"This can't be true. How could he die?" Steve said, his voice trembling.
The other Avengers looked at Steve with concern. After all, they had grown up hearing stories about Captain America, always believing him to be invincible, without a trace of vulnerability.
Hawkeye and Black Widow approached Steve, gently patting his shoulder in an attempt to comfort him in their own way.
But Steve seemed lost in profound grief, unable to pull himself out of it.
His eyes were vacant and unfocused, as if he had lost his bearing.
He sat there, motionless, as if time had stopped.
Nick Fury didn't answer Steve's question. Instead, he signaled to Coulson with his eyes.
Coulson immediately understood and quickly opened his notebook, performing a series of operations.
Soon, the large screen in the conference room lit up, displaying a shocking image.
Fury walked behind Steve, placed his hands on his shoulders, and turned his face toward the screen.
At that moment, all the Avengers focused their attention, their eyes fixed on the screen.
In the video, Kingpin's diamond-hard body charged toward Bucky, sending him flying.
Seeing Bucky being thrown aside, Captain America stood up in fury.
He turned to Nick Fury and asked in a low, powerful voice, "Who is that?"
Nick Fury frowned as he watched the screen. This was the first time he had seen this footage, yet the man on screen was someone he knew all too well.
Who didn't recognize Kingpin, the former emperor of the underworld? What shocked Fury was that Kingpin had always been considered a normal person. After all, intelligence agencies had been investigating him for years—there couldn't be a mistake.
This meant that Chen Ye had a way to grant superpowers.
This revelation stunned Fury and deepened his wariness of Chen Ye.
Meanwhile, Black Widow and Hawkeye also saw the footage. Their eyes met across the room, both seeing deep confusion and shock in the other's gaze.
Seeing no one respond, Steve was about to ask again when
In the video, Kingpin grabbed Bucky by the neck. Then, Kingpin appeared to be on the phone with someone, though the audio was clearly muted here.
The group watched as Kingpin sneered, then brutally snapped Bucky's neck. The screen went black.
In that moment, Steve could no longer contain his fury.
He shot to his feet and slammed his fist into the conference table. The solid oak splintered instantly, wood chips flying.
Steve's eyes blazed like an enraged lion's as he glared at Nick Fury, his voice low and steady. "Tell me who this man is! I know S.H.I.E.L.D. has the capability to uncover the truth."
Nick Fury studied the video, sensing something was off. The footage felt maliciously edited. Why would Kingpin kill the Winter Soldier? What was the deal with the burning car at the end?
As a seasoned conspirator, he recognized the familiar scent of manipulation. He immediately decided to calm Captain America Steve down.
"You need to calm down," Fury said, his voice calm and firm. "This could be a conspiracy. We should investigate thoroughly before making any decisions."
But Steve's emotions had already spiraled out of control.
He grabbed Fury by the collar, his eyes burning with rage. "Tell me! I want the truth! He's my friend! I don't care if it's a conspiracy!"
Black Widow and Hawkeye rushed forward to pull the two apart. Hawkeye, unable to stand the sight, said, "The man in the video is Kingpin, the former underground emperor. If you want to find him, go to Hell's Kitchen."
"But Hell's Kitchen..." Before Hawkeye could finish,
Steve had already stormed out of the conference room.
Only one thought filled his mind: find Kingpin and avenge Bucky.
Black Widow shot Hawkeye a reproachful look, as if blaming him for telling Steve.
Then she turned to Black Nick Fury and said, "Will Steve be safe? After all, that's Chen Ye's territory. Chen Ye won't stand by and watch Steve attack his godfather."
Black Widow hadn't told Steve either, knowing he stood no chance against Chen Ye. The memory of Chen Ye's abilities still made her shudder.
Hawkeye spread his hands defensively. "What else was I supposed to do? Let Steve keep raging? His only remaining friend was just brutally crushed to death. Do you think he'd just let it go if I didn't tell him?"
He was a man of flesh and blood. If his best friend had been murdered, he wouldn't be a man if he didn't seek revenge.
Nick Fury spoke slowly, "It's alright. I'll send someone to protect Steve. For now, let's go examine Bucky's body and look for any clues."
Nick Fury had already decided to summon Danvers back from across the universe. Though he couldn't be sure if someone was plotting behind the scenes, it seemed war was now unavoidable.
"Avengers, prepare yourselves. Our first war may be about to begin." With that, Nick Fury left the office.
The Fantastic Four, standing nearby, had also watched the video. Having just joined the Avengers, they didn't know Steve and the others well and weren't sure how to comfort them.
No one noticed the Thing among the Fantastic Four, who stared enviously at the diamond-encrusted Kingpin in the video. *If only I were made of diamond too,* he thought bitterly, *how I loathe this current self.*
Invisible Woman, standing beside him, watched Mister Fantastic, who was lost in thought, and asked, "You've figured it out, haven't you? This is a conspiracy, right?"
Susan, the Invisible Woman, had noticed that the video was clearly edited. If she could see through it, she was certain that Mister Fantastic, who was far more intelligent, would have noticed it too.
Mister Fantastic smiled at Susan's question and replied, "Yes, of course I see it. I didn't expect S.H.I.E.L.D. to have so many enemies."
He had not only seen through the deception but had also deduced that someone was trying to use S.H.I.E.L.D. to eliminate their enemies. What puzzled him was whether the people of Hell's Kitchen were truly so powerful that they needed the Avengers to deal with them.
Susan asked curiously, "Then why didn't you say anything?"
"We've only just joined the Avengers," Mister Fantastic explained. "Even if we spoke up, no one would support us. Besides, I'm certain Director Nick Fury has already figured it out. We just need to wait for orders."
He certainly wouldn't warn them. Mister Fantastic was not one to be overshadowed.
He was even hoping the Avengers would suffer a devastating blow, which would allow him to rise to power. Ideally, Director Nick Fury would also die in the conflict, and then, with his charisma, he could seize control.
Just as Captain America emerged from the Trident Building, he saw Tony approaching, his face contorted with rage.
Tony threw a punch that caught Steve off guard, sending him staggering and nearly falling.
"Give me Bucky's body!" Tony roared, his voice thick with fury and grief.
Stunned and on the ground, Steve was bewildered by Tony's outburst. Yet he had heard that Bucky's body was at S.H.I.E.L.D.
Regardless of Tony's reasons, Steve would never let anyone take his friend's body.
He rose to his feet, gripping his shield tightly. "I won't give up Bucky's body," he declared firmly.
-----------------------
Completed English PDF of this fan-fic on my Patreon shop if you want to support and own the full fan-fic in one go. Just grab the PDF and binge the entire story from start to finish!
Guys, I've uploaded some High Quality english translated fanfic on my Patreon shop! Feel free to check it out-if you're interested, you can grab a copy and support me there.
Here are a few titles of recently uploaded fanfics:
New Addition
" Marvel: Awakening Abstract Abilities at the Beginning "
" Marvel: Fused with Broly at the Start "
" Marvel: Starting as the God of Destruction "
" Superman in Marvel—Will I Get a Copyright Warning? "
" Marvel: Starting by Loading the Homelander Template "
" Marvel: Becoming an Emperor Through Lottery Draws "
" Marvel: Awakening the Power of a Million Stars at the Start "
" Marvel: I Am the Leader of the Mutant Race "
many more are available 140+
Your support means a lot-thanks in advance, legends!
patreon.com/SuperTL
(End of Chapter)