Become a Homelander and a Marvel superstar

Pierce felt as if a thunderbolt had struck the top of his head.

"Take over?!"

He roared into the phone, his voice cracking with extreme anger.

"This is S.H.I.E.L.D. property! What right do you have to give it to Walter?! To that third-rate actor in the cape?!"

"Watch your words, Pierce. You are the Secretary-General of the Security Council, not the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.," the council member said coldly. "And the Helicarrier doesn't belong to S.H.I.E.L.D., it belongs to the Security Council, and so does S.H.I.E.L.D.!"

"The handover process is complete."

"Get your job done, Pierce."

"Beep—beep—beep—"

The phone hangs up.

Pierce stood there, stunned.

He looked out the window at the three giant ships hovering in the air.

They are still there.

The cannon muzzle still looked menacing.

But they no longer belonged to him.

He spent decades and countless hours and resources to forge this sword of Damocles.

In the last second before it was drawn.

It was stolen.

Moreover, it was legally stolen openly and legitimately under the watchful eyes of the entire world.

"Ho-ho-!"

Pierce choked on his breath, clutched his chest, staggered backward, and collapsed onto the sofa.

"Walter... Homelander..."

Pierce gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with resentment.

"You robber...you despicable robber!!"

"Sir, please take care of yourself," Rumlow said with concern as he stepped forward.

"Should I call a doctor?"

"roll!!"

Pierce roared angrily:

"You think you've won?!"

"You think you can drive me out of business just because you've got a few wrecked ships?"

Pierce suddenly looked up at "Rumlow".

"We still have a trump card."

"As long as Hydra exists, we haven't lost!"

"Rumlow! You must leave immediately. Go to Sokovia."

"Go find Baron Strucker. We need more power. We need power to fight that blond bastard!"

"Understood, sir."

Rumlow gave a standard Hydra salute.

"Long live Hydra!"

"Go...go..." Pierce waved his hand, as if he were about to die.

……

That evening.

In the canteen of the VGD base.

A unique "welcome party" is underway.

The long table was piled high with pizzas, hamburgers, fried chicken, and a variety of cocktails and beers.

Bucky Barnes, the once fearsome Winter Soldier, is now sitting in the corner wearing a t-shirt with a picture of Azu on it.

Holding a slice of pizza in his left hand and a bottle of beer in his right, he stared blankly at the chaotic "superheroes" dancing around him.

"Hey! Iron Hand, buddy!"

Pietro approached with a wine glass in his hand.

"Your arm is so cool! Can I borrow it to take a look? I want to film it and post it on Twitter!"

Bucky glanced at him but didn't say anything.

"Wow! That's awesome!" Pietro exclaimed.

"Ignore that idiot."

Jessica Jones walked over and placed a plate of plums in front of Bucky.

"Steve said you like this." She looked at Bucky. "Welcome. Although this is a school for troubled youths, everyone gets along very well."

Bucky looked at the plate of plums, picked one up, and took a bite.

The sweet and sour juice bursts in your mouth.

Time flies, and the once noisy party is coming to an end.

Most of the trainees were drunk and helped back to their dormitories, leaving only a few janitors cleaning up the leftover food on the table.

In the corner, under the dim yellow overhead light, the atmosphere seemed somewhat heavy.

Bucky Barnes sat there, the can of beer in his hand empty, but he still held it.

He looked down at his gleaming metal left arm, his mechanical fingers unconsciously tracing patterns on the wooden table, making a soft scraping sound.

"Tap, tap, tap."

The sound of leather boots clattering on the concrete broke the silence.

Azu walked over, followed by Steve and Ashley.

Ashley was holding a stack of freshly printed documents.

"Looks like you're not very interested in parties for young people?"

Azu pulled out a chair and sat down opposite him with an air of authority.

"I'm thinking about something." Bucky's voice sounded unnatural; he hadn't spoken much in decades.

"Don't think about it anymore. The biggest trouble for people is thinking too much."

Azu took the documents from Ashley's hand and tossed them onto the table with a soft "thud".

"This is a complete identity cleansing scheme. It includes a new Social Security number, a passport, and even a forged Harvard University diploma. As long as you sign the last page, the Winter Soldier James Barnes will disappear from this world completely, and you'll have a new arm, the kind that bleeds."

Ah Zu pointed to the document, a confident smile playing on his lips, as if he could handle anything.

"From now on, you'll be VGD's top-tier instructor, or... you can become a superhero with a fan club if you want. Wot can make it all possible."

"Stay, Bucky."

Steve eagerly chimed in, grabbing his arm tightly.

"It's safe here. Anthony may love the limelight, but he keeps his promises. Here, no one will brainwash you, no one will force you to do anything you don't want to do. We can train new players together, just like back in Brooklyn..."

Bucky raised his head, his gray-blue eyes bloodshot, filled with deep confusion and pain.

He looked at Steve, then at Azu, and slowly withdrew his hand.

"No, Steve."

Bucky shook his head, his voice soft but unusually resolute.

"I can't stay here."

"Why?" Steve asked urgently, "You've already broken away from Hydra..."

Bucky pointed to his temple, his eyes so empty they were unsettling.

"I know I've done a lot of things. A lot of bad things. Some images flash through my mind when I'm sleeping: gunshots, screams, blood... but I don't know who they are or why."

"I don't even...remember who you are, Steve." Bucky looked at Steve's expectant face, then painfully closed his eyes. "I'll try to find you."

Bucky reopened his eyes, his gaze sharpening.

"I want to find my past. I want to know... just how much I owe the world."

"You want to reclaim the past?" Ah Zu leaned back in his chair and said calmly, "Forgive my bluntness, but this is not a good idea."

"Sometimes, forgetting is a form of kindness, Bucky."

Ah Zu leaned forward slightly, his tone becoming meaningful.

"Did you know that the truth is often more hurtful than a lie? Your current blank space might be a form of self-protection in your subconscious."

"If you really dig up those buried pasts..." Azu paused, his gaze sweeping over Steve almost imperceptibly before settling back on Bucky, "...you might find that some consequences are simply unbearable. It might even destroy the little you have left."

"I don't care."

Pakistan met Azu's gaze without flinching.

"If that was my sin, then it was my sin."

"If I killed someone, I should face the victim's family, not hide here pretending to be a hero."

"I accept any consequences, even death!"