"Kurohane? Did you... did you remove my control?"
Bucky's mind registered only a fleeting moment of confusion before the memories of his time under control flooded into his mind like a tidal wave. Clutching his head, he knelt on the ground, pain gnawing at him. It shouldn't have been this painful. Like in the movies, he just needed to fall into water and lose consciousness once. After his good friend Steve pulled him out, his personality and memories would return. But this wasn't the same.
Kurohane's armor vanished, as did the Infinity Gauntlet and its jewels, all tucked away into his Spatial Ring. He walked slowly to Bucky's side, patted his shoulder, and used his Telepathy. He sympathized with Bucky for a moment, but most importantly, he took advantage of Bucky's unclear consciousness to review his memories.
Then, Kurohane uncovered a staggering secret!
On December 16, 1991, Bucky, as the Winter Soldier, received a mission from Hydra. His mission target was the philandering old Tony and the kind-hearted old mother. But unlike the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies, the Winter Soldier's mission failed!
Alexei Shostakov, codenamed: Red Guardian, a super-soldier from the Soviet Union, also known as Captain Soviet, had once undertaken a mission to infiltrate the United States with a young Black Widow Natasha and the second-generation Black Widow Yelena. He was responsible for the father role of both generations of Black Widows, which was why Yelena called Natasha her older sister.
Leading up to the collapse of the Soviet Union, to save the ultimate fate of this red empire, Alexei was assigned to capture Howard Stark, the most famous scientist in the United States. That's when he encountered the Winter Soldier on his mission. As for the final outcome, Alexei didn't come alone, but with an entire team of agents. The Winter Soldier, wanting to show off, only brought a pistol for the assassination mission. Not only was his close combat ability on par with Alexei's, but his firepower was also far inferior to his opponent's. So he could only watch Alexei take the Stark couple away. This was his only failed mission!
Kurohane: (Kurohane's face showed a rare expression of surprise.) Isn't this a "What If...?" storyline! My world setting is so complicated. I just met a reporter who was like Venom, and now I find the Stark couple wasn't killed! But this is also good, it saves me the trouble of going through Tony when clearing Bucky's name. It's not like we actually have to experience a civil war!
"Barnes, do you feel better now?"
Kurohane gripped Bucky's right hand and pulled him from the ground, only to find Bucky launching a punch directly at his face!
Clang!
The blow from the metal arm collided sharply with Kurohane's palm, creating a metallic clang. Kurohane gripped Bucky's hand, then used Telepathy to freeze Bucky's actions. He saw the answer in his mind as to why he wanted to punch him.
Bucky felt that after being controlled by Hydra, the bad things he had done could pile up a meter high if written down. In the hands of someone as powerful as Kurohane, he was surely destined to die, which was why he chose to attack Kurohane. Rather than escaping, he just wanted to say goodbye to his good friend Steve. Then he would surrender voluntarily and accept military tribunal. If he couldn't beat Kurohane, then let Kurohane kill him!
"You're already this old, why are you still acting so impulsively?"
Kurohane just smiled at the unmoving Bucky and didn't complain about the Winter Soldier punching him. A man nearing a hundred years old had no malicious intent. Even though he truly wanted to knock him down now, he wasn't trying to kill him, just to subdue him. No wonder being set free makes you a third weaker. If this were the Winter Soldier, he'd definitely want to punch the top of his head!
Bucky didn't need to explain these things. That was the real thought Kurohane found in his mind. Of course, more importantly, Kurohane heard the system prompt!
[Rescued the Winter Soldier from controlled thoughts, Justice Value +200]
Kurohane also understood the system's meaning. Bucky was a good person, and turning into the Winter Soldier wasn't his own choice. Or rather, Bucky's true consciousness died in that train falling off the cliff incident. From then on, the Hydra-controlled Winter Soldier was just a soulless weapon! Saving story characters and killing story villains seemed to yield similar results! What's more, he also saved Bucky's life. If he turned bad again in the future, he could still trick him again!
"Bucky, Steve, and I are good friends. I believe you also know my information."
"If you truly feel your sins are great, you should actively atone for them now."
"Trying to commit suicide by provoking me is not a good decision."
Kurohane knew that Bucky currently disliked others controlling his mind the most, so he didn't directly implant his ideas into his mind. Instead, after releasing Bucky's control, he chose to use his eloquence to persuade the other party!
"As you know, this body of mine originally came from Hydra, and it was the twisted and dark root of Hydra."
"But after I became Kurohane, I didn't deny this identity."
"Otherwise, I wouldn't have all these people in this base writing down every bad thing they've done."
"I just want to destroy the Hydra organization, which can also be considered atonement for this body of mine."
As soon as Kurohane opened his mouth, it was a massive bluff. The transmigration was real, and the desire to destroy Hydra was also real. But saying he wanted to atone for sins was false. Moreover, after he transmigrated, even before he transmigrated, his original body was just a rookie secret agent. He hadn't been in S.H.I.E.L.D. for long and had no access to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s core secrets. Most of his time was spent working as a security guard at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters. Even if he wanted to do bad things, he couldn't!
And with his identity revealed as an Angel, the words he spoke now were more like affirming that he was an Angel who had descended to the mortal world, here to save humanity!
Looking at Kurohane, who was wearing a black suit but radiating divine light, Bucky also felt a moment of trance before his eyes, suddenly feeling that the world had brightened again!
"Kurohane, no! Angel, can I truly atone for my sins?"
"If you don't want to go to Heaven after you die, I can also help you open the Gates of Hell."
Kurohane wasn't lying. He truly had a skill called the Gates of Hell at this moment. However, its cost was unknown, which Hell gate could be opened was also unknown, and whether it could be closed after opening was also uncertain. So this skill became a treasure kept at the bottom of the box.
Kurohane patted Bucky's shoulder, then handed him his cell phone.
"Steve's number is on the phone. You know what I mean."
Bucky: (Bucky's expression was a mix of confusion and enlightenment.) This really is an Angel!!!
Enjoying the story? You can read 7 chapters in advance on p@treon/Rzzzy!