After finishing their lunch, Peter had to continue working, so he returned to his office first. Meanwhile, Bucky claimed he could fly back home in his suit, leaving Natasha to drive and drop Matt off at Hellâs Kitchen.
Once Leo and Bucky saw Natasha and Matt off in the car, Bucky suddenly whispered to Leo, âDidnât I tell you that I didnât want to take Peter to Africa? Why are you bringing him along now? I know Peter very well. When I used to take him and Matt out to stop crimes on the streets, he always acted tough, but still couldnât bring himself to kill in the end. So can he really go all the way this time? What if he hesitates and causes trouble?â
Pondering for a bit, Leo briefly explained Aunt Mayâs injury and Peterâs deep-rooted hatred for H.Y.D.R.A. to Bucky. Regardless, Peter didnât mention keeping it a secret, and it wasnât something controversial so it wouldnât hurt to tell Bucky.
After hearing it, Bucky finally understood that he was just being overly concerned. He clicked his tongue, âIt looks like Peter is being serious this time. That kid is quite something, he can knock you out with one punch. Now, with the suit youâve made, H.Y.D.R.A. is in for a rough time. I reckon he can flatten the entire H.Y.D.R.A. base by himself. We just need to follow behind and cheer him on!â
Leo also agreed with Buckyâs outlook and looked forward to seeing Peterâs action in the upcoming mission.
With the doubts resolved, Bucky was ready to leave. However, it wasnât appropriate to directly change into his suit in the heavily monitored Marvel Base. So he followed Leo back to the lab and changed into Winter. Then, with a strange shout, he shrunk down and flew into the sky, heading back to his home in Hellâs Kitchen.
Seeing this, Leo chuckled as he shook his head. When he successfully flew for the first time, he was much more excited than Bucky.
For millennia, humans had dreamed of soaring through the skies. Although airplanes had indirectly fulfilled humanityâs dream, who wouldnât want to freely pilot a personal aircraft? Not to mention being able to fly just by wearing something!
Looking at the exhilarated Bucky, Leo didnât think there was anything wrong with it. Instead, he believed that this version of Bucky was the real person. Bucky had lived for over eighty years and had seen and experienced countless things, but to put on a piece of clothing and freely take off to the skies? Even racing against airplanes? It was only natural for him to be excited.
This excitement and thrill were perfectly shown by Tony Starkâs famous âWoooooo! YEEAAHH!â when he improved his armor and soared into the sky.
Leo thought that if he were to take Bucky on a trip to outer space now, hovering on the Earthâs geostationary orbit and admiring the beauty of the Earth and the Moon, Bucky would probably shout with even greater excitement.
Sometimes, he felt that the Marvel movies in his past life portrayed the characters a bit too calmly when they encountered something unimaginable and astonishing for the first time.
While fearlessness in the face of danger is essential for superheroes, being too reserved in expressing joy and surprise is a bit too excessive.
He firmly believed the people he interacted with in this world were the ones truly alive, with rich emotions.
As his thoughts wandered, he found himself back in the lab.
Having eaten and drunk his fill, he resumed his busy work, concentrating on building Peter and Mattâs suits.
In his spare time, he also upgraded his mechanical legion with Vibranium. Now that he had the âMechanical Force â Relayâ, the coordination between the mechanical soldiers became more seamless and their tactics became more versatile. But due to the weak strength of the enemies he had bumped into lately, he hadnât found a chance to unleash his mechanical legion.
He thought that for now, it would only be in space where he could be compelled to unleash his full power.
Time continued to pass and five days had gone by. He worked diligently and finally completed the suits for Peter and Matt. After they arrived at the lab to retrieve their respective suits, he checked the schedule and sent out the first team announcement to the members of the Marvel Mercenaries.
âGather on the rooftop of Erwin Building in seven days at 5 PM. Weâll depart for Africa to eradicate the H.Y.D.R.A. base.â
Seven days later, at 5 PM, on the rooftop of the Erwin Building.
The reason for choosing this location was to accommodate Matt, who couldnât fly and the reason for choosing this time was due to the time difference.
Tanzania, located in Africa, was seven hours ahead of New York. Leo and the others spent two hours rushing from New York to their destination, arriving precisely at 2 AM local time. It was the time when the enemies were most vulnerable and relaxed.
The well-prepared members of Marvel Mercenaries estimated that they would finish the battle within an hour and clean up the battlefield within another hour.
After spending two more hours flying back, it would be 11 PM in New York, allowing them to have a late-night snack, sleep, and still wake up for their normal work the next morning.
âŠâŠ
300 kilometers south of Tanga, Tanzania.
An abandoned quarry was located here, where scattered rocks piled up in disarray and weeds stubbornly sprouted from the crevices.
The original quarrying equipment was already in a state of disrepair, covered in rust. As for the buildings within the quarry, there was only a row of shabby huts leaning against a damaged rock hill.
From the outside, these huts appeared dilapidated, but their interiors were a hidden paradise.
The exterior of the huts was camouflaged with discarded plastic panels, but inside, the walls were made of stone and the floor was paved with neatly arranged stone slabs.
Over the years, the interiors of the rock hill had been meticulously developed, with rooms separated and reinforced. It was a deeply hidden base.
At this late hour, in one of the rooms deep inside the base, the lights were still on, and the sound of conversation could be heard.
The one speaking was a black-skinned bald man. Although he appeared to be a genuine African, he spoke fluent English, âDr. Zola, the H.Y.D.R.A. operatives we sent to infiltrate the United States managed to complete their task. After six months, they finally discovered the whereabouts of the artifacts confiscated by the Strategic Scientific Reserve (S.S.R.) in 1945. But they only sent back some photos taken at that time. The specific location of the artifacts has been hidden and its location changed all these years. Itâs likely to be in one of S.H.I.E.L.D.âs warehouses and itâll take some time to locate it. But we have a lead, it wonât be long. As you mentioned, we have seen a glimmer of hope. H.Y.D.R.A.âs resurrection is not far off!â
After finishing his reports, the bald man respectfully handed Dr. Zola a stack of photographs, âHere are the photos they sent back. Have a look, Doctor.â
Dr. Zola reached out for the photos and carefully flipped through them one by one. Suddenly, his gaze stuck on one particular photo, which he separated from the rest and rubbed his mechanical arms slowly, âThis crate is what weâre looking for!â