I Became Spider-Man's Cousin in Anime Crossover

Chapter 326 Good Intentions Lead to "Bad Things"

"Failed at the last minute? What does that mean...? Wait, could it be...?!"

At first, Steve, who knew Bucky was just trying to comfort him, didn't pay much attention to Bucky's words.

It wasn't until Bucky mentioned that his and Riley's rescue operation had actually ruined his plans that Steve raised an eyebrow and asked back, quite unconvinced.

But soon, the Winter Soldier's outrageous regenerative and healing abilities, which he had displayed when fighting him, came to Steve's mind.

Based on Bucky's account, it can be inferred that Bucky at that time had already regained his self-awareness, but was still deliberately cooperating with Hydra's operations...

A bold idea suddenly popped into Steve's mind!

"You guessed it, Steve, I stayed here on purpose."

At the same time, even though Steve didn't say it outright, Bucky, based on their mutual understanding, still figured out what Steve was thinking from the change in his eyes.

He then nodded slightly, readily admitting it, and continued speaking to Steve, following up on the topic.

"I have mentally rehearsed countless times, enough to come up with no fewer than twenty sophisticated escape plans."

"But based on our understanding of Hydra's operational style during World War II, even if we know very little about the changes in the outside world, I can roughly guess that... those who are still alive today must have learned from their defeat and quietly infiltrated various countries to build a huge and secretive underground force."

"In this situation, as long as they still want me as an 'asset,' they will search high and low to find me no matter where I run. At that time, the fate awaiting me will be even more difficult than pretending to be stupid all this time."

"After all...we both witnessed firsthand how they dealt with defectors in the concentration camps, didn't we?"

As Bucky recounted the events, Steve, whose mind was filled with bloody images, felt a chill run down his spine and straight to his brain.

As Bucky said, as Hydra's nemesis, he knew Hydra all too well. He completely understood how real Bucky's concerns were.

One could even say that Bucky's thinking was somewhat conservative...

Because Hydra is no longer simply operating in stealth.

Instead, they infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and openly appeared around the world as "guardians of world peace"!

"Therefore, I can only choose to endure. Continue to play the most obedient, most reliable, and least 'problematic' Winter Soldier."

Seeing that Steve did not raise any objections, Bucky, who seemed indifferent but had actually been secretly observing, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

He then frowned slightly, carefully considering his words before speaking again, continuing his speech unhurriedly.

"They needed a good knife, so I honed myself to be sharper and more wieldy. I completed every mission 'perfectly.' In every assessment, I became more docile and controllable."

"I want to become their most cherished and least doubted 'asset.' Only in this way can I survive... until I get an opportunity to truly and completely get rid of them, or even overthrow them!"

As he spoke, Bucky paused slightly, a complex expression appearing on his face—a mixture of helplessness and self-deprecation, even a hint of resentment that Steve had never seen on him before. He remained silent, staring intently at Steve.

Steve felt inexplicably guilty under her gaze, scratching his head and awkwardly looking away.

Bucky sighed, as if resigned to his fate, and continued speaking listlessly.

"Finally, I've had this opportunity..."

"The person standing next to you must be Spider-Man, the one Hydra has been so wary of lately, right?"

"His immense power and astonishing rate of growth have made Pierce feel threatened like never before. So much so that there is a consensus within Hydra that the Winter Soldier—including myself—is no longer capable of fighting against a superhuman of this caliber."

"So they launched a program to upgrade us Winter Soldier and give us new, more powerful superpowers."

"This is new territory for them, and the risks are enormous."

"And I, in order to make them wake me up more frequently, and to accelerate the failure of the brainwashing program, shaped myself into the one who was the most 'controllable' and the most 'useful' in their eyes."

"This character design was very successful, allowing me to perform far more missions than others, which indeed accelerated my recovery."

"But precisely because of this..."

"When Pierce impatiently demanded that the Hydra members produce results as soon as possible..."

"When those guys in white coats are under time pressure and simply don't have enough time to conduct sufficient testing to obtain enough data to further reduce the potential risks during the modification process..."

"In order to minimize losses and to ensure that after investing a lot of manpower and resources, at least one more powerful 'perfect weapon' can be successfully manufactured in the end... they chose to arrange the order of enhancement and modification in what they considered to be the safest and most reliable plan."

"That is, to use the other five Winter Soldier as guinea pigs to test the risks for me. And put me last."

"This way, Hydra's scientists can use the lives of those five Winter Soldiers to explore the risks and limits of the modification process. They can then collect the necessary data in the shortest possible time. When it's my turn, they can use the experience they've gained to modify me into the most perfect and powerful version, while minimizing the risks!"

At this point, Bucky's voice betrayed a hint of anticipation for his new abilities, and a sense of satisfaction at finally reaping tangible rewards after years of hard work and perseverance.

But soon, Bucky's voice took a sharp turn for the worse, replaced by a heavy sense of suppressed frustration and deep resentment.

"This completely disrupted my plans! I endured so much, played the role for so long, and suffered so much, all for this power! With this new power, I was finally confident I could break free from their surveillance and tracking, and have the ability to fight them! But what happened? I watched the opportunity right in front of me, but because I was the 'most useful' one, I was relegated to the very end!"

"But, considering that this is indeed the safest option, and I've endured it all these years, what's a little more? I can play along with them a little longer and continue this ridiculous role-playing game..."

"Until you two... appeared before me without warning and wiped out all the Hydra here... I must say, you two, your timing was absolutely perfect..."

When he mentioned the last sentence, "It was just the right time," Bucky's tone was filled with indescribable complex emotions.

Those who were saved are fortunate.

There was excitement at the reunion.

But more than anything, there was a profound sense of loss and an indescribable bitterness, as if the plan had been completely disrupted and years of forbearance had been in vain.

His long-awaited plan to use his enhanced strength after the upgrade to personally avenge himself was shattered just before the dawn of a new day by his best friend's rescue operation.

So much so that even though Bucky knew in his heart that everything Riley and Steve did was for his own good...

But let's look at it from another angle...

I feel like everything I've worked so hard on is in vain. My nose is also itchy, and it seems like it's going to get rounder and redder!

I knew you two were this strong...

So what was the point of all that hard work, forbearance, and backstabbing I did all that dirty work for Hydra?!