Chapter 281: MD-Chapter 279 Military Camp
Arthur found himself momentarily speechless.
Especially when he caught Natasha's serious and determined gaze, he struggled to find the right words... and the most puzzling part was that she hadn't said much at all. So, how was he supposed to respond?
"I just hope... you won't avoid me," Natasha said softly. "That's all."
"…I'm not avoiding you, am I?" Arthur scratched his head, trying to think. "If I were, I wouldn't come straight to you whenever something comes up."
Truth be told, Tony had signal-jamming equipment too.
But with Tony's personality, if Arthur asked him directly, he'd probably hand it over, but not without a barrage of questions that would complicate things.
And with Bucky around, Arthur had already dismissed that option.
Harry had made some strides in genetic engineering, but his equipment wasn't nearly as advanced as SHIELD's.
In the end, every field has its experts, and Arthur realized he could only inform Natasha. It was clear this was going to be a bit of a hassle.
Natasha tilted her head, studying Arthur for a moment before turning away, her back to him. "I'm going to sleep now."
"Black is at your service!"
An AI suddenly appeared, making its presence known as it adjusted the seat, set the air conditioning, and performed a series of technological maneuvers. Natasha felt as if she were not in a car but in her own cozy bed at home.
Then she turned back to Arthur, curiosity in her eyes. "Why does your car have these functions?"
"What functions?" Arthur asked, genuinely confused.
"These functions!"
Natasha tapped the seat, which had transformed into a bed. "If your side changes like this, wouldn't that make it a double bed?"
"That's impossible... right?"
"Black is at your service!"
Before Arthur could finish his thought, Black sprang into action again, and in mere seconds, a double bed was assembled.
The space that had once jutted out was now seamlessly hidden, and with a simple roll from side to side, it became completely flat!
This mischievous design was clearly the work of Tony, with some ulterior motive lurking beneath!
Arthur was momentarily stunned. 'Wasn't this supposed to be a car? How did it turn into a bed?'
They exchanged glances as the car drove itself. Arthur didn't need to do anything, and now, if they both lay down, wouldn't some kind of story unfold?
He wasn't sure if it would be a story or an accident, and he didn't plan to find out, so he said, "Black, restore my seat to its original state."
"Black is at your service!"
After a moment, Arthur felt the backrest return, and he finally relaxed.
This car was a troublemaker!
Turning to look at Natasha again, he noticed she had already fallen asleep.
Arthur didn't know whether to feel relieved or frustrated.
Bored, he stared ahead at the road, his mind wandering for a moment.
"This is really testing my patience," he muttered, letting out a deep sigh.
...
...
Natasha slept soundly. By the time they reached their destination, she still hadn't stirred.
Black came to a stop, and Arthur got out of the car, gazing at the iron-barred gate ahead, surrounded by buildings that felt both familiar and foreign. For a moment, he felt a wave of disorientation wash over him.
This base held memories from seventy years ago, yet it felt like just a story from two years past.
"I can't believe... I still have some nostalgia for this place."
Arthur gently rubbed his face, his expression softening.
Then he released The Eye of Horus, the eye floating in mid-air, sometimes sinking underground, scanning every inch of the area.
In his palm, a device materialized— a signal jammer.
After activating it, Arthur found a spot to place it.
This device had a vast coverage range, enveloping the entire base, including several underground layers.
Once that task was complete, he used The Eye of Horus's feedback to locate the network hub. As long as he cut it off, all information from this place would be unable to be transmitted out.
At that moment, Natasha got out of the car.
Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she asked, "When did we arrive? I didn't notice at all."
"You were sleeping soundly."
"Yeah, I haven't had such a good sleep in a long time," Natasha replied. "There were two times recently… once in the car, and once in my living room."
Arthur didn't respond, retracting Black and stepping forward, already inside the gate.
Natasha frowned. " Wait for me!"
She climbed through the iron gate and followed Arthur, first helping to cut off the network in this area.
Looking at the obviously aging wires, Natasha remarked, "It feels a bit unnecessary. There's no thermal imaging, no signals, no radio waves at all. Is the signal jammer really needed?"
"I don't know, but it's always better to be cautious," Arthur shrugged.
"What is this place? You seem very familiar with it," Natasha asked as Arthur led her through building after building, moving with clear purpose.
"Actually, I can find what I need anywhere, even in unfamiliar places…" Arthur paused, then added, "But I'm somewhat familiar with this place. I stayed here for a while."
"A while?"
"This is the military camp where I trained Steve back then."
As he said this, Arthur had already reached the front of a building. "It's here."
The large iron door was locked, but with a swift kick, the whole door twisted and deformed. The door didn't fly away but got stuck in the middle.
Arthur grabbed it and pulled it outward… the sound of metal scraping, accompanied by sparks, and the heavy iron door, which looked almost impossible to move, was thrown out as easily as if it were foam.
"I'm curious, what kind of training did you go through? Was it the Kamar-Taj you mentioned?"
Natasha glanced at the door that had fallen to the ground, gouging out a chunk of earth. "If that's the case, I'm glad they weren't enemies."
"Kamar-Taj and my methods are quite different." Arthur pulled Natasha's hand and walked inside. "They focus on mental training, using magic."
"Do they use wind, fire, thunder, lightning? Sounds cool. I thought that kind of thing only happened in video games."
"You play games?"
"Of course, I'm an expert."
"Sounds enviable…" Arthur said. "I haven't had a lazy life— drinking, watching movies, playing games— in a long time."
"How about next time we hang out?" Natasha suggested. "I can take off!"
"…Let's wait until this world has fewer life-threatening forces before we take off."
As they spoke, Arthur found the power button and turned on the lights. "Taking off now would make it easy to crash."
(End of Chapter)
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