[Mission 'Guard the Captain America' settlement complete!]
[Reward obtained: 1000 Experience Points, 20 S.H.I.E.L.D. Reputation, Item 'Never-Fading Spray Paint', Item 'Painkillers']
[Item: Never-Fading Spray Paint (Select a pattern and spray it onto any object. Once sprayed, the pattern will be permanently fixed, and nothing can wipe it away)]
[Item: Painkillers (Upon consumption, all pain is nullified for a certain duration)]
Du Mu's mission was complete once Steve woke up.
However, after learning the truth of everything, Steve didn't want to linger at S.H.I.E.L.D. For some reason, he felt deeply uncomfortable staying there.
Given the complexity of Steve's identity, Nick Fury couldn't force him to stay, so he arranged for Du Mu to take Steve out to familiarize himself with this new century, which was essentially a way to monitor his actions.
[NPC Nick Fury has issued you a new mission]
[Mission: Century-Old Veteran Returns]
[Objective: Take Steve Rogers to familiarize himself with the 21st Century and monitor his actions]
*[Reward: Experience Points +1000, S.H.I.E.L.D. Reputation +20, Steve Favorability +20, Random Equipment 1]
It had to be said that missions involving a special NPC like Steve were easy to grind: low difficulty, and generous rewards.
Compared to the meager rewards Du Mu got from the exhausting missions he'd ground out before, this was infinitely better.
Some rejoiced, while others grieved.
Right now, Steve was extremely grieved.
It wasn't because he had acquired a black leader, but because he had just received some terrible news.
His former sweetheart, Peggy Carter, had actually gotten married many years ago and even had two children. Just a few days ago, she had celebrated her ninetieth birthday at home and almost blew out her dentures while blowing out the candles.
Ahem, the latter part was Du Mu's private addition.
In short, Steve's emotions were incredibly complex upon hearing the news.
After all, from his perspective, he had merely taken a nap. Yet, his recently-dating girlfriend had suddenly become his ex-girlfriend, and her age was now old enough to be his grandmother.
What could Steve do?
Of course, he chose to forgive her!
Everyone thought he had sacrificed himself, so it was perfectly normal for Peggy to start a new life.
Seeing Steve's downcast look, Du Mu kindly comforted him, "Steve, don't be sad just yet, because I have something even sadder to tell you."
Steve: "?"
Du Mu explained, "Here's the thing: I checked for you. The house you used to live in was acquired by the government years ago, and based on it, they established the Captain America Memorial Museum. Now, you have to buy a ticket to go home."
Steve: "???"
Waking up to find not only his girlfriend gone but his house too.
Could anything be more tragic than this!?
Steve gave a wry smile, "So I'm completely penniless now?"
This former Captain America, who had fought fiercely for his country and people against HYDRA, had now fallen into such a plight.
Even Du Mu, the HYDRA spy, felt a hint of sympathy.
"Look on the bright side. Since you can't change the facts, try to enjoy yourself," Du Mu advised Steve.
Steve sighed, "I know. I'll try to accept all of this."
"That's good that you understand. I'll take you for a drive first, let you experience the charm of this free country."
Saying this, Du Mu walked towards a S.H.I.E.L.D. service car parked by the roadside.
He pulled out a skeleton key, jimmied the car door open, skillfully pulled out the wires under the steering wheel, and hotwired the ignition. The car's engine instantly roared to life.
Steve: "..."
Isn't this a little too much "freedom"?
Seeing Steve frozen in place, Du Mu rolled down the window and yelled, "Don't just stand there, get in the car!"
Having just woken up, Steve wasn't sure if this was the custom of the new era. After a moment of hesitation, he got into the passenger seat.
For the next while, Du Mu drove Steve around aimlessly, taking the opportunity to give him crash courses on the humanistic and cultural practices of 21st-century America.
For instance, that people in this era could have nearly a hundred genders, that robbery wasn't illegal unless it exceeded a certain amount, and that the term "N-word" had been permanently retired and was completely out of print...
Steve listened with wide eyes, feeling his understanding of the world being refreshed again and again.
He even started to suspect that he hadn't slept for seventy years but had time-traveled to a future thousands of years away.
They said HYDRA had been defeated, but why did this country feel even more outlandish?
As they chatted, Steve gradually opened up and began to talk about his own story.
He mentioned his good friend and comrade, Bucky, with whom he had fought side-by-side, going through life and death many times, until Bucky fell off a cliff and disappeared without a trace.
Whenever he talked about Bucky, Steve couldn't stop speaking; the name appeared even more frequently than Peggy's.
Steve also recounted his last memories before falling asleep.
After defeating the Red Skull back then, the plane he was piloting was loaded with multiple devastating bombs. To prevent the plane from crashing into densely populated cities, he ultimately chose to sacrifice himself, manually steering the plane to crash into the uninhabited ice fields.
Hearing this, Du Mu couldn't help but ask curiously, "Then why didn't you parachute out before the crash?"
Steve: "..."
Oh, right! Why didn't I think of that maneuver!
Not long after, Du Mu brought Steve to the Captain America Memorial Museum.
But for some reason, Steve had looked glum ever since they set out. Perhaps he hadn't adapted to the new century yet.
After paying for two tickets, Steve felt even more depressed.
Why did he have to pay to go home?
Inside the Captain America Memorial Museum, various accounts of Steve's deeds were displayed, and even his iconic, out-of-print uniform was preserved.
Finally, Steve saw his former residence.
The museum had kept the items inside the house almost exactly as they were, even preserving the magazine with the sexy woman on the cover on his bedside table. A suspicious stain was still faintly visible on the yellowed magazine.
Next to it was a card labeled in bold, prominent type: Captain America's favorite reading material during his lifetime, possibly containing traces of Captain America's personal residue.
"What do you mean, 'my personal residue'!?" Steve's face instantly flushed red. "That was Bucky's magazine! I just accidentally spilled some milk on it!"
"It's okay, I believe you."
Du Mu said this, but his body honestly took a few steps back, moving further away from the magazine.
Steve: "..."
Just then, a familiar voice came from beside them.
"Du Mu, is that you?"
Du Mu looked over and saw it was the kid Peter, holding a camera in his hand.
"Peter? What are you doing here?" Du Mu asked curiously.
Peter scratched his head and explained, "You know how our school was damaged before and is still being rebuilt?"
"So the school assigned us a project to write a report on a great figure, and I chose Captain America. After all, he's been my idol since childhood, so I came here to gather some related material."
Hearing Peter's words, Steve smiled slightly.
It seemed he still had quite a few fans in this era.
Just as Steve was thinking this, he heard Peter suddenly gasp, "Oh my god! It's the magazine Captain America used! I can't believe Captain America liked reading this kind of stuff too!"
As he spoke, Peter raised his camera and furiously snapped pictures of the magazine.
Steve: "..."
Enough! You fake fan!