Chapter 371: Avengers 1 Split (Part 1) (Patreon)

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"Bucky?? What are you doing here?!" Steve asked loudly, frowning. Suddenly, he realized what was happening and rolled away from Bucky's attack. Peter flew up again and said, "He's being controlled! Captain, stay away from him!"

"Snap out of it! Bucky Barnes, you're not Hydra!" Steve swung his arm fiercely and threw his shield, which flew past Bucky's ear with a whooshing sound but missed him, only grazing his hair.

Stark, who was flying in the southeast of the battlefield, saw this and sneered, "Do you remember what you told me about how you dealt with Hydra? How come you forgot all of that when it comes to your friend?"

Steve's expression became very complicated, but he finally said, "Help me subdue him. We'll talk about the rest later."

Stark snorted and fired two missiles directly at Bucky. The warheads spiraled in the air, leaving behind thick smoke. Steve shouted, "No! Wait! Don't use missiles! You'll kill him!"

"He's a criminal, and he's Hydra. Look at what he's doing now. He wants to kill you and all of us! Steve, do you want to watch us all get killed by him while holding back?" Stark asked coldly.

"No, of course not..." Steve's arm began to tremble, and he showed a painful expression. This was all too sudden for him.

Although he had learned from Hydra's computer at their base that Bucky had become an experimental subject, the kind of experimental subject he had imagined was a victim who had suffered all kinds of torture, was extremely weak, and had been sealed away. It wasn't the Hydra assassin in front of him who was strong, waving a knife, and even jumping to attack him.

His reason told him that Stark was right. If he didn't go all out now, everyone could be in danger.

Don't forget, there are two other suspected Hydra members on the field. Once they team up, the Avengers will have to spend a lot of effort to deal with them. If they don't go all out, something bad might really happen.

Steve, who learned of this on the battlefield, didn't have much time to think. His Adam's apple trembled violently, and his entire upper body trembled a bit. He seemed to be trying to persuade Bucky.

Seeing Steve's attitude, Stark became furious. He attacked Bucky on the ground with deadly weapons, and smoke and explosions rose at the same time.

Stark gave up tactics and vented his anger. Even without his army of mechs, his updated steel armor could still suppress everyone on the field. Even Strange had to use evasion spells to avoid Stark's barrage and couldn't confront him head-on.

Steve swung his arms in the smoke, coughing from the dust. When the smoke cleared in front of him, he saw a huge crater, and Bucky was running away from the edge of the crater, but was still hit by a missile. Steve shouted, "No!!"

"No? You said 'no' to the death of Hydra that you fought so hard against?!" Stark's voice became colder and colder, and his emotions began to become unstable. The human part of his voice became weaker and weaker, becoming like a cold, mechanical sound.

Peter shouted, "Stop arguing! We should unite. The current situation can't be solved by arguing!"

But no one paid attention to him. Matt and the mutants had been driven out of the center of the battlefield by Stark's bombardment. Now, only Stark, Steve, Strange, Grant, Peter, and Bucky, who had been hit by a missile, were left on the field.

The intense pain seemed to have restored Bucky's consciousness for a moment. He lay on the ground coughing, spitting out blood.

Steve saw his movements, and scenes that had appeared countless times on the battlefield flashed through his mind. In the smoke-filled trenches, he and Bucky were both covered in wounds, covered in blood, looking at each other's dirty faces, and bumping fists, grateful to have survived another fierce battle.

His chest began to rise and fall rapidly, his arm trembled uncontrollably, and his senses became more sensitive. The details of the shield in his hand were transmitted from his fingertips to his brain, occupying too much information and making it impossible for him to escape from the nightmare.

The golden and red armored suit in mid-air shone brightly in the sunlight, like a Sun. Steve felt a deep sadness and despair standing in the position of being judged. Stark, in his suit, shook his head trying to calm his emotions. But every time he saw Bucky, he felt a surge of anger rising from his heart. He couldn't let his parents' killer live in peace.

While both were stunned, Bucky had already recovered. Although he was not completely free from brainwashing, he seized the opportunity and rushed towards Steve with a fierce sprint. When the blade of the dagger flashed and the sound of breaking air rang out, Steve expected to feel pain, but instead, he heard a painful scream: "Ah!!!"

Spider-Man's scream was like thunder, ringing in Stark and Steve's ears. They both stared in shock as Peter was hit by Bucky's knife. The huge dagger pierced his left shoulder, almost severing his left arm. Red fluid filled his body as he screamed in pain, clutching his shoulder with his right hand, his veins bulging.

Steve watched in amazement as Peter stood in front of him, taking the attack from Bucky. Stark's roar came from mid-air: "Peter!!!!"

However, Bucky missed and turned his attention to Peter. With his bloody knife, he approached Peter's neck, and Peter seemed unable to resist due to the pain. In the moment when Bucky raised his dagger high, a figure roared and rushed over, grabbing his waist and knocking him down. The shield with the American flag pattern "smashed" Bucky's neck, causing him to scream and pass out.

Steve gasped for breath, finally clearing his mind of the chaotic information. He stood up exhausted and walked towards Peter, but before he could get close, Stark flew over and stopped him. The black hole cannon was aimed at Steve, and Stark said coldly, "Back off, stay away from him, you Hydra accomplice!"

"If it weren't for you protecting this damn Hydra killer, how could Peter be injured? You almost killed him!" Stark said angrily.

"I didn't mean to...," the strong smell of blood filled Steve's nose, and he couldn't speak anymore. He slowly knelt down and knocked his shield on the rocks.

He closed his eyes tightly, and countless nightmares from the past began to churn in his mind. He felt the air around him becoming thinner, as if his lungs were no longer functioning. Peter's fallen figure merged with those of his fallen comrades, and the person wielding the butcher knife changed from the evil Hydra to his former friend Bucky. Reality and illusion intertwined, and Steve could no longer distinguish between them.

"It's always like this...," his voice sounded like it was squeezed out of his throat: "Every time it's like this, I can't save them, and they die in front of me... It's always like this, there's never an end..."

Stark saw Steve's eyes turn red, took a deep breath, and finally calmed down. He looked around at the pockmarked wasteland he had created and slowly landed his suit. From a distance, he looked at Steve and spoke in a voice as unchanging as the wind on the wasteland.

"...Captain America, do you know what's the most ridiculous thing? Those generals who only want to make money in war tell you that you can save the world, you can save anyone..."

"They don't even believe it themselves, but you do."

Looking at the strong man kneeling in front of him, his shield still bright and shiny, it seemed like it had never been forgotten in the past 70 years.

But this old man who had been asleep for 70 years seemed to be forever trapped in that era of war, forever bound by the greatest and most ridiculous lie concocted by a group of selfish people.

What surprised Stark was that at this moment, he felt a bit of sympathy and pity for him, because he had also been kidnapped by those people who shouted slogans of justice. But the only difference between him and Captain America was that he had room to resist. He had Pepper and Obadiah, but Steve had nothing.

He only had a passion, diving into the dark vortex that he had never seen before, becoming the ash on the edge of the rut after the wheel of history rolled forward, like a madman who refused to leave the stage, practicing the justice that was no longer recognized.

At this moment, Stark suddenly understood why Steve cared so much about his last comrade-in-arms. Perhaps he had to find something to prove that everything he pursued was not in vain, hoping that there was another witness to his and that generation's sacrifices, rather than a dream he had fabricated in his own mind.

He hoped that someone else would tell him that they had succeeded, even if the beginning of this story was just a big lie, countless people had paid their lives for it, and it should not be forgotten and swept into the pile of history.

Stark flew to Peter's side and helped him treat his wounds. When Peter's breathing became steady, Stark didn't fly away. Instead, he walked along the stones on the wasteland to the seaside.

Noon had passed, and the strong light began to dim. The distant lighthouse emitted a heavy low hum.

Stark thought that people who had come from that era all had the same characteristic. It was as if they didn't want the people and events in their stories to be forgotten, just as they didn't want to be forgotten themselves. Howard was the same.

Perhaps they just didn't want the people and events in their stories to be forgotten, just as they didn't want to be forgotten themselves.

There was a noise behind him, and Stark turned around. He saw Steve standing up unsteadily, shaking his head constantly, as if he hadn't yet freed himself from the illusion. His gaze was hazy as he looked at Stark's brightly colored mech, and he seemed a bit dazed.

"I'm sorry..." Steve shook his head again and opened his eyes to say.

"You should go over and say it to him," Stark turned to look at Peter, who was lying on the ground with his back to him, half of his battle clothes soaked in blood.

"I'm also saying it to you," Steve lowered his head and said, "As a team leader, I made a wrong tactical judgment and didn't subdue him at the first opportunity. Otherwise, none of this would have happened..."

"You know, that's enough," Stark turned back again and looked at his hand armor. The muzzle on it was slightly blackened due to overheating.

He slowly closed his fingers and then clenched his fist, saying to himself, "Those who blame weapons are pitiful enough, and those who defend weapons are even more pitiful."

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 372: Avengers 1 Split (Part 2)