"Find?" Red Skull was momentarily stunned, then suddenly realized something. "You came here to find the Soul Stone, too?"
Before Arthur could answer, Red Skull suddenly burst into loud laughter. He laughed so hard that he rocked back and forth. Suspended in midair, thick streams of black smoke poured out of his body alongside his laughter.
Arthur felt that, judging by the current situation, he might not need to act at all. Give it a few more minutes, and this guy would probably laugh himself to death!
What was so funny about that?
Wait!
Had he overlooked something?
His brows furrowed tightly. The floodgates of memory flew open, and countless recollections surfaced in his mind, flashing by one after another.
In the end, the scene froze on the moment when he watched Avengers: Infinity War, when Red Skull led Thanos and Gamora in search of the Soul Stone.
A fact that had always been there, yet had been ignored by Arthur, suddenly surfaced in his heart.
Why didn't Red Skull take the Soul Stone himself?
Looking up, he wondered if it was because he couldn't leave this place. Had he become a slave to the Soul Stone? Or was it because in this world, he had no one he truly loved?
No matter the reason, one thing was clear: he couldn't approach the Soul Stone, nor could he take it.
Instead, he was bound to this planet forever, unable to find release.
Lost in thought, Arthur suddenly understood why Red Skull was laughing.
To Red Skull, Arthur was probably the most detestable person in the world. If not for Arthur's arrival, Red Skull would have suffered the same fate, but Steve would have been the key problem. Arthur's emergence replaced Steve, becoming a nightmare etched into Red Skull's heart.
Given these circumstances, how could Red Skull not hate him? Once he learned that Arthur intended to search for the Soul Stone, Red Skull naturally approved wholeheartedly!
From the beginning, Arthur overlooked Red Skull's role in staying here.
He was not the guardian of the Soul Stone.
He was merely a guide who led those wishing to obtain the Soul Stone to it.
Letting out a soft breath, Arthur's mouth curved slightly upward. At that moment, Red Skull's laughter finally stopped.
"No cigars. No luxury cars or fine wine. No triumphant battle reports. No like-minded companions! You can't imagine how I've survived in a world where even time itself is uncertain. Day after day of monotony, boredom, and loneliness, like demons constantly eroding my soul. Until today, when my soul finally drank sweet dew. I actually heard such wonderful news..."
He revealed a strange, ferocious grin at Arthur. "You want to find the Soul Stone? Fine. I'll take you there!"
"Alright."
Arthur nodded lightly.
No matter what, he had to find the Soul Stone. As for Red Skull, if necessary, he could always call down those guys from the sky and pin Red Skull to the ground once the issue of the Soul Stone was resolved. No problem at all!
…
…
The rugged mountain path wound upward, twisting and turning.
For unknown reasons, when Red Skull decided to lead Arthur to the Stone's location, he insisted they start from the foot of the mountain and climb step by step.
Arthur didn't know if this mountain held some other significance, but he didn't argue with Red Skull.
The two of them walked along the mountain path, one behind the other. As they walked, Red Skull chatted with Arthur.
Honestly, this kind of scene was simply too bizarre for Arthur... so eerie that he would never imagine anything like it, even in a dream.
After all, whenever he thought of the man in front of him, scenes of bloody slaughter always came to mind.
Either he had slammed the other party to the ground and crushed them...
...or he had been pressed to the ground by the other party.
Of course, from the beginning until now, the other party had never actually succeeded in doing that.
In any case, two people casually chatting while climbing a mountain together was utterly bizarre and beyond the realm of even the wildest dreams.
"How did you survive for so many years?"
"Where did the Tesseract go afterward?"
"What's with the outfit you're wearing? I've seen quite a few intelligent life forms from other planets come here. I take up the decent ones with me. Others, I kill outright. What you're wearing is different from theirs."
"Is Earth ruled by Hydra now? Don't tell me Hydra has already been destroyed. Don't forget, cut off one head, and it can still..."
Arthur seriously suspected that the thing in front of him wasn't Red Skull but rather a chatterbox with red skin from who knows where.
How could he keep rambling on like this?
Arthur had no interest in small talk, but he answered some of the questions.
For example, Hydra was now like rats scurrying across the street. Hydra's conspiracy hidden within S.H.I.E.L.D. had been exposed, for example. Hydra had been purged by S.H.I.E.L.D., and its various plans had been thwarted.
And when talking about the most recent situation, Arthur said, "In fact, before coming here, I had already given the order to wipe out Hydra. Perhaps by the time I return to Earth, Hydra will have become nothing but a thing of the past."
Red Skull paused in his footsteps. He turned around to look at Arthur, then suddenly asked with deep malice, "Is there someone you love most?"
"Yes," Arthur replied calmly.
"You won't," Red Skull turned back and continued walking upward. "Hydra will not perish because I am still here!"
"You'll disappear soon as well," Arthur said. "Otherwise, why do you think I came here?"
"No one knows I'm here." Red Skull froze for a moment.
Arthur smiled faintly. "There are many people in the universe..."
Earth's civilization has already..." Halfway through, Red Skull suddenly looked at Arthur again. "No, not Earth! It's you! You've come into contact with this world, this universe, yet you never told anyone about it! You secretly made contact and acted however you pleased. So you understand it, too, don't you? Apart from us, they're just ordinary mortals. Why fight for them? No, it's not too late! We can build a great nation with a unified will. If you're willing, I can let bygones be bygones for what happened in the past. How about it? Why don't we shake hands and make peace?"
Arthur stared at him, dumbfounded. After a long moment, he sighed and said, "If you're sick, you need to see a doctor. I think you're seriously ill. Hmm, it seems those serums didn't just take away your skin color; they also took away part of your brain."
(End of Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 70 chapters on my patreon: https://www.patreon.com/GGS6395