Howard Stark didn't remain disheveled for long.
Soon, the sound of a car engine approached from the distance.
"Get in."
It was Bucky, who had left and returned, driving a black Ford Mustang.
Howard was about to get in the car with his wife.
"You drive."
He saw Bucky move to the passenger seat, pick up the metal briefcase he had taken from the car's trunk, and hold it in his arms.
Howard went around again and got into the driver's seat, feeling a slight sense of relief. Bucky was indicating that he had no intention of coercing him and also understood that he just needed him, the local expert, to find a safe place.
"..."
The car started, and Bucky fell silent again, as if deep in thought. Howard, full of questions, couldn't help but ask directly:
"Were you acting for that camera just now? How did you..."
Howard later noticed that there was a camera not far away, which made it even stranger. If you were acting, you couldn't possibly film your entire performance, could you?
"I have my ways."
From the very beginning, Bucky had naturally used his bionic eye in conjunction with the Network Access Pod to directly control the camera, managing its recording process and modifying the recording time. What the camera recorded was only Bucky appearing, blowing out the tire, tearing off the car door, firing shots, taking something, burning the car, and then swaggering away.
For this, Bucky also used his last two free attribute points, increasing his Intelligence attribute to 6 points. Only then could he improve his Hacking Protocol ability, thereby invading and tampering with the camera's recording program, rather than just simple on/off and monitoring.
However, it was fine; Bucky himself was going down the Hacking Protocol and Engineering route, primarily focusing on Intelligence and Technique.
Moreover,
"System Information: Series Quest 'Defection', Quest 1 'Rescue' completed, gained 500 experience points;
Character: James Buchanan Barnes;
Level 1
Experience Points 500/1000;
Physique 7 (Athletics 7, Annihilation 7, Brawling 7);
Reflexes 7 (Handguns 7, Assault 7, Blades 7);
Technique 4 (Engineering 1, Crafting 2);
Intelligence 6 (Hacking Protocol 1, Quick Hack 1);
Calmness 11 (Stealth 7, Cold Blood 1)."
Intelligence increased to 6 points, and the Crafting specialization in the Technique branch also increased to Level 2 due to previous disassembling and Crafting items. Remotely taking over the camera and tampering with the recording can increase the experience of the Hacking Protocol in the Intelligence branch. This time, it added 75 points.
Also, by coming into contact with Howard, the quest was officially triggered, and after rescuing him, the quest was completed, granting 500 experience points. Bucky was lost in thought precisely because of this.
"However, even so, this can only be concealed for a while. I am the biggest problem myself. If I don't respond to the mission, they will immediately take action. So, time is pressing, you can drive faster."
After reviewing his attribute panel, Bucky also came back to his senses and said to Howard.
"Sergeant Barnes, who sent you?"
Although Howard was more curious about what Bucky Barnes had experienced, the most crucial question was who orchestrated this incident.
"Sergeant Barnes, what a nostalgic address."
Bucky feigned a sigh of regret, then said:
"Since you remember that old address, you naturally remember our old 'friends' from that era, don't you?"
"...Hiss! You mean HYDRA? How is that possible? HYDRA was defeated by the Allied Forces when Captain America eliminated Red Skull."
"Drive properly."
It wasn't that Howard hadn't vaguely guessed this possibility, but precisely because of this, after Bucky said it, he was even more shocked, so much so that his hand gripping the steering wheel couldn't help but tremble!
This undoubtedly represented the worst possible scenario!
"Don't forget, cut off one head, two more shall take its place. HYDRA's scum are like cockroaches and rats in the sewers, who knows how many there are?"
Bucky didn't mention the biggest blunder of the Allied Forces after World War II, the "Operation Paperclip" that absorbed scientists and technical personnel from the Third Reich. But Howard didn't need to be convinced. Bucky's appearance, the leak of his whereabouts, and the events of tonight had already made him believe; he just hadn't recovered from the shock.
"Then what about you, Sergeant Barnes? What have you been through?"
"That's a long story, but now I have time to explain..."
Bucky roughly recounted his original body's experiences: from an accident during World War II, an attack on a train, falling into an icy canyon, surviving against all odds but losing his left arm. What was worse, he was obtained by HYDRA forces, taken to the Soviet Union, and subjected to various inhumane experiments. He was made into a top-secret weapon and subjected to repeated freezing and electroshock play by HYDRA, and utterly inhumane exploitation.
However, during this most recent electroshock brainwashing, a slight problem occurred. Of course, he couldn't say that someone had transmigrated; he just said that he didn't know how, but he had woken up, and had limited recall of some memories, so he decisively rebelled, shifting from killing to saving people.
"When I discovered that the mission target was actually you, I didn't directly turn against them. Instead, I played along, staging this whole act myself. I thought you should know these things, and since we have a common enemy, we can help each other."
"Yes, I really need this information. It's too important. Although I've always vaguely felt something was wrong, I've never found any clues, so I subconsciously gradually ignored it. HYDRA is hidden too deeply."
Howard admitted that he didn't know HYDRA still existed, and had even grown stronger, to the point where they could even track his whereabouts. This was too terrifying.
As for Bucky saving his life, he acknowledged it, but as for mutual assistance, mutual benefit...
Howard just looked at Bucky, then at the metal box in his arms. It wasn't that he didn't trust Bucky... Well, he didn't trust him. After all, he pulled such a stunt right from the start, and they hadn't seen each other for decades. You say you've woken up, who can prove it?
What if he was still acting?
And the contents of the box, the Super Soldier Serum, were too important, and Bucky seemed to value it greatly, which made Howard inevitably cautious.
And Bucky?