winter rose

Suffering is not a joke, let alone a bargaining chip.

He is a long river, all people are filled with water, and this long river has no end.

"No wonder Jasper can bully you and cry. Lili, you are really... not very smart."

With each sentence, Ian took a step forward.

Bucky subconsciously pulled Perry back.

"Why do you think the house number in the monitoring room is 1917? What a cute number, you didn't respond. And when will there be so many outing missions in the Hydra base, this can actually paralyze your vigilance? Lili, you I’m really not a good agent. Also, the mess you installed was dismantled after you left, and now it’s been recycled and ready to be reused. Hydra’s salary is high, but it’s a penny. I saved it. The new Winter Soldier project that was developed for more than 70 years was completely ruined. The old one next to you can be recycled..."

"What the hell do you want to do?"

Perry was tired of babbling on him, she glanced at the scattered agents behind her, and tightened her grip on the gun.

He spread his hands forward.

"Doctor Lancaster."

Pointing to Bucky again.

"The Winter Soldier."

"It all belonged to Hydra." Ian added the second half of the sentence slowly.

"Jasper has tolerated your presumptuousness too many times before, so it's time for me, my understanding assistant, to clean up the mess for the boss."

"As you said, Ian." Perry glanced at the agents who were approaching behind him again.

"Don't you want Bucky because you have confidence in him? And how many people are left in the base now, you know better than me."

"Of course, clearly."

Ian tilted his head, and many red dots immediately appeared on the surrounded two people.

"Look, Lili. Of course I know very well. Hydra is an organization that has been established for some years. How can you get in and out as you want? You have to show him some respect."

"Isn't that what Jasper meant?"

"Jasper won't say anything."

There was a sudden stalemate in the control room.

After a while, Ian looked at the watch on his wrist.

"Wakanda's pacemaker, no matter how advanced it is, is just a pacemaker... so now it's 10 minutes, Riri."

She took a step back subconsciously, and then, a strong pain erupted from her heart, and her whole body hurt as if she had been kneaded and crushed.

"Ah ah ah ah ah ah ah--"

She shouted out loud, and her body went limp and fell backwards.

Bucky caught her immediately and hugged her tightly.

The coldness in the blue eyes is staring at people's bones, but Ian seems to have been used to it for a long time.

"Don't look at me like that, soldier. I know what you're thinking. Even if you were to rush up to me and grab my neck as a shield, I'd say 'Long live Hydra' and… ...death calmly."

Bucky paused, his gaze shifted from Ian to Perry.

"I'll take you out."

Perry curled up in pain, his hands clutching his sleeves tightly.

As for what Bucky said, she probably didn't hear a bit.

With a crisp click, the switch flicked.

"Lily, don't make me say it a second time."

"I say……"

Perry gasped, still clutching Bucky's sleeve tightly.

It made her feel at ease.

"—I managed to survive the War of the Roses, the Tower of London, World War II, the S.H.I.E.L.D. roundup and the Hydra hunt... Ian Black, I'm crazy to listen to you and suffer That kind of torture!"

At the end of the sentence, the tone of voice suddenly rose, and there was a shriek in the soft female voice.

A few strands of hair stuck to his sweaty forehead, and Perry thought to himself that he really looked like a female ghost.

"Ian, it's impossible."

"What a pity." Ian shrugged, and he threw and caught the controller switch in his hand.

As if the switch was just a plaything in his hands, so was Perry.

"So, I don't know if Mr. Barnes, who has spent more time and energy on Hydra, can give me a satisfactory answer?"

He looked at Bucky, the switch spinning in his hand.

And Bucky obviously hesitated.

"Even if you don't agree, you can't go out." Ian leaned over and picked up the teacup beside him and took a sip slowly.

"My side is in a situation where we must win, so what's the use of being stubborn? Isn't it better to give each other a step down?"

Hearing this, Perry stood up.

But she stood in a strange position, she hid half of her body behind Bucky, as if she was afraid that Ian would avoid him, but it didn't seem to be.

"Jasper won't live if I die," she began.

"You should know about the Lancaster contract, Ian. If I die, all Lancaster wizards will die—"

"So I won't let you die." Ian said this in a very relaxed and innocent tone, as if he was chatting with a friend.

"I just, will make you suffer."

He laughs, rolling his eyes over Switch and Bucky.

"Very, very, painful."

Perry hesitated.

She suddenly felt ridiculous, inexplicable.

She thought that her current self was lucky, but it turned out to be a darker abyss.

She actually dragged Bucky into the water again.

But fortunately, there is still a way out.

"When the dagger stabs into the enemy's chest, the wrist should be raised. This is so as to avoid the ribs and hit the heart directly. Perry, you are a medical student, you should know that, right?"

Young Margaret asked her this in 1939.

But Perry seemed to be distracted, and it took a long time to respond.

"Then... what if it pierces your own heart? How can you kill it with one blow?"

"...Perry." Peggy softened her tone. "If a person wants to die, he can't live. But my dear, your future is very bright, you have to live well, don't you?"

Is my... future good...?

There may be no way out for me, Bucky.

But you have to live well.

The silver light flashed from the right hand that had been hiding behind him all this time.

Such things as magic are hidden in the blood and curses of wizards, such as the curse of the old hag of the York family, such as the blood of the cursed Perry.

Gu Yi told her before that this is a way of "killing one's life to become benevolent", if there is another way out, then absolutely, never choose this one.

Perry didn't have such a great reason to "kill her life and become a benevolent". She was for herself, and her purpose was extremely selfish.

But if the result of the "always worth looking forward to future" that the ancient one saw in those years is already doomed, then what other path does Perry have to choose.

The past is gone and there is no need to mention it.

But the future is always mysterious and worth looking forward to.

She couldn't see her future, it was dark there.

But in Bucky's future, she saw light.

Ian was still waiting for Perry's helpless compromise, but he was destined to be disappointed.

Perry leaned lightly on Bucky's shoulder, and Bucky still maintained that protective posture, thinking about ways to get out.

She looked at his profile, like in 1944 in a front-line tavern, she stared at Sergeant Barnes who suddenly invited her to dance.

What was in that look, Perry couldn't tell to this day.

Maybe I won't have a chance to say it in the future.

"I informed Steve."

Perry suddenly said that there was no such tension in his expression.

She is very calm now.

"Oh, Riri, don't be so childish."

Ian obviously took Perry's calmness as an excessive superstition of "Captain America is the savior".

"Even the great Captain America and his Avengers... oh I forgot, that salvation organization was disbanded because of Mr. Barnes." He glanced at Bucky maliciously. "I repeat, even if Captain America and his Roaring Commando were to break into my well-arranged base single-handedly, they would be finished."

And Perry just shook his head with a smile.

"Lancaster is good at staying behind. You have been with Jasper for so many years and you haven't noticed this?"

"Lili, you have no way out now."

Yes, I don't.

But Bucky had to.

The price of freedom has always been high, and we know that too.

The sound of the dagger slicing across the skin was so soft that Perry couldn't hear it clearly.

But the slight tingling sensation was real.

She also wanted a bright future, but there was none.

"Ian, if I agree to you, do I have the qualifications to put forward the conditions?"

"Of course!" Seeing that she agreed, Ian clapped his hands excitedly, and most of the infrared spots on the two people in the center of the venue disappeared immediately.

"As long as it doesn't go too far, of course, you can do anything you want, except for some rules you know. We prepared a new procedure early in the morning, and this is simply the best deal I've ever made..."

Ian was still chattering, and Bucky found three points to attack during this period, and the winning rate was almost none, but he had to give it a try.

Even for Perry, he had to try.

Perry, who was half leaning on his shoulder, felt his body tense for a moment.

She patted his hand lightly, signaling him to calm down.

Then, Bucky heard the sound of a sharp instrument piercing flesh, and smelled a smell of blood.

He subconsciously wanted to turn around, but Perry held his arm tightly, not letting him turn back.

Ian's eyes widened instantly, and the smile on his face froze a little bit.

"Delaying time is a good way, as smart as you are, you will be arrogant and underestimate the enemy."

Perry laughed, with relief in his voice.

Now, she is the winner.

Bucky had a bad premonition in his heart, he held Perry's wrist back and turned around, only to see a bloody Perry with a dagger stuck in his chest.

The blood gleaming with a faint golden light kept gushing out, but she was laughing.

"Perry..."

Bucky desperately pressed her wound, but life was passing by at a speed visible to the naked eye.No remedies will help.

For the first time, his eyes became flustered in a real sense, and he just called her name over and over again.

His hand pressing the wound trembled.

It was like a hook pierced through the body, and then hooked the person backwards.

The scene changed suddenly, and they landed on the empty asphalt road.

It's a poor escape plan, but it's also the price of freedom.

"Ian, look, this is my retreat."

Perry frowned, but tears also fell.

The author has something to say:

Benefits during military training.

The explanation of the escape method in this chapter is—Many years ago, Gu told Perry that the magic power of a wizard is in the blood, and the more the wizard, the stronger the ability, and he can do anything by sacrificing his life.

At that time, they talked about a question of the past and the future. From a certain point of view, everything was doomed from the moment Perry left the Tower of London.

And Gu Yi saw Perry's choice many years later.

This chapter is all about Perry's choices.

The price of freedom has always been high, as mentioned in the second volume.