"Spider-Man looks quite normal! It seems he hasn't been possessed yet."
Since she knew the Symbiote had surfaced, Artoria had Saturday monitor Spider-Man Peter's movements. She didn't need to look into his secrets, just watch him perform heroic deeds. When Artoria saw the results, she noted the familiar red-and-blue suit hadn't turned black, which puzzled her. If the Symbiote Venom had already left Deadpool, it meant Spider-Man could become the next host at any time. Although Spider-Man's abilities weren't the most outstanding among the various Super Heroes, he was one of the most active. Venom couldn't survive alone, and it disdained weak ordinary people, so there was a high probability it would target Spider-Man.
"Could it still be on Deadpool?"
After learning that the Symbiote Venom was not on Spider-Man, Artoria thought of Wade, who she had spoken with, and her expression immediately soured. If she didn't have to, no one wanted to see this guy whose mouth was full of dirty jokes. He was annoying to Death. Could they even have a conversation? Artoria was extremely resistant to seeing Deadpool. If possible, Artoria felt meeting Thanos would be much better than meeting Deadpool.
"Master, the data regarding the disappearance of homeless people has recently increased by ten percentage points."
Just as Artoria was thinking, Saturday suddenly provided a set of data. It was obvious that the recent number of missing homeless people was highly abnormal. This gave Artoria a sudden flash of inspiration, feeling as if she had grasped something important. Few people cared about the existence of this demographic; they could move locations at any time. If someone frequently disappeared from this spot, not many people would pay attention. Furthermore, everyone was busy with their own affairs, and only compassionate individuals would notice if these people vanished. In other words, the disappearance of this group should be linked to the Symbiotes; otherwise, the number of missing people was too astonishing.
"I believe, Master, you should start investigating this aspect; it will be easier to obtain the clues you want."
The transformation of the small island was complete, and Saturday's core consciousness had returned to Artoria's side. Saturday's subsystem on the island was managing the island's security. The fact that she could now offer Artoria more suggestions proved that she could utilize more computational power, and her thinking model was beginning to resemble that of a human. Hearing Saturday's suggestion, Artoria nodded with satisfaction. Her little cotton jacket that she had raised was finally able to share her burdens. Although Saturday's abilities were good before, they were always based on Artoria's orders; she would only perform tasks when Artoria instructed her. Now, without Artoria's command, Saturday could provide reasonable answers.
"Indeed. Saturday, check the city's surveillance footage again. Something must have been left behind."
Saturday's suggestion was not wrong. Artoria agreed to Saturday's proposal and authorized her to begin screening the city's cameras. The effect was remarkable, and soon a dozen videos appeared before Artoria. The video investigation showed that some homeless people were directly pulled into a black, unlicensed car. However, these homeless people shared a distinct characteristic: they had generally been drinking and were likely not fully conscious, staggering as they walked. The other group involved three to five guys in suits who approached the homeless people, said something unknown, and the homeless people then followed them away. The Symbiote never appeared in the video footage from start to finish.
This caused Artoria to frown deeply. Following Saturday's method, she should have at least captured some information! Unfortunately, reality slapped Artoria in the face. Artoria hadn't found a single clue related to the Symbiotes, making her feel that this matter involved more than just the Symbiotes.
"Saturday, use facial recognition to confirm the identities of these people and the company they belong to."
Although she hadn't directly found the Symbiotes, Artoria felt the matter was becoming increasingly complicated. Someone might be preparing to cultivate Symbiotes, or perhaps some guys were conducting unspeakable experiments. This lottery-like situation made Artoria feel a little excited. She could finally experience what Sherlock Holmes felt. Unraveling the secrets of others provided a sense of accomplishment. Possessing an electronic life form like Saturday, Artoria felt like she was cheating. In this technologically advanced modern world, no computer could hide from Saturday's intrusion, and there was no identity Saturday couldn't uncover, unless the person was an unregistered resident who had never logged their identity.
"His current state, after multiple instances of hypnosis and suggestion, means he has almost no resistance to mental control methods like hypnosis."
While Artoria was investigating the Symbiotes, Nick focused all his attention on the man before him. Winter Soldier's mechanical arm had been removed, leaving him lying quietly on the bed, cosplaying as Yang Guo with only one arm, a metal band around his head. Nick and his team performed a very comprehensive examination on Bucky. The physical injuries from fighting Captain America had mostly healed, but what Nick prioritized was the issue with this guy's brain and psyche. Nick was puzzled. He had originally thought this guy was a Hydra backbone, but he turned out to be just a pawn—a pawn with no Remembrance who could be hypnotized at any time. All of this made Nick feel that this man could perhaps be exploited.
"Bucky, how do you feel?"
Steve's injuries had mostly recovered. He stood quietly in front of Bucky, asking with concern. This feeling of bromance made Nick involuntarily tense up his butt and take two steps back. Nick didn't know why he subconsciously made such a movement, but he felt the relationship between the two was truly unusual. The identity had been confirmed: the man before him was James Buchanan Barnes (Bucky Barnes) by birth, Captain America's assistant at the end of World War II, who sacrificed himself during a crucial mission. In that mission, they were lucky enough to capture Dr. Zola. Because of this action, the man was presumed killed in the line of duty. This mission resulted in incalculable changes to the battlefield, so this man named Bucky was a Hero.
"I feel, alright."
Although he was treated like a test subject, he had long been used to it. During his time in Hydra, they frequently experimented on and modified Bucky's body. That wasn't the most painful part; the most painful was the method of Remembrance erasure, which was too brutal. Even the iron-willed Bucky couldn't help but howl in pain.
"We have completed the examination, Captain. You must be mentally prepared. With current technology, it seems we fundamentally cannot recover all of his lost Remembrance."
Looking at the examination sheet and listening to the technician's explanation, Nick walked up to Captain, not avoiding Bucky. He explained the current situation, though he was holding back information. Based on the Kree technology he possessed, he could completely help Bucky recover his Remembrance, but he concealed this method. Since Bucky had no Remembrance and no resistance to hypnosis, he might be directly useful later. Nick wasn't kind enough to simply want to help; he just wanted to evaluate Bucky's value.
"I understand."
Steve expressed his understanding with some disappointment. He didn't know what Bucky had endured, but it certainly wasn't anything good. Let those bad memories fade away! It was better if he forgot. They could create beautiful new memories together in the future! Thinking this, the guilt and disappointment in Steve's heart lessened slightly. He looked at Bucky with such tenderness that Nick subtly took a few more steps back. Captain hadn't looked for a partner for so long; was it because his love for Ms. Carter had made him unable to accept any other woman, causing him to shift his attention to men? Nick's mind started racing with wild thoughts, feeling that there was an unspeakable secret between Captain America and Bucky.
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