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Howard: "The fact is… the fact is…" Howard shook his head, showing no strong reaction.
"It's okay, Steve. Bucky never truly wanted to kill me. He was just brainwashed by Hydra."
"This reminds us that in training elite soldiers for the future, we need to strengthen anti-brainwashing programs."
"Besides, this has already happened. Bucky is alive and safe. As long as we protect him, we can prevent him from falling off the cliff and being brainwashed by Hydra again. That way, he won't be able to kill me in the future, right?"
Howard patted Captain America on the shoulder, signaling that he shouldn't dwell on the matter.
Steve looked at him with gratitude.
You see… not everyone is as open-minded as Howard.
Think about it. What if you knew that twenty years later, your neighbor would one day try to kill you? No matter how charming he might seem now, you'd encounter him in real life… and you'd probably feel a bit uneasy.
With someone more extreme in their thinking, you might even consider eliminating the neighbor preemptively.
Fortunately, Howard was open-minded. He wasn't that kind of person.
Stark Tower.
Tony looked visibly angry. A sense of betrayal and deception welled up inside him.
He simply couldn't imagine that Bucky, Captain America's close friend, was actually the person who killed his parents.
For decades, he had believed that his parents had died in a tragic accident. Who could have guessed? He had been deceived for so long!
Perhaps… in public settings, when he spoke of his parents' accident, he had unknowingly revealed traces of grief. People dismissed it as an insignificant emotional quirk.
Tony: "Damn it!!"
He knocked over a bottle. Pepper, nearby, was startled. The wine splashed onto her dress, finally waking her from her reverie.
Pepper: "Tony… are you okay?"
Tony (laughing bitterly): "Haha, it's fine, I'm fine. Right now, I just want to kill Bucky, and forget that anything ever happened."
Tony: "J.A.R.V.I.S., check for me: that night when I was 21, and my parents had that 'car accident'—what really happened?"
"Look at surveillance footage, the staff on duty that night, subsequent forensic reports, media coverage, and relevant military and government records…"
"This was a carefully planned murder. There must be many clues that disguised it as an accident."
"I was only 21 back then, young and naïve, blinded by your lies. I was no match for you—you're amazing!"
"But now, if anyone still tries to deceive me like a fool, I'll make them regret every bit of deception for the past decades!!!"
J.A.R.V.I.S.'s mechanical voice responded:
J.A.R.V.I.S.: "Sir, I must remind you: The car accident involving Howard's family occurred many years ago. Back then, surveillance and the internet were limited. Collecting evidence from all angles now would be extremely difficult."
J.A.R.V.I.S.: "Please be mentally prepared; the investigation may remain at a stalemate."
Tony picked up the overturned bottle, intending to pour the wine into a glass. Instead, he drank the entire bottle in one go.
Thump. Thump. Thump. Thump.
Tony set the bottle down, wiped the wine from his mouth, and said:
"It's fine, J.A.R.V.I.S.Here, we have access to the world's—and even the universe's—largest surveillance networks.This screen will tell us every detail of how the story unfolded."
S.H.I.E.L.D.
Black Widow cautiously addressed Director Nick Fury:
Natasha: "Director, you already know that Bucky has been confirmed as the Winter Soldier.And we've been tracking him for decades…"
She hesitated. This was a sensitive topic. The key issue was Bucky's identity.
He was also the brother of a national historical hero. For seventy years, his presence had hung like a scythe over the heads of governments worldwide.
If the truth came out, it would throw the world into chaos.
A national hero's brother… being a villain?!
While this made for a great movie plot, it was unsuitable for reality.
Captain America was deeply ingrained in the memory of hundreds of millions of people. He represented the spirit of the nation. Mistakes in handling this would be catastrophic.
If the world learned that Bucky, Captain America's brother, had been the scythe that assassinated officials for seventy years, it would cause a global uproar.
Just imagine… If your government suddenly announced that Captain America was a Hydra member, people everywhere would lose their minds.
So Natasha's concern was completely reasonable.
Fury remained silent for a long time before finally speaking:
Fury: "We still have to arrest him…"
Natasha's anxiety spiked:
Natasha: "Director… what about global public opinion?"
Fury coughed twice to interrupt her.
Fury: "The pursuit will proceed as planned, based on prior intelligence. But the truth… only the three of us need to know."
Natasha looked confused.
Natasha: "Only the three of us need to know the truth? But should we arrest Bucky? Should we reveal his identity to the world?"
Fury seemed to see through her doubts.
Fury: "Bucky is the Winter Soldier. We cannot let this information spread.I saw on the screen that Captain America was being pursued for saving Bucky. That's history. He's the national hero! That's who he is!
If we reveal Bucky's true identity prematurely, Cap's situation will be disastrous.
We follow standard procedures: investigate, pursue him, but keep his real identity secret.Everything… will be discussed after Captain America's return."
Hawkeye and Black Widow nodded. They understood. Bucky's identity was too sensitive. Fury's approach was probably the best solution.
At that moment, the screen changed, and a new title appeared: