The Great Winter Soldier

Time: half a month later.

Location: Avengers main universe, New York City.

At night, an ordinary van drove into New York City. Xia Tian rested his elbow on the window and his chin on his palm, looking at the flashing neon lights around him, with a trace of memory in his eyes.

Nicole next to her looks at Xia Tian with concern from time to time. He has not spoken for a long time. Nicole does not think that it is this bustling and bright night scene that makes Xia Tian linger. He usually looks like he is silent and thinking, and what he is showing now The expression was completely different, and the dark eyes reflected the neon colors, making her slightly absent-minded.

As the van left the main road and turned into an underground parking lot, Victor, who was sitting in the driver's seat in front of him, stopped the car and glanced at Xia Tian through the rearview mirror.

Xia Tian slowly came back to his senses, opened the door of the van, and walked out. A dark and humid atmosphere hit his face. The collector box in the distance seemed to be malfunctioning, and occasionally there was a trace of sparks.

Xia Tian closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This action was no different from a lunatic.

It’s still a familiar picture, and it’s still a familiar smell.

There is a saying in this country: Home, sweet home.

For Xia Tian, ​​this is indeed his hometown, but whether it is sweet or not is another matter.

Nicole in the car spoke softly, saying the Russian words that she had already memorized, further brainwashing the two Winter Soldiers in the car. After giving the order, the two Winter Soldiers sitting in the front driving position carried their bags one after another. He got out of the car with the package and quickly disappeared into the dim underground parking lot.

"What are you thinking about?" At some point, Nicole walked up to Xia Tian. She still couldn't hold back and asked.

"Think about my experiences in the past few years, and what I have sacrificed to be able to come back here again." Xia Tian said to himself, which did not affect Nicole, but seduced him out of his own ambition.

"My dear, the car won't start by itself. When we get to your home, you have to be my guide." Nicole pulled Xia Tian's arm and said with a smile. Xia Tian left this world and met Nicole on her first mission. , she basically witnessed the past few years of Xia Tian. They met many people, experienced many stories, and experienced many gains and losses. She also knew clearly that here was the beginning of a new story, waiting for them to slowly experience it.

"Then let an outsider like you see the real Hell's Kitchen." Xia Tian put his arms around Nicole's shoulders and said, "Walk."

"Okay." Nicole's eyes lit up, this is the rhythm of going shopping.

She was really thinking too hard. The walk Xia Tian mentioned was definitely not "shopping" as a woman thought in her mind.

The two of them were like a pair of out-of-town tourists, wearing ordinary down jackets and cotton hats, wandering the streets of New York at night. Finally, under Nicole's endlessly disappointed eyes, the two of them walked into the subway station.

"Where are you taking me?" Nicole asked.

"Visiting an aunt, or just going to see that building, I don't know, I'm very confused right now." Xia Tian held the handrail with one hand and said casually.

Seeing that Xia Tian really had no interest in talking, Nicole endured it again and again, but still shut up obediently, and it was very rare for her to act like a good baby.

After coming out of the subway station, Xia Tian took the free map and took Nicole into a very quiet neighborhood.

Heavy footsteps stepped on the snow on the road, making a creaking sound. The tall trees on both sides of the street had dried up. From time to time, the cold wind blew by, shaking off the snow. Under the dim light, it formed a peaceful scene. A beautiful picture of tranquility. wx

"St. Agnes Orphanage" Nicole saw Xia Tian suddenly stop and look up at a slightly dilapidated building in the distance. With her excellent eyesight, she read the sign on the iron gate in front of the building.

"After my parents died, I was adopted by this orphanage. There was a caregiver who was very kind to me. She even ignored my fear that I was a freak, and tried desperately to prevent me from going out, and tried to take me back to the orphanage. "Grow up safely here." Xia Tian said softly, his mind was full of memories, and Xia Tian once

Determined to embark on a road of revenge, this decision was also made in the arms of the female caregiver named Laura.

"You want to meet her?" Nicole hugged Xia Tian's arm, silently comforting his heavy heart, and joked, "You are disguised very well now, she may not recognize you."

"I just want to see this place, let more memories and past deepen my impression of Hell's Kitchen, and make my determination stronger." Xia Tian seemed to have finally found a suitable reason. In fact, his heart really It was very chaotic, just like the last time he returned to the familiar Hydra base. At that time, he was on a mission and could make the Winter Soldier stunned during the mission. You can imagine how much that familiar base brought him. Big impact.

Nicole secretly said in her heart: Finally, once, I realized that you lied.

But Nicole didn't say these words, she just dragged Xia Tian towards the orphanage, muttering as she walked: "You're already here, so what if we meet you, she can't recognize you anyway, by the way, from now on. We can donate more money to this orphanage, maybe it will make you feel better."

Xia Tian didn't know what to say, and half-pushed, he finally came to the iron gate. Under Nicole's encouraging eyes, Xia Tian pressed one hand on the iron gate, and with a soft click, the two entered the small courtyard.

"Don't you think we should ring the doorbell and visit normally?" Nicole looked a little weird.

"Next time." Xia Tian said coquettishly, walked through the small courtyard, opened the door in the same way, and walked in quietly.

There were only a few night lights on in the corridor. The snow-white walls, the dark red wooden door, the oil paintings on the wall and the ancient candlestick all reminded him of the days when he stayed here in the summer. He lost his parents in this world and came to When he arrived here, it was here that he received the news of the death of the old woman Amy who loved him so much. Xia Tian would never forget Amy's withered palms and the unique smell of the elderly on her body.

The black-hearted entrepreneur was pierced through the head with an iron rod by Xia Tian, ​​but his parents and Amy became the sinful sacrifices of Hell's Kitchen and could never get them back.

The footsteps of the two were very light, but the old floor under their feet still made a creaking sound, which seemed a bit harsh in this quiet night. Xia Tian and Nicole were very heavy, so this was unavoidable.

A door in the distance was open with a crack, and there were some lights inside, which aroused the interest of the two. When the two approached cautiously, a man's gentle voice came to their ears: "That's it, Thomas got another chance." We have made a new partner, they support each other, help each other, work diligently, and look forward to the new day with enthusiasm.”

Nicole raised her eyebrows and looked through the crack in the door to see a man with a broad back. He was obviously a man. Although he couldn't see his face, the extremely gentle voice was enough to arouse Nicole's interest.

"We made an agreement, this is the last story, go to bed quickly, it's very late." The man said with a smile, rubbed the little girl's head on the bed with one hand, gave her a good night kiss, turned off the bed light and walked out.

Only then did Nicole come back to her senses and turned to look at Xia Tian, ​​indicating that the two of them were about to be exposed, but Xia Tian was still in a daze because he already knew who the person in the room was.

"Hello." As the man closed the door, what he said was actually a greeting, not the panic tone that Nicole had imagined.

"Come here to peek at the children. Don't feel ashamed. I can always meet couples like you. I understand your feelings. However, I think you must go through the normal channels and apply. There will be dedicated staff to accompany you. Those who observe the children, don’t worry, they won’t notice you when you observe them.” The man’s eyes were empty, staring blankly at one place, without any focus, but with a gentle smile on his face. , the voice was very low and light, as if he was afraid of disturbing the children's rest.

Nicole's breathing stagnated slightly and she covered her mouth with one hand. Finally, she realized who she had met. The man whose head she had pressed with her knees and whose throat had been pierced by Xia Tian's dagger was standing in front of them. In front of them, he explained the adoption matters to them with a smile.

Nicole squeezed Xia Tian's palm with one hand, her tone was trembling, and she asked softly: "Is it what I imagined?"

Xia Tian nodded silently, his eyes full of complexity. Matt Murdock was a few years older than him. He should be in college at this time. Maybe he should be a volunteer here during his junior or senior year. To be continued.