Chapter 150

Michael finished his examination, yet offered no treatment at the moment.

Just then, Captain America walked in and asked, "How is he?"

"Merely long-term brainwashing. Eradicating the programmed directives completely remains rather difficult. Most crucially, I do not know what specific directives were implanted, so I can only force him to forget all the brainwashed content. However, this does not guarantee that he will never recall those directives."

Michael spoke like a tongue-twister, almost leaving Captain America utterly bewildered.

Captain America pondered for a moment and said, "Oh, so what you mean is, there is still hope for him."

"Yes." Michael raised an eyebrow.

"Then wake him up," Captain America said eagerly.

Michael curled his lips in a helpless shrug. True to being bosom friends, the outbreak of the Civil War might just happen ahead of schedule.

Michael drew out the Scepter of Mind and tapped Bucky lightly on the chest. As the gem upon the scepter flared with light, Bucky began to stir restlessly.

"Don't worry, that's entirely normal."

Soon enough, Bucky snapped his eyes open, gasping heavily for breath.

Captain America immediately asked with deep concern, "How are you holding up, Bucky?"

Bucky turned to look at Steve, wearing an expression of sheer disbelief.

"I can't believe I'm seeing you again, Steve."

"What on earth is going on here? How are you still alive? And what happened to your arm—why is it made of metal?"

Bucky explained, "After falling off the cliff, I was captured by the Red Skull, forced into the Winter Soldier experiments, brainwashed into the Winter Man, and placed in cryogenic freeze. What about you? How have you survived until now?"

Captain America's story was even more fantastical: in order to thwart a nuclear detonation, his plane crashed, leaving him frozen in the Antarctic ice until he was thawed out in the modern era.

The two exchanged warm greetings before stepping outside together.

The others all turned their gazes toward Captain America and Bucky, watching them with guarded vigilance, unable to fathom why the two were now standing side by side.

"This is Bucky. Dr. Michael has lifted the enemy's hypnosis upon him; he is our companion now."

Everyone offered a round of applause to signal their welcome.

"What are our next steps?" Hill asked.

"Fury wants to see you all."

Michael wore a peculiar expression and immediately declared, "Count me out. I'm no longer a superhero."

Not being a superhero did not actually restrict Michael's actions; he simply wished to avoid seeing his rebellious younger sister.

"Still, I shall prepare for the worst and contact Tony and the little spider-boy on your behalf."

"Very well."

The group parted ways. Neither Michael nor Gwen felt any remaining desire to stroll through the streets, choosing instead to stand quietly by the river, savoring a peaceful afternoon of leisure.

Meanwhile, Captain America and the others followed Hill to meet with Nick Fury.

Nick Fury jumped in startle upon laying eyes on the Winter Soldier, momentarily fearing they had dragged Hydra along with them.

Only after learning that they had merely happened to cross paths with Michael, who had purified him using mental magic, did Fury set his mind at ease.

"Project Insight utilizes Helicarriers to eliminate all potential threats to Hydra."

"All you need to do is insert these three chips into each of the carriers to reclaim control over them."

"As for Hydra, there is no need nor requirement to take prisoners alive."

"Right, let me introduce someone else to you."

Su Xi stepped forward, clad in a suit of mystical armor and wielding a long spear.

Through preliminary testing, her ability was water manipulation, capable of freezing water into ice. Specific tactical applications still required further development.

Yet this battle would hardly pose any difficulty for Su Xi, as she had acquired an Asgardian physique that rendered her bulletproof.

That particular ability had Nick Fury drooling with envy.

With the addition of a new recruit, their ranks grew steadily larger—growing powerful enough to make them genuinely concerned for Pierce's safety.

"Go on. I trust you will all enjoy each other's company."

Nick Fury could not help but spare a thought for his old superior, who must surely be regretting his decisions down to his very intestines by now.

Victory relies not on numbers, but on strength.

Take Hill and Natasha, for instance—they were top-tier operatives.

Captain America, Bucky, Falcon, and Su Xi had all transcended the limits of ordinary humanity.

Falcon spoke up first: "Hey, I'm Falcon. Who are you?"

"The Water Goddess, Poseis."

A goddess?

The only deities they had known thus far hailed from Asgard: Thor, the God of Thunder, and Loki, the God of Mischief.

They had hardly expected another self-proclaimed deity to appear, bearing a name fitting the sea god of Norse mythology.

Captain America observed Su Xi for a moment before asking, "Are you Asgardian?"

Su Xi recalled the vial of genetic serum and shook her head. "Not quite. I was injected with Asgardian serum, so I suppose I still count as human."

"First time on the battlefield?" Captain America pressed on.

"Yes," Su Xi answered truthfully.

Captain America continued, "Take a deep breath, steady yourself, and try not to be too nervous."

...

S.H.I.E.L.D. Base

The hangar blast doors of S.H.I.E.L.D. slowly slid open, revealing a Helicarrier weighing nearly one hundred thousand tons.

As the aircraft carrier began its ascent, the group sped up their pace at the sight.

Su Xi directly manipulated a surge of water, seizing hold of the slowly rising Helicarrier, before transforming the water into ice, freezing the massive vessel right there in mid-air.

Utilizing her powers on such a massive scale for the very first time left Su Xi feeling somewhat dizzy.

The Black Widow located a Quinjet, brought Captain America and Bucky aboard, and airdropped them directly onto one of the Helicarriers.

Working in seamless coordination, the two swiftly neutralized the defenses and infiltrated the main control room.

A horde of armed soldiers surrounded them, holding up riot shields for defense. Bucky pulled out a flashbang and hurled it forward, successfully blinding and disorienting them.

Seizing the opportunity, Captain America plowed through a squad of men, while Bucky snatched up two M16 rifles and unleashed a frantic barrage of gunfire.

Driven by reckless, death-defying marksmanship, Bucky managed to suppress the enemy forces single-handedly.

Capitalizing on the opening, Captain America inserted the chip into the carrier's console, while Hill operated from afar, successfully wrestling back control of the vessel.

A second Helicarrier was boarded by Falcon for chip insertion.

Utilizing his winged apparatus, he flew nimbly around the carrier, dodging every single defensive turret mounted on its hull.

Realizing artillery fire was proving useless, the enemy dispatched F-15 fighter jets to pursue Falcon.

Such bulky aircraft appeared clumsy in comparison to Falcon, completely failing to lock on and reduced to tailing his rear while firing blankly.

Under Falcon's deliberate provocation, the military fighter jets ended up blowing open their own carrier bay doors. Falcon slipped inside undetected and soared straight into the main control room.

Before reinforcements could arrive, Falcon effortlessly slotted in the chip, flashed a confident grin, and made a clean retreat.

Just like that, two of the three carriers had been reclaimed, leaving only the final one.

At this stage, their morale surged. Captain America and Bucky leaped directly across the open deck space.

Unfortunately, the distance proved too great, and they failed to clear the opposing deck.

Falcon swooped in to save the day just in time, grabbing them by the collars with each hand and hurling them safely onto the third Helicarrier.

Moments later, Falcon drew dual submachine guns and opened fire upon the surrounding soldiers.