Become a Homelander and a Marvel superstar

But he did not summon his armor.

Because Bucky did something.

He pulled a black Glock pistol from behind his waist.

Then, he reversed the gun handle and handed it to Tony.

"I know this won't make up for anything."

Bucky looked at Tony with a heartbreakingly empty gaze.

"Howard...he's a good man. He's helped me a lot."

"Maria...she's very gentle."

He took a step forward, the butt of his gun almost touching Tony's chest.

I do not ask for forgiveness.

"A life for a life."

Tony stared at the gun in front of him, his face grim.

He snatched the pistol away.

"Snap!"

Loading.

The dark muzzle of the gun was pressed directly against Bucky's forehead.

"Bucky!!" Steve exclaimed, rushing forward to grab the gun.

"Don't move."

A hand pressed down on Steve's shoulder.

Azu stood behind him, his strength as great as a mountain.

"Anthony!" Steve cried out anxiously, "He can...!"

"This is a necessary step, Steve," Azu whispered in his ear. "It's Bucky's choice."

"The right to choose is now given to Tony. Not interfering is the greatest respect we can show them."

Steve froze, no longer moving.

Tony felt the heavy metallic touch in his hand.

The images of his parents' gruesome deaths flashed back and forth. Kill him! Kill him!

With a single pull of the trigger, the murderer who killed his parents will die right before his eyes.

The thrill of revenge might wash away the pain of the past twenty years.

But then, another image rushed in.

That was yesterday.

At Avengers Tower.

He knelt at Lorelei's feet, wagging his tail like a dog. He fired the serum at the Hulk, watching the Hulk mutate in agony, watching the streets crumble, watching innocent people get hurt.

That feeling...

"Huff... huff..."

Tony's heavy breathing was particularly clear in the quiet room.

One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

"Oh shit……"

Tony gritted his teeth and abruptly reversed the pistol.

"Bang!"

He slammed the butt of his rifle into Bucky's face.

Bucky was knocked back, his mouth splitting open and blood gushing out.

"This time, it's for my father!!"

Tony roared and charged forward, striking again.

"Bang!"

The blow landed squarely on Bucky's brow bone, tearing his skin and flesh.

"This is for my mother!!"

Bucky neither dodged nor blocked, letting Tony beat him.

His body even relaxed a little because of the pain.

"Bang!"

The third time.

Tony used all his strength to slam his fist into Bucky's nose.

"This is for myself!!!"

Bucky was knocked to the ground.

His face was covered in blood.

Tony stood there, panting heavily, his chest heaving.

He looked at Bucky on the ground and raised his hand again.

But this time, his hand stopped in mid-air.

I can't smash it any further.

"Clang!"

The pistol fell to the floor.

"I just... became a Winter Soldier for a moment too."

He chuckled self-deprecatingly and pointed to his head.

"That feeling... was awful."

"And you didn't lie to me."

He looked at Steve with a sense of relief in his eyes.

"This is important, Rogers. You didn't hide this."

"Bring him before me and give me the power."

"This at least shows... you still consider me a friend."

Steve's eyes welled up with tears.

"Tony... thank you."

"Don't thank me." Tony waved his hand and turned his back to them.

"But I don't want to see you, at least not now."

"Take your old buddy and get out of here, Captain."

"Don't let me run into you guys in Walter's cafeteria, or I might throw hot coffee in his face."

Steve nodded solemnly.

He walked over to Bucky and pulled up the shoulder of the man who was still lying on the ground in a daze.

"Let's go, Bucky."

Bucky took a deep look at Tony's retreating figure.

"sorry."

He said something in a low voice.

Then, he turned around and followed Steve out of the room.

Until the door closed.

Tony slumped back into his chair, propping his head up with his hands.

Azu walked over to Tony and looked at the billionaire who seemed incredibly lonely at that moment.

"Well done, Tony."

Tony didn't turn around; he just covered his face with his hands.

"Shut up, Homelander."

"I just want to be alone right now."

"certainly."

Ah Zu shrugged and continued.

"About that free technical support."

"If you're not in a good mood... I can allow you to start work tomorrow."

"roll!!"

With a roar from Tony, Azu walked out of the conference room with a smile.

"Gained 10000 special popularity points! (From Steve Rogers)"

"Gained 10000 special popularity points! (From Bucky Barnes)"

"Gained 5000 special popularity points! (from Tony Stark)"

The system prompts are pleasant to hear.

Ah Zu was in a great mood.

Tony was left alone in the conference room. The hatred in his heart had not disappeared, but had simply shifted elsewhere.

"Hydra..." Tony murmured the name.

……

"Da, da, da."

The rhythm is brisk, and the steps are pleasant.

He returned to his spacious office.

Ashley.

"I'm here, sir!" Ashley's voice replied almost instantly.

"Clear my schedule. I don't want anyone to bother me for the next two hours."

"Yes, sir! Would you like me to prepare anything for you? Hot milk?"

"Need not."

Azu hung up the call.

He turned and walked to a wall of books in the corner of the office. His finger lightly tapped on a thick copy of "The Horus Rebellion".

"Click".

The bookshelves slid silently to the sides, revealing Ah Zu's private collection room.

The Scepter of the Mind lay quietly on its titanium alloy stand, its tip emitting a chilling blue light.

Azu reached out and picked up the scepter.

He didn't use any sophisticated instruments to analyze it, nor did he extract energy as carefully as Hydra.

Instead, they chose the simplest and most brutal method.

He gently raised his left hand and grasped the blue casing at the top of the scepter, which was encased in the Mind Stone.

"Click—!"

Azu's fingers tightened suddenly.

The blue crystalline shell cracked rapidly like a spider web under his brute force.

"Bang!"

The outer shell shattered, turning into countless tiny fragments that fell to the floor.

A bright but not dazzling yellow light instantly filled the entire collection room.

The gem of the soul.

Azu looked at it, his eyes revealing his appreciation for its beauty.

He gently pinched it with two fingers and moved it toward the Infinity Gauntlet in his right hand.

It's like two strong magnets attracting each other.

The oval-shaped Mind Gem, like a swallow returning to its nest, flew with a "whoosh" to the groove on the back of the glove.

"Clap."

Perfectly fitted.