I have translated a new novel (Multiverse Conquest Starting from Dragon Ball). Read it and support me.
The cemetery.
Natasha stood by the car from a distance, not approaching.
Arthur placed the white flower he held in front of the gravestone and looked at the photo on it, his eyes reflecting a subtle sadness.
"You must be angry... and rightly so."
Arthur pushed the sadness aside and smiled faintly. "After all, I came all this way and never came to see you. If it were me, I'd be angry too. But you see... well, people in the West talk about heaven, and if you're there, you must already know the truth. I'm not the person you thought I was. If he's there with you, please give him my regards. At least during that chaotic time, I lived under his identity..."
"I went to see Agent Carter."
Arthur lowered his head and looked down at his feet. "She's fine, turned into a sweet old lady. The once agile agent who could sweep-kick anyone... she's aged. Time is a sharper blade than any agent, never hesitating. She asked me to join SHIELD, saying SHIELD was like a dirty black bag and she hoped I could help clean it up...but I refused. She was a little disappointed, but she didn't blame me. She said she never intended to bother me in the first place because I've sacrificed enough already."
"You know..."
Arthur's expression became a little dazed as he spoke. "When people die, do they forget all their pain? Does all the grief, joy, or sadness fall on the living instead? She told me not to visit her again, to stay true to the path I've chosen and to walk it with conviction. She said she was willing to support me... What do you think?"
"I think she's right. Since you've found your way, just keep going."
Arthur stood up, the light in his eyes growing stronger. He said quietly, "What do you think the future will be like? Are you looking forward to it? I never used to, because the future I saw wasn't worth anticipating. But now... I'm suddenly excited about it."
...
...
As the car drove through the streets of New York, Natasha occasionally glanced at Arthur through the rearview mirror.
"If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you being so evasive? Are you a little girl or something?"
Feeling her gaze, Arthur couldn't help but comment.
"That's quite a rude remark for a lady," Natasha replied, falling silent for a while before finally speaking again. "She found me a long time ago. She said it was because of your guidance."
Arthur thought for a moment and then laughed. "I left her a message before my last mission. What I really wanted to say was, 'Find a good man and marry him. We're not right for each other.'"
"That's harsh."
Natasha frowned and looked back at Arthur. "Didn't you get any of the Eastern subtlety?"
"That was just a joke."
"That's not funny," Natasha said, her face blank.
Arthur shrugged. "Considering how uncertain this mission was, I gave her some advice and hoped she would find you. I thought you could help her."
"That's the question. Why did you give her two different time frames? And they're far apart."
"You want to know?"
Arthur smiled. "That's probably one of the secrets I'll take to my grave."
"Does that mean there is a price?" Natasha frowned. "What could I possibly offer?"
"You can't offer anything..." Arthur smiled and looked out of the window. "Even though you're as beautiful as a flower, I'm sorry, I'm not interested."
"...There's a phrase that describes you perfectly," Natasha's face darkened. "Overconfident!"
"No, you're mistaken."
Arthur replied seriously, "I'm not overconfident... I'm 'exceptional'!"
"..."
Natasha realized that talking to this guy required a certain amount of patience. Otherwise, it was too easy to get frustrated.
"Haha, I am just kidding." Arthur laughed. "Don't get too tense. Today is a big day for me."
"Why?"
"Because..." Arthur smiled. "I don't want to tell you."
"..."
Natasha clenched her fists and fought the urge to strangle him!
In fact, she wasn't the only one with murderous thoughts, because at that moment a bullet, traveling at high speed, shattered Natasha's car window and shot straight towards Arthur's temple!
Just as it was about to hit, a hand silently caught the bullet in mid-air.
Natasha's face instantly changed, and she swerved the car sharply onto the sidewalk, stopping right in front of a building entrance. Ignoring the chaos of pedestrians outside, she turned and looked at Arthur. "Are you okay?"
"What do you think?"
Arthur twirled the bullet in his hand as he spoke.
"Judging by its power... it's probably a Barrett sniper rifle, but the bullet is custom-made, so it had even more penetrating power. It came from the southeast, at least a kilometer away. There was no point in chasing them now. They would have fled after missing the shot."
Arthur tossed the bullet lightly up and down. "I thought they'd wait a little longer."
"You know who it is?" Natasha's expression changed.
Arthur smiled. "Just drive, don't worry too much. Let's go find Steve."
"...I'm not your driver!" Natasha pointed out, "And besides, are you sure that under the circumstances..."
"It was expected." Arthur stretched out his arms, then shook his hand, still slightly numb from the bullet.
Natasha looked confused, her face serious as she stared at the bullet in his hand. "Do you want me to take care of it?"
"No..."
Arthur smiled. "This is something I have to handle myself. It has nothing to do with you or what you stand for."
Natasha didn't say anything more but gave Arthur a deep look before she started the car again.
...
...
In a cozy private room in a bar.
Arthur and Steve were sitting at opposite ends of the table. Natasha didn't leave either; she sat on the side and looked back and forth between Arthur and Steve.
Steve fiddled with the "small gift" Arthur had brought, eventually placing it on the table. "Someone wants to kill you!"
"Brilliant deduction."
Arthur chuckled.
Natasha was rolling her eyes so hard they were about to fly off. Did that even need deducing? It was obvious... and besides, Steve wasn't making a deduction, was he?
"Who is it?" Steve asked Arthur.
Natasha also looked at Arthur. The reason she hadn't gone back to rest or reported to Fury but instead followed these two men to a bar was that she also wanted to know the answer.
(End of Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 70 chapters on my patreon and I've also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/GGS6395
As long as I reach 200 dollars on my Patreon, I will post 10 extra bonus chapters per month in batches of 5 for that month. If I reach 300 dollars then I will post 15 extra bonus chapters in batches of 5 for that month. If I reach 400 dollars then I will post 20 extra bonus chapters in batches of 5 for that month. So come and support me.