A year and a bit had flown by.
For a planet as disaster-prone as Earth, it had been a surprisingly peaceful year.
After the initial cleanup of the Skrull remnants caused by the invasion's aftermath, the world had been relatively quiet. Sure, there was the occasional two-bit villain trying to rob a bank or blow up a city block, but those were small potatoes.
The kind of world-ending, universe-shattering crises that usually plagued the planet were noticeably absent.
Aside from North America, which was still mired in chaos, the rest of the world enjoyed a rare year of stability.
And in this stability, people were surprised to find that Earth's technology had quietly stepped onto the fast track.
From electronics and biotech to everyday consumer goods, all the way up to expensive cybernetic implants and intelligent robots—even the seemingly magical powers once exclusive to superheroes on TV.
All these novel technologies that ordinary people never dared to dream of were gradually entering thousands of households.
Even more surprising was that the source of all this innovation seemed to be that small, once war-torn country that no one used to care about.
Sokovia.
Or, as it should perhaps be called now: The Nation of Progress!
Sokovia Capital, Streets of Novigrad.
Bright sunlight spilled onto the brand-new, bustling streets.
As the birthplace of all kinds of emerging technologies, Sokovia was vastly different from what it once was.
Looking down from above, sci-fi skyscrapers and spires were densely packed throughout the city.
In the sky above, drones of all shapes and sizes shuttled between the buildings.
Some were simple and rugged, emblazoned with police or security insignia.
Others carried delivery boxes of various sizes, transporting exquisite takeout or packages.
Occasionally, you could even see a few unlucky kids hanging from the bottom of speeding drones, laughing hysterically as they zoomed through the city.
But compared to the changes in infrastructure and facilities, the ordinary citizens living in the city were even more distinct from the outside world.
On the streets, aside from the tourists gawking at everything, the easiest way to distinguish a local was simple: almost every Sokovian seemed to be accompanied by an intelligent robot "servant."
Of course, if that wasn't distinct enough, then...
"Uh... Baron Zemo, are there really so many ordinary citizens in Sokovia who voluntarily undergo ability modification?"
Fresh out of the airport, Bucky hadn't reacted much when two "bunny girls" passed by earlier.
But as more "eccentric demi-humans" with various animal ears and tails appeared in his vision, he finally couldn't help but ask his host.
Baron Zemo's perpetual smile stiffened slightly. He coughed twice and gave a somewhat vague explanation.
"Ahem, well, ever since Aurantius Industries launched the Superpower Capsules, ordinary Sokovian citizens have had priority purchasing rights."
"However, for security reasons, we've currently only opened up E-class abilities for purchase. Among those... well, the beast transformation capsules are indeed quite popular with the public..."
Zemo blushed slightly as he said this.
God knows how, when the capsules were officially rolled out, these seemingly simple, honest Sokovian folk—faced with a dazzling array of "parlor trick" abilities—unanimously decided that animal ears were the way to go.
Now, Sokovia was overrun with all kinds of cat-girls, wolf-boys, and whatever else.
"Ahem, actually, it's not just ability modification. Mechanical modification... or as Lord Aurantius calls it, 'Cybernetic Implant Modification,' is also quite common in Sokovia now."
Zemo, intentionally or not trying to change the subject, signaled his bodyguard to demonstrate for Bucky.
Only then did Bucky realize.
The seemingly ordinary officer who had been following them all along had a left arm that was an extremely well-disguised mechanical prosthetic.
As the forearm split open, a cold metallic glint flashed from a mantis-like blade hidden within.
Wait, not just the arm!
Bucky noticed a red light flash in the man's left eye—clearly not something a normal biological eye could do.
Seeing Bucky's surprise, Zemo spoke again, his tone shedding its previous embarrassment and gaining a touch of pride.
"Currently, aside from common neural interfaces and matching optical implants for work efficiency, most modifications available to the public are medical. Prosthetic limbs, artificial organs—these greatly help patients who previously had no hope of treatment."
"More advanced military-grade implants are not yet open to the public."
"However, Lord Aurantius has indicated that if President Rogers is interested, we can sell them to the New American Military at a fair price, along with the accompanying surgical services."
Hearing this, Bucky unconsciously flexed his own mechanical left arm.
Since when did this kind of human modification become something discussed so openly in broad daylight?
Although Bucky didn't say it out loud, Zemo, who was closely observing his expression, quickly guessed his thoughts.
But the eloquent Zemo didn't explain further.
After all, he himself had once opposed the rollout of this technology. It was only after understanding the Aurantius Group's implant tech deeply that he realized just how much convenience this mature technology brought to people's lives.
And right now, this was just an ordinary diplomatic meeting. Since Bucky, the head envoy, wasn't interested, Zemo naturally wouldn't push the topic.
Changing the subject, Zemo put his warm smile back on.
"It's still early before the formal meeting and the banquet. I should take the delegation to your accommodations to rest first."
"If you are interested, this afternoon we can arrange guides to show you around Novigrad properly."
Bucky hesitated for a moment.
"What if I want to see Mr. Aurantius first?"