Chapter 110: Reunion
"I'm sorry, Ms. Carter, I apologize for disturbing you. I'll leave now!"
Obadiah lowered his head, a flash of resentment in his eyes.
Taking advantage of Carter's complete focus on the piano in the distance, Obadiah quickly pulled a small capsule from his sleeve.
He crushed the capsule, and the liquid inside dripped into the wine glass Carter had placed beside her.
Soft music flowed in her ears, Carter's cheeks flushed, and she stared intently at the figure beside the piano.
"Mason, is that you? Am I dreaming?" Carter didn't dare blink, afraid that what she was seeing was just an illusion.
She had woken up countless times in the middle of the night, staring at her tear-soaked pillow, thinking of the classified footage about Mason that she had secretly obtained through SSR channels.
This footage was recovered by Steve from the Hydra facility they had raided. In the videos, Mason was locked in a sealed glass containment unit, injected with unknown compounds,
stimulated with specialized light frequencies, repeatedly tortured, and interrogated for all manner of classified information.
But the man was as resilient as steel, remaining silent despite all the torment, protecting all the secrets.
She had witnessed his intelligence and capability before, but only in that moment did Carter realize that her understanding of him was merely the tip of the iceberg.
He was far more extraordinary than she had imagined!
Following Mason's financial guidance, Carter seemed divinely inspired, accumulating considerable wealth in less than two years, and this fortune was still growing rapidly at a visible pace.
"So you can play the piano too."
Carter's eyes were full of warmth.
"Are we celebrating our long-awaited reunion?"
Carter suddenly stood up—she wanted to be closer to him, even if it was all an illusion, just being a little closer would be enough.
A figure blocked Carter's path.
It was Obadiah.
He handed Carter her glass. "Ms. Carter, I'm sorry my rudeness has ruined your evening. I'm willing to toast in apology, and I hope you can forgive me."
Obadiah's apologetic expression was flawless, making it difficult to refuse.
Carter's entire focus was on the figure in the distance. She reached for her glass almost mechanically, a completely subconscious reaction. She just wanted to dismiss this person as quickly as possible and get closer to the figure that haunted her dreams.
Seeing Carter's lips approach the rim of the glass, a sinister smile appeared on Obadiah's face.
The few drops of liquid he'd dripped into Carter's glass weren't some cheap date-rape drug, but a specialized compound he had obtained from a contact at a biochemical research firm.
This substance was somewhat similar to the truth serums used by intelligence agencies—it would make the user mentally disoriented, suggestible to commands, and drastically increase neural stimulation, giving them extraordinary euphoria.
From then on, they would crave this feeling obsessively.
This could be considered a form of chemical dependency, its addictive power no less than that of narcotics, and even more difficult to detect, with potentially higher psychological addiction.
"Hmph, once you drink this, even if you're some untouchable ice queen, I can make you my puppet!"
A smug glint flashed in Obadiah's eyes. He had already destroyed countless ambitious women with this method.
He felt that this woman before him would be his crowning achievement.
Snap!
A large hand gripped Carter's slender wrist, her lips less than a centimeter from the liquid in the glass.
"You can't drink this."
Mason, who had appeared beside Carter seemingly out of nowhere, looked at her gently.
After Mason infiltrated New York City following Hydra's instructions, he understood why Hydra had sent him on this assassination mission.
After changing into a tailored suit, Mason looked at the familiar yet unfamiliar face in the mirror.
He was absolutely certain that this time he was in his true form—the bio-battery in his chest continuously supplying him with energy.
He clenched his fist, the power surging within perfectly matching his physical attributes before his arrival, the only difference being his face.
At first glance, it seemed to resemble the Scandinavian operative from his previous descent, but upon closer inspection, it was unmistakably his own.
He wondered what method the Time-Space Express Company had used to completely fuse his original body with the body left behind at the Hydra facility.
This allowed Mason to possess both the physical attributes of his original body and the identity and connections from his previous world.
He sensed this wasn't a common phenomenon, perhaps related to the reward he had previously received:
"Closest Friend: Special Achievement - You have gained Captain America Steven Rogers' absolute trust, becoming his most important close friend."
This was likely the primary reason he could fuse identities.
Having merged with his previous body, Mason also gained some fragmented memories.
In fact, after Mason's consciousness departed, his previous body had fallen into a vegetative state—while Hydra healed his physical wounds, they couldn't restore his vacant mind.
Due to his unique status, they conducted numerous experiments on Mason. Mason's remaining body withstood repeated modifications, eventually becoming the first enhanced soldier at the Hydra facility.
Based on his data, more enhanced soldiers were created, and Mason's body, due to its exceptional characteristics, was designated Agent Zero.
"Crash..."
Carter's wine glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor with a sharp sound, drawing the attention of many guests.
But Carter paid no attention to this. Her hands trembled as she reached out, seemingly wanting to touch Mason's face, yet hesitating to shatter this beautiful dream.
Mason grasped Carter's hands and pressed them against his face.
"It's me. I'm back."
Carter bit her lower lip, her chest heaving violently. She fought back tears, then suddenly threw herself into Mason's arms, embracing him tightly, wishing she could merge into his body and never be separated again.
"I missed you. I missed you so much."
Mason gently stroked Carter's hair, his sharp gaze fixed on Obadiah's face as he turned his head.
His prize had slipped away—Obadiah, his scheme thwarted, looked resentful. Feeling exposed, he shrank back into the crowd, intending to slip away quietly.
"Did I say you could leave?"
Mason's cold voice rang in Obadiah's ear.
Obadiah turned his head. "Sir, what exactly do you want?" Clearly, Carter and this man knew each other, but Obadiah wasn't particularly worried.
His movements had been swift, just a light touch on the wine glass, and the liquid was colorless and odorless, undetectable by ordinary testing facilities.
Now that the glass was shattered on the floor, there was no way to trace it.
Therefore, he wasn't worried about his actions being exposed, his face displaying confident composure.
Your support keeps this story alive!
Rewards:
500 Power Stones = 1 Chapter
10 Reviews = 1 Chapter
Read 40+ future chapters on P5treon (DarkFoxx)