Steve could only watch as Deathstroke, with his black and yellow figure, slowly flew away.
Baki grabbed Dr. Zola, his nose still adorned with round glasses.
He looked at the empty-shell robot on the ground, then at the frustrated Steve.
"Do you know him?"
Steve was preparing to head to the front of the train to stop it and then find a way to reunite with his teammates.
"We had an unpleasant encounter before, he stole scientists and the Super Soldier Serum from the Strategic Science Corps. But later he saved all of us in Paris. I'm a bit confused about what he really wants to do and who he's working for."
"Is it the serum that turned you from a stick into what you are now?"
But before Steve could answer, Dr. Zola protested: "Dr. Erskine is German, his research was supported by Hydra. The things you snatched were ultimately taken by someone else, it's karma."
"Shut up!" Baki knocked Dr. Zola hard: "We still haven't settled the score for torturing me last time."
"Bring him back alive, let him face judgment." Steve wasn't in favor of torturing captives, but if it was Baki, hitting a few times to vent, he could pretend not to see.
"Deathstroke can fly, he just came and flew away, right?" Baki casually knocked Dr. Zola a few times, feeling relieved after venting his anger, and pulled the topic back to Deathstroke.
By this time, Steve and the others had reached the front of the train. After knocking out the driver, Steve found a way to disrupt the power transmission, and the train slowly came to a halt.
"Yes, last time we met, he didn't have this ability." Steve took over Dr. Zola, carrying him on his shoulder. The two of them carefully climbed down the train from the previously broken carriage hole.
"He's really fast, right? Just now, as he charged through the enemy lines, I couldn't see a person." Baki was walking between the tracks, feeling the steady comfort underfoot.
"Indeed, he's always very fast, I can only catch a glimpse."
Steve sighed, feeling helpless—perhaps he was a Super Soldier, but in the face of this power, he seemed no different than a regular person.
Baki signaled Steve to look into the distance, at the gray-white sky: "If he can fly and is very fast, then I think he's deliberately showing us his back now."
It was revealed that Deathstroke was still flying slowly in the sky, facing away from them as if in slow motion.
It was true he was getting farther away, but the speed was astonishingly slow; they could still see him after all this time.
Amidst the surroundings, where the mountaintops stirred up fine snowflakes, swirling in the wind to create various thin white mists, Deathstroke's silhouette seemed to become more towering in this murderous atmosphere.
Steve: "... Don't watch, you'll get sick, let's move on."
He and Baki lowered their heads and hurried away.
Meanwhile, under the railway bridge, a squad of Levitan agents was hiding in the snow, watching the floating figure in the sky, and they didn't dare to move.
It felt as if being discovered by the person above would mean death...death...death...
But they had a nagging feeling, as if they'd missed something important.
.................
When the two finally reunited with the Roaring Assault Team, after going through all sorts of trials and tribulations, they finally made it back to the SSR Frontline Sub-Bases, only to find ordinary staff welcoming them.
Steve handed Dr. Zola over to the MPs for imprisonment, while looking around for the figure that made his heart leap.
"Where's Agent Carter?"
The MP shrugged, handcuffing Dr. Zola: "She should still be with Colonel Philip, we don't really know what they're doing."
"Thanks." Steve nodded in appreciation, then turned to ask Baki: "What are you planning to do?"
At this moment, Baki was arm in arm with his other comrades, ready to go for a drink.
After Mr. Wilson showed up, he gave both him and Steve a fair bit of pocket money, and Baki accepted it without any reservations.
After all, they used to eat a lot of Wilson Enterprises' products when they were young, and the gentleman would take them out monthly for meals.
Initially, there was a certain sense of embarrassment, feeling they shouldn't always rely on others.
But the cunning Mr. Wilson kept tempting them with new things—new flavors of ice cream, new toy cars, new clothes.
Eventually, Steve and Baki got used to it, they kept the gentleman's kindness in their hearts and no longer resisted accepting small gifts and pocket money.
Though nothing was officially confirmed, in a certain sense, Su Ming acted as a godfather to both of them.
Baki now had money again, and after almost dying this time, he naturally wanted to go drink, unwind, and maybe charm a lady.
"I'm not you, Steel Body, I'm going for some fun, are you coming?"
Baki casually patted Dugan's round hat, full of smiles, yet for some reason, he was still wearing Dr. Zola's glasses, seemingly treating them as war trophies.
Steve knew Baki would be off to flirt, so he shook his head and pulled out a few US Dollars: "No, I need to report the action to Colonel Philip first, you guys head over, the first round is on me; see you at the bar later."
Baki's expression seemed to say he'd seen through everything, as he took the money with a cunning smile: "You're off to 'report' to Agent Carter, right? Are you sure you'll still come to find us at the bar? That'd be pretty fast."
"Hahaha..." Members of the Roaring Assault Team joined in the teasing with hearty laughter.
Steve feigned a gesture of wanting to hit them with his shield, but merely pushed Baki lightly on the chest with his other hand: "Get lost, we're not like you think."
Baki pulled the others away, still explaining to those around him past situations: "Steve is still a virgin, isn't it surprising? I once told you guys about..."
Steve sighed helplessly as if he had experienced life and death... no, it was as if Baki had become more talkative after putting on glasses.
Illusion?
He searched for Peggy's figure in the underground bunkers and finally saw a few people beside an experiment table in Howard's experimental area.
Colonel Philip, Peggy, Howard, and Mr. Wilson are surrounding a table, not sure what they're doing, with quite a few people poking their heads to watch.
"Colonel, Roaring Assault Team reporting!"
Steve approached the table, saluted, and saw that the Colonel seemed to not notice him, deeply focused on the little squares on the table.
"Ah, returned? Okay, write an action report, you can rest now... twenty thousand."
"Mahjong! Pure color! 24 fans, hurry up and pay!"
Howard overturned the small square in front of him, picked up the block that the Colonel threw out and attached it to his pile, extending his hand to the Colonel with a big smile.
The Colonel let out a "tsk", reluctantly counted out some US Dollars and threw them to Howard, then stared at Steve.
Blaming him for causing a misplay.
At first, the Colonel opposed playing mahjong in the military camp, but he couldn't control either Howard or Slade.
The two pulled Agent Carter to play mahjong with them, and since Peggy had to take on the task of entertaining consultants due to Lorin's departure at this stage.
Strictly speaking, she was executing a task by playing mahjong.
But hearing the sound of shuffling tiles over there, and Howard occasionally laughing excitedly, the Colonel finally couldn't resist his curiosity and watched a few rounds.
The result was, without realizing it, when he came back to his senses, he was already seated at the table with his tiles arranged.
Since he was already seated, why not play a few rounds?
And then they played through an entire day and night.....
Now, after a few days, except for Su Ming, the three others had deep-set eyes, and the discarded instant noodle bowls at the table's corner were piled high with cigarette butts.
Su Ming pushed his tile and sighed; he was also working towards a big hand.
But Howard's luck was too good, always winning, and the Colonel's bad hand seemed destined to lose.
"Alright, Colonel Philip, let's call it a day; Steve seems like he has serious business."
Su Ming stood up, stretching his shoulders; sitting all the time was quite boring.
Peggy also stood up from the table, shaking her head; she seemed a bit dizzy, unaware that she had played for too long.
The Colonel saw that they were no longer playing and couldn't continue, so he uttered harsh words to Howard, saying he wanted to win back the money lost next time, and then left with Steve.
Howard carefully packed the mahjong into a box, revealing a proud smile, with his whiskers twitching.
He was very grateful to Slade for teaching him such an interesting game, far more fun than poker.
Looking at the money in his hand, though usually, he wouldn't even bend to pick it up off the ground, winning it felt completely different.
"Go sleep in the dormitory, wake up and find the Colonel for another match."
What woman to find? Before those young nurses learn mahjong, he won't meet them again!
"Playing mahjong is really fun."
Howard uttered heartfelt thoughts.
Su Ming nodded with a smile, he had helped Howard find true life's joy and suddenly felt his red scarf on his chest was even brighter.
.................
The Allies finally survived this cold winter, the battle in the Ardennes Region ultimately ended with the German Army retreating, and the Russians' offensive in the East became increasingly fierce.
In 1945, Xiaohuzi in Berlin made frequent blunders; even Howard could see the Germans were almost finished.
But he had to leave his beloved mahjong and return to the country to participate in a national secret project.
Code-named Manhattan Project, aimed to make a big bomb, this supposedly confidential matter was directly shared with Su Ming through his big mouth...
Before leaving, he also told Su Ming he had bought a building in New York, named Stark Mahjong House, and asked Su Ming to wait for him there.
The big bomb the country wants, atomic fission creating a chain reaction? What's the big deal? He could make it in no time.
After defeating the Germans and Japanese devils, everyone would happily play cards together!
But Su Ming didn't leave, he still had the last step of work to do.
Which was obtaining the Cosmic Rubik's Cube and giving it to The Ancient One for research, while also preserving Steve.
Want to sleep under the Arctic ice layer?
No way, get up and get pumped, honestly go shoot an advertisement for Wilson Enterprises!