The phone number was unfamiliar to Steam, but not to Leo. Because that string of numbers was the phone number Leo gave to Bucky for that Daimi phone.
“Answer it, Steam,” Leo instructed, setting aside his work.
“Buzz! Answering.” Steam responded.
“Leo, are you there? It’s Bucky,” Bucky’s voice came through the phone.
“It’s me,” Leo casually asked, “How is it?”
“Not yet. Those snakes are good at hiding. I chased them for five days before I finally found their main base.” Bucky continued, “But the base is a bit huge. As huge as the cotton production factory back then. I don’t think I can handle it alone.”
After listening to Bucky, Leo was intrigued. But his question wasn’t about the H.Y.D.R.A. base as he asked, “Bucky, you’ve chased them for five days straight, right? What did you eat?”
“What else could I eat? I had to steal! I don’t have any money on me,” Bucky replied.
It was the first time Bucky had such a tough time on a mission abroad, but he didn’t mind. In fact, he added, “You know what? It’s quite sneaky if you go around stealing while wearing Winter!”
“It’s good that you have a positive mindset,” Leo sincerely praised.
As for the correlation between Ant-Man Suit and stealing, Bucky’s summary wasn’t necessary. Leo had long realized the practical use of the Ant-Man Suit, given Scott Lang’s background and the tasks that Dr. Pym had assigned him while wearing the suit.
If that wasn’t clear enough, just think about what Leo had done after acquiring the Pym Particles. It was apparent that the Pym Particles and stealing were a match made in heaven.
Bucky then said, “Let’s not talk about irrelevant things for now. What are you planning to do about this massive base? As I mentioned earlier, there’s no way I can take them out on my own.”
Bucky implied that he wanted Leo to join him in this mission. However, Leo had been extremely busy lately, and the idea of eliminating a H.Y.D.R.A. base didn’t appeal to him at all.
So he suggested, “I don’t have much time for now. Why don’t I pick you up first? Once you’re back and have a new set of gear, you and Natasha can go and deal with the base together. As long as you don’t alert them, the base won’t go anywhere.”
After thinking for a bit, Bucky answered, “Sounds good. We can also bring along my student, Daredevil. It’ll be an eye-opening experience for him. He’s always stuck in that small corner of Hell’s Kitchen, not realizing how boring it can be!”
“Why about Spider-Man? He’s even stronger than both you and Matt combined.” Leo suddenly became interested.
“Peter is strong and certainly can hold his own in a fight. But he’s just too kind. He can’t bring himself to take down even the most heinous criminals, and that doesn’t fit well with my methods. If we bring him to Africa to deal with the H.Y.D.R.A.s, he’d probably just made more trouble,” Bucky explained, clearly grasping his students’ personalities well.
After a brief chat, Leo didn’t want to waste any more time and asked right away, “Give me your location. I’ll head there now to pick you up.”
“I’m in the coastal city of Tanga, in Tanzania. There’s an uninhabited area about three hundred kilometers south of here. That’s where I am,” Bucky, being a former reconnaissance soldier, instinctively reported his precise location.
Leo pulled up a map to confirm the location mentioned by Bucky and remarked, “You’ve traveled quite a distance in these five days!”
“Wait for me there, I’ll be there in about two hours,” Leo said before hanging up the phone.
Although Viper Mark VIII was currently being upgraded to Viper Mark IX and couldn’t be used at the moment, he had prepared an additional set of Viper Mark VIII as a backup. The purpose was to have a replacement option readily available in case any components of the main armor were accidentally damaged
While the current situation didn’t involve any accidental damage, the backup could still come in handy.
He swiftly put on the armor, ensuring it was properly fitted before immediately taking off and soaring into the sky, heading to Tanga.
……
Five hours later, Leo safely picked up Bucky and dropped him off at the Chinese restaurant where he had last bumped into Natasha. He firmly refused Bucky’s offer to treat him and returned alone to the Erwin Research Center, leaving Bucky behind.
The round trip from New York to Tanga took only four hours of flight time. With one hour remaining, Bucky led Leo to explore the H.Y.D.R.A. base.
Sure enough, it was a massive base comparable to the cotton production factory. Leo even caught a glimpse of Dr. Zola inside.
But things were no longer the same. The H.Y.D.R.A. base that could’ve spelled doom for him three years ago, and the same base that brought him substantial wealth a year and a half ago, now didn’t even deserve a second glance from him!
The meager wealth in the base no longer interested the wealthy Leo, and he had no intention of wasting time there, especially since he couldn’t kill Dr. Zola.
Coincidentally, he now had a few powerful subordinates, and he was in the process of distributing potions and equipment to form a complete team. It was a perfect opportunity for team-building and annihilating a H.Y.D.R.A. base to practice their skills.
With these thoughts in mind, he found himself back at the Erwin Research Center in no time. With Steam’s assistance, he wasted no time and immersed himself once again in the production of Viper Mark IX and the Smart Utility Belt.
After a day and a night, both pieces of equipment were completed, and an extra set of backup Viper Mark IX was produced, all exuding the fresh scent of Vibranium.
Securing the Smart Utility Belt around his waist, Leo ascended to the rooftop with confident strides. The rooftop was battered by strong winds, howling with chilling cold.
It was December 30, 1994, Friday, 8 PM, and New York City was about to experience its first snowfall of the year. It seemed like the snow would continue into the following year. In the bustling streets of New York City, pedestrians clad in padded coats and warm hats would greet their family and friends with a friendly shout, “Happy New Year’s Eve.”
However, the Marvel Base was located on the outskirts, and on this Friday evening, during the holiday season, the base was virtually empty except for a few security personnel.
Naturally, on the desolate rooftop where the wind roared, there was only Leo.
Yet, Le felt no sense of loneliness because the howling cold wind was his companion.
Soon enough, he was going to embark on a satellite installation mission in outer space, with the satellite add-ons. There, even the howling cold wind would be absent as the atmosphere would be far beneath him, marking the true essence of solitude.
Pitter-patter~
Suddenly, the sky began to sprinkle fine snow, hitting his face with the cold wind.
Since Leo’s body had undergone multiple enhancements, he paid no attention and kept his eyes wide open, staring at the vastness of space. Excitement brimmed his heart because he had never been to space before.
He exhaled a breath, which turned into a white mist instantly as it came in contact with the cold wind and dispersed into the surroundings.
Then, a surge of Mechanical Force washed through his body as he activated “Mechanical Force – Relay” to connect to the Smart Utility Belt around his waist.
In an instant, the Viper Mark IX was launched from the belt, enlarging in the wind. Layer by layer, it covered Leo’s body while releasing the mechanical sound of gears interlocking.
BOOM!
The pitch-black faceplate abruptly snapped shut, and the inky-black eyes lit up with a blue-purple radiance. Inside the helmet, the reconnaissance module, positioning module, and target-assisting module all came online. Virtual display screens appear one by one before Leo, exuding a captivating sci-fi vibe.
“Buzz! Steam, at your service, master.” Steam’s voice sounded excited as well. It was the first time it accompanied Leo on a long-distance flight. And it was the first time that they would be venturing directly into space.
“Buzz! Armor self-diagnosis checked. All modules functioning normally. Ready for takeoff.”
Slightly lifting his head, Leo ignited the Anti-gravity Pulse Blasters. Together with armor, he rapidly ascended into the air.
Simultaneously, the shrinking function of the Pym Particles was activated and the Vibranium Defensive Runes were activated too. His speed increased once more, reaching an acceleration of 10G.
Combining Earth’s gravity, the acceleration of 11G exerted no inconvenience on him. Even ordinary astronauts with robust physical abilities could withstand up to 10G of gravity under extreme conditions, let alone Leo, whose body had undergone comprehensive power up.
Moreover, the acceleration could be doubled!
With an acceleration of 21G, he reached an altitude of ten thousand meters in just ten seconds.