After ending the call, Arthur left his room and went to the kitchen to check on the busy Lily. She glared at him. "Aren't you going to wash up?"
He had no choice but to head to the bathroom to wash his face, brush his teeth, and take a shower.
By the time he finished and emerged, Lily had already set out congee and fried dough sticks on the table.
"This would make any Chinese person living abroad green with envy," Arthur said, gazing at the food. A sense of contentment began to well up within him.
Lily chuckled. "Eat up."
After breakfast, it was just past 7:30 AM. Lily's workday started at 8:30 AM, and Arthur could drive her to work in about half an hour.
Together, they cleared the table and washed the dishes. They had ten minutes left to linger before leaving promptly at 8:00 AM.
Arthur drove Lily to the base of her office building, where they finally parted ways.
But the thought of seeing each other again tonight filled both Lily and Arthur with unparalleled joy.
...
...
Arthur drove the car home and, finding an empty spot, stored it within the Disassemble Space. Then, using the Teleportation Array in his room, he arrived at Camp Lehigh.
After such a long absence, returning to Camp Lehigh now felt different.
Perhaps because of the recent covert war, the entire camp's atmosphere had undergone a complete transformation.
After all, those who had experienced the baptism of war and those who hadn't were worlds apart.
Arthur was quite satisfied with the current spirit of Camp Lehigh. He immediately sought out Natasha; some information was best gathered in person.
Natasha seemed surprised. "I thought you wouldn't be coming here for a few days."
Arthur simply ignored her remark.
Natasha didn't press the issue and immediately began reporting on the covert war against Hydra.
Overall, the secrecy and suddenness of Camp Lehigh, coupled with the information asymmetry, ensured this war was one-sided from the start.
The enemy didn't even know what was happening before they began a full-scale rout.
When they finally made a desperate gamble, attempting to save themselves with the extraordinary power they had spent years researching, Steve, Hulk, T'Challa, and others descended from the sky.
The sheer destructive force unleashed by this group of superheroes reduced Hydra to ashes in despair.
"Even so," Natasha said, "we still suffered casualties during the process. And some weaknesses were exposed. For example, the combat strength of our regular forces is clearly lacking. If we hadn't caught them off guard with superior equipment, information, and other advantages, our troops would likely have suffered significant losses in a head-on clash against an enemy with comparable equipment."
Arthur nodded. "Camp Lehigh's regular forces were never large to begin with. The first batch were all brought in by Bucky. Later, only trustworthy individuals who passed screening were added to form the combat unit. The subsequent training was handled by the first batch, and the results were far from ideal. What are your thoughts on this?"
"There are many suitable training camps in the world," Natasha said. "If we lack the resources to train them ourselves, why not outsource it?"
"What about confidentiality?" Arthur asked.
"Buying the training camp would significantly improve security."
"You're so rich, does your superpower involve money?" Arthur couldn't help but laugh.
Natasha paused, then said, "I think Tony's superpower is probably his brain."
"...I wasn't talking about him," Arthur coughed, then nodded. "As long as the funds are available, I agree with your suggestion in principle."
"Understood," Natasha said. "This matter requires long-term planning. After all, training camps like this must have a more complex background. Acting rashly could lead to unforeseen consequences."
Arthur nodded and asked, "What about the experimental results?"
Several major projects were underway simultaneously at Camp Lehigh. He hadn't heard a report on the Symbiote research in a long time.
The Lunar Development Project, which had begun before his departure, had also been underway for some time. He wondered how it was progressing.
Tony's Artificial Intelligence development was also ongoing...
Plus, there were the research projects they had taken over from Hydra... Camp Lehigh was working overtime, and Arthur needed to show appropriate concern.
"It's worth mentioning the Symbiote research," Natasha said.
"We've made some progress," Natasha said. "According to our findings, under specific conditions, the Symbiote can enter a relatively docile and rational state, keeping the symbiotic bond within a safe threshold. However, stabilizing this safe state clearly requires further research."
Arthur looked up at the ceiling. "We need to hurry. We probably don't have many years left."
Natasha nodded. "We can't put all our hopes on a single study, can we?"
Arthur smiled. "What about the others?"
"They're all progressing steadily."
Arthur fell silent for a moment, then stood up. "Is the luxury suite ready?"
"It's prepared," Natasha replied. "I thought you'd prefer to kill him outright. Is it out of humanitarian concern?"
"No... it's just a feeling. Killing him now wouldn't be the best move."
The two of them left the office and, following Natasha, descended to the deepest level of Camp Lehigh.
In truth, this probably wasn't the absolute lowest level. With no room to expand upward, Camp Lehigh had been forced to dig deeper and deeper. The level they were on was merely the current bottom.
On this level, a "deluxe suite" had been prepared, primarily to hold Red Skull.
The man had been kept within Arthur's Disassemble space ever since the incident on Vormir Star involving the Soul Stone, which had left Arthur uneasy.
Red Skull, after all, had been the one most closely connected to the Soul Stone. Could he possibly offer any valuable insights?
Even a single clue would be helpful...
Arthur had thought this as he locked Red Skull away.
(End Of This Chapter)
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