At this very moment, Darian's face had already changed into a different appearance.
With untamed medium-length hair, eyes carrying the sharpness of one who has seen the vicissitudes of life, and a round face with a cleft chin.
This face belonged to none other than Steve's long-lost good friend, James Barnes.
Nicknamed Bucky!
Darian had seen Bucky's appearance in the Captain America museum, and relying on the game system's newly unlocked face-sculpting feature, he had directly sculpted himself into the other's likeness.
There was no need for manual sculpting; as long as it was an NPC Darian had seen, the game system could automatically generate a complete model of that character, regardless of whether it was a visible or hidden area, with size and length perfectly accurate—it was incredibly convenient.
This feature was quite similar to the ability of Mystique, Raven, with the only difference being that Raven could change her appearance anytime and anywhere, while Darian required a one-hour cooldown after each use.
Although Steve and Bucky were good friends who grew up together, often bathing naked together, and knew exactly how much hair the other had on his body, at this moment, he could not see any flaws in the Bucky before him.
From head to toe, every detail indicated that this was Bucky himself, the genuine article!
"No, you are Bucky, I would absolutely not mistake you!"
Steve's tone was extremely certain.
He knew Bucky better than anyone else; even if someone could imitate Bucky's face, those subtle features branded onto his body were difficult for outsiders to replicate.
For instance, that faint scar on the other's right wrist was identical in shape and size to Bucky's, as well as the mole on his neck, the shape of his eyebrows on both sides, the curve of his buttocks... every detail matched his close friend from his memory perfectly.
It was just a pity that the current setting was wrong; if this were a bathhouse, he would have had even more absolute certainty to make a judgment.
Darian shook his head in denial: "No, no, no, I am Kiba, Bucky is my twin brother."
How could Steve believe these words?
Even identical twins could not be similar to this extent.
But he understood that now was not the time to delve into this.
Steve took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down: "Bucky... no, Kiba, regardless of the reason you appeared here, now, immediately hand over the files you stole!"
Steve still knew how to distinguish priorities.
Although his close friend returning from the dead made his heart surge with emotion, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s confidential files absolutely could not be leaked like this.
Besides, he did not want Bucky to be wanted by S.H.I.E.L.D. because of this; if that happened, the other would be no different from an international fugitive.
Since Bucky said he was Kiba, then he would go along with it; this way, Bucky would at least have a chance to clear his name in the future, and if any problems arose, he could just blame it on the so-called twin brother.
For the sake of his good friend Bucky, Steve could be said to have taken great pains.
"Don't even think about it!"
Darian put his black mask back on, his eyes instantly turning cold as ice, looking like a heartless, cold-blooded killer.
"Don't force me, Kiba."
Steve's voice revealed a hint of struggle.
He had already determined that the person before him was Bucky and truly did not want to attack his good friend.
"Just you?"
Darian snorted coldly and casually tossed the shield he had just obtained aside: "Don't say I'm bullying you; even if I am empty-handed, you are still not my match."
This shield was not the zombie Captain America's shield; it was imbued with Steve's will, and the holder could easily be influenced and assimilated into Captain America, so Darian did not dare to hold it for too long.
Matters having reached this point, Steve knew that any more words would be futile; he could only knock the person down and then try to talk him around.
"Forgive me, Kiba."
Before the words had faded, Steve had already closed in, delivering a swift straight punch aimed directly at Darian's face.
Darian was unhurried, raising his right hand to block while simultaneously sweeping out with a fierce left leg.
To avoid exposing his identity, he did not use the Muay Thai Warning skill, but instead employed the most basic fighting techniques.
As for where his basic fighting techniques came from.
Need one even guess? Of course, they came from the sorcerer sanctuary, Kamar-Taj!
The two engaged in a struggle within the control room filled with instruments, the dull thuds of fists and feet colliding echoing incessantly.
However, after a dozen rounds, Steve became increasingly alarmed.
Although Darian's fighting techniques were not exquisite, his physical fitness was ridiculously strong; Steve had only taken a few hits head-on, and his arms were already numbed by the immense force, almost unable to be raised.
Just a moment ago, Steve had relied on his stats to crush his opponent, but now he was being crushed by Darian's stats in return.
One can only say that the way of heaven is a cycle.
Of course, this was also because Darian had not used his full strength; otherwise, Steve's fate would not have been much better than that burly man's.
Darian felt he had acted enough, easily dodging Steve's "friendship-shattering-face" punch, and immediately whipped a leg over.
Bang!
Steve hastily raised his arms to block, but it was like being hit head-on by a heavy truck; his whole body flew backward, crashing heavily into the control console.
"This strength... how is it possible!?"
Steve endured the intense pain in his arms and the stifling pressure in his chest, looking at Darian in disbelief.
This level of strength far exceeded his own, which had been enhanced by the Super Soldier Serum, yet the Bucky in his knowledge was clearly just an ordinary person.
Darian gave a cold smile: "Steve, you are not the only one who has injected the Super Soldier Serum."
"You also injected the Super Soldier Serum?"
Steve caught the implication in Darian's words and suddenly realized.
No wonder Bucky's physical fitness was so powerful; it turned out the other had also taken the drug to become a tech-soldier.
"That's right!"
Darian nodded decisively, saying disdainfully: "You only injected a few vials of Super Soldier Serum, the dosage was still too low, while my dosage is far above yours; you are simply not my match!"
Steve's expression changed drastically upon hearing this.
He was very clear about how powerful the Super Soldier Serum was.
Back then, he was just a skinny guy who only got a few injections, and he instantly turned into a tall, muscular man with rippling muscles.
It was called peak human physical fitness, but in reality, he could leap over several stories of buildings, run faster than speeding cars, and possessed strength sufficient to drag a flying helicopter, completely transcending the category of humans.
If even someone like him could obtain such astonishing improvements, let alone the already well-trained elite soldier Bucky, and the other had injected an even larger dosage of Super Soldier Serum—the strengthening effect was simply unimaginable.
"No, the Super Soldier Serum was clearly all destroyed; how could there still be a dozen vials?"
Steve suddenly realized something was wrong.
Decades ago, Dr. Erskine, who created the Super Soldier Serum, was shot and killed by a HYDRA spy lurking at the scene after he completed the transformation, and the formula for the Super Soldier Serum was lost as a result.
The remaining Super Soldier Serum was eventually smashed to pieces right in front of him.
Where did those Super Soldier Serums the other injected come from?
Darian said solemnly: "Steve, your intelligence is outdated. So many years have passed; the Super Soldier Serum has long since ceased to be a rarity. Maybe in a while, the streets will be full of Super Soldiers, and even the dogs on the roadside will have injected a few vials of Super Soldier Serum."
Steve: "..."
Why did it feel like he had been insulted?
Just as Steve struggled to get up, wanting to shout that classic line about fighting all day, a series of dense and orderly footsteps suddenly rang out from outside; S.H.I.E.L.D.'s strike team had arrived upon hearing the news.
Hearing the commotion, Darian immediately turned around, ready to leave.
"Wait!"
Steve endured the pain, wanting to chase after him, but just after taking one step, the intense pain in his ribs made him stumble and fall to his knees.
"Don't come looking for me, Steve."
Darian never looked back, leaving only that one sentence before disappearing into the night.
"Kiba! Don't go!"
Watching the direction where Darian disappeared, Steve couldn't help but shout loudly.
However, there was no response.
He slowly clenched his fists, his knuckles turning white from the force, and silently made a vow in his heart.
Kiba... pfft, Bucky!
No matter what has happened to you, I will definitely bring you back!
The strike team members who had just entered were completely confused.
They seemed to have heard the Captain shouting something about "Kiba don't go"; it sounded like some very important person or thing to the Captain.
So, is the Captain's Kiba missing now?
[Mission "Lemurian Star" complete]
[Reward obtained: 1000 EXP, 20 S.H.I.E.L.D. reputation, item "EMP Bomb"]
[Item: EMP Bomb (Releases a powerful electromagnetic pulse, causing all electronic products within a 50-meter radius to permanently fail)]
After Darian handed the USB drive to Nick Fury, he received the notification from the game system.
Nick Fury did not avoid Darian; he inserted the USB drive into a special device right in front of him. The screen instantly popped up a file-reading interface, but it quickly displayed an "Access Denied" warning.
Immediately after, Nick Fury tried several cracking protocols, but he was still unable to access the satellite launch files.
"There is indeed a problem!"
Nick Fury said seriously: "This file has been outfitted with encryption programs far exceeding the norm; this is definitely not a S.H.I.E.L.D. security measure. Someone must be intentionally hiding something, attempting to tamper with the Insight Project."
"Before the truth is uncovered, the Insight Project must be delayed. No matter what the mastermind is planning, we must not let their plan succeed!"
Nick Fury was, after all, the former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., so his mind was naturally sharp.
Although it was not yet clear what the mastermind was planning, he judged from years of experience that disrupting the other's layout was the best way to respond.
"Makes sense." Darian nodded.
He only needed to agree; using his brain for things like this was not his job.
"So, Officer, what should we do now?"
Nick Fury crossed his fingers and rested his chin on them: "Since the other party chose to tamper with the Insight Project, they will inevitably leave traces. Agent Darian, you can just follow this clue and investigate; maybe you will be able to find the real mole within S.H.I.E.L.D."
A mole investigating a mole, a hero investigating a hero—very secure!
Darian nodded: "What if I still can't find anything?"
Nick Fury said in a low voice: "Don't worry, I have a backup plan. I will find a trustworthy S.H.I.E.L.D. high-level official to stop the advancement of the Insight Project from the inside, ensuring the mastermind's conspiracy cannot be implemented."
Darian raised an eyebrow: "Officer, may I ask who this trustworthy S.H.I.E.L.D. high-level official is?"
"Alexander Pierce, the former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. two terms ago."
Darian: "..."
Letting a mole investigate a mole, letting the mastermind stop the mastermind.
You've really outdone yourself, Egghead!
Even with one's toes, one could figure out that the mastermind tampering with the Insight Project must be Pierce. As the highest leader of HYDRA within S.H.I.E.L.D., who else could it be?
Darian could completely imagine the brilliant expression on Pierce's face when Nick Fury found him and asked him to stop the Insight Project.
Nick Fury continued: "Pierce is my old friend of many years and has a certain weight in the World Council. As long as I can convince him, the extension of the Insight Project will be able to pass approval smoothly."
Looking at Nick Fury's confident appearance, the corner of Darian's mouth twitched slightly.
In his eyes, Nick Fury was currently like an old general on a stage, covered in flags.
Finally, Nick Fury solemnly urged: "Agent Darian, the confidentiality level of this matter is the highest; it is limited to between you and me. Before making a breakthrough, you must absolutely not let a third person know, understand?"
"Understood!"
"That is the situation, Officer."
Darian stood in Pierce's office and said indignantly: "I didn't expect that Egghead to be so calculating, actually sending someone to hijack S.H.I.E.L.D.'s satellite ship and steal the satellite ship's launch files; he is simply the biggest pest in our S.H.I.E.L.D.!"
Yes, it was Darian who betrayed Nick Fury again.
After leaving Nick Fury's safe house, he hurried to Pierce's office and reported everything about Nick Fury to the other.
Of course, he deleted the part about helping Nick Fury steal the satellite launch files; it would damage his image of loyalty to HYDRA.
Regarding the matter of betraying Nick Fury, Darian had absolutely no psychological burden.
Besides, rather than waiting for Nick Fury to find Pierce and self-destruct, it was better for him to take the lead and sell Nick Fury out completely; at the very least, he could continue to stack mission rewards.
Listening to Darian's report, Pierce's expression changed again and again.
Especially when he heard that Nick Fury was going to find him to delay the Insight Project, his expression was even more brilliant.
"You've really outdone yourself, Nick Fury."
It was unclear whether Pierce's words were a sigh or a taunt.
Subsequently, he adjusted his expression and cast an appreciative look at Darian: "Agent Darian, you did very well; this intelligence is very timely and is crucial to our subsequent plans."
"This is what I should do."
Darian smiled modestly and asked curiously: "Officer, so did we really tamper with the Insight Project?"
"That's right!"
Pierce did not hesitate and admitted it directly.
"Since you asked, I don't need to hide it. In fact, the Insight Project is a project I have been secretly promoting all along."
Pierce explained: "On the surface, this project is to prevent all detectable threats, but in reality, we have long since replaced the system's core algorithm; everyone who might hinder our HYDRA will be listed as a target for elimination!"
"After the three Helicarriers take to the sky, the elimination plan will be launched immediately. By then, we will eliminate all potential threats in a short period, clearing all obstacles for HYDRA to establish a new order in the World!"