"Why did you suddenly decide to go to Japan again? And to a place like Nagasaki, which was bombed by a nuclear weapon?"
After returning to the seaside cottage, the two exchanged a few words. Gin leaned against the door with a bottle of liquor, watching Su Ming curiously as he packed his things into a pouch.
Her hair had grown much longer over the years, but unlike other Valkyries who wore braids, she let it drape over her shoulders, giving her a softer appearance.
Su Ming put Gin's armor into the bag as well, looked around to ensure nothing was missing, then turned and sat on the sofa, patting the spot beside him.
"Natasha has gone to Japan alone, which is extremely dangerous. Although Japan has been defeated these years, this only makes some people more perverse rather than restrained."
"Uh, I've seen her strength. As long as she's cautious, it should be fine, right?" Gin walked over, sat beside Su Ming, and pushed her liquor bottle into his hand.
Su Ming sighed helplessly. He leaned back against the sofa, "If it were just her, I wouldn't worry at all. But she's going to Japan to find someone named Wolverine, and that guy is monitored constantly. Plus, he's just like Steve; any covert operation involving him will definitely turn into a full-on attack, getting discovered is a certainty."
"So, if she doesn't find him, that's fine, but if she does, she'll be dragged down instead."
Gin understood, recalling Thor, who had a similar style.
Once he made a move, that big hammer would clang loudly, and lightning would crackle. Even the most asleep Frost Giant could be startled awake.
However, Asgard places value on defeating enemies head-on, so Thor's loud battles are seen as a display of fearless bravery.
"The girls of the Spider Web are different from your Valkyries. They're better at covert operations, but mixing with someone like Wolverine is equivalent to abandoning their strengths and exposing all their weaknesses."
Su Ming held Gin's hand, and with each weakness he mentioned, he pressed down one of her fingers. Soon, her small fist was clenched.
Japan still has Baron Stryker's branch, which is one of Hydra's largest branches today, with influence deeply involved in various aspects of the Japanese government.
Besides Hydra, Japan also has the local force Hand Union, a group that split off from the Holy Shield Brotherhood, all ninjas loyal to their leader and completely unafraid of death.
When Steve was undergoing his transformation surgery, Su Ming had dealings with the Hand Union. Those ninjas were not only fierce and fearless but also treated as disposable tools by their leader.
"Do you know his current location?" Gin flexed her fingers, "If we find him in advance, there won't be a problem."
"You really think I'm omniscient? I only know he was bombed by a nuclear bomb before Japan surrendered. Who knows where he went after that!" Su Ming rubbed Gin's hair.
"Really? Staring..."
Gin leaned in closer, her face full of skepticism—she knew his ways too well.
Su Ming sighed again. Indeed, he did have some intelligence, but it wasn't certain. If he mentioned it and it turned out wrong, it would ruin his reputation.
"Alright, let's go check out Jasmine Flower Waterfall in the mountains of Nagasaki Prefecture. He might be there learning martial arts from someone named Ogun."
Under Gin's gaze, Su Ming revealed the uncertain information because this is Earth 40K, not 616, and the similarity between the two parallel worlds has been diverging more with Su Ming's series of interventions.
For example, in 616, Charles was not bald as a child, but in this world, he lost his hair at a few years old; in 616, Nick Fury is white, whereas here Fury is a Black man.
Such differences are everywhere, and if Su Ming hadn't come here, this might have been a 'timeline' world collected by Conqueror Kang.
With such drastic changes, previous intelligence becomes increasingly useless, and all events after World War II have changed completely, which is why he established an intelligence agency.
And if there's any movement, and they can't find him in Japan, they'll have to wait until Beast builds the brain wave amplifier for Charles.
"Come on, my Valkyrie, let's experience the lifestyle of the Supreme Emperor." Su Ming removed his cloak and transformed it into a flying carpet, smiling as he extended a hand to Gin.
Although Gin gave him her hand and sat on the flying carpet, her expression was quite strange as she hadn't understood what the Supreme Emperor meant.
But she didn't care, as long as they were together.
.....................
Contrary to Su Ming's information, Logan had indeed been bombed by a nuclear bomb, but it was in Hiroshima, not the naval POW camp in Nagasaki.
During World War II, although a part of the Allies, Logan actually served in the Canadian military.
Before 1982, Canada was a self-governing dominion of the United Kingdom, so their military naturally followed British command.
Although Logan and his brother Victor worked with Captain America's Invasion Team, they were more familiar with the British MI6, represented by the Union Jack, and those British agents.
After achieving some victories on the European battlefield, Logan's superpower squad was reassigned by the British Army to the Pacific Theater to help the US military seize the island chains scattered like stars.
However, the big shots in the office forgot one thing: although superpowers are strong, it's another story at sea.
The transport ship carrying Logan and others fell victim to Japanese torpedoes, turning a whole boat of superpower users and mutants into fish food.
Only a very few survived. Logan and Victor got separated. The captain, Captain Warren, was with him, the two nearly drowned, later scooped up by the Japanese like they were catching fish, and held in the Nagasaki POW camp.
But how could a mere well confine two mutants?
Logan and Captain Warren escaped and ran all the way to Hiroshima, where they went into hiding.
Wolverine's memory was affected, as the torpedo struck right over his head, through the ship's hull. He couldn't clearly remember the past, though it didn't bother him; he fell in love with a Japanese woman named Dunzi, and they quickly started a family, living sweetly together.
However, the good times didn't last long. One day, after returning home from the fields, Logan found that Captain Warren had killed Dunzi and seemed to have become a different person, even intending to kill him.
Thus, the two mutants fought, and during their battle, a second sun rose in the sky.
Hiroshima was hit by Howard's pride, a fortified atomic bomb, and the two mutants, slugging it out on the ground, were obliterated like tiny ants under its cataclysmic might.
The difference was that Logan had a self-healing ability; he recovered in a few days, while Captain Warren left nothing but ashes, leaving Logan forever in doubt.
He didn't understand why the captain wanted to kill his wife, or him, or many other things.
And the surrounding area of Hiroshima became uninhabitable, leaving him to find more remote places to go into seclusion. He chose the Miyajima area in Hiroshima Prefecture.
With the tranquil Seto Inland Sea, the red-pillared high water pavilion, black demon tiles, and the vast blue sky and sea, everything seemed so peaceful.
For years, he lived in the mountains, sometimes visiting the grand torii of Yan Island, or feeding deer at the shrine, cultivating himself like a retired old man.
He didn't need money, and he could go into the mountains to hunt, exchanging animal hides for clothing money with others.
He found the rural Japanese people to be very simple and earnest, unlike the devils on the battlefield. Logan gradually became familiar with them, finding Japanese people even friendlier than Europeans and Americans.
They revered the strong, and since Logan was very strong and his appearance was heroic and imposing, everyone treated him with respect.
Even when he demonstrated his mutant abilities, people only admired and envied him for his superpower.
Instead of shooting sunken looks and screaming in fear, they enthusiastically shouted words like "Sugoi" and "Subarashii," their eyes filled with admiration.
Everyone praised his superpower.
In such an environment, he was named Lord Wolf Warrior by the villagers and felt amazing.
During these years of seclusion, he even had the mind to ponder the meaning of war, or dabble in haiku or landscape painting...
Ah, with such a peaceful and untroubled mindset, hatred, war and peace, right and wrong, those things didn't matter anymore.
However, this state of mind was shattered today.
While feeding deer at the shrine, he encountered a beautiful Japanese woman, who bore a few resemblances to Dunzi, and was there for an early New Year blessing.
His heart could no longer stay calm.