Chapter 280: MD-Chapter 278 The Brutal Truth!
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Victor was utterly crushed after his last words. Initially, the shock of seeing "Rumlow" had overwhelmed him, leaving him no time to think clearly.
But now, as his mind cleared, the glaring issues became obvious.
How had Arthur's hidden location been discovered? And how could Rumlow have possibly infiltrated it alone?
Moreover, Arthur's casual tone when he had asked for the "thing" made it abundantly clear he didn't treat the matter with much importance.
Recalling Arthur's face, capable of endless transformations, Victor felt a chill spread through his entire body.
"Zola?" Arthur's gaze shifted, narrowing slightly. "Which Zola?"
"You're not Rumlow!!" Victor's face darkened completely. "You're the Instructor!"
"Obviously," Arthur crouched, smiling. "Now, care to explain what Zola means?"
"You'll never know... you'll never know..."
Victor's face turned from dark to pale, his body trembling uncontrollably.
Arthur simply chuckled. "I've met Dr. Zola before. No great camaraderie, but we were acquainted. He should be dead, though. What's this? Is he still alive?"
Victor let out a cold laugh, his eyes piercing. Yet he kept mumbling the same line, "You'll never know... you'll never know..."
"No, I think I do," Arthur sighed. "Recruiting prisoners of war is always risky. A single bad apple can ruin the whole barrel. Worse yet, even when that bad apple's gone, it can persist in a different form. Correct me if I'm wrong— your 'Zola' isn't the original Dr. Zola anymore but a supercomputer running his algorithm. Let me guess... New Jersey, right?"
"Impossible!!"
Victor's expression crumbled, his mind unraveling. At Arthur's final words, he practically exploded.
"No way, no way, how can you know all this?"
Arthur paused, grinning wide. "Take a guess."
But in truth, he gave no chance for guessing. In the next moment, Victor was sealed inside Arthur's Disassemble Space.
The next day, 9:30 a.m.
Disguised as Rumlow, Arthur had extracted vital information from Victor. While he still didn't fully understand what the "thing" was or what it looked like, it didn't stop him from pursuing it.
Before diving in, Arthur needed to prepare.
Reality had taught him many times not to rely entirely on the narratives from movies. Yet he remembered vividly that in Camp Lehigh in Wheaton, New Jersey, there was a supercomputer.
This computer practically possessed life!
Because it housed none other than... Dr. Zola!
Reaching the location wouldn't be difficult, but before activating the computer, Arthur needed to sever all network connections. Otherwise, the moment he powered it on, Hydra would detect the activity. In less than ten minutes, he could expect a nuke to descend from the sky.
To ensure success, Arthur required specialized equipment.
Fortunately, SHIELD had everything he needed.
A car pulled up in front of him. Natasha, wearing a hood, stepped out and scanned the surroundings. She handed Arthur a package and asked, "What are you planning to do with this?"
"Go somewhere," Arthur replied, glancing at her. "Originally, I wasn't planning to visit now, but there might be some important information. Early or late doesn't matter... no big deal."
"I'm off duty today," Natasha said, blinking playfully.
Arthur pondered for a moment and said, "Go ahead, have fun."
Natasha was silent for a moment before responding, "Follow me."
…
The "package" in question turned out to be a powerful signal jammer.
Once activated, it could intercept virtually any wireless signal, but it was limited to blocking wireless communications. Wired connections would require Arthur to put in some extra effort.
As Arthur packed up the device and prepared to leave, he noticed Natasha trailing closely behind him.
"Aren't you off duty?" Arthur blinked.
"Yep," Natasha nodded.
"Then why are you following me?" Arthur asked helplessly.
"I'm not following you," Natasha replied earnestly. "It's just that wherever you're going happens to be the place I'd like to have some fun."
"That's unreasonable."
"Why should women be reasonable?"
Arthur suddenly felt that her words might be the truest thing in this world.
Having no choice, Arthur found a secluded spot and summoned his car, nicknamed "Little Black." Natasha instinctively hopped into the passenger seat.
This left Arthur speechless.
He got into the driver's seat, set the destination, and let Black take over the driving.
The car ride was quiet. Arthur kept his eyes fixed on the navigation map, as though trying to uncover some hidden secret within it.
"You can stare all you want, but you're not going to find a shortcut hidden in the map," Natasha said, curling up in her seat and leaning against the window, her gaze calm as she looked ahead.
"Ahem, I just don't know how to interact with women," Arthur admitted.
"No one who's interacted with me has ever treated me like a woman," Natasha replied. "Besides, don't you get along well with that little girl back home?"
"Uh, that's different," Arthur said.
"Are you saying I'm not as good as her?" Natasha turned to look at Arthur, her gaze intense.
Arthur blinked rapidly. "That's not what I meant."
"Then what do you mean?" Natasha pressed, her questions coming one after another.
Arthur didn't know how to respond. He wanted to change the topic but couldn't think of anything.
After a long pause, Natasha sighed. "The things we do… we live for today, but we don't know if we'll see tomorrow. No one can predict when we might suddenly die. We're always confronting the darkest and most dangerous corners of the world. So, I've never expected you to carry any burden for me."
"I just feel… being with you makes me comfortable."
Natasha looked at Arthur seriously. "You make me feel at ease."
(End of Chapter)