The Witch's Bodyguard [Comprehensive Anglo-American]

When Steve ran in the morning, he met three girls who asked him the time. Judging by their attire, they should also be girls who are used to exercising in the morning like him.Of course, they didn’t appear at the same time. Interestingly, the girl’s hands or wrists all carry devices that can accurately tell the time, such as mobile phones, electronic watches or sports watches. I heard that a certain Some premium watches can also display a reading of the calories lost after a run.So Steve didn't understand why these three girls chose to ask him questions about time, and he didn't understand why he clearly told them the exact answer (because he also had a watch), and he also looked disappointed, so As for Steve, he repeatedly confirmed that he did not say the wrong time.

He doesn't really understand what to do in this era to be the correct way of life. He feels that compared with 70 years ago, in the United States today, if it is not too lazy to even move a finger, life is always not a problem, even though Occasionally there will be shootings and robberies, but that is a small probability event after all.

In Steve's view, despite the massive destruction caused by the alien invasion of Earth, it is obviously easy to survive in this era, if only to survive.

Apparently people nowadays are not just content with survival. After waking up, Steve sees desires from the people around him, all kinds of desires. It is difficult for him to distinguish these people from their desires. What's needed, because Steve doesn't think there's anything missing in this day and age.Even if you do nothing, the government will distribute relief funds every month, and the homeless on the roadside don't look bad.

It is difficult for Steve to keep up with the rhythm of the times, whether it is in life or in spirit, it can also be said that he is not very willing to cater to it.Steve's way of thinking is as rigid as it was 70 years ago, and he can't even tell when a girl is flirting with him.

But he doesn't think he has to change anything, he's just a little more disciplined than most people, or rather, a little less interesting.

Steve revealed the answer to the fourth girl who asked him the time. The girl was very fit and had a beautiful smile, but Steve had no idea what to do next.She asked him the time, and he told her that the conversation should end there, but the girl was still standing in front of him.

"Do you have a phone number?" The girl finally couldn't help asking Steve.

"I don't have a phone number." Steve responded honestly. This is not an excuse for rejection, but he really doesn't have a phone number. His phone was assigned to him by S.H.I.E.L.D. to receive mission information. Don't use that to contact anyone other than S.H.I.E.L.D., but Steve doesn't have any friends to contact either.

"Okay." The girl continued to suggest to him persistently, "I come here for a run every morning, how about you?"

"I'm here most of the time." Steve still replied sincerely.

"So, maybe you don't mind having another running friend?" the girl said, "How about we meet here tomorrow, my name is Kris, at this place at 7 o'clock tomorrow morning?"

Steve thought for a while and said, "Hi, Chris, my name is Steve." He thought very seriously for a while, the two muscles in his chest rose and fell slightly, "But, my time is earlier, It was about five o'clock."

The girl froze for a moment, then smiled and said, "I see, I see, thank you, Steve." She ran away, the ponytail on the back of her head tossing.

To the girl, Steve's answer meant refusal, and she said goodbye to Steve without any emotion because Steve still seemed very sincere, and he was indeed very handsome and even upright.Even though he rejected her, the girl didn't think it was anything to be disheartened about, at least she knew his name was Steve.

Steve turned his head and looked at the back of the girl running briskly, wondering what the other party understood in a puzzled way. Will she run with him tomorrow?It's not a bad idea, but how is he going to explain to a strange girl that he can run 40 miles an hour?Of course, these problems didn't really become a problem for Steve, because he didn't meet the girl named Chris again on the second day or even the third day.

Steve finished the last lap, and 7 am is not suitable for him to run in the morning. There will be a lot of people at this time, and jogging can’t achieve the purpose of fitness for him, so usually Steve will start running at 5 am, until 7 o'clock.

The house he lived in was provided by the government. It was in Washington, D.C., close to the city center, with a comfortable environment and convenient transportation. Most importantly, he could be there whenever he was called. After all, the headquarters of S.H.I.E.L.D. was also here.

Steve had originally proposed to live in Brooklyn, but his proposal was rejected. Steve knew why, so he didn't argue with it. It wasn't such a serious problem.Now that the traffic is developed, it is very easy to go to Brooklyn, as long as he wants, he can go where he wants to go at any time outside of the mission,

What's more, Peggy Carter is also in Washington DC. She is an Englishman, but she lives in a senior nursing home in the United States to spend her old age.He had visited her yesterday, and even the wrinkled skin couldn't hide the beauty of the former battlefield flower. He knew that she was married (her husband died ten years ago), had children, and had a colorful life.

Steve felt very relieved.

Part of the reason why he was willing to join S.H.I.E.L.D. came from Peggy, who was as legendary as the female World War II agent he should have had a story about.Fury told Steve that Peggy founded S.H.I.E.L.D., and she has been fighting crime until today, and Steve just needed a job that seemed more suitable for him.

There's probably nowhere else to go but S.H.I.E.L.D.

It's not that Steve likes war, although he's good at it, he hates it.It's not that he wants to rely on his old business to regain his sense of existence. His failure to attend the opening ceremony of the Captain America Museum shows that he doesn't care about fame and fortune. It's not worth showing off, and he doesn't think his return is a great thing.

You know, Steve thought that the world should be peaceful 70 years later, but unfortunately, peace is not absolute. Then, he found that he could make a little more contribution to peace.

Later, he went to his own museum, not as Captain America, but in a slightly disguised manner, trying to look like a real tourist.Steve would spend a lot of time in front of the Wall of Heroes, which had details about him, his team, and of course Bucky, the only member who died at the time.

Steve stood there for an hour or two until a staff member came up and asked him if he needed help,

Steve was never recognized, because people judged whether he was Captain America not by his face, or his size, but by his uniform and shield.

He used to have a team that worked so well together, and they gave themselves a pretty old-fashioned name, "The Roaring Commandos," and Steve remembers them thinking up some funny slogans for this invincible name. , but in the end none of them read it out on the battlefield.

So at the beginning, he was somewhat looking forward to the "Avengers", but he was just looking forward to it. It wasn't until they really got together that Steve discovered that they were never a team at all, and even connected to each other. Friends don't count either.They were only brought together by temporary needs, and they were quite a durable group of people.

Including several wizards.

He couldn't expect them to trust him as unreservedly as the members of the Howling Commandos, because Steve didn't trust them either, but fortunately, everyone was working together when it mattered.

"Hi Steve, good morning."

Steve was greeted by a blonde girl, his neighbor, who had lived here before Steve moved here.Steve didn't know the person's last name, and he didn't ask, "Good morning, Kate, are you going to work?" Steve remembered that Kate was a nurse.

"Yes," Kate said. "What about you?"

"I just came back from a run," Steve said, smiling, trying to look like a normal boy-next-door.

"I mean, don't you go to work?"

"I'm a freelancer." Steve thought for a while and said, "Actually, I draw comics."【Note 1】

Kate chatted happily with her for a while, then went downstairs.

Steve went inside, took off his sweat-soaked t-shirt, put it in the washing machine, then his pants.It took Steve a long time to really get used to the modern furniture, in fact he was a bit resistant at first and insisted on washing by hand, but eventually got used to it.

He walked into the bathroom, turned on the shower, and let the warm bath water drench his body.

After about 2 minutes, Steve was scrubbing the lather on his hair, it was just a feeling, even he didn't know why he had such a feeling, maybe it was a soldier's sensitivity.In fact, the sound of the shower was very loud, but he just heard, or felt that someone opened the door and walked into his house.

This feeling was not very good, Steve vigilantly concentrated his hearing outside the bathroom, he did not turn off the water, but pulled a dry towel to wipe off the water stains on his face, and then put on a pair of shorts.Steve quietly opened the bathroom door, he squeezed out through the crack of the door, and then turned lightly into the bedroom, he picked up the shield leaning against the bedside table, grabbed a shirt and draped it over his body , did not have time to buckle.

As he approached the living room, Steve felt the muscles in his back tense completely, and he noticed that he was moving against the wall in a combat-style manner, and he was already calculating which angle to throw the shield to do. to foolproof.

Steve breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the figure in the living room. He leaned against the wall and tapped lightly to remind the trespasser that he was here.

"I remember I locked the door." Steve put the shield on the ground, buttoned his shirt and walked forward, "How did you get in?" Water droplets from Steve's hair dripped into him Only then did the man realize that not only had he not wiped his hair, but he hadn't even worn his shoes.

"I knocked on the door, but you didn't respond." Ma Linglong said, she didn't apologize for her trespassing.

On the contrary, Steve felt wet and a little rude: "Sorry, I'm..."

"Take a bath, I know now." Ma Linglong said.

Steve returned to his room, dried himself off quickly, dried his hair, and reappeared in the living room in a neat shirt and jeans.The size of the room provided by the government was not that large, but it was big enough for a single man. Compared with most veterans with no background, at least the government did not treat him badly.

"What do you drink, coffee or orange juice?" Steve was not displeased with Ma Linglong's uninvited visit. Now that he knows her identity and remembers the cooperation between them in the dream, he will naturally not be upset. She is hostile.

"Anyone, would you do this, or, do you think that even if the portal of the Rubik's Cube is closed, Stark will not be trapped in the wormhole for too long?" Ma Linglong paused, "Beer, thank you."

Steve paused for a second to open the fridge, then said, "No beer, I don't drink."

"Coffee." Ma Linglong said.

Steve knew that Ma Linglong was here to inquire about the crime, and he didn't expect the girl to continue to fulfill her promise. Steve thought to himself that he was ready to spend a lot of money to ask her to help find someone.

"I remember you wanted to add sugar?" Steve said,

He knew very well that when he made that choice, he knew that it was a decision that could not be called "right", but he couldn't help it.There are more and more Kiritas around Steve, whether he or other teammates have already shown fatigue, they can't last long, the enemy's firepower is too fierce, everyone is seriously injured, and those civilians Miserable.

But, it's not fair to Stark, and Steve realizes it when he rushes into the wormhole with the nuke.

He has witnessed more than one victory in the war in which soldiers sacrificed themselves to buy time for their teammates, but Stark, as he himself emphasized, is a scientist, and he always has a way to avoid sacrificing himself to win , at least that's how it was described in the information he saw.

Before that, Steve even said that he was not a hero at all, and he didn't understand what self-sacrifice was.

Although Stark also humiliated him with such sharp words as "you are an artificial idol".

But this is not the same, the verbal pleasure cannot be confused with the actual performance, Steve only later knew how powerful the nuclear bomb is, it is enough to destroy the entire New York and the surrounding cities, not to mention the death toll, Stark It is absolutely possible to fly to a safe enough place before that and take Ma Linglong with him, if he is really as selfish and self-centered as he has always misunderstood.

Steve discovers too late that his understanding of Stark has gone seriously wrong, blinded by Stark's sarcasm and pushy arrogance, and Steve doesn't even consider Stark at all. Ke rushes into the space beyond the earth, it is very likely that he will never come back, he will die, and he will encounter any unforeseen dangers.

Steve doesn't advocate self-sacrifice, it's helpless.

If he knew Stark well enough, or if he hadn't been biased against him in the first place, Steve would surely have asked him if he needed help, if he needed to cooperate, while he was lugging the nuke.Maybe Stark will not necessarily tell his teammates that his armor has run out of power, but at least Steve can hear something from his few words, and he will let Thor, who can also fly into the sky, cover him , Thor was beside him at the time, yet he did nothing.

Even ordered to close the portal.

He almost killed him.

"I'm sorry." Steve brought the coffee in front of Ma Linglong, "How about Stark now?"

Ma Linglong suddenly realized that Howard was not there, not by Steve's side, but not in this room.

Obviously very unusual.

"Very good." Ma Linglong said, "He didn't tell me about your decision to close the portal. He may not know yet. Of course, he won't care."

Steve said: "I'm really very sorry." He will not find any reason to cover up this mistake. It was his prejudice against Stark that almost caused an irreparable accident.Steve is very happy that Stark is still alive, and he hopes to have the opportunity to get along with Stark in the future. Of course, it is best not to be in a battle, so that he can treat him fairly, "I am willing to apologize to him."

"You haven't answered me, Steve Rogers." Ma Linglong said calmly, as if he didn't intend to blame him, "Anyone, would you make that decision? If it was James Barnes, You also have no hesitation?"

Steve didn't answer right away. He also asked himself this kind of question. If Bucky was holding the nuclear bomb at that time, or in a similar scene, if he was asked to make a choice, would he be so righteous?The answer is no, Steve is very clear, it does not mean that he will sacrifice the lives of other teammates or innocent people, as long as Bucky is kept, he will be more cautious, and he will consider if Bucky does this. Assist with as little or no sacrifice as possible.

This is the root cause of Steve's self-blame.

"I see." Ma Linglong said, she stood up, at that moment Steve thought the girl would just leave.

Ma Linglong knew how dangerous the situation was at that time, although the emphasis from Rocky and Sirius was more on the badness of Steve disregarding his teammates just to complete the task.Of course, the girl didn't know Steve, so she didn't know if he was such a person, but at least, at the time, his order to close the portal was the right order.

However, Ma Linglong couldn't accept this fact. Perhaps Steve was a military genius, and everyone naturally obeyed his orders on the battlefield, but Ma Linglong could not forgive Steve's decision, right or wrong.

"I'll keep my promise to you," she said, without expression, "but I won't take you to someone myself because I don't want to see you or have any contact with you again, that's number one. This time, and the last time, I will bring the remnant of James Barnes to you, with him, you can easily find what you want."

Steve frowned slightly, and then stretched it out again. He looked at Ma Linglong and said with a complicated expression: "You mean, Bucky's soul, you will let me see his soul?"

"It's not the soul, it's the remnant spirit. Of course, if the soul can make you understand, you can do whatever you want." This is not a good idea, and it can even be regarded as a bad idea. The god of death made a deal to get Bucky's remaining soul fragments, "I want your three years of life."

"What do you want?" Steve looked at her.

"Your lifespan." Ma Linglong put it another way, "Use your three years' lifespan to exchange for the soul of James Barnes. Once you find what you want, he will disappear automatically, and you will lose three years of life." Is that clear enough?" A normal transaction is not like this, Ma Linglong should personally take Steve to the snow-covered plateau of Siberia, but she doesn't want to spend extra time with the man opposite, she even immediately Just want to leave.

And, she should have used her life, but she didn't want to pay for Steve.

"What should I do?" Steve didn't hesitate, "Or I can actually do nothing, and everything is in your hands?"

"I'm not joking." Ma Linglong said.

"I look like I'm joking?" Steve didn't mind trading his life for a chance to repeat it with Bucky, although he was skeptical of such absurd claims.

But he wanted to see Bucky, there was no one else in the world who could share memories with him like Bucky, and no one could understand Steve's jokes.When people around him suddenly laughed, he didn't know why they were laughing.No one stood side by side with Steve and only fought side by side for a common goal. In this era, whether it is S.H.I.E.L.D. or the Avengers, they all have their own goals, even when they are on the same battlefield.

Ma Linglong took a drop of Steve's blood, and then Bucky's belongings (soldier tag). After the props were ready, Ma Linglong began the soul-calling ceremony.Steve waited anxiously in another room, thinking about what he should say to Bucky when he saw him later.

About 10 minutes later, Ma Linglong opened the door, and Steve looked around, but found nothing: "Just now I have been thinking, how can I communicate with him?"

"The deal is cancelled." Ma Linglong said, "You don't have to lose three years of life, which is good news."

"What do you mean?" Steve asked, subconsciously grasping Ma Linglong's arm, "Maybe I should trade with you with money?"

Ma Linglong's failure was not caused by the weakening of her mana. Her power now is the same as before.

Reaper didn't have Bucky's soul fragment in his hands, so she failed, which is not normal, but Ma Linglong didn't show it in front of Steve.

Everything has a soul, any creature will enter reincarnation after death, very few, the part with evil factors will reach the hands of the god of death, and the god of death will collect the soul fragments, and those with serious sins will do endless coolies in hell. 【Note 2】

Unless there are aliens, not aliens like Loki, but alien life forms that do not exist in the Three Realms at all, such as brain waves, or molecular structures as small as cells.

Obviously, Bucky cannot be cells or brain waves. He is a human being, an ordinary earthling. Steve can guarantee this, after all, they grew up together.

However, Bucky has no residual spirit left.

Of course, this is not impossible, as long as he is so kind that he has never made a mistake in his life, not even a single lie or malicious thought.Ma Linglong believed that as a World War II veteran, it was impossible for him to meet the standard of being free from residual spirits. He must have killed people, no matter what the purpose was.

Even so, the god of death would know whether a person died, but just now the god of death told her that James Barnes was not on the death list.

This means, he is still alive!

However, Ma Linglong didn't intend to let Steve know this secret obtained from the mouth of the God of Death, so she looked at him coldly and said, "Let go."

"Sorry." Steve let go of his hand immediately, "I just...I want to know why."

"You are not qualified."

Ma Linglong left Steve's house. No matter how strong Captain America is, it is only against the enemy. Steve knows that Ma Linglong hates him, but the girl is by no means an enemy, so he will not use means to press for the truth.

Ma Linglong went downstairs, and she sat in the driver's seat thoughtfully.

"You're so unsympathetic to Steve."

A voice came from her left, Ma Linglong was startled at first, and then found Howard sitting in the passenger seat, he still had the same cynical look, but spoke in a very deep tone.

"Wait." Ma Linglong suddenly reacted, "Why are you here? You obviously couldn't walk out of the range of two meters from Steve Rogers before?"

"I guess, it's probably because I remembered how I died, and I also remembered how Anthony came into this world." Howard's face gradually became clear, and he no longer used the same words as before. The state of the soul is translucent. Wrinkles appeared on his face, and his hair became thin and gray. "I just went to visit Anthony. He is really an amazing boy."

The author has something to say: [Note 1]: The captain’s dream is to be a cartoonist. In the early comic stories, the captain did earn money by drawing comics for a period of time after he woke up.

[Note 2]: The Grim Reaper probably refers to the underworld in both the East and the West. Anyway, different countries have different names.No matter how kind and intelligent creatures are, they all have an evil side, no matter how much, even a lie is considered evil.Most of the gods of death are ghosts who are unable or unwilling to reincarnate after human death, but have not stayed in the world.

Linglong's attitude towards the captain is probably that he almost made Nini unable to come back. I hate him so much, but knowing that the other party did nothing wrong, I hate him even more.