Kamen Rider ZZZ from the American comic book world

"In addition to the Extremis virus provided by AIM, our people have also discovered an alien plant, a mysterious ancient creature sealed in solid ice, and a deep red gem containing immense power in Missouri."

“Make them part of Project Ouroboros,” Wesker said.

“There’s another thing. An organization has appeared on the black market that calls itself ‘New Umbrella.’”

"New Umbrella?"

Upon hearing this word, Wesker couldn't help but glance at it, a memory flooding his mind.

.....................

January 2, 2010

Li Ai and his group returned to America, bringing with them the unconscious Bucky and a robotic arm.

Faced with this hot potato of a man named Bucky, Li Ai rented a small cabin in New York State and settled the brainwashed 'centenarian' there.

"That punch was really powerful; he's still unconscious." Li Ai looked at Bucky lying unconscious on the bed and said after taking out the Vibration Capsule:

"It's time to end the beauty sleep."

【Shock!】

An orange-yellow current pulsed through Li Ai's right fist as he aimed a light punch at Bucky's head.

In an instant, Bucky, who was in a coma, opened his eyes. His body convulsed, the brainwashing operation of Hydra was broken in an instant, and past memories kept flooding back.

Brooklyn, Steve Rogers, World War II, Howling Commandos, snow-capped mountains... Bucky's memories of the first half of his life are pieced together completely and quickly.

But this is not over yet.

Anim Zola, modification, Winter Soldier, assassination missions—a series of fragmented memories flooded Bucky's mind.

“Steve!” Bucky called out his best friend’s name.

But Steve doesn't know that Bucky is still alive. In front of him is a boy wearing a black windbreaker, sunglasses, and holding an orange-yellow sphere.

“Welcome to 2010, Sergeant Barnes,” Li Ai said to Bucky.

The tremor capsule worked very well. Bucky remembered everything and his mind was clear enough. He looked at the boy in front of him and asked tentatively.

"You're the one who freed me from the effects of the brainwashing surgery?"

“That’s right.” Li Ai pulled up a chair and sat on the edge of the bed, speaking calmly:

"I need to briefly explain the current situation to you. The world is not safe right now. To prevent threats, your friend Steve Rogers, along with several other like-minded friends, formed the 'Avengers'."

"Steve is still alive? Even with Dr. Erskine's super-soldier serum, he should be an old man by now, right?" Bucky asked, puzzled.

Hydra only thaws him when they need the Winter Soldier, so Bucky only remembers those assassination missions.

"He fell into the icy sea during his battle with Red Skull, was miraculously frozen, and continued to be active in his youthful state from World War II," Li Ai explained Steve's situation.

“That suits his restless nature.” Bucky was genuinely happy for his best friend.

“But there’s something very serious, Sergeant Barnes.” Li Ai’s tone suddenly turned serious. He stared into Bucky’s eyes and said, word by word:

"There is a member of the Avengers named Tony Stark, who is the only son of Howard Stark and Mary Stark."

“Howard?” Bucky thought of the inventor who provided equipment for the Howling Commandos.

Then he remembered stopping the Howards' car on a side road and grabbing their hair, slapping it against the steering wheel to create the illusion of a car accident.

Bucky understood what Li Ai meant: if the victim's family found out about this, the Avengers would begin to split from within.

Moreover, Bucky understood Steve's obsession; he certainly wouldn't let himself die. Thinking this, he took a deep breath and said seriously:

“I shouldn’t have been born into this world, and I’ve done so many wrong things, so… just kill me now.”

"Huh?" Li Ai was slightly taken aback.

Chapter 141 Death Sentence with Reprieve

Li Ai hadn't expected Bucky to be so insightful, and she even wondered if she had used too much force when she used the tremor capsule.

But actually, it's Bucky recalling all his memories at once, which makes him feel intensely guilty.

"I understand how you feel, but you're putting me on the spot," Li Ai said, both amused and exasperated.

"What do you mean?" Bucky asked, puzzled.

“To put it simply, I have a kind of precognitive ability, so I know about your past. Also, I recently informed Steve about several high-ranking Hydra officials, asking them to investigate them closely.” Li Ai ran her hand through her hair, her tone serious.

"If Steve finds out you're still alive when he's interrogating a Hydra agent, won't he think I deliberately hid your information? If I actually lay a hand on you, how can I face a senior who has such high hopes for me?"

“You have a point,” Bucky said in a low voice. “Although he won’t blame you too much, you really shouldn’t have to carry all this on your shoulders.”

Bucky understood perfectly that even if he committed suicide, he couldn't ensure Li Ai's safe escape.

But Bucky also knew that if it weren't for Li Ai, he would still be controlled by those people, continuing to be a ruthless weapon that creates killing.

Just as Bucky was struggling with how to atone for his sins, Li Ai offered another suggestion.

"Sergeant Barnes, I have another suggestion, it's up to you whether you'll accept it."

"Go ahead and tell me, anyway, my life was meant to stay in that snow mountain," Bucky said frankly.

"Simply put, it's a procedure that neutralizes the super-soldier serum in your blood, turning you into an ordinary person. But the procedure has side effects. Even if you're artificially frozen for most of the time under Hydra's control, you'll still become someone who doesn't live more than two years."

Li Ai removed all the technical terms that appeared after 1940 and explained his plan to Pakistan in more colloquial language.

This surgery is very similar to the one Samuel Stern did for Banner; the core of it is to create a 'neutralizer' that can remove the components of the super-soldier serum.

After the neutralizing agent comes into contact with Bucky's blood, the components of the super soldier serum are removed, and then the serum-free blood is returned to Bucky's body through dialysis.

Moreover, the Super Soldier Serum is not as stubborn as the Hulk's. Given enough time to prepare a neutralizing agent, Li Ai will definitely be able to remove the Super Soldier Serum from Bucky's body.

Even though Li Ai tried her best to explain her plan in simple terms, Bucky still didn't understand many parts. He only understood "cleansing serum" and "not two years to live".

"When can I have the surgery?" Bucky asked.

Li Ai said, "I need some time to prepare the neutralizing agent, and I've also considered whether to remove the side effect that will leave you with at most two years to live..."

“Don’t remove the side effects, I want that.” Bucky interrupted Li Ai’s speech, his right hand clenched into a fist.

At this moment, Bucky could still feel the Hydra version of the Super Soldier Serum flowing through his body. He loathed this power and wanted to get rid of it at all costs.

Seeing that the person involved had said so, Li Ai chose to respect that and nodded in agreement:

"I will keep that 'side effect' that gives me a maximum of two years to live after the surgery."

Both of them knew that this was a suspended death sentence for Bucky, and two years was the ideal timeframe. Li Ai felt that Bucky would actually only live for a year and a half, or even less, after the surgery.

“Thank you, young man,” Bucky said gratefully, then added a reminder:

"You absolutely mustn't tell Steve about what I did. If he finds out, he'll definitely try to stop me from doing this. I know his stubborn nature all too well."

“I will try my best to keep it from him for now,” Li Ai agreed, “but he also has the right to know.”

“And Stark’s family, I want him to know too, he should know the truth,” Bucky said sincerely.

“Tony Stark cares deeply about his parents. If he knew what you’ve done, he would definitely want to kill you,” Li Ai warned.

“I can easily perform the surgery on you and then take you, who doesn’t have more than two years to live, to see Stark.”

“That’s what I deserve.” Bucky said calmly, leaning against the headboard, looking at the ceiling.

"I don't want to say that I was brainwashed by Hydra at the time. I was a mental patient with no self-control who got away with the punishment. Whatever he did to me, I accepted it gladly."

Bucky's relief exceeded Li Ai's expectations.

Li Ai looked at the old soldier who had suffered so much at the hands of Hydra, took a deep breath, stood up, and said:

“I fully respect your choice and will arrange a time for you to meet with the victim’s family.”

"Thank you," Bucky said.

"Then I'm leaving," Li Ai said as she turned and walked towards the door.

"There's another cell phone in the drawer with only one contact. Call me if anything happens."

“Don’t worry, I won’t leave this cell,” Bucky said.

After leaving the cabin, Li Ai opened the door of the Porsche Cayenne, sat in the driver's seat, and the moment the door closed, her phone rang in her pocket.

Li Ai took out her phone, pressed the answer button, and Aida's voice came from the other end.

"How are things going with the Winter Soldier?"

“That can only be considered one of his personalities,” Li Ai corrected. “But his attitude saved me a lot of trouble.”

Ada said on the other end of the phone, "That works too, but shouldn't you relax a bit? Go and have some fun, don't be so tense all the time, like helping that girl move? Just don't go too far, don't make me die so soon..."

"Don't worry, I know what to do." Li Ai hung up the phone before Ada could finish speaking, and then called Tony again.

"Why are you calling me all of a sudden?" Tony asked, puzzled.

“I’d like to ask if the Avengers’ great inventor is available right now?” Li Ai asked.

“I’m always busy, but if it’s you, I can spare some time.” Tony felt that Li Ai wouldn’t call him for no reason.

Tony's intuition told him that today might be very important for him.

"Give me your address, and I'll teleport you directly," Li Ai suggested, not wanting to cause any unnecessary trouble.

"It sounds like there's an unexpected surprise waiting for me," Tony said curiously.

"Just don't bring any armor," Li Ai reminded him.

"With the strongest Avenger by my side, do I still need to wear armor?" Tony said confidently.

"My coordinates are..."

A few seconds later, a wooden door appeared out of thin air in Tony's seaside villa in California. Li Ai pushed the door open and invited Tony, who was dressed in sportswear, to enter.

"Come with me."

Chapter 142 is about the Ice Boys' brothers finally meeting.

"Let me wipe my sweat; I just finished a vigorous workout," Tony said, wiping his brow with a towel.

"If you want, I can help you heal that hole in your chest," Li Ai said, looking at the Arc Reactor emitting a blue light under Tony's undershirt.

Tony put down the towel and walked towards Li Ai, saying, "Let's keep it for now. Looking at the Arc Reactor reminds me of many things, such as the good people who have reunited with their families in another world, and my father."

After Tony entered, Li Ai closed the wooden door.

Soon after, the two arrived at a tourist cabin on the outskirts of New York City.

"Come in." Li Ai pushed open the wooden door of the small house.

As soon as Tony entered, he saw a one-armed, dark-haired man standing by the window.

The dark-haired man had a great physique, definitely supermodel level, but his face looked very weathered, and he didn't look like a young man in his thirties at all.

“Sergeant Barnes, that’s Tony Stark,” Li Ai introduced.

“Sergeant Barnes?” Tony frowned slightly; he felt like he’d heard that name somewhere before.

But before Tony could react, Bucky knelt down in front of him with a thud.

This startled Tony. Just as he was about to say something, he heard Bucky begin a long self-introduction.

"My real name is James Buchanan Barnes. I was born in 1917, joined the American Army in 1941, and was transferred to the Howling Commandos in 1943."

"I was captured and reformed by Hydra in 1944, becoming the Winter Soldier who only knew how to kill. On December 16, 1991, I carried out the mission to assassinate Howard Stark and Maria Stark. I stopped their vehicle, killed the Starks, and then staged a car accident. This is my criminal confession."

After he finished speaking, Tony was stunned for a long time. He thought it might be a joke, but when he heard the exact date and method of the crime from Bucky, a fire still burned in his heart.

Clinging to his last hope, Tony, his eyes slightly red, looked at Li Ai and asked:

"You didn't hire an actor just to celebrate April Fool's Day with me in advance, did you? If you do, I'm going to play a trick on you on April Fool's Day."

“What he said is true.” Li Ai’s tone was low and his gaze was serious. “Tony, he is one of the murderers who killed your parents. If you don’t believe me, you can ask more people about the name Winter Soldier.”

"No need to ask, I believe you." Tony raised his hand to indicate his refusal.

Words alone may not be enough to convince people, but Tony believed Li Ai's story.

And that is indeed the case.

A deathly silence fell over the cabin, but everyone knew it was the calm before the storm.

Until Tony suddenly sprang into action, punching Bucky in the face. Bucky, who offered no resistance, was knocked to the ground. Tony showed no mercy, continuing to punch Bucky in the face with one punch after another.