major change.
In this situation, terrain, and temperature, he wouldn't be like Captain America, frozen directly for nearly seventy years.
He might just die directly.
And Doctor Zola had already been sent to Switzerland; it was probably at this juncture that he took the person away.
Duke flew over quickly; hopefully, he could make it in time.
---- At this moment, the command post.
"Hydra's final base is in the Alps, five hundred feet below the surface," Colonel Phillips said.
"Then what should we do?" The bearded man asked.
"We can't just knock on the door and walk in."
"Why not? That's exactly what we'll do."
Captain America got on his motorcycle and set off.
---- And Duke, after wandering around the place marked on the map, finally discovered Bucky under a hidden cliff.
Well, it was miserable; his arm was indeed broken.
His body was covered in ice crystals, but thanks to the cold weather, his wounds were frozen shut; otherwise, the massive blood loss alone would have been enough to send him to meet Yama.
Uh, to meet Mephisto.
Just as he was preparing to take the person away, intermittent footsteps and shouting came from the distance.
"Search carefully, everyone."
"He should be in this area... Don't miss any suspicious spots."
It couldn't be that coincidental, could it? Doctor Zola found him?
"Ah, there is blood over there."
Blood?
Duke carefully scanned the surroundings and discovered that Bucky hadn't fainted immediately after falling.
Perhaps between life and death, the Super Soldier Serumplayed a role, allowing him to survive this ordeal.
After falling, he didn't faint immediately but staggered for a distance before collapsing.
He was probably trying to find his severed arm or find a way out, right?
Duke quickly opened the door to Karazhan and tossed Bucky inside: "Save him, quickly."
"Who is this... OK." Doctor Abraham Erskine asked a question, quickly carried the person onto the operating table, but when he looked again, Duke had already disappeared.
He had already gotten used to Duke's mysteriousness over these past few months.
He shook his head and began the surgery.
Doctor Abraham Erskine had also been a Doctor in the past.
"Who is this person?" Doutzen Kroes asked.
"Don't know, the boss tossed him in and disappeared." Doctor Abraham Erskine shrugged and began to examine him, "This person's injuries... are a bit severe. Given his body, he shouldn't have survived. Hmm...?"
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
Doctor Abraham Erskine shook his head. Could it be... the Super Soldier Serum?
This person's pulse was still very strong; for a critically injured patient, it was too inconceivable.
Judging by his attire, he should be a soldier. Could he also have been injected with the Super Soldier Serum?
Zola?
Just at this moment, the portal opened again, and a severed arm was thrown in.
085. Grabbing Carter by the Waist
In the final Hydra base, Steve Rogers was sprinting in pursuit of Red Skull's 'valkyrie', running a 100-meter record of 2.333 seconds, a speed that would leave future sprinter Bor in the dust.
However, it was a pity; even though he was running until his lungs felt like they were about to burst, he still couldn't catch up to the 'valkyrie' with its dual propulsion system and eight-wheel vortex boosters.
The triangular'stealth bomber' was flying fast.
Forty years later, the United States would develop a nearly identical 'B2 Spirit bomber'.
Behind him, the 'Old Driver' Colonel Chester Phillips came rushing over, driving the 'Hydra Schmidt'.
This cool beast was named the [Hydra Schmidt] two-door supercar, equipped with a 16-cylinder engine. To be precise, it was an off-road sports car, and a rare'six-wheeled' one at that.
The interior was extremely minimalist and retro, featuring a center console styled like an old-fashioned airplane.
And it was the only one in the world.
This was also Duke's favorite sports car; he had to collect it.
"Get in!"
The Old Driver — — launching!
Vroom — — speeding like the wind, they gave chase.
Schmidt noticed and pressed the propulsion device, causing the 'valkyrie' to accelerate violently. The Old Driver wouldn't take that, so Colonel Chester Phillips pressed the nitrous boost, and the whole car sped up even faster in pursuit. Looking from afar, it felt just like the burning car of Ghost Rider.
Captain America stood up slowly; he wanted to pounce onto the landing gear.
Just then, Peggy Carter grabbed him: "Wait!"
Then, a kiss.
"Go kill him."
Captain America was a bit confused; I was taken advantage of, was this a confession?
He instinctively looked at the Old Driver.
The Old Driver shook his head, indicating: "I won't kiss you."
A car chasing a plane, they were about to reach the cliff, and the 'valkyrie' had already begun to take off.
Captain America jumped, pouncing toward the landing gear.
The Old Driver slammed the steering wheel, and the tires sparked 'hiss, hiss' against the ground.
Just then, an accident happened.
Perhaps he was a bit confused from the kiss, or perhaps he remembered Duke's words and was afraid that something might happen to Peggy Carter, so he instinctively glanced back. As a result, his hand slipped, he failed to grab the landing gear firmly... and fell... fell... fell...
"No — — — —" Peggy Carter was so shocked she stood straight up in the car.
Captain America's heart almost stopped. At this moment, he suddenly remembered that the instructor had said 'if he went to stop Schmidt, he might die', not that Peggy Carterwould die. If he had chosen to save Bucky, then Peggy Carter would die. While falling, he thought of his good buddy Bucky, and wondered if the instructor had found him.
Was it over just like that?
Looking at the 'valkyrie' slowly distancing itself, Captain America closed his eyes; it seemed... he had already proven himself!
"Giving in to fate already? Just a moment ago you said 'you could definitely conquer fate', and now you're giving up on yourself?... Tsk tsk!"
In the process of falling, Captain America suddenly felt his body jerk, and a powerful anti-gravity pull almost tore his arm off.
He opened his eyes and looked.
"Instructor!!!"
"It's too early to give up now!" Duke chuckled, flapped his wings violently, drew a circle in mid-air, and sped toward the 'valkyrie'.
That's right, the one who came was Duke.
How could he not deal with Captain America—no, deal with Red Skull? That guy wasn't bombing Washington, but New York. Heaven knows what's wrong with that bastard; Washington was the hub, why bomb New York!
His home was there, so naturally, he couldn't just watch it get bombed!
Although he had the protection of the 'Spell Formula', Red Skull's bombs couldn't threaten Karazhan at all, but he didn't want to live in a city surrounded by ruins.
Moreover, although Karazhan was fine, Wonder Woman, Doutzen Kroes, and Samir were all active outside.
So after finding Bucky, he rushed over quickly.
And he also wanted the Tesseract.
He had left a mark on Captain America, which allowed him to accurately sense Captain America's location. However, this type of magic had limitations; when exceeding a certain distance, the magic would automatically deactivate.
In other words, once outside the limited distance, Dukewould no longer be able to sense Captain America's location.
Probably about the range of half of Europe?
Red Skull was a bit stunned; what the hell was that!
A bird?
No — —
Unfortunately, before he could see clearly, Duke had entered his blind spot.
He approached the 'valkyrie' at high speed.
While the landing gear hadn't been retracted yet, Duke...
Just at this moment, a scream.
"Ah — —!!!"
The 'Hydra Schmidt' was slowly falling off the cliff edge.
Peggy Carter had just stood up in terror, instinctively wanting to reach out to grab Captain America. Although she knew it was impossible to catch him, it was a human instinct.
And then, tragedy struck her.
The two rear wheels of the sports car were already outside the cliff, barely maintaining a delicate balance. If she had been careful, she might have been able to inch it back up. However, now, she stood up abruptly, and the force caused the balance to be lost, and the car slid out bit by bit.
The Old Driver's reputation in his later years was ruined!
"NO — —" Captain America shouted in terror; his sweetheart was about to be in trouble.
Slap!
Duke slapped him, waking Captain America up: "Aim carefully, here you go — —!"
He used the strength in his arm to throw him out violently.
In fact, the two of them were already less than five meters away from the 'valkyrie', and Captain America easily hugged the landing gear. Then Duke turned his body and flew toward the cliff.
"Forgot to mention, I've already found your buddy. Although he's seriously injured, fortunately, he's not dead yet."
"Go deal with Schmidt, I'll go save your sweetheart."
Whoosh — — he glided away!
"Instructor..."
"Don't act like a little girl!"
Duke flapped his wings and swooped down. At this moment, the landing gear had slowly closed, and Captain America could no longer see outside. In this one day, the instructor had helped him three times.
Saving Bucky, saving him, and saving Peggy Carter.
He believed that the instructor would definitely be able to save Carter.
He composed himself and began to face Schmidt!
When he was about fifty meters away from Peggy Carter, Duke waved his hand and opened a portal directly to Karazhan.
However...
In the stunned eyes of Peggy Carter and the Old Driver, the 'Hydra Schmidt' fell into the portal and disappeared.
It was teleported to Karazhan.
Although the two of them didn't know what exactly was going on, they could be sure of one thing — — the car was safe.
Damn it.
Wasn't the key point saving people?
Saving your damn car!
Duke curled his lips in his heart: The car was his property, you two weren't, so of course he would save the car first.
After saving the car, he retracted his wings and sped toward the two of them.
Approaching...
He grabbed Peggy Carter's waist with his left arm, held her in his embrace, and grabbed the Old Driver's ankle with his right hand, carrying them as he flew into the sky.
"Ahhhhhhh — —"
The Old Driver's screaming as he was shaken about.
086. 'Remember to jump from the plane' turned out to mean this (Part 1)
Rescuing two people at once is still very tiring, mainly because they are quite heavy.
He is a mage, not a warrior.
His physical strength is not very high; of course, he can convert magic power into physical strength.
When they were about a meter and a half from the ground, he dropped the old driver. Colonel Chester Phillips let out an "Ouch" as he tumbled onto the ground.
A narrow escape from death.
If not for seeing how old he was, he would have flown a bit higher.
"I protest!"
Duke was holding him by the leg, with his head hanging down and blood rushing to it, feeling quite dizzy. Most importantly, with one leg held and the other in a wide straddle, his little birdie that had been dormant for N years was almost torn.
"Protest overruled. You're not a beauty, so don't expect a smooth ride." Duke glanced at the old driver, leaving the latter quite fuming.
Changing from a one-handed waist hold to a two-handed carry, the two slowly spiraled down from the sky. If there were some snowflakes or peach blossom petals, the effect would have been quite aesthetic.
"Agent Carter, I saved you, you know. How about a kiss as a reward?"
When it's time to take advantage, one must never back down.
Holding Carter, the feeling was especially surging!
Having just escaped death, her breathing was extremely erratic; Peggy Carter was now gasping heavily. Facing each other directly, there was practically no gap between them. Duke could clearly feel the surging pressure of those mounds, every bit of it full of explosive sensation.
Agent Carter has a large frame, a typical Western girl's figure. Only a large frame can support a larger cup size, and her bust was extremely imposing.
Having just escaped death, Peggy Carter didn't realize she was being groped.
She rolled her eyes: "Do you need a kiss?"
"What, if I say I do, will you give me one?" Duke teased.
"No!" Peggy Carter snapped.
"Then forget it, you don't fit my aesthetic anyway. Your face is too big and too square!" Duke curled his lip.
Peggy Carter was fuming; what's wrong with a square face? "I know... you like your Diana."
That indeed is a model's figure.
Speaking, Peggy Carter gave a playful smile, "What, is that one of yours... also not to your taste?"
She took another sharp breath as she spoke.
She was an Agent, after all. Once she recovered from the mortal danger, she realized Duke was taking advantage of her.
You don't think Duke did nothing in the Astral Realm for those 21 years, do you? His skin had grown quite thick.
"Shh—keep your voice down. If she hears you, she'll definitely hammer you flat." Duke joked and finally let go of Peggy Carter; he was just teasing her.
But the thing about Diana was true—she hated being called'small' most of all. Although she wasn't exactly small, during these few months, she drank a glass of papaya juice every morning and evening. Unfortunately, perhaps it was genetic, but the growth was extremely limited.
"Where is Schmidt's car?" Colonel Chester Phillips finally found an opportunity.
"Whose?"
"Schmidt's..."
"Nonsense, that's clearly mine." Duke curled his lip and said firmly, "Consider that the reward for saving you. What? Want it back? Then I'll throw you back down and return the car to you?"
"No, no, I didn't see any car." Colonel Chester Phillipswaved his hands hurriedly.
Are you kidding? Could he survive being thrown down? What use is a car then? Only, his heart was a bit broken; that was the only ride of Hydra's Schmidt in the world.
"Fine, that's that. One car for two lives." Having said that, Duke spread his wings again and flew into the distance, "I'll go see... if I can still catch up with Steve."
Whoosh—he vanished into the distance in the blink of an eye.
He wasn't going to save Captain America, but to find the Tesseract.
It's a mission.
Completing the mission would grant him another card draw.
As for Captain America, he had thought it over carefully; everything depended on his own choice. Anyway, he had already told him to 'remember to jump from the plane'. We'll see if he jumps or not. If he does, he'll rescue him. Then he'll heal Bucky and let this pair of best friends reunite.
Well, in reality, Captain America loves his buddy Bucky, not Peggy Carter.
￣ω￣=
Otherwise, after waking up, he wouldn't have failed to even ask about Carter. Even if he thought she was dead, shouldn't he go see her grave? After all, before he fell into his slumber, he already believed his buddy was dead without a trace, while Carter had given him a parting kiss.
His memory was still stuck at that moment, so logically he should have gone looking for her.
Speaking of which, the old and new Steves are cut from the same cloth.
Old Steve got first blood and then went off to die; the new Steve is much weaker, only getting a kiss before going off to die.
And the result? Both seem to still be alive.
Damn, is this plagiarism?
If Captain America still doesn't jump from the plane like before, then... he would choose to freeze Bucky and let this pair of best friends meet 70 years later. Of course, the choice lies with Bucky.
...
The two blinked. Damn, this speed is so fast, it looks on par with the valkyrie?
"Colonel, what do we do now?" Peggy Carter asked.
"Clean up the mess, then return to headquarters." The old driver turned and walked back, Carter quickly followed, "Although the valkyrie is fast, it... won't reach New York in a short time. We still have time."
Soon, the battlefield was cleaned up, but the group didn't return to the original headquarters. Instead, they occupied Schmidt's base center, as they could contact the valkyriedirectly from here.
————
"This is Steve Rogers, does anyone receive?"
Peggy Carter quickly pushed aside Jim, the Howling Commandos member who was on the line, and took it herself: "Steve, is that you? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine! It seems the Instructor did it."
Well, the Instructor also took advantage of your 'girlfriend'. Peggy Carter had already started considering herself Captain America's girlfriend, even though the two hadn't truly confessed before parting.
"Is he on the valkyrie?" Peggy Carter composed herself and asked.
"Is the Instructor on his way? No, if he is... he shouldn't be here yet. The valkyrie is very fast. I estimate... the Instructor won't be able to catch up," Steve said.
"What about Schmidt?"
"Schmidt is dead."
"And the plane?"
"That's a bit hard to explain," Steve said.
It really was hard to explain!
Captain America is truly badass, piloting the valkyrie above the clouds while the glass in front of the pilot's seat has a big hole in it. Flying at ultra-high speeds, the wind pressure blowing in is extremely fierce. Captain America can actually still breathe and speak?
Truly badass.
An ordinary person riding a motorcycle at 60 mph would find it hard to breathe in the face of a strong wind.
Captain America's altitude is at least over a thousand meters.
That ultra-high-speed flight wind pressure... emmmmm!
"Give me your coordinates, I'll find a safe landing spot for you," Peggy Carter shouted.
"..."
"There might not be time to worry about safety."
And where was Duke at this moment?
He happened to catch the falling Tesseract, uh...
087. Activating the Space Beacon
Duke hurried and scurried, and finally managed to catch up to the "valkyrie."
He was still feeling a bit shaky.
That was too fast!
In reality, he didn't care whether Captain America could beat Red Skull; Captain America and Schmidt were evenly matched.
Fighting Thanos with his bare hands, though—that was a bit ridiculous.
Just the typical tropes of American blockbusters.
If it were the Russian Captain instead, Thanos would probably have taken him down with a single glance.
Look at Bucky; he only got three seconds of screen time, and half of that had a gun blocking his face.
As for Captain America, it felt like he could actually go toe-to-toe with Thanos.
Of course, after picking up the God of Thunder's hammer, it was a completely different story.
If Captain America lost to Red Skull, it would just prove he didn't have "protagonist" luck, and Duke would just have to step in and finish off Schmidt himself.
It was quite a coincidence, actually.
Duke had been rushing, and just as he closed in on the "valkyrie," he saw the "Tesseract" fall.
He scanned the "valkyrie" and saw that only Captain America was inside. He realized then that Schmidt had probably been unluckily teleported away to guard the "Soul Stone."
He then swooped down quickly and finally managed to firmly grasp the "Tesseract" in his hand.
The next second...
"Ding! Detected that the host has obtained the 'Tesseract.' Preparing to activate the'Space Beacon.' Activating... Activating..."
Following that, Duke felt the "veins" of Earth in his mind.
Simply put, it was a "latitude and longitude map."
Of course, since it had just been activated, the map wasn't very clear yet.
He subconsciously stopped in mid-air.
If Google Maps existed during this period, those people who often posted "Google Maps series videos" on Bilibili would definitely have discovered such a shocking scene.
———— Somewhere over the Atlantic Ocean, a person was standing in the air out of thin air, and he had a pair of wings.
— What on Earth is this?
— A person or a bird?
It would probably become one of the world's great mysteries; well, or it might just get blurred out by Google Maps.
Anyway... Duke had hit the jackpot.
" [Space Beacon], what is that?"
"Relying on the'Space Beacon,' the host can teleport to any location, as long as the host's strength is sufficient."
"Is that so?"
Duke roughly understood; the "latitude and longitude map" gradually becoming clear in his mind was the so-called Space Beacon.
As long as his strength was sufficient, he could open a portal at "any point" on Earth.
He previously knew a type of "beacon magic," but that "beacon" used people or objects as carriers.
For instance, he was able to accurately teleport to the side of Captain America, who was drowning his sorrows in a dive bar, because of this.
When they were at Camp Lehigh, he had placed a beacon on Captain America, which allowed him to teleport from New York across the Atlantic to Europe.
However, this type of "beacon" had limitations; it would automatically disappear after one use and could not be used consecutively on humans.
With Captain America's current strength, one beacon caused no burden and he wouldn't even notice it, but a second one would crush him.
Now it was better; with the "Space Beacon," he could go anywhere on Earth without worrying about the rest.
It was just a pity that the Space Beacon here seemed to only cover Earth.
"Space Beacon, can it not connect to other planets?" Dukeasked curiously.
"Host, you are daydreaming."
"Huh?"
"Please put away such unrealistic thoughts. Even if you could, with the host's current strength, you cannot cross dimensional space to open a portal on other planets. If the host insists on doing so, then please be prepared to become jerky."
"Cough, cough..."
He roughly understood the meaning; it meant it would drain him... dry.
Not just magic power, but life force as well.
"Then what if my strength increases?"
"If the host's strength reaches 'Demigod' and the Demigod attribute is [Space], then you can rely on physical strength... to perform'short-range' interstellar teleportation."
"Demigod... attribute?"
"'Ragnaros the Firelord,' Fire attribute Demigod; 'Al'Akir the Windlord,' Wind attribute Demigod; 'Neptulon the Tidehunter,' Water attribute Demigod; 'Therazane the Stonemother,' Earth attribute Demigod."
"Understood."
Judging from the information indirectly revealed by the system, reaching the Demigod rank would be very, very difficult. At the very least, he needed to find the "attribute" most suitable for himself—divine attribute. To explain it in a xuanhuan way... it was a "divinity."
Medivh was an "Astral Mage," an "Astral Traveler"; he was king of the arcane.
Judging by his current development trend...
Could it be... he was going to become the "King of magic"?
ヽ(—_—)ノ
That seemed a bit arduous.
No wonder Ancient One only reached Demigod after a hundred years and couldn't advance further in 400 years!
"Please figure out the specifics yourself, host."
"..."
Damn!
To hell with that, truly infuriating!
At least he could travel freely on Earth. As for wanting interstellar travel, he didn't have a Space Beacon for that yet.
If Doctor Strange hadn't been to Titan, he wouldn't be able to open a portal from Earth to Titan.
But after he went to Titan, because he had the Earth Space Beacon, he could teleport back.
Similarly, Duke was the same.
As for the other portals during the big final battle?
If you look closely, you will find that there were other mages assisting Doctor Strange, helping to open the portals, not just the Doctor's power alone.
Hmm...
As for reaching the Demigod realm, that was a matter for later; he was only at the mid-Legendary stage.
The latitude and longitude map in his mind was still very blurry; it was estimated that this "Space Beacon" couldn't be fully activated for a while.
It was fortunate that he was Legendary; if he were still Hero Level, his brain would probably have been blown up long ago.
"Congratulations to the host for completing the mission. Rewarding one card draw. Would you like to draw now?"
"Wait, is that it? Then... what about this thing?"
Duke was a bit dumbfounded. He had retrieved the Tesseract, and that was it? He had originally thought that, like in the other version, he would try to dismantle it.
Hmm, did they dismantle it in the other version?
Forgot...
"Mission completed. Please handle it yourself, host!"
"..."
Wanted to curse again, seriously, right?!
This was a dilemma!
Should he follow the plot and hand this thing over to "Old Driver" Colonel Phillips, or keep it for himself?
Damn it all.
Such a hard choice!
An Angel on one side, a devil on the other.
If he kept it for himself, the "Captain Marvel" arc might not happen, and by "Avengers 1," Loki might come to attack Karazhan.
Troublesome.
If he gave it to the "Old Driver," he would feel a bit reluctant, after all, it contained the Space Stone, one of the Infinity Stones.
With some research, it could probably reinforce and enhance Karazhan's defensive and offensive power.
However... that might not be too good either.
Because if he really installed the Space Stone, Karazhanmight end up like the original version in Azeroth—blown up and then connected to various planar nodes in the Universe.
And then, endless demon invasions, and other planar creatures suddenly appearing.
Forget the rest, what if it attracted Thanos?
Emmm...
(￣.￣)
"Oh no—I forgot about Steve!"
088. "Remember to jump off the plane," so that's what it meant (Part 2)
Just as he was chatting with the system, he suddenly felt a thread snap in his mind.
Duke then shouted, "Oh no—I forgot about Steve!"
The 'thread' that snapped was the 'magic mark' he had left on Steve. Once it exceeded a certain distance, the magicwould automatically dissipate.
"Uh... what should I do now?"
( ￣.￣ )
It seems Bucky really will be frozen for seventy years, huh?
Just don't know if Captain America jumped off the plane or not.
———— At this moment.
...
"I might not have time to worry about safety, I need to attempt an emergency landing." Captain America looked at the radar and weapons, then said.
"I'll get Howard on the line, he knows what to do..." Peggy Carter said quickly.
"There's no time. This plane is too fast and is heading toward New York... I have to make it land in the ocean." Captain America said resolutely.
Hearing this, Peggy Carter immediately panicked: "Wait... don't rush. Where's Duke? Isn't he..."
"I don't see the Instructor. This plane is too fast... Schmidt... set it to auto-pilot, and I... can't cancel it. Its speed is... gradually increasing. The Instructor... probably can't catch up."
As he spoke, Captain America wiped his eyes; it was tears.
It wasn't because he was crying; it was the wind pressure blowing in that made his eyes a bit red.
"I am a soldier, this is my duty. The Instructor... has helped me three times today alone. This time... let me do it myself!"
Peggy Carter knew exactly what Captain America wanted to do the moment she heard him. With red-rimmed eyes, she tried to dissuade him: "Please, don't do this! There is still time, we can think of another way."
"I am currently in an unpopulated area..." Captain Americalooked at the radar map, "If I don't act immediately, many people will lose their lives."
"..."
"Peggy... this is my choice!"
Peggy Carter slowly closed her eyes, and a crystalline tear rolled down.
Captain America took out a photo of his sweetheart, looked at it, and then resolutely pushed the control stick forward. The 'valkyrie' dove downward like an eagle pouncing on a rabbit.
"Peggy!"
"I'm here..."
"Looks like I'll have to take you dancing another day."
The valkyrie headed toward the ice on the ocean surface at an extremely high speed.
"Alright... next Saturday at the Stork Club..."
"No problem."
"Eight o'clock sharp, don't be late, understand?"
"I still don't know how to dance..."
Captain America gritted his teeth. The valkyrie was getting closer and closer to the ice. His heart began to beat even more violently, feeling like it was going to exceed 120 beats per minute.
"I will teach you, just come."
"Remember to have the band play a slow, gentle tune. I don't want to step on your..."
Zzzzt...
"Steve... Steve... Steve..."
Tears streamed down; she had already guessed her sweetheart's fate. Tears rolled down, and she covered her face with her hands, her shoulders shaking helplessly. She was laughing, yet also crying; whether she was crying while laughing or laughing while crying, she couldn't tell anymore.
She was laughing because they had won the war, and Steve had succeeded.
She was crying because they might never meet again.
...
Just as the valkyrie was about to crash into the ice, a sentence suddenly flashed through Steve Rogers's mind — "Remember to jump off the plane!"
It was the last lesson the Instructor had taught him back in the laboratory.
At that time, he had no idea what that sentence meant.
But now... He gave a wry smile, so 'remember to jump off the plane' meant this?
Unfortunately, by the time he realized it, it was already too late. The valkyrie was about to make intimate contact with the ice. At the same time, he sighed internally, so—the Instructor had seen this outcome on the timeline long ago?
That's why he urged him to remember to jump off the plane!
The Instructor is truly...
The next instant, a violent impact occurred. His body jolted violently and he was sent flying uncontrollably to the side. His ears were filled with the sound of 'crack, crack, crack'... the sound of steel colliding with ice. Then, everything went black before his eyes... his mind felt heavy... and he completely 'fell asleep'.
The ice cracked from the impact, and the shattered valkyriesank in bit by bit.
The strong wind, mixed with a blizzard, bit by bit... submerged, swallowed, and froze it. Looking from afar, it was as if this plane had never existed in this world.
'Captain America' Steve Rogers thus slept for nearly seventy years.
———— And at this time, Duke.
Still standing high above a certain part of the Atlantic Ocean, he frowned, curled his lips, and then opened a portal.
500 feet below the Alps, the last base of Hydra.
The veteran was giving instructions for follow-up work when suddenly, a White portal opened not far from him, giving him a start.
Duke slowly walked out from it.
"Hmm... this new ability isn't bad."
He had really returned.
"Duke? Why are you back? Where is Rogers..." Colonel Chester Phillips asked quickly.
"I was about to ask you the same thing. How is he? He should have contacted you, right?" Duke feigned ignorance, acting as if he didn't know what had happened.
"Rogers... I'm afraid he has already..." The Colonel sighed, "He piloted the valkyrie... and made an emergency landing in the ocean."
He didn't say anything else; the outcome was already crystal clear.
"I didn't catch up to him. By the time I reached the Atlantic Ocean, the tracking mark had disconnected." Dukeshrugged, looking very helpless.
"Disconnected?"
"Yeah, this type of magic has a distance limit."
"Sigh—" The veteran let out a long sigh, shaking his head speechlessly.
He couldn't blame Duke either; the valkyrie was indeed very fast, which he had seen with his own eyes. And Duke, although he flew very fast, but... after all, he had saved his and Peggy Carter's lives, which caused a delay.
If anyone was to be blamed, it could only be Rogers's own choice.
"By the way, where is Peggy Carter?"
"In the central control room." The veteran pointed into the distance, "But I think... you'd better not go, she's crying."
"What's there to be afraid of? She can't beat me anyway."
Duke walked over. The veteran wanted to stop him but, after thinking about it, lowered his hand and ordered the others: "No matter what happens in a moment, do not intervene."
Although Peggy Carter was an excellent Agent with basic judgment, she was, after all, a woman. Her 'boyfriend' had just had an accident like this, and it wasn't impossible that she might implicate Duke.
If it were him, he would also blame Duke for failing to catch up in time.
But... if he hadn't saved them, he wouldn't have been delayed for that time.
"Crying?"
After Duke walked into the control room, he quietly set up a Spell Formula.
The voice was very familiar. Peggy Carter's body jolted, and she turned her head, her eyes red: "You didn't catch up?"
"I thought you would stand up and hit me right away." Duke curled the corner of his mouth and smiled, "I heard from Colonel Phillips. I'm very sorry, I lost the connection to the target halfway there."
"Hit you? Why would I hit you?" Peggy Carter wiped her tears.
Truth be told, she had indeed thought about beating Dukeup and questioning him why he didn't catch up.
But when Duke appeared before her, this thought strangely disappeared.
When it came down to it, Schmidt's affairs had nothing to do with Duke. He had volunteered to help, and he had even saved her life.
No matter who was to be blamed, it couldn't be blamed on him.
"Then what if I told you that Steve Rogers isn't dead yet?" Duke suddenly smiled strangely.
Those who knew him would surely know that this smile meant he was about to 'trick' someone again.
"Wha—t!" Peggy Carter stood up abruptly.
089. The Seventy-Year Wait
"How is this possible... No, this... is this real?"
The valkyrie crashed into the sea; Steve could not possibly have survived.
Although she hoped in her heart that he was alive, she knew very well that it was impossible.
Unless there was a life raft on board, but... how could there be?
The search she persisted with for years in the future was merely a search for his 'corpse'.
Duke did not answer Peggy Carter's question, but instead looked at the tactical map beside him, somewhat bewildered: "Honestly, I'm puzzled about how that guy Schmidt was flying. I feel like he... seems to have run off to the Arctic."
Peggy Carter: "???"
Duke didn't elaborate; he had already found it strange when he watched "Captain America: The First Avenger" back then.
When Captain America was piloting the 'valkyrie', he had looked at the radar.
On the radar, we could clearly see the Great Lakes of North America, as well as the 'Gulf of St. Lawrence' and 'Newfoundland'.
The next second, the map instantly moved to the small triangle icon of the 'valkyrie'.
It could be clearly seen that it was flying towards New Yorkfrom the north, or at least from the north-northeast.
Theoretically, Hydra's final base was in the Alps, Western Europe, and one could just cross the Atlantic Ocean to get to New York, so why fly north and come down from the Arctic?
Could it be that this route was...'shorter'? Or was he trying to disrupt the enemy's judgment?
Duke didn't know about that.
Anyway, he had been chasing north, but as he chased, he sensed the target coming south, so... he flew straight across the Atlantic Ocean.
No, he flew diagonally.
Then, just as the Tesseract fell into the sea, he successfully intercepted it.
However, in the vast ocean, where could he identify locations, islands, or countries?
Moreover, the map in "Captain America: The First Avenger" was a bit abstract, distorted, and deformed, and furthermore, it was impossible to determine if the 'valkyrie' was flying due north or south.
But Duke could roughly determine the location of Captain America's crash — — — — [Labrador Peninsula], [Baffin Island], and [Greenland], these three places, and it should be on the northern coastline of these three islands.
Among the three islands, Duke thought Baffin Island was the most likely, followed by the Labrador Peninsula, and finally Greenland.
"How do you know he is still alive?" Peggy Carter asked again.
This time, Duke did not ignore her: "Because I saw him in the 'time stream' 70 years later."
"Seventy years..." Peggy Carter gasped.
To be honest, Duke was also very hesitant about whether to save Captain America, but in the end, he decided to let him follow his original life trajectory.
Although he had determined these three possible crash sites, it was, after all, a rough judgment.
The map on the radar moved too fast; it was hard to tell exactly where it was.
Even taking a step back, even if Captain America was really in one of these three places, it would be very difficult for him to find the exact location with his current abilities.
magic is not omnipotent.
These three places are all areas with high winds and heavy snow; in just a few hours, a blizzard could cover up the traces of the 'valkyrie'.
It is very difficult to see in blizzard conditions.
And even if he were saved, what would Captain America's life be like?
Fighting everywhere, battling Hydra, carrying out missions everywhere, and being subjected to blood tests to crack the 'Super Soldier Serum', being treated as a tool.
In Marvel, there is already a version that didn't hibernate, right? I remember he married his first love, Peggy Carter, and then carried out missions everywhere; it seems he even settled in South Korea for a while.
Hmm, later they gave birth to Sharon Rogers, not Sharon Carter, oh.
And then, after he aged and retired to the second line, Sharon took over Captain America's shield and became the second-generation Captain America, active on the front lines of saving the world.
What about Bucky? What about Falcon? These seem to have gotten all messed up.
So, after hesitating for a second, Duke decided to just let Captain America be a popsicle!
Although fighting Hydra everywhere and becoming a tool for blood testing and analysis probably wouldn't be something unacceptable to Steve.
However... let's just follow the original life trajectory!
"Seventy years... How is this possible?" Peggy Carterstaggered and sat back in her chair powerlessly.
"You seem to have forgotten that he was modified by Doctor Abraham Erskine's serum. As a'Super Soldier', his metabolic function is several times that of an ordinary person; it's possible that he could be frozen in a state of'suspended animation' for decades... and then be resurrected.
And according to Doctor Abraham Erskine, the serum can also slow down his aging.
So, it is not completely impossible."
Dragging the 'dead' Doctor Abraham Erskine out to take the blame, Duke thought for a moment and added another sentence.
"Of course, that's assuming he didn't fall into the sea.
Do you think he fell into the sea? Hmm, is he that stupid? Compared to landing in the sea, the possibility of survival after crashing into the ice... would be higher, right?"
Peggy Carter was silent.
"Do you want to wait for him?"
Hehehe, Duke revealed a devilish smile.
He really wanted to see if the loyalty of Captain Americaand Peggy Carter's love could last for seventy years.
Hmm, it mainly depends on Peggy Carter.
"Seventy years... even if I were still alive, I would be terribly old, wouldn't I?" Peggy Carter touched her face and sighed deeply.
"Well, it might be seventy years, it might be sixty-five years, or perhaps sixty years; after all, the future is not so easy to foresee.
As for the time frame, that's roughly the situation."
Peggy Carter was still silent.
"Oh, right, as for aging, you don't need to worry; as long as you aren't dead, I can restore you to a youthful state." Dukesmiled.
"You—" Peggy Carter's body jolted, and then she looked at Duke with fear, "You—you are simply a demon, a devil!!!"
He gave her 'hope', but also gave her such a long 'time span'.
Seventy years.
Even sixty years, half a century has passed.
Is she going to live alone for sixty years?
That's practically being a living widow!
Some people speculate that Peggy Carter's child was actually fathered by Captain America, who traveled back in time, because there was no 'husband' in the photo.
Regardless of whether it's true or false, there should be no 'time travel' right now.
Duke would not give Thanos a chance.
He wanted to see if Peggy Carter could wait for Captain America for seventy years?
A bit of a twisted hobby.
Of course, this seemed a bit unfair to Peggy Carter.
So Duke looked at the tactical map beside him, drew three large circles on it with a pen, outlining [Labrador Peninsula], [Baffin Island], and [Greenland], as well as the sea areas around the three islands.
After all, Captain America might not have crashed onto the landmass; there was also a certain possibility that he crashed into... the huge ice floes scattered on the sea surface.
"It is highly likely that he crashed within these three areas; whether you can find him depends on you."
Staring at the three huge islands, Peggy Carter was dazed, not knowing what she was thinking.
Duke did not disturb her and opened a portal to leave.
As for the 'Tesseract', he decided it was better to keep it for his own collection.
090. Bucky, the 'Issei Hyoudou' version? (Part 1)
After returning to Karazhan, Duke went straight to find Doctor Abraham Erskine.
"How is the situation?"
"It's not very ideal. Multiple fractures, varying degrees of organ damage, and several major nerves are severed, mainly with severe damage to the 'Heart Pulse'. I have treated it in time, and the broken bones have been set, but the internal organs will require a long period of recuperation. As for the severed nerves, I am powerless to help; that is not my specialty."
As he spoke, Doctor Abraham Erskine seemed to recall something.
"Oh right, an immature 'Super Soldier Serum' was detected in his body."
"Hmm? If I'm not mistaken, it must have been injected by Zola, right?"
"It should be. If the serum hadn't activated at the last moment, he would have lost his life," Doctor Abraham Erskine said.
Just then, Bucky woke up.
"I... where am I... ugh... my arm..."
The anesthetic couldn't counteract the body's reaction after being enhanced. As soon as Bucky woke up, he noticed his missing left arm. Well, it's unclear if he was woken up by the pain or...
He gradually remembered that he had fallen from the train.
"I actually... didn't die?"
He looked at his left arm and gave a bitter smile.
"The price of an arm."
"You should thank Zola. If he hadn't injected you with the serum, you would already be in pieces."
"Who are you..."
"Duke. This is my home."
"This name... I remember now. Steve mentioned it to me... his instructor has this name," Bucky said, gritting his teeth.
"If there are no surprises, the Duke he was talking about is me."
"Is that so? It seems you saved me... *cough cough*, where is Steve... was our mission... a success?"
"It was a success, and Schmidt is already dead."
Then, Duke added a sentence in his heart: suppose he is 'dead', right?
"*Cough*—it seems I've missed a lot of things." Buckycoughed lightly and asked again, "Where is Steve?"
"He is missing!" Duke said.
"!!!" Bucky's eyes gradually widened. "No... that's impossible. How could that bastard..."
"He defeated Schmidt, piloted Schmidt's bomber, and crashed into the ice. We can't track the exact location of the crash for now. Howard and the others are tracking the signal from before the crash, but... the situation is not very optimistic." As he spoke, the corner of Duke's mouth curled up. "Of course, I know he isn't dead."
Bucky immediately started coughing. This turn in the conversation was a bit too sharp, and he couldn't handle it for a moment.
"You... *cough cough*... how do you know?"
"Didn't your best friend tell you what kind of person I am?"
Bucky shook his head: "No, not really. He just said... *cough cough*... that you are very powerful."
"Yan—" Duke didn't answer but turned his head and called out.
Then, in Bucky's wide-eyed, stunned gaze, an indescribably beautiful woman walked in. To be precise, she floated... no, she flew in. And she was still flying now, hmm... hovering in mid-air.
This, is this an Angel?
Bucky quickly turned his head away; he didn't quite dare to look directly at her.
Between different skin colors, ethnicities, and countries, there are indeed some differences in the aesthetics of beauty, but there is no such bullshit rumor that Westerners are face-blind to Chinese people. As for the aesthetic of so-called 'high-class faces', that can be ignored directly. However, it cannot be denied that there are indeed some differences.
For example, a typical big Western girl like Peggy Carter, with a large frame and a sturdy physique, is not considered beautiful by many people, but Duke feels she is okay.
This is the slight difference in aesthetics.
However, when 'beauty' reaches a certain level, this difference vanishes, like with Yan Lingji right now.
She is simply breathtakingly beautiful.
Except for those who are extremely perverted, basically no one would say she is ugly.
"Heal him."
"Mm."
Without seeing any movement, Bucky's whole body floated up into mid-air. He opened his eyes wide, watching himself being wrapped and enveloped by the stream of Water bit by bit, eventually turning into a large sphere that sealed him inside. But strangely, he didn't feel like he was suffocating, and when he waved his hand, it really felt like Water.
He realized this was something created by that woman named 'Yan'.
Strangely, even though her name is Yan, why doesn't she use Fire?
Then he discovered that inside the Water, there were wisps and strands of red threads, and these threads were drilling into his body through his pores.
Intense pain followed.
"Ugh—aaaaah, glug... glug ugh... gluglug..."
It hurt so much that he opened his mouth to scream, shaking his head violently.
However, the sound of his intense pain couldn't come out, only the sound of gurgling water bubbles.
Bucky could clearly feel that inside his body... a certain 'thread' was connecting. He didn't know what those were, but the taste of this intense pain made him unbearable, almost causing him to faint.
If it weren't for his desire to play the hero and not wanting to lose face in front of a beautiful woman, he would have just passed out instantly.
With a beauty by his side, his hormones were skyrocketing!
He absolutely could not lose face.
It lasted for about ten minutes before the water sphere dispersed, and Bucky fell onto the medical bed with a 'thud'.
Then he sat up abruptly.
"My waist... huh?"
He discovered with pleasant surprise that his body was almost healed, and his right arm had strength again. His nerves must have been severed earlier, no wonder he couldn't feel his fingers. Was this reconnected?
"It seems I'm going to be unemployed," Doctor Abraham Erskine shook his head with a bitter smile, mocking himself.
After casting the 'Water Sphere', Yan Lingji's face showed a tiny bit of fatigue.
"Go get some rest first."
"Mm, then I'll head down first."
She is a Water elemental spirit; the Water element inherently possesses healing abilities, and combined with the life force of the Red Dragon, her healing capability has reached a higher level. Although it consumed some elemental power, she can absorb the power of the surrounding Water elements, thereby recovering quickly.
Watching the back of the departing Yan Lingji, Dukepouted. This temperament... doesn't really suit Yan Lingji. Although she also has moments of being gentle as water, she lacks a touch of that'seductive' flavor.
Unfortunately, there's no way around it; the Water element just has this soft, gentle nature. The Fire element is very irritable, which is even less like her here; it would probably be even more unruly than Sister Bao'er. The Earth element would be much more honest and steady, the kind that wouldn't say a word even after being kicked for a long time. The Wind element is relatively arrogant, the kind that is full of swagger.
In short, no elemental spirit's personality is similar to Yan Lingji's.
*Sigh*—
Forget it, forget it, just looking at her face is enough.
"Now you know what kind of person I am, right?" Duke had a menacingly friendly smile.
"Uh (⊙o⊙)... know... right?"
Speechless.
Duke waved his hand: "Anyway, just know that I have the ability to see the future, and that's enough."
"Oh... wait, you said the future?"
Duke continued to 'bullshit' Bucky using the same method he used to 'bullshit' Captain America.
Five minutes later...
"Now you have two choices. One is that I heal you, and you return to your team to find your best friend. Two is that I heal you, and then you are frozen for seventy years. You choose one."
Bucky: "..."