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I never would have imagined that he could use dark sorcery to resurrect people who had been dead for years.
And it was precisely because of Fang Mo's unexpected move that the current situation seemed somewhat out of control. Aside from an overjoyed Tony Stark and Captain America, everyone else was staring at these three individuals, lost in thought.
Yes, Fang Mo did not only resurrect Tony Stark's parents.
He even brought back the Winter Soldier, Bucky, as well.
Of course, Stark didn't say much. On one hand, he was completely shocked by the resurrection of his parents; on the other hand, he was deeply conflicted about it.
Indeed, the killer of his parents was right in front of him.
However, Stark was also aware that the real culprit was Hydra, and his anger should not be directed at the Winter Soldier.
But, that said, this was a deep-seated hatred for the murder of his parents.
He was just in his twenties at the time, young, wealthy, and only had a superficial understanding of family affection. Because he was too shy, he never really had a proper conversation with his parents before they died.
Stark saw that video, watching the Winter Soldier strangle his mother to death, and then smash his father's face over and over again with a metal fist. He watched as the familiar and kind face gradually caved in and turned into a bloody mess.
It felt as though the Winter Soldier wasn't smashing his father's face, but his own heart.
That deep, bone-chilling pain was as if his heart was being torn apart, smashed into a pulp, and the suffocating pressure made it impossible for him to even cry.
He tried to tell himself to stay calm.
But how could he possibly remain calm at a time like this?
Yet, his friend, Captain America Steve Rogers, kept desperately trying to mediate, as if everyone was advising him to be kind.
But whenever Stark saw that silver mechanical arm, the brutal scene from the video kept replaying in his mind, and he knew more than anyone that he should be rational. But at that moment, he truly couldn't control himself.
The moment the Winter Soldier turned to run, Stark understood his feelings.
At this moment, more than being a world-famous superhero.
He perhaps wanted to be a son more.
So, Stark took action. He raised his hand, and with it, he shattered the hatred, the friendship with Captain America Rogers, his own heart, the Winter Soldier, and his identity as a superhero, all into pieces.
But the revenge did not bring him relief.
Instead, it was endless emptiness and pain.
Deep in this Soviet-era underground base... not just Captain America Steve Rogers, Iron Man Tony Stark also lost the most precious thing to him.
But fortunately.
The Avengers still had Fang Mo.
No one knew what kind of sorcery he used, not even Doctor Stephen Strange could understand.
However, the fact remains... this troublemaker, recognized as the biggest threat to Earth, his power and mystery once again surpassed everyone's imagination. Even the most serious matter of life and death seemed to be playfully manipulated in his hands.
"...Bucky?"
The first person to speak was Captain America, his eyes trembling as he looked at the few people in front of him: "And Howard, is it really you?"
"Hm?"
Howard Stark seemed a bit perplexed, but he noticed Captain America in front of him. After a moment of surprise, he said: "Steve? You're still alive? They finally pulled you up... That's great, I knew you'd be alright."
"I..."
Captain America opened his mouth but seemed guiltily at a loss for words.
"What's wrong?"
Howard Stark looked around naturally: "I remember I had a car accident, so did I just fall into a coma for a long time, or did something else happen... Hm?"
While speaking, Howard Stark suddenly saw the equally bewildered Winter Soldier Bucky.
"...Sergeant Barnes?"
Howard Stark looked at the Winter Soldier in surprise, first hesitating slightly, then finally asked, "Are you okay?"
"I am very sorry, Mr. Stark."
The Winter Soldier, Bucky, seemed a bit confused, not sure if he thought he was dead or what, and said with his head lowered, "I..."
"That's great, it seems you've come around."
Howard Stark seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, "I was wondering how you could do such a thing. And this mechanical arm... The symbol on it, this must be the work of the Soviets, right?"
The Winter Soldier silently nodded.
"It looks like you've had a tough time."
Howard Stark patted the Winter Soldier's shoulder and then continued to look at the others, "Well... let's guess, what exactly is the situation now?"
But it wasn't long before.
Howard noticed Tony in the crowd.
"…Hmm?"
After seeing Tony Stark, Howard also visibly froze, and at that moment, he suddenly felt someone grabbing his arm and turned to see it was his wife, Maria.
"Howard, he is…"
Like her, Maria was clearly watching Tony all along.
As a mother, Maria's intuition was sometimes much more accurate than others, but Howard's reaction was not slow either, realizing something instantly, his expression changed.
And at that moment.
Suddenly, a round of applause sounded.
"Alright, alright."
Fang Mo, carrying the Scepter of Severance, came walking slowly from not far away: "Next is our Stark family's private matter, bystanders should step back, Strange, open a Mirror Dimension and pull them in to wait."
"So I'm just your tool, huh?"
Dr. Strange couldn't help but complain, but his hands were honestly forming spells, and soon a crystal-clear spatial barrier began to expand outward.
"Wait, leave me behind."
Nick Fury suddenly raised his hand and said, "I need to explain the situation to Mr. Howard, only my identity is suitable for this task."
"…"
Dr. Strange didn't speak, and in the next second, the Mirror Dimension unfolded, sucking in all the people present, except for the resurrected three, leaving only Stark, Fang Mo, and Nick Fury.
And after the rest disappeared.
Fang Mo also actively walked to Stark's side, smiling and patting his shoulder, "Brother, how was that move, impressive, right?"
"I…"
Just as Stark was about to speak, Nick Fury started speaking up: "Could he not watch?"
"???"
This sudden continuation left the recently resurrected few completely confused.
"What, are you insane?" Fang Mo didn't care about those, and started retorting back, "Didn't I just say, this is the Stark family's private affair, what are you, a black man, doing here?"
"You know it's their private matter."
Nick Fury calmly retorted, "What, you've changed your surname to Stark too?"
"I solved this big issue for Tony, I owe him a great favor, which is practically like being his half father... Of course, I can't be so immoral to be someone else's father except in bedrooms and wild areas, so I'll settle for being his uncle then."
Fang Mo, upon hearing this, also responded with a smile and a sly argument: "Since Tony is already my nephew, then the matters of the Stark family naturally become my matters as well, right?"
"What was the fate of Stark's uncle in the end? You know better than I do," Nick Fury countered sharply.
"You! This black..."
"Cough cough, that is, could you two please wait a moment?" In the end, it was Howard who couldn't stand it anymore and directly intervened.
"Hello, Mr. Howard."
On the surface, Nick Fury was complaining to Fang Mo, but in reality, he was just trying to lighten the mood. In fact, he had been keeping an eye on everyone all along, and immediately turned his head when Howard spoke: "Let me introduce myself, I am the current Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury."
"S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Howard was slightly taken aback.
"It stands for the Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division." Nick Fury briefly introduced: "The situation is very complicated right now, and it's difficult to explain everything that's happening in just a few words, but one thing is certain, you have been dead for many years."
"Is that so?"
Howard unconsciously nodded, his face not showing much surprise, probably having realized this point already: "So since I'm already dead... why do I still appear here?"
At this point, Howard, being a scientist, began to muse to himself: "Could it be that someone preserved my brain? Or is it some kind of memory upload technology?"
"Unfortunately, neither."
Nick Fury shook his head, then glanced at Fang Mo not far away: "Strictly speaking, you were resurrected by some form of magic."
"What?"
Hearing this, Howard was also startled: "You mean... magic?"
"This leads us to introduce this gentleman."
Nick Fury grimaced and took a step back, then raised his hand towards Fang Mo: "S.H.I.E.L.D.'s real trump card, the last line of defense for Earth's safety, Mr. Fang Mo."
"Mr. Howard, it's a pleasure."
Facing Iron Man's affectionate father, Fang Mo's demeanor was unusually serious for a change, and he shook hands with the other party: "My name is Fang Mo, and I am your son Tony's close friend."
"Tony..."
By now, Howard would be remiss not to understand, as he looked up at Tony Stark not far away in his armor, his face showing a surprised expression.
"Hi..."
Seeing this scene, Tony Stark, from a distance, also tried to suppress his urge to choke up, and reluctantly waved at the two with a forced smile: "Dad, Mom, it's been so long since we..."
However, before he could finish, Maria suddenly rushed over and embraced her child.
"Tony, it really is you..."
Unlike Howard, Maria, being a mother, found it particularly difficult to stay calm at this moment. She hugged her son with a trembling voice, her tone mixed with worry and relief: "My child, you've grown up..."
"Mom, don't be like that..."
After being embraced by Maria, Tony could barely contain his emotions, and tears began to slide down from his eyes, but he forcibly turned his head to the side: "No, no, you're about to make me cry, and that would be too embarrassing..."
Yet as he spoke, his voice began to choke up.
The words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat.
After a standoff of a few seconds, Tony suddenly turned and hugged his mother tightly, then closed his eyes tightly, allowing his tears to flow like a breached dam.
And setting aside the reunion scene of mother and son.
On the other hand, Nick Fury also explained the whole situation to Howard.
"That's pretty much it, Mr. Howard."
Nick Fury said seriously, "After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Winter Soldier they created was controlled by Hydra. Your existence interfered with their plans, so they brainwashed Sergeant Barnes and ordered him to assassinate you."
"I see."
Upon hearing this, Howard on the other side also nodded, "So, the real murderer who killed us was Hydra, right?"
"Exactly, Sergeant Barnes was just brainwashed and controlled."
Nick Fury nodded, then glanced at Fang Mo beside him and the chaotic scene on the ground: "But now there is another problem, and it concerns your son, Tony."
"Go on."
Hearing it was about his own son, Howard got serious.
"It's like this, we are currently..."
Nick Fury opened his mouth to say something, but Fang Mo pressed his hand on his shoulder: "Wait, let me do this."
"Are you sure?"
Upon hearing this, Nick Fury also glanced at Fang Mo: "Mr. Howard is not going to take jokes."
"Oh, don't worry, I always respect my friends' parents."
Fang Mo waved his hand, then turned his head to Howard Stark: "Actually, we've formed a superhero team to deal with various global crises, called the Avengers. But due to having too many enemies, the enemies plan to split us from within."
"There's a Hydra remnant named Zemo who somehow got hold of the footage of your murder and showed it to Tony."
"This person named Barnes, I know he was controlled by Hydra, and it's Hydra and Zemo who are the real culprits behind the scenes, but this matter is very complex and has even involved Captain America Rogers, so it's tricky to handle. If mishandled, it could easily lead to a split within the Avengers."
"So, to resolve this, I just had Tony kill Mr. Barnes."
"…Hmm!?"
Hearing this, Howard was clearly shocked.
Fortunately, Fang Mo soon started speaking with a smile: "Of course, it's not Tony's fault, after all, I also mixed in my personal feelings."
"My parents are different from you, I might never see them again, so sometimes when I see things like this, I can somewhat empathize, then I might take matters into my own hands, this point… um, I hope you can understand."
Saying this, Fang Mo nodded to Howard.
"Of course, this approach may not satisfy everyone, but at least in my view, this was the right thing to do."
Fang Mo raised his hands, slowly saying: "No one can speak for the dead, so might as well let the dead handle this matter themselves. I believe whether it's Tony Stark, James Buchanan Barnes, or Steve Rogers… they would all want to listen to your opinions, right?"
"I…"
And hearing this, the Winter Soldier finally spoke up, bowing his head: "I'm willing to listen to Mr. Stark…"
Yes, facing Tony who wanted to kill him, he might still want to struggle a bit.
After all, he was indeed innocent and didn't want to die like this.
But facing someone he had actually killed, Barnes really didn't want to resist anymore, even though he felt innocent and enslaved by Hydra, the dark memories of murder were crystal clear, reminding him his hands were stained with blood.
This pain made him crave redemption every second.
"So, that's how it is."
Howard listened carefully to the whole story, then quickly nodded: "It sounds like a tricky situation, I didn't expect my death to cause you so much trouble."
"It can't be helped, after all…"
Fang Mo shrugged, but soon a voice came from behind him, taking over his words: "…after all, humans are too fragile."
"Yes, indeed."
Fang Mo initially nodded in agreement, but soon realized something was wrong, swiftly turned around, and found the dark-skinned, cheerful man.
"Fuck! Nya!?"
Fang Mo was stunned in place: "How did you get here?"