[In the world I originally came from, by the time Steve finally went to visit Ms. Peggy, she was already suffering from Alzheimer's disease.]
[But even in her confusion, she could still recognize Steve.]
[This is also what Steve later told me. He said Peggy hoped he could live a life that truly belonged to him in this new world, seventy years later.]
[Actually, Tony said something similar. He once persuaded Steve that he should try to live for himself just once.]
[And then, when Steve returned the Infinity Stones, he truly took Peggy's and Tony's advice to heart.]
[No one knows exactly how Steve spent those past few decades.]
[But when I saw old Steve hand the shield to Sam, I knew he was doing well.]
[At least, when he advised me that I should let go of everything and live our lives with Wanda,]
[as a friend, I was genuinely very happy for him.]
[If Tony and Natasha Romanoff were still alive, I think they would be happy for Steve too.]
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
"Going back in time? Time travel?"
Looking at the black-gold diary, the concept of "returning to the past" actually appeared now.
Nick Fury frowned deeply.
The first few lines of today's diary update genuinely made Nick Fury feel a little "spooked"!
Everyone knows that time is an irreversible concept.
If one wants to return to the past, according to hypotheses proposed in the theory of relativity, this is only possible if a person's speed exceeds the speed of light!
But how is it possible for a person to travel faster than light and go back in time?
It sounds like pure nonsense.
Yet, the black-gold diary clearly stated it.
Steve returned to the past by returning the Infinity Stones and lived out his life!
So, how did the Avengers in that parallel world accomplish this?
Like The Flash in the comics?
Or like the so-called "Butterfly Effect" and "Back to the Future"?
Turning on the computer and accessing a pile of top-secret hidden folders,
in these folders, almost every member of the first-generation Avengers had their names recorded, except for Su Che.
And under the names of these first-generation Avengers, there were notes about events that had been mentioned in the black-gold diary and would happen in the future.
For example, under Tony Stark's name,
one of the events marked with lines was: "Kidnapped — Escaped by building armor — Obadiah Stane's Iron Monger — Poisoned by palladium."
This was information Nick Fury had extracted from Su Che's diary after obtaining the black-gold diary.
After a moment's thought, Nick Fury added the word "Deceased" after several events.
The events under Natasha Romanoff's name already had the word "Deceased" next to them.
This was something Nick Fury had learned from previous diary entries.
Even Natasha Romanoff herself knew she would die in the future.
But what Nick Fury was truly concerned about was the news that Steve Rogers had returned to the past!
After marking the event following Steve's name,
Nick Fury picked up the diary again and continued reading.
[Many things in this world are happening ahead of schedule, including Steve's early recovery from the ice.]
[So, after dealing with the HYDRA base in Sokovia, Steve hoped I would accompany him to visit Ms. Peggy.]
[I can understand how Steve feels. It's just like how I felt when I saw Natasha Romanoff after arriving in this world.]
[She was the one who brought me into the Avengers, and she was also the first member of the Avengers to die in the so-called final battle.]
[Natasha Romanoff is a liar. We agreed to meet again a minute later, but when we all returned from the past, she was the only one who died alone in the past timeline!]
[So, when I saw Natasha Romanoff, I was as excited as if I wanted to step forward and hug her, but I held back in the end.]
[That's why I can understand Steve's state of mind.]
[Although the emotions are different, I believe the sentiment is the same.]
Inside the Hotel
Looking at the black-gold diary, with words like "returning to the past" and "time travel,"
and "died alone in the past timeline,"
for some reason, Natasha Romanoff suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.
She got up, opened the window to let in the evening breeze, and gazed at the nightscape of the world outside.
Memories of the past suddenly flooded Natasha's mind.
From her training in the Red Room as a child to now, she had experienced countless incidents over the years—being hunted, counter-hunting, joining S.H.I.E.L.D., blowing up the Red Room, and more!
It would be a joke to say she wasn't afraid of death.
But she was truly afraid of dying alone.
It was like how, after every mission during a break, she would experience life in various professions.
It relieved the pressure in her heart and made her feel she was still alive.
But Natasha knew that deep down, she had always yearned to have a family of her own.
It was just that the operations of the Red Room had robbed her of any chance to have her own children in this lifetime!
She had originally thought she would live alone in the future and walk into her grave alone.
But it wasn't until she obtained the black-gold diary that Natasha Romanoff learned
that in another world, she wasn't alone.
It turned out that someone like her, with bloodstained hands, could also have a big, warm family.
She had obtained what she desired most.
At that moment, Natasha felt she could understand the "her" in that parallel universe.
To protect this family,
even at the cost of her own life, it was worth it.
The "her" in the parallel universe must have been smiling before she died.
It was from this moment that Natasha Romanoff suddenly felt she had nothing left to fear!
And she began to look forward to the formation of the Avengers in this world.
Well, actually, Natasha felt her current life was already quite satisfying.
Although, according to the black-gold diary, Dr. Banner and Thor were still missing from the big family of the first-generation Avengers,
she had gained two more siblings in her family!
She used to be alone, but now she has younger brothers and sisters.
So what was there to be dissatisfied about?
Not to mention, she had the Avengers—a warm family worth protecting with her life!
The night breeze blew gently.
The depression in Natasha Romanoff's heart gradually began to fade.
The corners of her lips lifted once more. The things she longed for in this world were slowly drawing closer to her.
Why worry about "dying alone in the past timeline" now?
What she had to do now was never allow anyone to take it all away from her!
Not HYDRA!
Not any super-villain!
Not even a god!
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(TL : More Chapters @patreon.com/c/Gooberilla)