Chapter 386: Heroes Are Also Mortals (Patreon)

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While eating and chatting with Stark, Steve suddenly felt more relaxed. He didn't know why, but today Stark seemed more understanding.

What the heck was he thinking? Understanding? How could those words be associated with Stark? After Stark left, Steve rubbed his forehead, feeling like he must have been hallucinating due to stress.

After Bucky was rescued, he had been receiving treatment at the S.H.I.E.L.D. secret base. According to Nick's feedback to Steve, Bucky's situation was not optimistic.

Back then, Hydra couldn't be considered a spy agency. They were more like serving the war effort, and when the war was intense, they were very eager to achieve their goals. Therefore, the brainwashing methods used on Bucky were extremely violent, and now he had become a cold-blooded killing machine.

As he reminisced about those events, Steve sighed. He didn't even realize that whenever he thought about these things, his fingers would unconsciously tremble. It seemed that his heroic deeds of the past were more like poison than antidote.

With mixed emotions, Steve returned to the Avengers base. It was still early, and no one was around. Steve walked towards the dark hall, and as he turned on the lights, he heard Peter exclaim, "Oh!"

"You're here. Sorry, I thought no one was here. Why didn't you turn on the lights?" Steve walked over and saw Peter tinkering with a device. Peter smiled and said, "I'm turning off the power to do a test. To prevent accidents, I just pulled the circuit breaker."

"What is this?" Steve asked, looking at the complex device he couldn't understand. Peter glanced at Steve's face and said, "Captain, what's wrong with you? Why do you look unwell?"

Steve touched his face and sighed inwardly. Even Peter could tell that he wasn't doing well. Stark must be mocking him in his mind for being so down and out.

"It's nothing, just didn't sleep well." Steve just replied out of politeness, but Peter walked over and pulled out a chair for him. Peter patted the back of the chair and said, "Sometimes you have to sit down for a while. If you stand all the time, your waist and legs will get sore. My uncle often says that."

"Thank you, Peter, you're very thoughtful. But I feel more alert standing up." Steve smiled and leaned against the pool table nearby.

While Peter was adjusting the device, he said, "Captain, sometimes I feel like you're too tense, always wanting people to see you as the epitome of vitality. But everyone gets tired..."

"That's because you're not a leader, Peter." Steve blinked, lowered his head, and said, "You have to give everyone confidence, make them feel that such a heroic figure like you can lead them to victory. That's what I've been doing for many years, and I will continue to do so."

Peter shook his head, glanced at Steve with some concern in his eyes, but didn't say anything. He patted the device and introduced it to Steve, "Last time when dealing with the target, Mr. Stark taught me some things that inspired me."

"Monitoring systems don't have to be rigidly set to monitor or listen to a few locations. They can be a dynamic system, and the accompanying analytical system doesn't have to just aggregate data. We can make it smarter."

"I know, actually, this kind of thing should be done by Mr. Stark. But if that's the case, he will rely on the analysis center owned by Stark Industries, the super AI Jarvis."

Peter lowered his head and fiddled with the machine while saying, "I can tell, Captain, that your relationship with Mr. Stark is somewhat..."

"Never mind, I know I shouldn't talk about people behind their backs, but I think you probably don't want the Avengers to rely too much on Stark Industries or S.H.I.E.L.D."

"Actually, I think so too. It's not good for us. If justice can't be pure and independent, it's likely to be hijacked by something else, and that's not justice."

Steve walked over, patted Peter's shoulder, and looked into his eyes. "You know what? Peter, you've really grown a lot. Do you remember the attack of the vampires on the Brooklyn Bridge?"

"At that time, I thought you were just a young kid with hot blood, similar to me when I was young. But now, you're already an outstanding member of the Avengers and a great superhero. Your progress is truly amazing."

However, Peter didn't jump with joy at being recognized. He said, "When I changed, I realized that I had entered a broader realm. In the world of adults, there are more problems than experiences, and responsibilities are more important than beliefs."

"Captain, you often talk to me about your past experiences. You mentioned that when you heard the war breaking out, you heard news of countless deaths through the radio, and you felt sadness and helplessness."

"Then you were filled with the passion to save others on the battlefield, and you succeeded in doing so."

Peter sighed and said, "I'm glad that I don't have to hear news of the world about to be destroyed from the radio or TV now. I won't suddenly find out one day that I have to grow up overnight and immediately save the world."

"If someone had told me when I started high school that I would have to go to the battlefield tomorrow, face machine gun fire and fighter plane bombings, watching my comrades fall and die, I might really have collapsed," he continued.

Steve smiled at Peter and said, "Maybe I exaggerated the process a bit earlier. Just take it as a story, Peter."

Peter took a deep breath and tried to shake off the terrifying imagination. Steve then directed their attention to a device and asked, "So what can it do?"

"The simplest thing is that I have developed a system specifically for the frequent assassination cases recently, mainly targeting luxurious venues such as hotels, mansions, theaters, as well as the dynamic monitoring system of luxury vehicles within the New York area. This will allow us to quickly identify suspects entering and exiting these places," Peter explained.

Pointing to a display screen in the middle of the device, Peter said, "Look here, these colored markers on this car represent the places it has entered within the past 48 hours."

"Orange represents hotels, blue represents bars, and purple represents popular commercial streets and luxury stores. This way, we can tell if the car's movements are normal."

"If a car does not go to any places that an upper-class person should go to during several monitoring periods, but suddenly appears in a high-end location, its suspiciousness will increase."

"This is the most basic and simple application for data flow, but it's enough for us," Peter shrugged.

"In fact, the hardest part is installing the surveillance, but because we have enough special materials, the size of the surveillance can be compressed to be very small, but the clarity is high. And installing the surveillance is not difficult for us, so we can achieve this," he continued.

"In the end, it's the progress in material science that brings about technological advances," Peter said, squeezing a chip camera in his hand. "Don't be fooled by its small size. The amount of molten steel used in these components combined is likely to be the annual production of Vibranium in Wakanda."

"That's already great, Peter," Steve said, quite surprised. "The only thing I agree with Stark on is that you really have talent, kid, in any aspect."

"It's not necessarily true," Peter said, sitting down in the chair he had brought over. He looked a bit dejected as he said, "Dr. Schiller moved back to the Hell's Kitchen clinic, didn't he?"

"I wanted to stay with him for a few days, but for some reason, when I walked to the door, my spider sense started ringing non-stop."

"My God, it has never been so loud before. It almost deafened me. I don't know what's wrong with it, so I didn't go in."

"Dr. Schiller stood at the door and talked to me. We chatted for a while and then talked about the psychological part. Dr. Schiller said I wasn't suitable for studying psychology. I used to think he was quite optimistic about me..."

"People can't be good at every subject," Steve comforted Peter. "No one can know everything. Your talent in mechanics, engineering, mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and other fields is already high enough."

"But I don't quite understand. Is Dr. Schiller saying that people who study psychology are not kind? But Dr. Schiller is clearly a good person," Peter said, puzzled.

Steve pursed his lips. He recalled Schiller's recent behavior on the Hive planet, and he couldn't associate him with the word "kind."

"Perhaps he thinks you are too sympathetic. If you try to understand the world of those mentally ill patients, it may affect you," Steve suggested.

"Let's not talk about that," Peter quickly shook off the gloomy mood. He sat in the chair and looked up at Steve. From this angle, he could see Steve's stubble clearly. It seemed that he didn't shave this morning, and although he still looked handsome, he appeared a bit haggard.

"Captain, have you been attending the psychological counseling arranged by S.H.I.E.L.D. on time?" Peter asked gently.

"They only arranged 10 sessions of psychological counseling for me. Nick said Schiller was too expensive, but I haven't attended all 10 sessions. I've only been to five or six. I feel my mentality is fine, and I don't need counseling," Steve replied.

Peter nodded, but he still looked concerned. "Captain, I know you're strong, but even the strongest people need support sometimes. If you ever feel overwhelmed or need someone to talk to, I'm always here for you."

"Thanks, Peter," Steve smiled. "I appreciate it. But don't worry, I'll be fine."

They fell into a comfortable silence, both lost in their own thoughts. After a few minutes, Steve stood up and stretched. "Well, I better get going. I have a meeting with Fury in an hour."

Peter nodded and stood up as well. "Okay, Captain. Good luck with the meeting."

As Steve left the lab, Peter turned back to his work. He knew that there was always more to be done, more ways to make a difference. And he was determined to keep pushing himself to be the best he could be, both as Spider-Man and as Peter Parker.

"But I heard Dr. Schiller say that psychological problems, like other physical illnesses, require regular check-ups?"

"Well, Peter, you don't have to beat around the bush. I know you're trying to say that my current state doesn't seem right, but that's just because work has been a bit busy and I've been having trouble sleeping."

Seeing this, Peter didn't say anything else. However, Steve's tightly pursed lips betrayed his inner turmoil.

By evening, the base had finally become lively. Everyone was discussing their battle plans, and Peter brought pizza with him on the way there, which everyone happily devoured.

Polished cocktail glasses were thrown high in the air, twirling twice in the light of the bar, before falling into Matt's hands like a shooting star. He spun the glass in his hand, eliciting cheers from a few children. Erik, the Blade warrior, was sitting on the couch, telling them scary stories about vampires.

Peter, Steve, Erica, and Hawkeye Barton were playing a board game while discussing recent events in S.H.I.E.L.D. Soon, a few mutant children and Erik also joined in, and they all sat in a circle chatting.

In the underground base, without windows to judge the light, the cheerful atmosphere seemed to last as long as the lights stayed on.

But soon, a few of the younger children began to feel drowsy and went to rest in their bedrooms. Several others who had to work the next day also left.

In the end, only Steve remained, sitting on the couch and tidying up the pizza boxes on the coffee table. Peter and Matt had wanted to stay and help him, but Steve refused.

He thought he needed some time alone to sort out his jumbled thoughts, but when the time came, an uneasy feeling began to spread within him.

He reached for the pizza box, but his fingertips kept trembling. Steve's gaze froze, seemingly surprised at his own physical reaction. When did his hand start shaking?

"No..." Steve denied in his mind.

"It must have just started. The others probably didn't see it."

But another voice in his mind told him that this had happened before, and everyone had seen it. They would see him as a haggard, nervous wreck, and no longer trust him or see Captain America as an unbreakable leader. They would think he was old and no longer a savior...

With a bang, he dropped the stack of pizza boxes on the ground. Steve leaned back, making the sofa creak, as if to show that he still had strength.

He pinched his forehead with his hand and felt his arm muscles quivering. His shoulder and elbow were sore, but he persisted and refused to put his arm down, like a newly formed puppet trying to adapt to his body.

Steve used a firm voice to tell his body, "You must listen to me, stay still, stable, and full of strength!"

The more he did this, the more he felt his body was out of his control. A kind of anxiety that he couldn't do anything about began to engulf him.

Steve took a deep breath, but didn't realize that his inhalation and exhalation were becoming shallower and faster, until the air passing through his nostrils and lips made a light sound. He then clenched the muscles around his mouth until his whole face became stiff.

In the end, an inexplicable panic overwhelmed him. He swallowed hard, and with trembling arms, he pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed a number. "Hello? Doctor? I think I might need treatment. Can I come tomorrow morning?... Okay, thank you."

"...How am I feeling right now? Actually, I'm okay. I just feel a little nervous, probably because I'm tired."

"Okay, do you want me to listen to the timer and breathe with it? But I feel like it's a bit... too slow. That's not my breathing rhythm."

"Okay, I'll try. Breathe...in...out..."

With increasingly long exhales, Steve felt drowsiness creeping in, but the tension made him unable to sleep. A few minutes later, he hung up the phone but remained awake, feeling a throbbing headache.

He stayed awake like this until morning, and when he was about to go to the mental health clinic, he hesitated in front of the door, even considering pulling out his phone to tell Schiller that he wasn't going. But in the end, he stepped out and got into the car.

When he arrived at the psychological clinic in Hell's Kitchen, he saw Schiller in a suit sitting behind his desk. For some reason, he didn't want to get closer to him; this person in front of him made him feel very unfamiliar.

Schiller's finger moved and Steve instantly turned his head. As Schiller stood up, Steve took a quick step back, stiffened, and then turned around to close the door, pretending that he had stepped back just to close it.

In the end, Steve walked over to the table and shook hands with Schiller. When they both sat back down, Schiller introduced himself, "I think you already know that I am Schiller's alter ego, so I haven't been involved in your therapy. But I have read all the medical records he left behind..."

"Are you also a psychologist?" Steve asked him. "Can't you bring out Dr. Schiller?"

"My experience is much richer than his. Among all the cases I have encountered, you belong to the category of mild cases, so don't feel nervous. You will soon feel relieved."

As he spoke, Schiller took a medical record from the nearby bookshelf and flipped through it, saying, "You have some war-related post-traumatic stress disorder, but it is not serious. According to a previous therapy record, you have almost recovered."

"Your current symptoms may be due to acute anxiety caused by some stimuli, that is, sudden panic attacks. What are you afraid of?"

"No, nothing," Steve denied, and Schiller did not continue to ask. Instead, he looked into Steve's eyes and asked, "What have you been thinking about recently? The past or the future?"

"The past, I like to reminisce about the past," Steve quickly replied, but Schiller kept staring into his eyes. Steve's breathing became a bit rapid again, and he said, "Okay, actually it's the future, but I don't know what I'm worried about."

"This is also a typical manifestation. I'll say it again, you don't have to feel nervous about it. I know that during the time you lived, psychology and psychiatry were not very popular, and you may not have had access to this knowledge, so you feel that your behavior is abnormal."

"But in fact, anxiety and anxiety disorders are extremely common states. Among the people you know, me, Stark, Blade, and S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Hill all suffer from anxiety disorders, and 80% of the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents I have seen have a history of illness."

Steve opened his mouth, which was a bit difficult for him to imagine. Schiller continued, "During the time you lived, it wasn't that people didn't have this kind of illness, it was just that it wasn't diagnosed. Even if someone noticed all this, they would be ashamed to speak out."

"Okay, your attack was a bit sudden, and breathing adjustment techniques and mild hypnosis had no effect, so medication may be needed."

"Do you have any allergies? Or are there any important events coming up that you cannot use sedatives for?"

"No, I..." Steve put his finger against his eyes and said, "I don't want to take medicine. I think I can..."

"Okay, I know that people who take medication for the first time will have a very obvious resistance. My principle is, if you feel very painful, then I will prescribe medication for you. If you don't need it, then adjust yourself for a while."

Steve shook his head, but didn't say anything. When his handsome face showed less obvious pain, he looked like a classical sculpture with a melancholic mood typical of the Romantic period.

"Well, we can chat, which will help you relax."

As the sun gradually rose outside the window, by the time Steve came out of the clinic, it was already noon. He wanted to eat something, but found that he had neither his wallet nor his phone with him, so he had to walk back to the base.

As soon as he returned, Peter walked up excitedly and said, "Captain! We made a big discovery!"

Steve perked up, basked in the sun for a while on the road, and felt much better. He asked Peter, "What's the big discovery?"

"Do you remember the new monitoring system I mentioned to you before? We found a highly suspicious car."

Steve immediately walked over and looked at the screen, asking, "Which one can be tracked?"

"Here, it hasn't appeared since it left New York State last night, but we found that it had passed through the same location twice. It was a public phone booth."

Steve speculated, "That might be the way they contact their employer. I've seen many cases like this where they use street-side phone booths to communicate."

"Should we install monitoring equipment? If he makes another call, I should be able to hear their conversation."

"No, they rarely use the same phone more than once. Two times is already the limit. We should go there now and see if we can find any clues on the phone booth he used before."

The two immediately drove to the location Peter found. When they arrived, there was no one there, only three phone boothslined up by the side of the road. Steve walked over and examined the middle one, trying to find any clues.

After a while, he noticed a small piece of paper stuck to the bottom of the phone booth's receiver. He carefully peeled it off and found a series of numbers written on it.

"These numbers might be a code or a phone number. Take a picture of it and send it to the lab for analysis," Steve told Peter.

As they were about to leave, Steve suddenly turned around and looked at the surrounding area. He had a feeling that they were being watched.

"Peter, did you notice anything strange?" Steve asked.

Peter looked around and shook his head, "No, I didn't see anything."

"Let's go back to the base. We need to be careful," Steve said, and they quickly got into the car and left.

Back at the base, Steve immediately reported their findings to Nick Fury and the rest of the team. They analyzed the numbers on the paper and found out that it was a phone number registered to a fake name.

They also reviewed the surveillance footage from the area around the phone booth and found a suspicious-looking man who appeared to be following them. They identified him as a henchman working for the same organization they were investigating.

The team decided to increase their surveillance and gather more information before taking any action. Steve felt a sense of satisfaction that they were making progress in their investigation, but his anxiety still lingered in the back of his mind.

"I can try." Peter walked back to the car, took out his toolbox, and began to work on it. At that moment, Steve felt uneasy and shook his head to clear his mind. He regretted not taking Schiller's advice to take some medicine, but he didn't have time to rest. He felt a sense of fear, but refused to admit that it had anything to do with Hydra.

As Peter tinkered with the wires, he said, "I think I found a clue. Usually, these street phone booths don't leave dialing records, but I might be able to trigger the current through the buttons... Let me see..." After a while, when Steve began to feel stiff, Peter exclaimed, "Got it!"

Steve hurried over and asked, "What did you find? Any leads?"

"I got a phone number, but I'm not sure if it's a one-time use. We can try calling it."

Steve didn't show any disappointment. "It's probably a one-time use. Their vigilance shouldn't be that low."

Peter wrote down the number on a piece of paper, and Steve went into the phone booth to dial it. After a series of busy signals, Steve heard a very familiar voice, a voice he had heard not long ago.

"Hello..."

Peter saw Steve freeze inside the phone booth. After a couple of seconds, he hung up the phone. Peter asked, "Did you get through?"

"It was a one-time use number. I couldn't get through," Steve replied stiffly.

Peter looked a bit disappointed, but not too discouraged. "It's alright. This at least proves that the system works. We just have to keep waiting, and we'll definitely find a crucial lead."

Steve nodded and said to Peter when they returned to the Avengers base, "You should go back to class now. Your lunch break should be almost over, right?"

Peter noticed that something was off with Steve but wanted to stay and keep him company. However, Steve refused him. After Peter left, Steve quickly put on his jacket, grabbed his shield, and headed to the psychological clinic in Hell's Kitchen.

As he walked up the stairs, Steve tightly gripped the handle of his shield for a sense of security. When he pushed open the door, the man in the dark suit was still sitting behind the desk, looking like he had been waiting for him for a long time.

After Steve entered, he stared at the man and said, "You are...?"

"Who do you mean?" Schiller interrupted his conclusion.

"You, Schiller Rodriguez."

"But I'm not him, remember? I'm his alter ego."

"You're Hydra, or at least you're related to them..."

Schiller stood up, placed a pen on the desk, and said, "You don't have to speculate like that. I am Hydra, and I have a code name that you should be very familiar with."

Steve stared at him intensely, and Schiller lowered his head and smiled. "You called me that this morning. Don't you remember?"

"...'Doctor.' You're 'the Doctor.'"

"That's right, but I'm not him."

"Why did you..." Steve exhaled heavily and pounded the wall next to him in anger.

"It seems that your generation lacks this kind of knowledge. As I said, I'm not him. We have two different personalities."

As Schiller spoke, he bent over and opened his drawer, took out a file, and handed it to Steve. Steve didn't take it but just looked at him. Schiller pointed to the file and said, "It's about Bucky."

Steve's throat moved, and he finally reached out and picked up the file. As he turned the pages, his expression became increasingly serious. In the end, he looked incredulous. Schiller sat back in his chair and said calmly, "I know you don't believe it, or maybe you don't want to believe it. Your best friend killed your other friend."

"But it's the truth. Bucky Barnes, a member of Hydra's Winter Soldier Program, a successful Winter Soldier, used a car accident to kill Howard Stark."

"That's enough!" Steve slammed the file on the desk. "You're a despicable Hydra agent, trying to fabricate this information to influence me. I won't let you succeed!"

"Is that so? Then let our other guest share his thoughts." Schiller looked down at his wristwatch and said, "He should be here soon."

As soon as he finished speaking, Stark, dressed in battle gear, walked into the clinic's office with a serious expression and looked at Schiller. "Why was it you who answered the phone? Schiller, tell me..."

"Why would you be the one to answer the phone when the contact person for the assassination case called?" Schiller replied.

"Isn't it obvious? You not only have my number, but you also know my code name and what I've done. You're much smarter than him, so I don't need to explain it all over again," replied Stark, still looking serious.

Schiller remained calm in his chair and said, "Another friend has a question for you about your father."

Although Stark didn't want to change the subject, he couldn't help but turn to the somewhat dazed Steve. Steve shook his head and said, "It's nothing, just a conspiracy, it must be."

Stark looked at his expression, walked over, picked up the file in front of Steve, flipped to the first page, and then put it down, slamming the file on the desk.

Seeing his actions, Steve's body stiffened, and he slowly turned to look at Stark, saying, "This is all fabricated by him, right? It's Hydra's conspiracy..."

Stark remained silent for a long time before saying, "Actually, you should know better than me that it's true."

"If the assassins produced by the so-called Winter Soldier program were designed to kill important figures, then Howard would be their primary target."

Steve's Adam's apple began to tremble wildly, and he took two steps back, saying, "No, this isn't... he's not..."

Suddenly, he looked up at Schiller and said, "You did this on purpose, deliberately exposing your contact information and calling us here. You've been trying to start a civil war from the beginning..."

Schiller stood up again, walked to the side of his room, and tapped the top of a TV sitting there. Both of their gazes followed his movements, seeming to be worried that he would suddenly attack, but Schiller just bent down behind the TV and turned it on.

An image suddenly appeared in front of them. It was a person nailed to a wall, blood covering the entire surface. Steve widened his eyes and exclaimed, "Bucky! What did you do to him?!"

"Why are you asking such an obvious question?" Schiller looked at the TV and said, "Obviously, I kidnapped him and used many 6 cm diameter wedges to nail him to the wall."

Steve slammed his fist down and roared, "You madman!!! What do you want?!!"

At this point, Schiller calmly walked back to the desk, opened a drawer, and took out a handgun.

Steve immediately picked up his shield, and Stark opened his gauntlet, but Schiller just lowered his head and with a "click," ejected the magazine. He then took a bullet from the side and inserted it into the magazine before pushing it back up.

He then placed the gun flat on the desk and pushed it forward. The gun spun and slid in front of Steve. Schiller looked at his eyes and said, "Take it and shoot me. Eliminate Hydra, your greatest enemy."

His attitude was very provocative, as if he was betting that Steve wouldn't dare to do it. Steve was angered by him, he picked up the gun, loaded it, and aimed it at Schiller's forehead, saying, "Do you think I'll let you go?!"

"I know you won't, because I'm a Hydra, but what about Schiller? Isn't he your friend?" Schiller asked calmly.

"He's a doctor and a good person. He's saved a lot of people, maybe even you, and many other superheroes."

"As for me, I'm just a product of brainwashing by Hydra, just an emotionless tool. It's not Schiller's intention, just an accident."

Schiller walked out from behind the desk, and Steve continued to point the gun at him. Schiller walked up to Steve and stood directly in front of him, with the gun still pressed against his forehead. Schiller looked into Steve's eyes and asked, "If you want to shoot and kill me, then why can't Stark kill your best friend, Bucky?"

Steve's arm began to tremble uncontrollably, and Stark stepped forward, saying, "Enough, Schiller. I think there may be a misunderstanding here..."

Steve's breathing became more and more rapid, and he looked past Schiller's figure to see that the screen was not displaying a picture, but a real-time image. Bucky was no longer expressionless, but his face was full of pain.

Steve's finger pressed down slightly, and the part where the trigger was released had already been pulled to the bottom. If he continued to press it, the bullet would immediately fly out, but Schiller showed no signs of avoiding it. He still let the gunrest against his forehead, as if daring Steve to pull the trigger.

Suddenly, Steve's hand relaxed, and he lowered the gun. He looked at Schiller with a mix of anger and despair in his eyes, and said, "What do you want me to do?"

Schiller smiled slightly, as if he had won a great victory, and said, "I want you to work with me. Together, we can eliminate Hydra and all its evil plans."

Steve's face twisted in disgust, but before he could say anything, Stark interrupted, "Wait a minute, Schiller. You can't just expect us to work with you after what you've done. We need more information about what you're planning."

Schiller nodded, and said, "Of course. I have a lot of information that could be useful to you. But first, we need to rescue Bucky and get him out of Hydra's clutches."

Steve's expression softened slightly, and he said, "Okay. We'll work with you, but only to rescue Bucky. After that, we're done."

Schiller smiled again, and said, "That's fair enough. Let's get to work."

And with that, the three of them set off on a dangerous mission to rescue Bucky and take down Hydra once and for all.

A few seconds later, Steve's arm lowered, his pinky and ring finger tightly gripping the gun handle, but his finger on the trigger had loosened. He curled up in pain and kept shaking his head, as if trying to shake off some illusions.

Stark didn't look at him anymore, he walked up and tried to help Steve up, but as soon as he touched his arm, he was thrown off. Steve's strength was incredible, even the Iron Man in his armor was pushed back two steps.

Steve struggled to straighten his body and looked at Schiller, asking, "What do you want me to do to let Bucky go?"

"Both Winter Soldier and I are products of Hydra brainwashing. We are nothing more than tools for killing."

"If you kill me, it means that you are rejecting the arguments you made for Bucky, because the Dr. Schiller you know is also innocent, but you still killed him."

"That means Stark can also kill Bucky like you did, to avenge his father, or anyone can do it. This is justice."

"Steve, you didn't pull the trigger because you sympathized with the innocent Dr. Schiller inside me, but because you were afraid. If you had acted, Stark might have acted against Bucky and there would have been righteous people who killed him."

"When you were about to pull the trigger just now, did you think about this question?" Schiller looked at Steve's eyes and asked.

"Bucky is your friend, isn't Schiller?"

"Why are your reactions so different when faced with the same situation?"

"Is it really because you have a better relationship with Bucky?"

"Are you really concerned about Bucky? Or is it the era he represents?"

"That era that carries all your past and memories, all the glory and honor of...the war years?"

Steve stood still, holding the gun in both hands, but not raising it. He listened silently to all of Schiller's questions. His eyes became redder, and his blue eyes looked even bluer. His voice was trembling.

"You're right. I've always been someone who lives in the past. The war didn't bring me any benefits, only nightmares. But if I had to choose again, I would still choose the past..."

He turned his head and looked at Stark beside him, saying, "Bucky, Howard, and Schiller are all my friends. You might think I have no choice."

"Either let you, this despicable Hydra, go for Bucky's sake, or kill you, kill Schiller, and kill Bucky..."

Steve took a deep breath and straightened his back, as he had done countless times before.

"But I have one last option, a choice that you people will never understand."

He looked at Stark and said, word by word, "Tony, I know you have the ability to do it, save Bucky, save Dr. Schiller..."

"And I, will pay the price for all of this."

Suddenly, Stark had a bad feeling. In that instant, Steve raised the gun without hesitation and pointed it at his own temple.

There was a loud bang, but the bullet slowly dissipated into a wisp of gray mist and drifted back into Schiller's body. Schiller looked at Stark and said, "My symbiote tells me without a doubt that he just pulled the trigger."

Stark leaned on the table, as if losing strength, and collapsed. Steve shook a few times and leaned against the wall.

The room fell silent until the light crawled onto the diamond pattern on the floor. It seemed like a long time before Iron Man stood up straight again, and Steve also stood up straight with one hand against the wall.

The confused and fearful expression on Steve's face disappeared, and the determination in his eyes was no longer just a performance required by his identity.

In that instant, the two men looked at each other and saw the same emotion in each other's eyes.

Iron Man never retreats because he is the last steel barrier in front of everyone, but Stark's emotions are more sensitive than ordinary people, and he can doubt, be confused, and sad.

Iron Man was just one step away from becoming the god Eternity, but he gave up the infinite power and the dazzling scenery above Space. He chose to remain a mortal because he believed that humans are greater than gods.

Captain America cannot afford to be fragile because he is the flag that uplifted people during a special era. However, Steve's soul is no different from that of an ordinary person. He can become weary, suffer, and withdraw.

But just like the godly Captain America, his human vulnerability makes him even greater. Steve, as a mortal, becomes a greater person than any god.

When they suddenly see each other's vulnerability in this way, they also understand each other's greatness. There will be no one else who can understand each other better, and they will feel that the other person is forever their beloved and hated opponent.

Both of them let out a sigh and said nothing.

A few seconds later, they turned their heads to look at Schiller. At this time, Schiller had shed the terrifying danger he had earlier. He was suddenly standing still for a few seconds, and then his eyes regained their luster.

"Ha... a perfect vacation, enough to make up for the mental trauma I suffered from working overtime before," Schiller sighed. He looked up and saw Stark and Steve staring at him.

He looked down at his watch and said with some confusion, "Why are you here? It's not our appointment time yet, is it?"

Ten minutes later, at the entrance of Midtown High School, Peter and Gwen were crowded at the door of a pancake shop. After paying, Peter took the bag handed to him by the clerk and turned his head, only to be stunned.

Gwen walked over from the other side and patted his shoulder, asking, "What's wrong? Did you see something?"

Peter turned his head back and stared at the empty space in front of him, saying in confusion, "Did I just have a hallucination?"

"How come I saw Iron Man and Captain America chasing after a cloud of mist???"

On the skyline of New York, Schiller, who was running away as a cloud of mist, heard the voice of another self in his mind.

"Congratulations on your return from vacation. I have some bad news, another bad news, a worse news, another worse news, and finally, the worst news to tell you."

"First, I just made Iron Man and Captain America really angry at you. They might chase you around Earth... or the solar system."

"Second, I assassinated many Hydra agents disguised as officials for you, and now Hydra's headquarters is going crazy trying to kill you."

"Then, I deliberately showed some signs of mental illness to pique Stark's interest. Now, he and Jarvis are experts in the field of psychology. Your medical fees will be affected in the future."

"Also, you sold your soul to Mephisto, bypassing the Sorcerer Supreme. I didn't mean to do it."

"Finally, I broke the Winter Soldier out of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret base, and the process was somewhat violent. As a result, the base was severely damaged, and Nick spent a lot of money on it. I didn't mean to do it."

"I'm done talking. You're welcome..."

This Schiller is truly insane.

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Next Chapter>>Chapter 387 Schiller's Bad Luck? (Extra Long)