The neat handwriting above clearly indicated that it was recorded by a woman, meticulously detailing Peggy's mission progress... It could be described as a mission progress flowchart.
"This is…" Peggy's body weakened further as she vaguely recalled something she had promised someone…
"November 15, 1944, Cloudy, overcast. Agent Carter accompanied the Howling Commandos in capturing a secret Hydra base. After the battle commenced, Agent Carter bravely charged into the base, subduing fifteen armed German soldiers in the process…"
"November 20, 1944, Sunny. Agent Carter…"
… … … … … … … …
… … … … … … … … … …
… … … … … … … … … … … … … …
"March 21, 1945, Light rain. Agent Carter…"
"Darling, trust me, I can explain…" Carter's legs were giving out… According to what was recorded in this notebook, she was in for a lot of embarrassment in the coming days.
"Mm, I'm waiting for your explanation. Honey, trust me… I will listen to your explanation on the X very patiently!" Zhou Ye said, bending down and hoisting Carter directly onto his shoulder, heading towards her dormitory…
"If I hadn't seen this, I wouldn't have known that our Agent Carter is so valiant, almost like Superman. How should I reward you, my Peggy darling!?" Zhou Ye said as he walked.
"At least…" Carter hesitated for a long time, unable to continue, because everything recorded in the notebook was true… Shouldn't she, at this moment, act like a shrew and shout, 'You actually sent someone to monitor me?'
No, no, Carter was certain that doing so would result in an even more miserable end…
"Alright, at least let me prepare some food…" Peggy didn't want to starve to death… Punishment was punishment, but at least being punished on a full stomach was better than being hungry.
Zhou Ye was almost amused by Carter's words. "Don't worry, I definitely won't let you starve. I'm just afraid that you'll be too full to eat later…"
"No…"
With Carter's mournful cry, her room door was closed. It was said that after this Victory Day celebration, Agent Carter didn't show her face for a whole week… When Carter appeared a week later, she looked completely drained… But on the contrary, her face was flushed, looking quite radiant.
Carter's disappearance for this week became an unsolved mystery for the Special Operations Team. Those who knew kept silent about it, while those who didn't kept speculating… Historically known as, 'The Mystery of Agent Carter's Disappearance'.
Chapter 393
1946—New York—Long Island Estate.
"Hi, baby, go for it, you're about to win!" Zhou Ye was standing beside the racetrack, cheering for his daughter… Natasha, now thirteen years old, could already be considered a young woman.
On spring break, she brought her classmates to Zhou Ye's estate. It must be said that Natasha's classmates, of course, those little lolis that Zhou Ye had brought out from the Leviathan organization, had now fully embraced the Umbrella-style education.
Relaxed, but with outstanding results.
They had already regarded Umbrella as the place for their lifelong endeavors. Unknowingly, they had already regarded Zhou Ye as the object of their loyalty…
There was no other way. Compared to black technology, Zhou Ye was several streets ahead of Leviathan. While Leviathan was still using those outdated, hypnotic brainwashing methods to ensure the loyalty of their subordinates, Umbrella Corporation had already mixed all the gene modification potions into the vaccines given to the girls, injecting them into the girls' bodies.
The iron rule of loyalty to Zhou Ye and loyalty to Umbrella was firmly engraved in the girls' DNA… This kind of brainwashing method could not be compared to those crude hypnotisms.
"Now, do you understand, dear Daddy!" Natasha said, depressed, looking at the disappointing performance of her classmates. "So, Daddy, can you give us some independent space?"
"Alright, alright… Alas, my daughter has grown up and doesn't want me to accompany her anymore!" Zhou Ye said with emotion as he walked outside.
"Stinky Daddy…" Natasha watched Zhou Ye's departing figure, biting her lower lip tightly. In fact, she really wanted to be alone with Zhou Ye, but… Looking at those lolis beside her who were still looking at Zhou Ye's departure with adoring eyes,
She didn't want to share Zhou Ye with these classmates at all…
But who made her the initiator of this activity? She had to finish what she started, even with tears in her eyes.
"Alright, girls, the external factor disturbing us is no longer here, let's continue our competition!" Natasha said, urging those little lolis who were still staring at her father's back and unwilling to leave to return to the track.
The first horse race of the Umbrella agent class was held again.
On the other side, Zhou Ye had just returned to his residence when a maid came to him and said softly: "Master, Mr. Stark has been waiting for you in the living room for a long time!"
"Oh? Why does this guy have time to come here?" Zhou Ye said, following the maid towards the living room. As soon as he entered the living room, Zhou Ye saw Howard sitting on the sofa.
"Hi, Zhou!" Seeing Zhou Ye walking in, Howard stood up, looking as calm as ever… But from his slightly disheveled hair and slightly hurried steps, Zhou Ye could already judge that this guy was in big trouble.
"Hi, Howard, I remember you were supposed to be vacationing in some country in Europe, right?" Zhou Ye shook hands with Howard and then sat down. He asked: "What's wrong? Are there too few beauties there? So you ended your vacation early?"
"No, actually I was escorted back!" Howard had no other way to think of at the moment. If he had other tricks, he wouldn't have come to Zhou Ye. "You must help me this time, Zhou!"
"Oh? Tell me, what exactly happened?" Zhou Ye asked.
"Someone dug a big hole in the basement of my house… And then I lost some toys, uh, I should say some very dangerous toys…" Howard said.
"But shouldn't you call the police if you lose something?" Zhou Ye asked, pretending to be confused.
"The problem is, now the committee is trying to arrest me on suspicion of selling military technology to foreign countries without authorization…" Howard said: "You know those vampires, they can't wait to take possession of all my inventions without giving me a penny, and those industrial companies that we offended before are also one of the masterminds behind the scenes… Now I suspect that if I am arrested by them, I will soon die in prison due to some acute illness…"
"Alright, what do you want me to do to help you?" Zhou Ye asked.
"I want you to help me recover those toys, after all, many things are very dangerous…" Howard said: "The most important thing is a molecular formula, it is quite dangerous…"
After listening to Howard's narration.
"Alright…" Zhou Ye sighed. Who told him he owed him a favor? Sometimes Zhou Ye is still very willing to talk about favors, of course, provided that Zhou Ye finds that person pleasing to the eye, otherwise… Hehe.
"I'll send you to Italy first, this country is not safe for you now…" Zhou Ye said, waving his hand and calling over a maid and said: "Go prepare dinner, I will have dinner with Mr. Stark and then send him abroad!"
"Yes, Master, I will go and prepare now!" The maid said, leaving here.
"Why didn't you go to Steve?" Zhou Ye turned his head to look at Howard and asked. "He is Captain America, if he says a word for you, you will have a lot less pressure, right?"
"Don't joke, Zhou!" Howard said depressed: "In this country of capital, you and I both know what is the sharp weapon to control those media, obviously, Steve, although he is the darling of the media, does not have the capital to control the media!"
"Moreover, if there is anyone who can help me solve this big trouble, I think no one else has this ability except you!" Howard said: "If you can't solve this trouble, then… Steve and the others better not be dragged in by me…"
"You really trust me…" Zhou Ye rolled his eyes, "Why don't you think of me when you go out to pick up girls, you only think of me when something happens?"
"This is a huge misunderstanding..." Howard exclaimed, aggrieved. "Every time I called you, a female voice answered. I couldn't tell who was who! Which one was your maid, which one was your woman... As soon as they heard I was looking for you to attend a party, those women hung up on me immediately..."
"Uh––––!" Zhou Ye was speechless. Was he supposed to tell Howard that all the maids were his women? Forget it, he didn't want to be criticized as a playboy by this womanizer.
Chapter 394
The two chatted for a while, but it wasn't anything important. What can two playboys talk about? Besides women, they had no other topics.
"Master, the dinner is ready!" A maid walked over and whispered to Zhou Ye.
"Okay, I got it!" Zhou Ye nodded. He smiled and said to Howard sitting opposite him, "Let's go. In our hometown, a sumptuous meal is essential to say goodbye to friends!"
"I can't wait!" Howard smiled and followed Zhou Ye to stand up. Although he knew the address of Zhou Ye's manor, it was his first time visiting here. After all, they hadn't known each other for long before he rushed to the front lines of the European war.
Led by the maid, the two came to the restaurant. After taking their seats, the maids began to serve the dishes. Exquisite dishes were placed on the table…
"Oh my god, Zhou, are you sure we're going to eat them?" Howard looked at the beautiful dishes and really couldn't bear to start. "These are completely works of art… Are we going to destroy these works of art?"
"Eat it with peace of mind. I believe that after eating it, you will feel that eating them is more valuable than looking at them!" Zhou Ye said, pointing to one of the dishes. The maid understood, picked up the serving chopsticks, and, under Howard's regretful gaze, picked up the head of a lady sculpted from tofu and placed it in his small bowl.
"Oh my god… I now know what it means to waste God's gifts. You actually ate such a beautiful lady…" Howard accused Zhou Ye of his atrocities while also using the serving chopsticks to pick up the lady's body and put it in his bowl.
He didn't expect the maid to serve him. Didn't you see that the maids only had Zhou Ye in their eyes? Wait for the maid to help him? Forget it, it's better to do it yourself. Fortunately, Howard had eaten Chinese food before, and he was quite skilled in using chopsticks, this unique tableware.
"You guy…" Zhou Ye looked at Howard's actions and complained, "You said I ate a beautiful lady, but you didn't even let go of her body…"
"Nonono. I'm saving this beautiful lady from the depths of misery!" Howard said, gently picking up a piece of tofu and putting it in his mouth. The sweet and delicate taste that melted in his mouth instantly conquered him. "Oh my god, this is the ultimate delicacy. Zhou, how about we switch chefs?"
"No change…" Zhou Ye directly refused. Just kidding, these meals were all made by his maids, how could he switch with him?
"Really, you praised my chef when you first came to my place!" Howard said, moving his chopsticks like flying. "Oh my god, this is much better than that damn General Tso's chicken…"
"Pfft—" Zhou Ye almost spit out the food in his mouth from laughing. Those restaurants in Chinatown, when they encounter foreigners, use modified things that suit foreign tastes to fool the foreigners. How could they let him eat real Chinese food?
Howard really ate to his heart's content at this dinner… Patting his bulging belly, Howard groaned, "Damn it, I can't come here often to freeload in the future. If I come a few more times, I'm afraid my little belly will get bigger before I'm forty…"
"It's best not to come. Men are not welcome here…" Zhou Ye said leisurely, smiling and drinking the tea served by the maid.
"If I don't come, I won't come. At most, I'll hire a Chinese chef when I get back!" Howard looked disgruntled, but he could only talk tough.
"Darling, I heard you're entertaining guests here?" A voice came, and then a woman with long brown hair walked in. It was Peggy.
"Oh my god, Howard, why are you here?" Peggy was surprised when she saw Howard.
"Isn't it a surprising thing to see an old friend!" Howard imitated Zhou Ye and drank tea, saying, "Why is it so bitter? Or should you get me a cup of coffee?"
"No need to change it for him. Drinking tea with Chinese food helps digestion and clears greasiness!" Zhou Ye stopped the maid's actions.
"Okay, okay, you're right!" Howard spread his hands helplessly, pinched his nose, and continued to drink the tea…
"Of course, seeing an old friend is not a surprising thing!" Peggy also walked over at this time, sat directly next to Zhou Ye, and kissed Zhou Ye lightly on the face, saying, "But a wanted criminal appearing here is a big problem!"
"Uh—okay, okay, I'm actually here to ask Zhou for help!" Howard said helplessly after being exposed by Peggy, "You know, Peggy, we've worked together so many times on the European battlefield. Do you believe their accusations against me?"
Peggy looked at Howard's cautious appearance with a straight face and said directly, "Believe it!"
"Oh my god, Peggy, you're hurting me!" Howard let out a sigh, looking like a sad person.
"As an agent, I believe the evidence presented by the council, but as a friend, I believe you are innocent!" Peggy smiled and said.
"I also believe I am innocent!" Howard was the kind of guy who would be happy if you gave him a little sunshine. Hearing Peggy's words, he climbed up the pole and said, "So, I came to Zhou, wanting him to help me clear my name!"
The three exchanged pleasantries for a while. Zhou Ye and Peggy sent Howard to the small airport in the manor, watching Howard drive a plane along the runway and slide into the sky. A small plane is not worth much money to Zhou Ye.
"Need me to help with anything?" Peggy asked Zhou Ye, she actually just wanted to prove her existence…
After all, in this era, discrimination against women is still everywhere. She is not happy in the Scientific Strategic Corps. Saying she is on field duty is actually just a clerical worker in the office.
"No need…" Having read the plot, Zhou Ye didn't even need Peggy to provide him with internal information to chop off the claws that Leviathan stretched out.
"How about this, darling!" Peggy tried another trick. She leaned close to Zhou Ye's ear and whispered, "Let's compare who finds out the truth first? If I win… darling, you have to promise me a condition, if you win… I'll let you do whatever you want."
"Huh?" Zhou Ye looked at Peggy in surprise. "Are you sure?"
"Of course!" Peggy believed that with the internal information from the Scientific Strategic Corps, she would definitely be able to easily grasp the key truth before Zhou Ye. Of course, she had even thought about the conditions. When the time came, she would let her dear use his influence in the political arena to transfer her to a place where she could really go on field duty.
"Heh heh heh heh…" Zhou Ye looked Peggy up and down, making Peggy feel a little overwhelmed.
"…What's wrong?" Peggy looked at her clothes, she didn't wear them wrong…
"Okay, I agree!" Zhou Ye said with a smile, "Peggy, baby, you just wait for me to do whatever I want…"
Saying that, Zhou Ye smiled and put his arm around Peggy and walked towards the electric car.
"No…" Peggy felt something was wrong at this time and said cautiously, "Darling, I actually just saw that the atmosphere was very serious and was just joking with you… Can I take back what I just said?"
"Be a person of integrity!" Zhou Ye's faint words blocked all of Peggy's retreat…
"Oh…no…" Peggy already felt that she seemed to be able to start considering how to avoid someone's certain improper hobbies…
Chapter 395
"Good morning, Miss Underwood!"
"Good morning, Miss Dottie!"
"Morning, Miss Underwood!"
Dottie Underwood, wearing a lady's suit, walked in the Stark Industries office building, constantly greeting the respectful and envious employees.
Dottie enjoys her current life. She knows that without the help of her man, even if she escaped Leviathan's control, it would be difficult to build a career outside.
And now, with her man, she is a senior management talent envied by everyone in the upper class of America. She is the CEO of a large enterprise controlling tens of millions of assets. She is a modern female leader sought after by newspapers, a model for women, and a banner of the feminist movement.
Thinking of the feminist leader's praise for her, Dottie couldn't help but smile. I wonder if that chubby woman knew that she had climbed to her current high position by relying on her man, would she feel that her firm belief had collapsed?
Thinking of Zhou Ye's words, Dottie had some feelings. "Movement organizations and the like are just fig leaves for politicians and capitalists. They are used when needed, and discarded when not needed, and a few bones can be thrown over!"
Just as Dottie was thinking about Zhou Ye's words and couldn't help but smile, the elevator she was riding in stopped on her office floor. The elevator door opened, and she stepped out.
At this moment, she suddenly saw a blue cleaning uniform flashing past the stairwell… This made her a little suspicious.
Cleaning staff shouldn't be here at this time… Their working hours should be in the evening after work and in the early morning… Why would there be cleaning staff at this time?
With such doubts, Dottie opened her office, took off her coat and hung it on the hanger. Dottie, wearing a shirt and skirt, walked to her desk. She suddenly found that her desk had been touched…
As a woman who had received special agent training since childhood, Dotty would inadvertently leave marks in certain special places even now. But now, a strand of hair that was gently draped on the drawer handle was gone... This indicated that someone had moved her desk.
Dotty hurriedly pulled open the drawer, wanting to see if anything was missing...
But when she opened the drawer, a mark that she would never forget appeared in her drawer... It was a piece of paper with a sea monster symbol drawn on it.
"Leviathan!" Dotty was truly surprised and suspicious. The feeling of a nightmare that she thought she had gotten rid of reappearing in front of her was really quite unpleasant.
What to do? What on earth should she do? Dottie was momentarily at a loss... She subconsciously thought of her man. She hurriedly picked up the phone, dialed a number, and then hung up...
Since her office had been broken into, it was possible that eavesdropping equipment had been installed, and she didn't want to take the risk...
She calmed herself down, then picked up the piece of paper with the Leviathan symbol on it. On the back was a time and place...
After looking at it, she folded the paper and put it in her pocket, then picked up a document and walked towards the office of the First Sales Department downstairs...
She knew that there definitely wouldn't be anyone in that sales department at this time, but no agent would fill the entire building with eavesdropping devices... The cost was too high... And that sales department was precisely the least likely place to be bugged...
Because that sales department was empty all year round... In fact, it was just a temporary setup. Only when there were international exhibitions would it be filled with temporarily transferred sales elites, and usually there was no one there... And she happened to have the key to that place.
As usual, greeting the employees she met on the way, Dottie walked into the First Sales Department's room... then took out a small wireless satellite phone from the bracelet on her left hand and directly dialed someone's number—
"Hello, Dottie darling, didn't you just go to work? Do you miss me so soon? Could it be because the morning exercise didn't satisfy you?" Zhou Ye's lazy voice came from the microphone.
"Darling... I miss you!" Dottie's troubled heart calmed down a lot when she heard Zhou Ye's voice. Her tone trembled slightly as she said, "They're here... They've come to me..."
"They? Who?" Zhou Ye's voice became serious. He sensed Dottie's fear. There weren't many things that could frighten this female agent. If he thought about it, there really was one. "Leviathan?"
"Yes, darling, I need you now..." Dottie couldn't help but shudder when she heard the name Leviathan. It was her nightmare.
"Don't worry, baby, you'll be fine with me here!" Along with Zhou Ye's words came the rustling sound of putting on clothes. "Tell me where you are now..."
"I'm at... the place where we experienced the office romance together last time..." Dottie didn't care about being shy. It was because Zhou Ye wanted to play the CEO role-play, and Dottie's office was always occupied, that Dottie had the key to this room...
"...Uh, you've found a really nice place..." Zhou Ye sighed softly. He didn't expect that Howard had come to him for help yesterday, and today Leviathan was coming after his woman. They were courting death...
"I'm waiting for you, darling. I'm a little scared..." Dottie said softly. Even though she had been injected with the gene serum and had Wolverine-like recovery abilities, the nightmares from her childhood weren't so easy to get rid of.
Just then, a ring of Stargate doors emitting flames appeared in front of her, and Dottie's heart suddenly settled down. She knew that her backer, her man, had arrived, and she no longer had to be afraid of anything...
"Baby, I'm here!" As soon as Zhou Ye's figure walked out of the portal, Dottie rushed over. She hugged Zhou Ye tightly, and at that moment, she finally felt no longer afraid.
"Darling, it's so good to have you..." At this moment, Dottie truly felt at ease, and she even felt that her childhood trauma had improved a lot...
"I didn't expect that I had just agreed to help Howard clear his name yesterday, and today clues have come to my door. This is a good thing, baby!" Zhou Ye gently patted Dottie's back, comforting her.
"Mm—!" As the CEO of Stark Industries, how could she not know about Howard's affairs? You know, yesterday a lot of federal government personnel came, sealing archives and looking for evidence...
If it hadn't been for Zhou Ye's back channels in the government exerting pressure, the entire Stark Industries would have been sealed off yesterday...
"Come on, baby, tell me, what did you see?" Zhou Ye asked.
"This..." Dottie said, taking out the piece of paper with the Leviathan symbol on it from her pocket, pointing to the time and place on the back and saying to Zhou Ye, "I think the people in the organization have discovered me. After all, I've been too high-profile these days... My news is all over the newspapers."
"This is good news, baby!" Zhou Ye said with a smile.
"Good news?" Dottie asked in confusion, "If they reveal my previous identity, then everything I have now..."
"No, baby, trust me, even if they reveal your identity, you will be shaped into a symbol!" Zhou Ye smiled. He felt that this girl still knew too little about the ways of the capitalist world.
"Besides, I don't think they will have the chance to reveal your identity!" Zhou Ye said, a hint of cold light flashing in his eyes. "The Leviathan organization no longer needs to exist!"
"Darling... then how should I cooperate with you?" Dottie asked.
"Of course, it's to keep the appointment..." Zhou Ye looked at the time and address on the piece of paper and said with a smile, "If you don't keep the appointment, how can we catch this little mouse? If we don't have this mouse, how can we catch a nest of mice? If we catch a nest of mice, are we still afraid of not being able to find their mouse hole?"
"Mm, I understand, darling!" Dottie understood Zhou Ye's meaning, and she was willing to take risks for Zhou Ye...
"Relax, baby!" Zhou Ye smiled and tugged at the corner of Dottie's mouth, "Don't make it look like you're going to the execution ground. Don't worry, I won't let you fall into a dangerous situation!"
"Mm—!" Dottie smiled. It has to be said that she looked very sweet when she smiled.
Chapter 396
Bergen County and Manhattan are separated by a river, but they are two different worlds.
This is a quiet town. Compared to Manhattan across the river, there are no towering skyscrapers, no brightly lit night scenes, and no crowds of people.
But it is quiet and beautiful here, a good place for leisure. Many urban wage earners who can't afford the rising housing prices in New York have had to settle down here.
Although this town is small, it has everything. You know, the sense of smell of those businessmen is quite keen. Wherever there is money to be made, there they will be.
In a bar in the town, it is now full of people who come here for leisure. They are talking about the recently popular radio show [Captain America's Adventures] and the impact of the demobilization after the victory of the European War. Everywhere are veterans returning home and competing with them for jobs. I have to say, many people are complaining, why didn't the European War last a few more years...
In an inconspicuous corner of the bar, a tall and thin middle-aged man is drinking beer. He is no different from everyone else who comes here to drink. If there is anything, it is probably that he is very silent and doesn't talk as loudly as the people next to him...
Just then, the door of the bar opened, and a fashionable and beautiful woman walked in. She instantly attracted the attention of those single men.
"Hi, miss, can I buy you a drink?" A young man who thought he looked good stood up, walked to the woman, and made what he thought was an elegant gesture.
"Sorry, you're not my type!" The woman glanced at him and dismissed him with one sentence.
The young man touched his nose and returned to his seat, accepting the ridicule of his friends around him...
"Is anyone sitting here? Can I sit here?" After looking around, the woman set her sights on the seat next to the middle-aged man.
"..." The man didn't speak, but made a gesture of please go ahead.
Seeing the woman's choice, those who were eager to try let out a wail. They couldn't figure out what was attracting this beauty to this unremarkable middle-aged man.
But what made them happy was that the man quickly finished his beer, left a bill, got up and left the bar...
Several men scrambled to get to the seat vacated by the middle-aged man, wanting to get close to the beauty...
"Can I sit here? Miss!" A pot-bellied man ran the fastest, came to the woman, and pretended to be very gentlemanly.
"Please, go ahead!" The woman said with a smile.
"My name is..." The man sat down happily, but before he could introduce himself, he found that the woman had gotten up and left the table, and also walked out of the bar...
"Changed places again? You're really cautious!" Dottie looked at the small note she had obtained and shook her head with a smile. She knew that this guy was completely doing useless work. No matter how many places he changed, he would eventually fall into her man's hands.
Dottie drove her car again, following the instructions on the note, and came to an abandoned factory... This used to be a place where aircraft parts were produced, but with the end of World War II, military orders were greatly reduced.
The owner here didn't have the money to develop new industries, so he had to shut down the factory. Now, the factory, which covers an area of more than ten acres, is empty, and there is no trace of anyone's existence...
Dottie parked the car at the door, then stretched out her hand and nimbly ran up and jumped over the rusted iron gate...
"Come out, I know you're here. What exactly is the meaning of the message you left in my office?" Dottie asked loudly towards the empty factory.
"What exactly happened at Base Thirty-Two? The organization is only interested in this matter!" A somewhat mechanical voice came.
With the sound, the tall, thin middle-aged man walked out. He didn't speak, but used a throat vocalization device to speak. Clearly, his larynx had been removed.
"Is this your question? Or the organization's question?" Dotty asked with a smile, she quietly pressed a button, she knew someone would appear soon.
"Of course, the organization asked me to ask!" The man pointed a pistol at Dotty while saying, "The organization is very curious about what happened there. Who attacked that place? Why can't the organization find any clues...?"
Believe me, you don't want to know the truth, because it's too cruel for the organization…" Dottie smiled, she had already seen the figure appearing behind that man.
"Are you testing the organization's patience?" The man was dissatisfied, he thought Dottie was stalling for time. He knew the organization's methods for dealing with traitors, and he had already decided that he couldn't let Dottie walk out alive…
"I'm sleepy, let's finish our business quickly and go back!" A voice suddenly came from behind the man. Without turning his head, the man directly turned his gun and fired at the source of the voice behind him.
Unfortunately, he didn't know if he hit it or not, because he only felt a pain in the back of his head, and he passed out…
Zhou Ye walked up to Dottie, carrying the man by the back of his neck like he was carrying a puppy. "How much do you think he knows about the organization?"
"I don't think it's much, but we can follow the clues, can't we? Darling!" Dottie said with a smile.
"Of course, maybe prying open his mouth is difficult for others, but for us… we don't need him to speak to know everything he's thinking!" Zhou Ye said, patting Dottie on the back. "You go back and rest first. I promise, tomorrow, you will usher in a real new life!"
"Okay…!" Dottie happily nodded, then gently kissed Zhou Ye and walked towards her car. She believed that her man would definitely handle everything, just like he handled her in the beginning.
Zhou Ye watched Dottie leave here. He knew how much fear Dottie had for the organization that had educated her since she was a child, so he didn't ask Dottie to come along…
Until he saw Dottie's car taillights disappear into the night, Zhou Ye carried the man and went directly back to a certain Umbrella base.
"Go and dig out everything in his mind for me, and then, uproot the entire Leviathan…" Zhou Ye casually threw the man to a combat soldier wearing an Umbrella combat uniform and said, "Also, find all of Howard's lost toys. Of course, as a reward for helping him find his toys, we can make a copy of each one before handing them over!"
"Yes, Master!" The combat soldier respectfully saluted and walked out carrying the man.
That night — — — —
Several inconspicuous murders occurred throughout New York City. Several figures in the underworld died in their own homes, and the death of a milkman seemed even more insignificant.
At the same time, Leviathan's secret contact points in the United States were all hit with devastating blows, and its base in Kumamoto, Japan, was destroyed by various bizarre attacks.
There were meteorites falling from the sky… [Actually, Zhou Ye opened the portal to a place where a meteorite was passing by, and then opened the other side above Leviathan's base. After calculating the speed and time, the new version of magic, Meteor Fall, was formed!]
Some were completely destroyed by earthquakes… [The Cleaner's sandification ability!]
In some bases, all personnel disappeared for no reason. [They were dragged away by the combat soldiers to be used as human test subjects!]
In short, all of Leviathan's bases were razed to the ground. Except for those little loli who were undergoing training and escaped death, all the other personnel… hehe… Leviathan was removed from the dark world.
When Zhou Ye gave Dottie a golden Leviathan symbol, she cried happily. She had seen this in the education videos before. This was the symbol of the headquarters. She knew that she would never have to worry again in the future, and she only needed to be a well-behaved little woman for this man.
Chapter 397
Three days later — — — —
At 7:30 in the morning, Peggy opened her eyes on time. Although she was still reluctant to leave the warm embrace, she still struggled to get up from the bed.
"Going to work?" A sleepy voice came from behind her.
"Yes, sleep a little longer, darling!" Peggy said, gently kissing Zhou Ye's cheek, then got up and walked into the washroom to prepare for the day's work.
And Zhou Ye? He closed his eyes again and fell into a dream.
As usual, Peggy came to the dining room on the first floor. At this time, another person was already sitting in the dining room eating breakfast.
"Hi, good morning, Peggy!" Seeing Peggy coming downstairs, Dottie greeted her with a smile.
"Good morning, Dottie!" Peggy picked up a plate, put breakfast on it for herself, and greeted Dottie.
"I heard you made a bet with darling?" Dottie asked while eating her breakfast.
"Just a small game!" Peggy said casually.
"If I were you, I would start preparing for the bet after losing now!" Dottie's words made Peggy's movements pause, and then returned to normal. "Why do you say that? Dottie, do you know something?"
"I can't say too much, otherwise darling will punish me too…" Dottie said with a mysterious smile, "But a friendly reminder, darling's power is far beyond your imagination!"
"…Thanks for the reminder!" Peggy knew how huge the power of the Umbrella Corporation in Zhou Ye's hands was, but she still wanted to give it a try. What if she succeeded? Anyway, there's nothing to lose… It's just unlocking a few more positions.
Perhaps because they were both agents, Dottie especially liked to be close to Peggy in the harem. Although the two couldn't be said to be as close as sisters, they could be called good friends.
The two chatted while eating breakfast. Soon, they both finished breakfast at the same time, and Peggy put down her cutlery and asked, "Do you need me to drive you to work today?"
"Of course!" Peggy smiled. Her car crashed yesterday while chasing a suspect. Fortunately, the vehicle had protective measures far beyond modern technology, so she was safe and sound, but that poor car needed to be taken to the repair shop for a major overhaul.
Dottie drove Peggy to the downstairs of the New York Bell Telephone Company. Watching Peggy get out of the car, Dottie asked, "Peggy, do you need me to pick you up tonight?"
"Six o'clock, if I don't have to work overtime!" Peggy said, greeting Dottie, and turned and walked into the Bell Telephone Company.
"Poor Peggy!" Dottie looked at Peggy's back and shook her head with a smile. She knew that her man had prepared everything, and today was going to give Peggy a big surprise. But Peggy was still unaware…
After walking out of the private elevator, in front of her were rows of switchboard operator girls busy. Peggy was already used to this scene.
She walked straight to the end and greeted a chubby girl with glasses.
"Good morning, Rose!"
"Peggy, the director doesn't look too good today, be careful!" Rose said, pushing a switch in front of her. With her movement, the wall in front of Peggy opened.
Peggy walked in, "Thanks for the reminder!"
After passing through several doors, Peggy came to a large office space.
This place looked no different from where white-collar workers worked. The only difference was probably the Strategic Scientific Reserve logo hanging on the wall.
And at this moment, their director was raging.
"Yesterday was the deadline Washington gave me, but what about you?"
"We found a few merchants in the black market who sold Howard's lost weapons…" one of the agents explained.
"Then where are their people?" the director asked.
"They… they died two days ago…" the agent muttered.
"Then who killed them? Have you found the murderer?" the director asked again.
"…They were killed in their own residences!" the agent explained, "I checked around their residences. The doors and windows were intact, and the younger brothers guarding downstairs said they didn't see anyone ever go in…"
"So… are you telling me this is a locked room murder case?" the director mocked, "Are you going to ask me to send a letter of help to London and ask them to send a Sherlock Holmes to help us solve the case? Bastard!"
"…Sorry, director!" All the agent could say was this.
"Get out… I'll give you three more days. If there's still no progress, I'll transfer you all to Arizona to guard the dam…"
Outside, Peggy could hear the director roaring inside, but it didn't matter. Anyway, the role she played here was just a little sister who helped order meals and bring coffee, and all the field work had nothing to do with her.
"Carter, please get me a cup of coffee…" the director said.
"Okay!" Peggy agreed, then poured a cup of coffee and brought it in. Taking the opportunity to deliver the coffee, she glanced at the documents on the desk… With her ability to read ten lines at a glance, she basically knew what had happened.
She had actually been paying attention to collecting information for the past few days, but judging from the documents on the Director's desk, all the clues had been cut off... …
While secretly searching for clues related to these victims, Peggy also played the role of a tea lady. It has to be said that this is really hard... … She sometimes really wants to quit and go back to her man's side to enjoy life... …
But in the end, she still couldn't bear the thrill of adventure, so she stayed.
Unconsciously, the time had reached six o'clock in the afternoon... …
Peggy packed up her things and planned to get off work.
"Peggy, please help out with a shift tonight!" the Director said.
"But... …" Peggy looked at the things she had already packed up, and finally nodded helplessly. "Okay, I got it, Director!"
"I'm going to take these young men to a bar to relax, after all, the pressure on them has been too great these days!" The Director said as if explaining something. He directly led several frontline field agents towards the downstairs, talking about which bar was good as they walked... …
"What a good Director... …" Peggy said sarcastically. She looked at the empty hall, then took out a satellite phone from her hand and dialed out.
"Dottie... …I'm afraid I have to work tonight!"
"That's bad news, do you need me to bring you anything?"
"No need, help me apologize to my dear, I can't have dinner with him tonight... …"
"Okay, see you tomorrow morning!"
"Yeah, see you tomorrow morning!"
Peggy, who put down the phone, began to rummage through the entire hall. What was she looking for? Of course, she was looking for the files of the agents handling the Howard case. If she didn't take this opportunity to find some clues, she wouldn't be Peggy... …
Chapter 398
Time passed by every minute and every second, and I don't know how long it has been.
Just as Peggy was concentrating on flipping through the files recorded by those investigating agents, a sudden, ear-piercing telephone ring woke her up... …
"Hello, this is Strategic Scientific Reserve... …" Peggy picked up the phone casually.
In the phone, a sinister voice came over. "I heard you are looking for those things Howard lost... … I think I might be able to give you a clue, as long as you can afford the price."
"Who are you? How much money do you want?" Hearing this news, Peggy's spirits were lifted.
"Prepare five hundred thousand US dollars, it has to be old bills with consecutive serial numbers!" The sinister voice rang again.
"Sorry, you know the bank is already closed now, and... …" Peggy looked at her watch and said, "I think, I can't apply for financial appropriations for you without confirming whether the clues are true!"
"Then how do you want to prove it?" There was a hint of dissatisfaction in the voice from the microphone.
"Uh—I think it's better for us to meet. This way we can talk face to face. You can prove to me the reliability of your information, and I can also prove my sincerity! How about it?" Peggy said.
"... …Okay... …" The voice on the other end of the phone hesitated for a moment, and then said: "Come to the South District Wharf freight yard... …Only you alone, if a second figure appears, I will turn around and leave, and you can wait for those things to fall into the hands of foreigners!"
"Okay, no problem!" An excited expression appeared on Peggy's face. She was confident that she could easily subdue those people, just by relying on the abilities that the x gene gave her.
The phone hung up, and Peggy had no intention of calling the Director. She had had enough of those people's contempt. This time, she planned to do it herself.
At this moment, in a warehouse in the South District Wharf, a slender figure was standing there, and the iconic blond hair exposed his identity. It was Zhou Ye.
"I hope Peggy darling likes this surprise!" The corners of Zhou Ye's mouth twitched into a wicked smile. The call he just made to Peggy was made with a voice changer, and the so-called surprise... …Hehe.
Half an hour later—
Peggy came to the South District Wharf, and looking at the freight area immersed in darkness, she walked over cautiously. "I'm here, with sincerity, now let me see the clues you said!"
"Agent Carter is indeed a credible person!" A voice sounded, and Peggy saw a figure standing on a pile of goods. By the faint light, she found that this person seemed to be wearing a mask, and she couldn't see his face at all, but this figure gave her a strange sense of familiarity.
"My sincerity is here!" Peggy said, raising the briefcase in her hand and patting it, as if it was full of US dollars, "Where are those things?"
"... …" Zhou Ye's cheeks behind the mask almost twitched from holding back. His girl was really talented. She actually filled the briefcase with documents to impersonate US dollars. Although for ordinary people, there is no difference in the sound of patting, but for him, the difference is as huge as the difference between a firecracker and a sparkler.
But the show still has to go on. "Since you have brought sincerity, then I naturally have clues here... …"
With that, Zhou Ye jumped down, came to a warehouse, and casually opened the warehouse door, making a gesture of invitation. "The clues are inside!"
"You better not lie to me!" Peggy followed Zhou Ye into the warehouse with her briefcase.
Not far after entering the warehouse, Peggy saw piles of wooden boxes stacked on the ground. The wooden boxes were also marked with Stark Industries and several numbers. Obviously, these were the toys that Howard lost.
"You've seen the things!" Zhou Ye said
: "Now can you give me the money!"
"Sorry... …I'm afraid you have to come with me to get your bounty!" Peggy turned around, a smile on her face.
"Tch, I knew women couldn't be trusted!" Zhou Ye was also addicted to acting. "It seems you don't plan to give the money... …"
"I'm really sorry, it's really too late at this time, the bank is closed!" Peggy said, the whole person entered the super speed space. She came to the man who was standing there motionless, like a puppet, and reached out to take off the man's mask.
It's just that what she didn't expect was that her hand to take off the mask was grabbed. This was the first time for Peggy. With the super speed space, she hadn't seen an opponent who could walk out of a round under her for a long time... …
"Has no one told you, don't get so close to a man?" The masked man spoke, this voice, this tone, this super speed ability... …Peggy already knew that she had lost to someone again.
"Dear... …" Peggy couldn't help but sigh: "I lost again this time... …"
"Hmm—, so, Peggy darling, are you ready to pay the price?" Zhou Ye took off his mask and looked at Peggy with a smile.
"Okay, I'm ready... …" Peggy said helplessly, "What are you going to do this time... …"
"This time we'll play an interesting game!" The evil smile on Zhou Ye's mouth made Peggy a little frightened... …
After a whisper, Peggy shook her head with a blushing face. "No way... …"
"Really not?" Zhou Ye smiled evilly: "Who said it was up to me... …"
"... …" Peggy bit her lower lip tightly, and finally nodded helplessly. "Okay, just this once... …Never again!"
Three hours later—
Peggy walked out of the warehouse door with staggering steps... …As she walked, she couldn't help but twitch the corners of her mouth. There was no way, someone was too beastly, completely disregarding that it was her first time... …
Of course, Peggy also got an address, where there were three Leviathan agents related to this matter... …Of course, they were already dead, but the items in their rooms would prove that they were the masterminds of this theft.
A case that had troubled the entire Strategic Scientific Reserve for several days was solved by Agent Carter single-handedly... …Howard's reputation was naturally cleared.
But what was different from what Peggy imagined was that no one congratulated Carter, and even everyone looked at Carter strangely... …
It was at this moment that she truly understood what her man said, what the untouchable ceiling that women would encounter in the United States was... …
Fortunately, Carter simply accepted Howard's invitation and joined the newly created S.H.I.E.L.D.... …Of course, she joined as one of the creators and leaders, not an ordinary field agent... …
Chapter 399
Three years later — — — — New York — — Long Island Manor.
"I'm back——!" Along with a shout, a beautiful girl with long burgundy hair jumped and ran into Zhou Ye's bedroom.
Usually, Zhou Ye should be sleeping in his bedroom, but facing the neatly arranged round tatami mat in front of her, Natasha knew that her father definitely didn't spend the night at home last night.
Natasha was disappointed for a while. You know, for today's holiday, she completed a lot of homework in advance to be allowed to rest today... She didn't expect that she took the shuttle early in the morning to rush back, but she didn't catch her father...
"Miss!" A maid followed and said, "Master went to Kamar-Taj yesterday!"
"Really, doesn't he know that I'm on holiday and coming back today?" Natasha said sullenly. You know, today is no ordinary day. Today is her sixteenth birthday, and she doesn't want to spend it alone pitifully at home.
"I'm going to find him…" Natasha said, running back to her bedroom, taking out a black mage robe from the closet. This was a birthday gift that Gu Yi gave her the year before last.
She put on the mage robe in a few strokes, and Natasha ran all the way to a secret room…
Opening the door, Natasha walked to a transparent door frame that looked like a window. She turned the circular astrolabe next to the door frame, and the scene outside the door suddenly turned into a luxuriously decorated bedroom…
This door was a fixed portal specially built by Gu Yi for dating Zhou Ye. By turning the astrolabe, many places can be located. Of course, the most commonly used one is Gu Yi's bedroom…
Natasha used to come to Kamar-Taj to play often. She was also quite familiar with Gu Yi. After all… they were all people around Zhou Ye, how could there be a situation where they didn't know each other…
Stepping into the portal, Natasha instantly appeared in Gu Yi's bedroom... Looking at the slightly messy wooden couch, she knew she had come to the right place...
A strange noise came, and Natasha immediately knew where her father had gone... Following the direction of the sound, Natasha walked straight over.
"Hi, Dad, do you remember what day it is today?" Natasha looked at the two figures on the frosted glass door of the bathroom and asked loudly.
She didn't want to break in and annoy Gu Yi. Once, she was naughty and Gu Yi threw her into the mirror dimension for two days. After that, Natasha learned to be in awe when facing Gu Yi.
"Oh, sorry, I almost forgot…" Zhou Ye's voice came out. More than ten minutes later, Zhou Ye, dressed neatly, walked out with Gu Yi in a mage robe.
"Dear Natasha, baby, what gift do you want for your birthday this year?" Zhou Ye smiled and stretched out his hands to hug his daughter.
"So fast, Natasha is about to become an adult!" Gu Yi also sighed at the passage of time.
"Dad…" Natasha threw herself into her father's arms, smelling the familiar scent on Zhou Ye's body, as always… a reassuring scent.
She seemed to have returned to the era of war… "Dad… I don't want anything… I just want you…"
"…I'll go prepare dinner for you!" Gu Yi looked at the two people who didn't look like father and daughter at all embracing affectionately there, and tactfully opened the portal and walked out.
How could Gu Yi, who can easily see through people's hearts, not see Natasha's little thoughts? It's just that as someone who has lived long enough, she doesn't care about anything, or rather, there are not many things that she cares about anymore... What's more, in her opinion, as long as her man is happy, what about worldly opinions... Do you need to care?
Zhou Ye smiled and looked at Natasha. The loli he had planted since he was a child, is it finally the harvest season? "Baby, you know, once you choose me, I will never let you leave again!"
"I never thought about leaving you!" Natasha looked into Zhou Ye's eyes and said seriously: "From the moment you rescued me from the fire, our lives have been linked together! Dad, I want you!"
"…" Zhou Ye smiled slightly, without answering Natasha's question, but gently raised his hand, and a portal with sparks appeared in front of the two. "Come with me, baby, come and see the sixteenth birthday present I prepared for you!"
Natasha followed Zhou Ye's footsteps and walked into the portal.
"So beautiful——!!!!" The scene in front of her made Natasha couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.
I saw a colorful, boundless sea of flowers, and bursts of floral fragrance came with the breeze... making Natasha couldn't help but be intoxicated. "Dad,… thank you, this is the best adult gift I have ever received!"
"No, no, baby, you haven't seen the whole picture of this gift yet!" Zhou Ye said, putting his arm around Natasha's slender waist and flying into the air.
Standing in mid-air, Natasha finally had a panoramic view of the sea of flowers under her feet, and she was so excited that she couldn't speak... Various colors of flowers formed a portrait of a character, and Natasha recognized it, it was her appearance... The red hair was made of roses, and the blue eyes were made of tulips... and the following was spelled out in purple lavender. [I wish my lovely Natasha baby, always happy]
"Dad…" At this moment, Natasha really felt that even if she died, it would be worth it… "I love you, Dad…"
"I love you too…"
"Dad,—!"
Natasha looked at Zhou Ye, although Zhou Ye didn't speak, he understood what she meant in seconds...
Two hours later — — — —
Zhou Ye helped Natasha, who was still a little unsteady, appear in Gu Yi's room.
"…You finally got your wish, little Natasha!" Gu Yi looked at Natasha and said with a smile: "Congratulations!"
"Thank you, Aunt Gu Yi!" Natasha said a little embarrassedly.
"Okay, after delaying for so long, I think you must be hungry…" Gu Yi smiled and said: "Let's start eating!"
"Yeah——!" x2
Zhou Ye helped Natasha sit down, and then he sat in the middle of the two women, and a dinner that was not very rich, but definitely very warm, began…
After dinner, Gu Yi kicked Zhou Ye out of her room. In her words, it was [The person you should be with most at this time is not me!]
That's what she said, but it's also because someone's demands were excessive, and she couldn't handle it... There's no way, who told her to always like one-on-one battles? People who don't understand teamwork deserve to be tired...
Zhou Ye took Natasha back to his manor on Long Island, New York again.
"I'm really not used to it…" Natasha looked at Kamar-Taj in the portal, where it was still night, but here it was still day. She was still a little unaccustomed to this strange feeling of crossing time differences.
"You'll get used to it in the future, baby, we should go have lunch…" Zhou Ye looked at the clock on the wall and made a helpless expression.
"Having lunch three hours after dinner…" Natasha felt that she was too weak to complain, "Dad, you've really worked hard!"
"…Are you complaining about me? Baby!" Zhou Ye rolled his eyes helplessly, he couldn't explain this kind of complaint…
"No, I'm just stating a fact…" Natasha smiled and hugged Zhou Ye, gently kissing his cheek and saying: "I really like your gift, Dad, a very good gift…"
"I also really like your gift, baby!" Zhou Ye said to Natasha with a smile.
Natasha's face was completely red, and of course she knew what her father was talking about...
Chapter 400
California — — San Diego.
Because of its beautiful coastline and ample sunshine, it is deeply favored by the wealthy, so the house prices here are also rising year by year. Owning a property in this beautiful city is enough for you to become the talk of the upper class.
At this time, a convoy of several luxury cars slowly drove into a street by the sea and slowly stopped in front of a large mansion.
The owner of the mansion seemed to know that guests were coming, and the iron gate slowly opened to the left and right... and the convoy started again and drove into the courtyard of the mansion.
"Hi, Howard, you guy looks older and older!" A blond young man walked out of the lengthened luxury car in the middle. He said carelessly to the middle-aged man who came to greet him: "You've been to Siberia for three years. Do you know how many times Peggy has complained to me that you left all the affairs of S.H.I.E.L.D. to her, but you are carefree?"
"…Zhou, you haven't changed at all!" Howard looked at the man in front of him, who still looked like he did when they first met, with emotion. Time seemed to have never left any traces on him.
"There's no way, you know, the ancient East always has all kinds of magical things!" Zhou Ye spread his hands, "This is the effect of the practice, you can't envy it!"
"I'm starting to regret not being reincarnated in that ancient country!" Howard joked. In fact, he really envied Zhou Ye's method of keeping his face young…
Looking at Zhou Ye and then at himself, both in their fifties (he thought), no matter how well he maintained himself, he still couldn't compare to Zhou Ye's unchanging appearance.
"Okay, you called me as soon as you got back, asking me to come here. It's not just to tell me about your failed reincarnation, is it?" Zhou Ye laughed.
"Of course not..." Howard smiled slightly, then pulled a pregnant young woman from behind him and said, "This is Maria. We met and fell in love in Siberia..."
Speaking of this, a happy smile appeared on Howard's face. He raised his right hand and gestured to the ring on his finger, saying, "I'm married, Zhou!"
"...This isn't good news for the women who have been waiting for your return!" Zhou Ye joked, "But for me, it's great news."
"Hello, Maria. My name is Zhou Ye. You can call me Zhou like Howard, or would you prefer to call me Ye?" Zhou Ye greeted Maria with a smile.
"No... darling, don't listen to this guy's nonsense..." Hearing Zhou Ye's words, Howard panicked. He knew that only one type of woman would call Zhou Ye by his given name instead of his surname: Zhou Ye's woman.
If Howard had a bit of courage to compete with Zhou Ye in picking up girls before, now he was completely afraid of Zhou Ye... There was no way around it. Who told him to get older and older while Zhou Ye hadn't changed at all?
"Darling, don't be nervous..." Maria smiled and comforted her husband. She could tell that her husband had completely lost his usual composure when facing this young man. Perhaps it was because this handsome young man really put a lot of pressure on him, or perhaps it was because he really loved her and was afraid of losing her...
While comforting Howard, Maria generously shook Zhou Ye's hand and said, "Hello, I often hear Howard mention you..."
"When he mentions me, he must be gnashing his teeth..." Zhou Ye said with a smile.
"That's about right..." Maria also laughed. "But I want to thank you..."
"Oh? Why?" Zhou Ye asked curiously.
"Because when he mentions you, he always says that because of you, he missed out on so many beautiful girls..." Maria's smile remained bright, giving people a very warm feeling.
"Okay... darling, we should probably go inside. Your due date is almost here, and I don't want you to catch a cold!" Howard said, abruptly interrupting Zhou Ye and Maria's handshake and heading towards the house.
"Howard, you've really changed!" Zhou Ye shook his head with a smile. He had no thoughts about Maria at all, let alone stealing Howard's woman. He really treated this guy as an ordinary friend. "Where did the Howard who treated women like clothes go?
"That guy is dead!" Howard said, looking like a henpecked husband. "Now there's only a good man Howard alive!"
Howard carefully helped the pregnant Maria to sit on the sofa, then said to Zhou Ye, "You know where my wine is. I won't entertain you. Help yourself. I still need to prepare today's pregnancy nutrition meal for Maria!"
"Okay, you..." Zhou Ye rolled his eyes and gestured to the maid, Zi, standing behind him. Zi nodded knowingly and walked lightly to the bar in the living room. She pressed a small button on the bar, and with a mechanical whirring sound, a hidden wine cabinet rose from under the bar.
"Oh no..." Howard looked as if he had lost his parents at this scene. "Zhou, how did you know about my hidden wine... I was planning to save it for my 100th birthday!"
"Not bad, a Cabernet Sauvignon..." Zhou Ye took the red wine handed over by Zi, shook it, looked at the wine in the glass, and smiled.
"Oh my god... my Léoville-Las-Cases 1875..." Howard wailed. If he had known that Zhou Ye had discovered his hidden wine cabinet, he would have poured him wine no matter what... "Do you know that this one glass of wine is enough to buy several cars..."
"Don't know..." Zhou Ye rolled his eyes. He specifically asked Zi to pour him wine in order to get Howard's treasure, otherwise why would he ask Zi to pour wine?
"You can't even tell the difference between good and bad red wine. You should drink the cheap stuff that costs a dozen dollars a bottle... You can't taste the difference anyway!" Howard muttered, regretting it so much that his intestines turned green.
"Well said!" Zhou Ye smiled. How dare you criticize me? How can I not make you pay a price? Thinking of this, Zhou Ye leisurely shook the wine glass in his hand, deliberately making a distressed look and said, "I also think my wine tasting ability is too poor... I might as well take all your treasures back and taste them slowly..."
Speaking of this, Zhou Ye instructed Zi, "Zi, pack up all of Mr. Stark's treasures and take them away. I believe he will be very happy that I have such a learning spirit. Don't be polite with him!"
"Oh no, Zhou, you can't do this..." Howard was really about to cry. He had already remembered another characteristic of Zhou Ye: you can't say bad things about him, otherwise he will let you know what instant karma is.
"...This is what you owe Peggy!" Zhou Ye didn't show any mercy. "Do you know how tired our Peggy has been because you ran to Siberia for three years... And we've lost so much dating time... Shouldn't you compensate her?"
"..." Howard immediately chickened out when he heard Zhou Ye mention Peggy. He left all the work to Peggy alone and ran out for three years. This was his fault, and he knew he was in the wrong... But watching Zi scavenge all his treasures bottle by bottle, he couldn't help but cry and say, "But this compensation is too expensive..."
"Is money still a problem for you?" Zhou Ye curled his lips. "You should know that Dottie in my family is in charge of Stark Industries. Would I not know how much dividend you get every year? You miser!"
"But... those are all out-of-print items that money can't buy..." Howard cried with a sad face, watching Zi's actions... In the end, he couldn't help it, ran over and hugged the last bottle of treasure. He said, "At least... at least leave me one bottle... At most, I'll let you be my daughter's godfather!"
"Daughter?" Zhou Ye looked at Maria's big belly, who had been smiling and watching the two of them acting like fools. "Are you sure it's a daughter and not a son?"
"Of course it's a daughter!" Howard said, "I already had Maria undergo an ultrasound. We will welcome a lovely little angel!"
...At this moment, Zhou Ye's heart was collapsing. Isn't it supposed to be Tony Stark? Why has it turned into a daughter this time? Where did Tony go? A female Iron Man?
Chapter 401
"Howard..." Zhou Ye asked cautiously, "You don't happen to have a bastard son named Tony, do you? Where is he now?"
"...Tony? Who is that? I was very careful when I went out to play. There is absolutely no way there could be a bastard son!" Howard asked with a bewildered expression, "Could it be that someone claimed to have my son while I was not in the United States?"
"Darling, I don't think you were honest enough with me before..." Maria walked to Howard's side with her big belly and pinched Howard's ear. "When you were pursuing me, I never heard you say that you had a son?"
"...This is a frame-up, absolutely nothing like that!" Howard raised his hands high, swearing to the sky, while winking at Zhou Ye. "Zhou, he was actually joking just now, right? Zhou!"
"Maria, let this poor old man go!" Zhou Ye persuaded, trying to suppress his laughter. "There are often some sensational things in the tabloids, but it has been proven afterwards that those are just rumors!"
"Forget it..." Maria rolled her eyes. She knew that Zhou Ye's words were insincere, but thinking about Howard's love for her, she still chose to let him go this time.
"Okay, let's talk business!" Zhou Ye quickly changed the subject and asked Howard, "You just came back from Siberia this time, and you couldn't wait to call me and ask me to come here. Is there something going on?"
"Um--!" Howard helped Maria sit down again, then said, "Actually, I just want to ask you for a favor..."
"What's the matter? Let me make it clear first, I can't do anything too difficult!" Zhou Ye leaned back on the sofa with a smile, leisurely tasting the 1875 Cabernet Sauvignon. To be honest, he couldn't really tell the difference between good and bad, he just wanted to see Howard's distressed expression.
"Cough cough..." Watching Zhou Ye's actions, Howard's eyes twitched. He took a deep breath, trying not to look at Zhou Ye's spoiling of his treasured red wine, and said, "For others, it may be a big deal, but for you, it's a small thing!"
"Oh?" Zhou Ye seemed to become interested and asked, "What's the matter?"
"You know, Maria is already nine months pregnant, and her due date is at the end of this month!" Howard gently stroked Maria's big belly, his face full of happiness at becoming a father. "The medical conditions in Siberia are not good, so we have to return to the United States, and the most famous obstetrics and gynecology department in the United States is the obstetrics department of St. George's Hospital, and I asked, and their reservations have already reached June next year..."
"So, you want me to help you?" Zhou Ye asked.
"Um!" Howard nodded and said seriously, "You know, Zhou, I've never asked you for anything..."
"Um --? That time your basement toy went missing...?" Zhou Ye rolled his eyes and said.
"Okay, just that one time..." Howard said.
"And -- that time you asked me to help you apologize to Peggy!" Zhou Ye complained, "If I hadn't helped you appease Peggy, do you think Peggy really wouldn't have dragged you out of Siberia? Believe it or not, she would have sent Steve to drag you out?"
"Isn't that all because of you?" Howard muttered in a low voice. He couldn't help it; who told Zhou Ye to always make a habit of saying he would seduce his wife?
When Howard met his true love, he was really afraid that Zhou Ye would steal her away, so he simply hid in Siberia and didn't come back. If Maria hadn't gotten pregnant, he probably would have continued to live his happy little life there.
"What did you say?"
"Cough cough... Nothing, I mean just those two times..." Howard coughed twice and said, "Okay, let's not talk about that. I know you are a major shareholder of the Umbrella Corporation, and the Umbrella Corporation happens to be the controlling shareholder of St. George's Hospital..."
"Oh? Is that so?" Zhou Ye really didn't know which institutions Umbrella had acquired over the past few decades. He was too lazy to ask, so he really didn't know about this.
"Yes, Master!" The maid in charge of commercial affairs behind him whispered in his ear, "Eight years ago, the Umbrella Corporation took over St. George's Hospital."
"Uh --!" Zhou Ye nodded awkwardly and said to Howard, "Okay, do you want Maria to go to the hospital to give birth? Or are you planning to give birth at home?"
"If possible, I'd still prefer to be at home!" This time it was Maria who spoke. She leaned happily into Howard's arms and said, "Thank you so much, Zhou!"
No problem!" Zhou Ye said with a smile, "No matter what, I am your daughter's godfather!"
As Zhou Ye spoke, he said to his maid, "Call the Executive Committee of Umbrella and have them take care of this matter immediately!"
"Yes, Master!" The maid said, taking out a small satellite phone and directly dialing a secret number.
"This is the Executive Committee of Umbrella, how can I help you?"
The receptionist on Umbrella's side looked at the number with the highest authority in front of her, and her voice trembled with excitement. This was the Master's number… Being able to hear the Master's voice was a kind of happiness for her.
"I am Sakura, a maid from the Feng character division, and I am now ordered to convey the Master's order to you…"
"Please speak…" the receptionist said hurriedly.
"Please dispatch a special-class midwife from St. George's Hospital with the necessary medical equipment to San Diego, Lenny Town, Villa No. 1035 before 3:30 PM California time—there is a pregnant woman here waiting to give birth!"
"Yes, everything will be done as you wish!"
The Howard couple looked at the maid's actions, their mouths wide open in surprise… Really, Howard felt for the first time that comparing people is infuriating…
When they made an appointment for maternity care at St. George's Hospital, although the receptionist was very polite, the politeness came with a firm refusal.
Even when Howard revealed his identity, the receptionist refused to give him special treatment to cut in line.
Although Howard could be considered a wealthy man, for St. George's Hospital… there wasn't a single poor person who came to their hospital… So what if it was Howard? So what if he was a major shareholder of Stark Industries? You still have to wait in line honestly… If you don't like it, don't come.
Howard was so angry that he almost smashed the phone. If Maria hadn't dissuaded him, he might have thought of playing some tricks to trip up St. George's Hospital… But fortunately, he didn't do that, otherwise Umbrella's security system would have taught him a lesson.
"When will the medical team arrive?" Howard couldn't help but ask, looking at the maid who had hung up the phone.
"In another half an hour!" The maid looked at her watch and then asked, "Mr. Stark, you should have a helipad here, right?"
"Uh—yes!" Howard nodded. For him, who loved aviation, having a small runway at each residence was already a habit…
"Okay, just wait patiently…" Zhou Ye said, "Howard, do you have anything to eat here? You know, to get here, I only ate a little something on the plane, and now I'm starving!"
"I'll have the kitchen prepare something for you right away!" Howard said with a relaxed expression, having resolved the major issue in his mind. "Do you want Sichuan cuisine or Shandong cuisine?"
"You really hired a Chinese chef…" Zhou Ye complained.
"No, no, I hired several…" Howard said with a proud face, "Each of my villas has a Chinese chef… It just so happens that the one here is best at Sichuan cuisine!"
"Then give me a hot pot!" Zhou Ye said casually. Eating hot pot by the beach, watching bikini-clad beauties—this kind of experience should be quite novel… He wanted to try it.
"Alright…" Howard said, walking to the telephone, dialing an internal line, and giving a few instructions before hanging up. "It'll be ready in a little while!"
While waiting for the hot pot, Zhou Ye chatted with Howard. Howard told Zhou Ye that there were countless beauties in Siberia, and it would be a shame if he didn't take a trip…
Zhou Ye couldn't help but want to go to Siberia right away. Of course, he was just joking. Zhou Ye had seen what Russian beauties were like, and there were quite a few Russian beauties in his harem.
Before they even got the hot pot, the few of them heard the sound of a helicopter outside. Obviously, the medical team from St. George's Hospital had arrived…
Howard led Zhou Ye to the helipad to pick up the medical workers. There was no other way, it concerned his future daughter, so he had to hurry. As for why he had to drag Zhou Ye along? Would you feel comfortable leaving your wife alone with a pervert? Anyway, Howard wasn't comfortable with it…
Chapter 402
Half a month later—
"Hey, you, you've been pacing around here for several laps already, you're making me dizzy…" Zhou Ye sat on the sofa, looking at Howard pacing back and forth in front of him like an ant on a hot pot, and complained. "It's Maria giving birth to a daughter, not you. What's the use of you pacing around here?"
"…You don't understand…" Howard said with a slightly anxious expression, "Do you know? Zhou, I'm feeling scared for the first time… I… Oh my god… Damn it…"
"Alright, trust me, Howard, Maria will be fine!" Zhou Ye said, walking over and patting Howard on the shoulder. "Relax, you have to trust those special-class midwives from St. George's Hospital!"
"Okay, okay… I know!" Howard said, walking to the coffee table, picking up his wine glass, and downing the red wine in one gulp. He needed to calm down now.
But Howard's mood didn't calm down for long, as it was disturbed again by Maria's painful moans coming from the room… He transformed into an ant on a hot pot again.
"Okay, whatever you want!" Zhou Ye smiled. He knew how nervous Howard was about having a child at an old age… It was useless no matter how much he said, so he let him continue pacing around here.
Time passed by minute by minute… Howard's face was already covered in sweat, and it was unclear who was actually giving birth… Zhou Ye complained.
Just then, a baby's cry came from inside the house. Howard immediately sat down on the sofa with a satisfied expression, completely exhausted…
"I really don't know which of you two is more tired!" Zhou Ye complained as he walked towards the doorway. After all, this was the first time he was being a godfather, and he felt very novel and couldn't wait to see what his future goddaughter looked like.
"Congratulations, Mr. Stark, mother and daughter are safe!" A midwife walked out holding a baby. Before she could even reach Stark, Zhou Ye stopped her. "Come, let me see if my future goddaughter is cute…"
"…" The midwife didn't dare to offend Zhou Ye. Before coming, they had all been strictly warned that it was okay to offend Stark, but if they offended this blonde young man, they would be doomed.
So the midwife had no choice but to hand the baby girl in her arms to Zhou Ye.
"The future little princess of Stark Industries… Hello!" Zhou Ye said with a smile, holding the baby girl in his arms…
The baby girl was chubby, and her black hair inherited the Stark genes, while her big blue eyes and long eyelashes clearly inherited the excellent genes of her mother, Maria.
Perhaps because she met Zhou Ye's eyes, the lovely baby girl actually slowly stopped crying after seeing Zhou Ye, and stared at Zhou Ye curiously with her big eyes.
"What a cute little angel!" Zhou Ye looked at the adorable baby girl and couldn't help but gently touch her soft little face with his fingertips. "She will definitely be a great beauty in the future!"
"Giggle—!" The baby girl waved her chubby arms and grabbed Zhou Ye's finger, but she seemed hungry and couldn't help but put Zhou Ye's finger into her mouth.
"What do you want to do to my daughter?" Howard, who had slightly recovered, stood up abruptly, ran to Zhou Ye in two steps, and reached out to take his daughter in a protective fatherly manner.
But obviously, the little angel who just wanted to eat was snatched away, and immediately became dissatisfied, her little mouth flattened, and she cried out…
Howard, this veteran of the flower field, a novice dad, was at a loss for the first time when facing his crying daughter… He really looked aggrieved. "Oh no, baby, I'm your dad, that guy is a big bad guy…"
Zhou Ye smiled, ignoring the guy's slander against him, not ignoring it, but not paying attention to this idiot now, and will slowly get back at him later. "I think the little one should be hungry… You better take her in to find Maria now, because I don't think you have the function to feed her!"
"Right, right…" Hearing Zhou Ye's reminder, Howard hurriedly carried his daughter and rushed into the temporary delivery room…
"Maria, look at our daughter, she's so cute!" Howard shouted as he ran.
Zhou Ye smiled and watched the reckless father, and sat back in his seat…
It's really a miscalculation? Or should I say, man proposes, God disposes… Any small difference can produce huge changes…
Just because Howard was afraid that he would hit on his wife, he stayed in Siberia for three years… He directly waited out the future Tony Stark… This is really a depressing (happy) thing…
A female version of Iron Man? Just thinking about it is exciting… Interesting, the future has become unpredictable, it's so interesting… Zhou Ye's eyes narrowed, after all, he really didn't like that smug Tony Stark…
Three days later—
I have to admire the physique of Nordic women. If it were Chinese women, they would have to stay in confinement for at least a month after giving birth before they could go out. But these Nordic women can be jumping around on the ground in just three days…
"Have you prepared a name for the little angel?" Zhou Ye asked with a smile, holding the little princess of the future Stark Industries.
Howard Stark on the side had a stinky expression on his face, as if someone owed him several hundred million dollars and didn't pay him back…
No wonder he's like this… His own daughter isn't close to him, but she's close to Zhou Ye. Anyone would be upset by that…
If Little Angel hadn't inherited his black hair, Howard might have even thought she was Zhou Ye's daughter…
"Alright, honey, it's just because you're not as handsome as Zhou…" Maria said, smiling to comfort her husband… But frankly, her comforting was worse than no comforting at all…
"Damn it… I shouldn't have let that Zhou guy in…" Howard still looked resentfully at his daughter in Zhou Ye's arms, watching her giggle non-stop as Zhou Ye teased her. He felt even more depressed.
"…" Maria smiled helplessly at Zhou Ye and said, "Howard and I plan to name her Natasha…"
"Why Natasha?" Zhou Ye was stunned… "Isn't Nina good?"
"To commemorate her mother's Russian heritage…" Howard said, "Actually, I also think Nina is good. Honey, why don't we reconsider?"
"No, it's Natasha!" Maria said firmly.
"Okay, then I'll give her a nickname. Let's call her Nina!" Zhou Ye said, tapping the baby's cheek with his fingertip. "Do you like your godfather giving you this nickname? Nina, Nini… Hmm, a good name!"
What could a baby who wasn't even a month old understand? She thought Zhou Ye was playing with her, and she giggled…
Watching her daughter being so happy in Zhou Ye's arms, Maria felt her husband's extreme jealousy for the first time…
Chapter 403
"Zhou, are you really going back to New York? That's great!" Howard said, beaming. Suddenly, he thought of someone's vengeful nature, and his smile quickly faded. He put on a regretful expression and said, "No… I mean… uh… this is really bad news!"
"Do you really think so, Howard!" Zhou Ye asked, looking at Howard's clumsy acting with a smile that was not quite a smile.
"Of course, Nini likes you so much… I'm really afraid of what will happen if Nini cries if you're not here…" Although Howard said words of retention with a sincere look on his face, what he was thinking in his heart was, [Leave quickly, leave quickly… Because of you, my good daughter won't play with me, she cries as soon as she sees me… ]
"Haha, that's exactly what I think!" Zhou Ye's face showed a smile that Howard hated. "So I bought a house next to your house, so I can come and play with Nini often… I was afraid that you would think I was stealing Nini's attention, so you wouldn't welcome me. Seeing your warm retention, I think it's a good idea to buy a house near your house."
"…" At this moment, tens of thousands of mythical beasts were cheering and jumping in Howard's heart, shouting a slogan in unison [mmp]…
"Okay, I'm leaving, no need to see me off!" Zhou Ye completely turned a blind eye to the stiff expression on Howard's face… He smiled and got into his private car. He still had to rush to the airport. You know, his private jet was too big, and Howard's small airport couldn't accommodate it.
Zhou Ye's private car suddenly stopped in front of Howard, the glass window lowered, revealing Zhou Ye's face. "I haven't said goodbye to Nini yet, shouldn't I go and say goodbye to my lovely goddaughter now?"
"Cough cough… let's forget it, Zhou, your business is important!" Howard said with a stiff expression, "I'll help you say goodbye to Nini, go and get busy, anyway, we'll see you again in a while!"
"That's right!" Zhou Ye waved his hand with a smile and said, "Then we'll see you later, help me say goodbye to my lovely goddaughter!"
"I will, bye bye!" Howard forced a smile on his face.
Watching Zhou Ye's motorcade drive out of his mansion, Howard rushed back to the baby room in one stride. He picked up his sleeping daughter and ran outside…
His actions made Maria, who was taking care of her daughter, nervous. "Honey, what are you doing?"
"We can't stay here… we're going back to Washington right away, I have a property there…" Howard said as he walked outside. "Don't bring so many things, we can buy new ones when we get there!"
"But this toy was given to Nini by Zhou… This is Nini's favorite toy, without it, Nini will cry non-stop!" Maria said innocently.
"Damn it…" Howard could only say helplessly, "Okay, okay… sooner or later I will take my daughter back from the hands of Zhou, the great demon king…"
"…" Maria looked at her husband, who was like a child who had his favorite toy snatched away, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl up slightly.
In her opinion, it was her daughter's luck to have such a godfather who liked her so much, especially since her godfather was so powerful, which made Maria feel very happy.
After all, Howard was a little too old… To put it bluntly, he might not be able to protect his daughter anymore…
At that time, the role of Zhou Ye, the godfather, would become prominent. Perhaps, the person who could protect her daughter for the rest of her life was her godfather who doted on her so much!
Although Howard repeatedly emphasized that Zhou Ye was the same age as him, seeing that handsome face that looked like he was eighteen or nineteen years old, Maria would often ignore this matter.
On the plane—
"Honey, don't we need to tell Zhou about our move?" Maria asked softly, holding her daughter in her arms.
"Absolutely not…" Howard gritted his teeth and said with a bitter and resentful look, "I will never invite that bastard who deprived me of the joy of being a father back home… Never!"
"…" Maria shook her head helplessly. Howard, who was a new father, had become an idiot who defended his daughter… No matter how much she said, he couldn't listen to it at this time. Maybe it would be better in a while…
Washington—The rich area
Although it is close to the political center of the United States, in fact. It's more like a small town in Europe than a city.
Here, the distance between villas is calculated in miles, and there are planned public green spaces and lawns of various villa owners everywhere. Here, you can stay away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and here, you can enjoy the same cozy and comfortable life as a small European town.
On the green space in front of one of the villas, Howard was cultivating his relationship with his daughter…
To be honest, it didn't go well at first.
When Little Nina found that the owner of the warm embrace that often held her had disappeared, she cried all night.
Howard almost called Zhou Ye for help, but fortunately, he finally persevered…
Currently, it seems that these three months of emotional cultivation have been very effective.
"Hi, baby, yes… come to Daddy!" Howard happily teased his daughter who was crawling around on his lawn… After all, Little Nina was almost four months old, and she was slowly getting used to crawling. Of course, she can barely stand up now, but she can't walk, after all, babies are still very fragile.
"Papa…" Little Nina crawled towards Howard while muttering words that were not clear. This was the result of Howard's three months of careful teaching.
"Yes, baby, that's it…" Howard's excited old face was sweating.
What made him a little puzzled was, why did his daughter turn a corner while crawling? And crawled to someone's feet, hugged the person's trouser legs, and happily called Daddy?
"My lovely little angel can already talk…"
A voice that was about to become his nightmare sounded in Howard's ear, and he couldn't help but look up… That's right, it was his great enemy in life… that damn guy… "Zhou—, shouldn't you be in Switzerland? Why are you here?"
"Of course I miss my goddaughter!" Zhou Ye hugged Little Nina in his arms, teased her, and smiled: "Howard, you are too unkind, you didn't tell me when you came to Washington, it took me a lot of effort to find out…"
Of course, Zhou Ye's so-called great effort was… just making a phone call.
"… Hehe…" The corners of Howard's eyes twitched. He was speechless. "How long do you plan to stay this time?"
"Hmm? Didn't I tell you?" Zhou Ye looked at Howard with a smile and asked, "Didn't I say that I bought a house near your house… We will be neighbors from now on!"
"… I thought you were talking about the villa I have in California…" Howard said weakly.
"Uh—okay, that's a wonderful misunderstanding!" Zhou Ye smiled and struck, "Actually, I bought houses around all of your properties. I have to say, Howard, you have good taste. Although these properties are a bit expensive, I think they still have a lot of room for appreciation in the future!"
"…" Howard was already unable to struggle… Facing a guy who doesn't lack money, no, he should say he's far richer than himself, how can he escape? He can go wherever he can go, and even many places he can't go, this guy can still go… "Okay, okay… You and Nini baby have a good time together…"
Howard felt that he couldn't watch anymore. He finally taught his daughter to say Papa, but this unconscionable little thing was actually using this sentence to please Zhou, this guy… He was afraid that he couldn't help but beat Zhou Ye if he watched any longer.
Of course, he knew what the end would be… In the end, it would definitely not be Zhou, this guy, who would be beaten, but himself… Oh my god, for the sake of his own life, he had to go inside and calm down.
"Honey… are you feeling unwell?" Maria, who was busy making breakfast, saw her dejected husband and asked with some concern.