Just as Steve and Peggy were at a loss, anxiously pacing within the cramped bubble, a huge purple light circle suddenly lit up not far in front of them.
Before the two could react, the powerful water pressure carried the two bubbles, accompanied by a large amount of seawater, rushing into the cavity.
Flipped upside down, dizzy, Steve didn't know what would happen to him, but he tried his best to keep his eyes on Peggy's position.
The sight was filled with white waves, and the roar of the sea drowned out everything. Once again, he felt powerless; whether it was the forces of nature or the laws of physics, they were all overwhelming powers humans could not resist.
However, the feeling of weightlessness was fleeting. His bubble touched solid ground, and then he rolled out like a rubber ball for a considerable distance.
It took him quite a while to shake off the dizziness. Besides water still slowly seeping into the ground, all around him was yellow sand, presenting a unique beauty under the night sky.
On a dune not far away stood two figures, one of whom was crossing his arms as if watching the excitement.
Even though the distance made it hard to see clearly, the hint of red light on that person's face was enough for Steve to confirm his identity.
Deathstroke.
For some reason, seeing Deathstroke made him relax. He sat down against the bubble wall and took a deep breath.
It seemed he was saved by them once again. Deathstroke had the Magic Prince with him, so this mercenary must have been called by him, right?
Monac scurried down the dune, wet sand clinging to his clothes. He pulled out a staff and chanted something to the bubble. With a 'pop,' Steve was released.
"Looks like you're alright, Captain."
Bearded Mage Monac didn't extend a hand to help; Steve stood up himself, so he just nodded and then ran over to Peggy.
Steve held his knees with both hands, greedily breathing in fresh air. After all, the air in the bubble was limited, and even he felt dizzy.
Just as he steadied his breathing and raised his head, he saw Deathstroke with arms crossed, his cloak spreading like wings, slowly flying in under the moonlight.
"Had a nice trip?"
Deathstroke's tone was peculiar, as if expressing sympathy for their ordeal, yet also sounding like mocking sarcasm.
Steve had no leisure for banter. He couldn't beat him nor outtalk him, no need to ask for trouble: "Where are we?"
"In the heart of the Sahara Desert. You were kept somewhere in the Mariana Trench. It wasn't easy to rescue you underwater; I could only open a drainage here and flush you two out like clearing a toilet."
Floating above the ground, fine sand didn't even touch Deathstroke's feet, making him look more like a host compared to the dusty and half-wet Magic Prince.
Steve's mouth twitched several times, and finally, his emotions turned into a long sigh: "....Thank you."
Being rescued was originally a good thing, why did it sound so disgusting?
"No need to thank me; Monac spent a big sum to save you. I had no choice but to come."
Deathstroke shrugged indifferently. In the dark, his armor glimmered with a faint light, looking dangerous yet mysterious. With an unconcerned tone, it was as if he had done something insignificant.
That's pretty much how it was. All the way, his job was to sell face and negotiate, while Monac did all the hard work.
"I will compensate him in the future, but we need to leave here quickly and go to the SSR base. I must warn them that the United States is about to fall into the flames of war."
With a serious expression, Steve looked around, but there was nothing but sand. Forget trash can lids for shields; there weren't even slightly larger rocks.
Half of his skills relied on the shield, honed through years of being beaten in alleys and using trash can lids as a practice for defensive skills.
Just like the Valkyrie's martial skills rely on horseback, without his shield, uh, even though his fighting skills were decent, lacking a handy weapon still made a big difference.
"The United States in flames? How do you know that?"
Deathstroke watched as Monac helped Peggy up, getting her on her feet.
Though still a bit unsteady, she quickly made her way over, both looking quite anxious.
So Steve recounted how he was inexplicably taken, then met Zemo, who said Lady Nine-Heads had taken the alias Root of Hatred and launched a revenge operation against SSR and the United States.
If magic teleportation could be borrowed, maybe there was still time to evacuate the populace early. After all, the codename sounded like promoting hate, and there was no telling if the enemies would target civilians.
"Oh." Deathstroke responded with a single word, offering no further comment.
"Didn't you hear clearly? Hydra is going to invade the United States; we need to come up with a plan." Steve urged.
Su Ming shrugged, floating up and down in the air: "It's you, not us. I'm not even American. If Hydra has a problem with you, what's it got to do with me?"
"Ugh..." Steve was at a loss for words, finding Su's reasoning quite convincing.
That's right, no one ever said Deathstroke was American; it was just Steve's own wishful thinking.
Even Monac is actually British. Although they're considered allies with the United States, in the era of the Invasion Team, Monac wouldn't take action against ordinary people unless it involved matters of the Magic Realm.
"If we want you to help, what do we need to pay?"
At this moment, Peggy returned, her mind still clear. Deathstroke hadn't left immediately, clearly waiting for a new commission, and a mercenary naturally only cares about money.
"Recently, a friend of mine asked me to get some heavy water..." Deathstroke tilted his head as if he remembered something, supporting his chin with his palm.
"That's impossible; SSR doesn't have the authority to mobilize domestic heavy water reserves. That's something used to create nuclear reactors." Peggy immediately shook her head. Since Steve and Howard were quite close, she occasionally came into contact with some physics knowledge.
She knew that heavy water was not only a colorless, tasteless poison that could kill silently, but it was also a moderator in nuclear fission reactions. Whether for making nuclear bombs or generating power, fission reactions inevitably involve heavy water.
Ordinary people believe heavy water isn't a highly toxic substance, but for professional agents, the situation is different.
Because the chemical formula for heavy water is D2O, compared to ordinary water's H2O. D has one more neutron than H, making D's weight double that of H, leading to certain changes in its chemical properties and significant changes in physical properties.
D's bonds are stronger than H, and the heavier D's transfer rates are much slower than H, causing reactions involving D to decelerate and interfere with normal biological metabolism, ultimately leading to death from organ failure.
Select a target, let them drink a bit of heavy water every day. Poisoning doesn't have to be immediate; chronic toxins are more covert and can create the illusion of a natural death.
Many people believe Napoleon was actually poisoned to death slowly by chronic toxins like selenium or arsenic.
"Hiss, since that's not possible, I'll go check with the Fur Bears later. Well, my task is complete, goodbye." After saying this, he floated a bit upwards, waving to Monac as if planning to leave.
The Magic Prince turned his head, wistfully counting grains of sand on the ground, knowing that this guy was going to swindle poor Steve again.
'It's not that I, the Magic Prince, don't want to help you, but I'm really not a match for Deathstroke. You can go without worry, Steve, I'll take care of your girlfriend for you…'
"Wait, the terms are negotiable, aren't they?"
The strongest known force on Earth was right in front of them; how could they miss out? If Hydra hires Deathstroke, then all hope would truly be lost.
Stumbling on the sandy ground, Peggy chased a few steps and supported Steve's arm, looking up imploringly to make him stay.
"Heavy water is really not an option?" Deathstroke turned his head and asked once more.
But Peggy firmly shook her head again. Things like nuclear weapons must not be leaked out, especially not to someone like Deathstroke, who has a history of forcibly snatching SSS serum.
Not to mention sending him heavy water; even the domestic heavy water factories need to be relocated to safer places.
Deathstroke sighed, appearing to think for a moment before speaking: "Then I heard Dr. Stark has been researching a new element; I'll take that instead."
"No, his research currently hasn't made any progress; there's no such new element. Your information is wrong." Peggy stood in front of Steve, looking resolute.
Behind his mask, Su Ming smirked. Howard had slipped up while drinking with a few people last time, admitting he'd not only synthesized a new element unknown to Earth but also hid its structural formula in the design blueprints at the Stark Industrial Park, yet to be constructed.
Howard claimed the new energy is a precious asset, and the world is too chaotic now to unveil it. He wants to leave it to his future son, rather than let a dimwit squander his fortune.
At that time, everyone laughed at him for not having a wife yet, let alone worrying about a son. If the son does turn out to be a fool, he probably wouldn't even recognize the structural formula's existence.
Howard's face turned red, countering that his son definitely wouldn't be a fool, having such excellent genes inherited, and besides himself, in the future only his son could synthesize that new element.
He even boasted his future son would create personal battle armor surpassing Tesla's 'Midnight Machine', toy with the Celestial Gods Group, and become a superhero stronger than Captain America.
Everyone present at the time, except Su Ming, didn't believe him and treated Howard as if he was delusional again, filling the tavern with cheerful banter.
But Peggy had been there too, and now it was evident she was lying.
Truly an elite female special agent; calm and collected when lying, showing no outward change. It seems that Baki might find it difficult to enjoy playing with Steve again.
Although he thought of these things, he said different words: "Hydra's invasion of the United States looks like a big deal; you offer neither this nor that, I'm skeptical of your sincerity. I'm leaving; I'll go elsewhere to see if anyone wants a mercenary."
"No, let's change the terms. I'll report to the higher-ups and let them consider it." Peggy immediately implored, as things were slipping away towards the anticipated worst-case scenario, she had to salvage the situation.
Steve furrowed his brows: "But we're civilians now, how can we make decisions for SSR?"
Peggy glanced at him apologetically; only someone as Guang Weizheng as Steve would believe they could really extract themselves from the world's chaos?
The so-called resignation and discharge were actually just vacations because there were always enemies plotting. What the United States needs is not Captain America on the stage but the one who can truly go to battle and kill the enemy.