I Became Spider-Man's Cousin in Anime Crossover

Chapter 324 The Man Standing Behind Captain America

"Howard...recognized you?"

After a long silence, Steve seemed to realize something, and his pupils trembled violently.

He then suddenly raised his head, looked at Bucky with a complicated expression, and asked hesitantly.

"..."

Steve's question hit Bucky like a bomb that exploded.

The color drained from his face, and his lips were pressed tightly together into a pale line.

"Yes, Steve. He recognized me the moment I launched the attack and appeared in the headlights' beam."

After a moment of silence, Bucky's Adam's apple bobbed, and his metal fingers unconsciously clenched and unclenched. Only then did he answer Steve's question, word by word.

"Although that was only the first time Mr. Howard had witnessed the existence of the Winter Soldier, as intelligent as he was, Howard Stark was able to discern the fatal weakness of what Hydra considered the 'perfect weapon' through mere contact and observation."

This time, he didn't try to divert attention or ease the suffocating heaviness with the kind of jokes that brothers often make, as he had done before.

Because he knows it all too well.

Howard Stark held a place in Steve Rogers' heart no less important than his own brother-in-arms.

The man who, in the Brooklyn laboratory, worked with Dr. Abraham Erskine, using incredible wisdom and an almost desperate belief, to transform the frail and sickly Steve Rogers into Captain America, was Howard.

The man who repeatedly delivered the most advanced and powerful equipment to the Howling Commandos on the smoke-filled battlefields of Europe, becoming their strongest support, was Howard.

Every time Steve charged into battle, every time he turned the tide, his actions were worthy of being recorded in history...

Howard Stark was always there, quietly contributing behind the scenes.

He is one of the creators of "Captain America".

He is a reliable ally to whom Steve would entrust his life.

In that era, when most officials regarded Steve as a mascot and only wanted him to perform in the cultural troupe...

A select few geniuses were able to understand Steve's ideals and ambitions and choose to stand by his side.

Now, he himself, with that cold metal arm, snapped the Howards' necks, ruining their lives that should have been happy...

This is simply the cruelest and most vicious joke that fate has played on Steve!

It precisely ripped apart the two most important relationships in Steve's life, and then, without Steve being prepared, forced bloody shards into his hands.

Is there any joke in the world that is worse or more disgusting?

Bucky felt a churning in his chest; the icy air he inhaled felt like it was carrying countless tiny ice needles, piercing his lungs with pain.

He was nearly overwhelmed by immense guilt and an absurd, unventable pain.

He instinctively took a deep breath of the icy air. The sweeping chill was so biting that it almost froze his respiratory tract. But it also acted like a powerful sedative, forcibly suppressing Bucky's turbulent emotions. He used this bone-chilling cold to force himself to stay awake and maintain the facade of calm necessary to recount what had happened.

Therefore, when Bucky stiffly raised his head to meet Steve's gaze, which was filled with complex emotions, his tone remained steady throughout. It was as if he were simply narrating an objective fact that had nothing to do with him, yet he had to state it.

Only when the words "Mr. Howard" were mentioned did Bucky's deliberately calm narration show a very subtle crack.

Beneath that crack, a bottomless abyss of guilt surged.

He was burdened with the heavy sin of being an upright, wise, and utterly sincere and respectable person who died innocently at his own hands.

But at the same time, a deep and bittersweet gratitude also welled up within me...

I am grateful to Howard, in the final moments of his life, under the shadow of death, for overcoming his biological fear and using his genius insight to see through the true nature of Hydra's meticulously crafted terrifying weapon. He even used some means to prematurely loosen Hydra's brainwashing program!

These incredibly complex emotions flowed silently from Bucky's deliberately suppressed yet still undeniably present tone. They struck Steve's heart more heavily than any vehement accusation or confession.

"Mr. Howard discovered before his death that the six Winter Soldier soldiers, including myself, were ultimately human beings... flesh and blood, with brains, capable of thinking and resisting. They were not cold machines that were programmed to operate forever without ever making a mistake."

"Although my memory hasn't fully returned, and I can't recall exactly what Mr. Howard did before his death... I'm certain that it was because of that contact with Mr. Howard that I was able to gradually break free from Hydra's brainwashing program after his passing!"

At this moment, Bucky's gaze seemed to pierce through the mess before him and Steve's pained face, returning to the cold highway and to that rainy night.

And Steve...

Although he didn't experience it firsthand, Bucky, the person involved, could only describe it in a few words.

But Steve could fully imagine that Howard, even in the final moments of his life, still radiated the golden spirit of humanity!

This reminded Steve of how Howard, before his death, had repeatedly ventured deep into the permafrost to search despite the doubts and misunderstandings of outsiders, greatly narrowing down the possible location of Steve.

Only then was S.H.I.E.L.D. able to quickly find this old popsicle who had been frozen for decades, on the solid foundation that Howard had built, and bring him back to the world!

Today, thanks to Howard's efforts, Bucky has escaped the fate of being a humanoid weapon and has rediscovered himself decades later!

In a sense...

Howard gave both brothers a second life!

This is why Steve finds it increasingly difficult to accept that Howard and his wife died at Bucky's hands!

"...This place is so stuffy...I'm going out to get some fresh air. Just call me when you're ready to leave."

Under the oppressive weight of these complex emotions that almost suffocated him, Steve, unsure how to face Bucky or Tony when he returned, felt a wave of dizziness and disorientation.

After saying that casually, he turned around and walked into the dark passage.

Therefore, what Steve didn't notice was...

After watching Steve's figure disappear around the corner, and listening silently to confirm that Steve had left the area with his receding footsteps, I realized he was gone.

Bucky, who had been looking guilty, suddenly seemed like a different person, letting out a sigh of relief.

She then put her hands on her hips, turned her head, and gave Riley a disgruntled look.

Riley, who had remained silent throughout, quietly playing the role of an observer, took a few steps forward and casually placed his hand on Bucky's shoulder.

The entire set of movements was fluid and natural, without the slightest hesitation or awkwardness.

just like……

Did Bucky and Riley know each other for years?