I Became Spider-Man's Cousin in Anime Crossover

Chapter 323 Bucky's Past

After a brief, somewhat cathartic brawl, everyone quickly calmed down from the complex emotions following the fierce battle.

At this moment, the inside of the freezer was in a mess, and most of the areas had been thoroughly searched by the three of them.

Looking around, all that remained were the mangled, frost-covered corpses, cold metal walls, broken pipes, and scattered equipment wreckage, casting distorted shadows as they were illuminated by the flashing red alarm lights.

Of course, as a Chinese person who has "thrift and diligence" ingrained in my bones, even though this secret base once belonged to Hydra and was filled with unimaginable evils, I still feel deeply grateful.

But Riley didn't act impulsively and directly used the explosive magic of the Dragon Talisman to completely erase any trace of the secret base's existence.

Instead, based on Alexander Pierce's memories, which were forcibly accessed not long ago through the mind-reading ability of the silly girl, it was confirmed that the life support system inside this secret base was completely self-sufficient. Like a large post-apocalyptic shelter, it could accommodate a large population for an extended period.

Riley then opened the dimensional barrier and randomly selected an agent from District 13. He instructed the agent to go to District 13 to deliver the announcement in his place.

Those members who wish to stay here are to assemble at the designated location in twelve hours.

So that Riley could teleport them all into the secret base with just one portal.

In this way, not only will this secret base, once belonging to Hydra and filled with high-tech ingenuity, be completely renamed "Area Thirteen"...

District 13, which had become somewhat crowded due to the defection of the entire Skrull race, was able to successfully resolve its population housing issue with a significant reduction in expenses.

As for the problem of the two places being too far apart and inconvenience for each other, it is easy to solve.

In the present day, Riley has mastered his father's air magic, the Ancient One's white magic, and Frigga's unique secret arts. Furthermore, thanks to the system's assistance, he possesses a variety of extraordinary abilities…

Creating an interconnected teleportation array that can be activated at any time is not a difficult task at all.

As for why the three of them didn't go directly through Riley's dimensional barrier back to District 13, the reason is quite simple.

That is, Riley wanted to familiarize the members of District 13 with the base's internal structure before they began moving in en masse, so that he could compile a basic living guide to help them adapt to life there more quickly.

While you're at it, take a look around and see if there's anything else of value here.

For example, evidence of Hydra's crimes, or the accurate coordinates of other strongholds...etc.

Driven by this objective, Bucky, the Winter Soldier who had just escaped seventy years of being frozen and brainwashed, and being the only one of the three familiar with this steel labyrinth hidden deep beneath the frozen land, naturally became the temporary leader of the three-person team.

Then, led by Bucky, they began to traverse back and forth through the cold, desolate passages of the base.

Bucky's steps were precise and silent, as if the oppressive environment had long been ingrained in his bones.

Often, seemingly casual steps can avoid some undetectable trap areas. Leading Steve and Riley, they reach the core areas that are protected by various traps or deliberately hidden without any danger.

Riley was responsible for confirming with Bucky that there were no destruction devices installed inside the combination locks. He then used his brute force to easily open the tightly closed combination locks, just like opening a beverage bottle cap.

Steve followed closely behind, relying on his experience accumulated during World War II and his knowledge of Hydra, to quickly collect and organize the items inside the safe and select valuable items from them.

And so, with the clear division of labor and cooperation among the three-person team, they quickly reaped a bountiful harvest. The makeshift large storage bag woven from spider silk was filled to the brim.

"Found it, this is it."

After a brief search, Bucky gave up the idea of ​​continuing. Instead, he weighed the hard drive he had just removed from the computer case in his hand.

Once the other two's attention was focused on him again, Bucky began to explain while showing them the hard drive.

"They should be able to find irrefutable evidence of Hydra's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. and its planning of various terrorist attacks around the world over the years. Although the main database may be destroyed, these backups or fragmented logs are enough to let the world see their true colors."

As he spoke, Bucky casually tossed the hard drive to Steve.

So that he could free his hands, he turned and walked to the large map posted on the wall. After squinting at it for a moment, he picked up the marker on the table and drew a few circles on the map.

"These places are other Hydra strongholds scattered throughout Siberia. I've been to some of them during my missions, but I've only heard about most of them. So whether they really exist, I'll have to find them myself to confirm."

Watching Bucky skillfully identify and collect these key items, just like during World War II, cleverly gathering intelligence and then explaining it to his teammates in an orderly manner, Steve felt an indescribable surge of emotions.

He couldn't imagine how his dearest friend had survived in such a place over the years, or how he had managed to endure the loneliness and hatred in this frozen inferno after rediscovering himself.

After a moment of silence, Steve, who had been holding back all this time, finally couldn't help but ask Bucky directly.

The slight, almost imperceptible tremor in his voice broke the relative silence of the search.

"Bucky, I've always wanted to know... when did you... regain your memories? I mean, your real memories."

Bucky's movements stopped.

He didn't answer immediately, but slowly straightened up, turning his back to Steve and Riley. His eyes swirled with complex emotions, his gaze seemingly piercing through the cold metal wall, casting a shadow over a distant and painful past.

"It's been a long time, Steve. Much longer than you can imagine."

After a few seconds, as if I had mentally prepared myself, I was able to confront that long-buried painful memory.

Bucky then turned around, his expression constantly changing, eventually settling on a deep, almost bone-deep weariness, and a hint of barely perceptible bitterness.

"I think it probably started the night I received Hydra's orders to kill Howard and his wife with my own hands... Howard Stark, in the last moments of his life, left me with hope for self-redemption."

Bucky's voice was soft, but every word he uttered was like a heavy hammer, repeatedly striking Steve's heart.

Even though Riley had informed them beforehand that Bucky was the murderer of the Howards.

But when Bucky confessed that it was his best friend who killed his most important friend, he was shocked.

Steve stared wide-eyed in disbelief, and with his last glimmer of hope shattered, he staggered back several steps!