Chapter 366: Brand New and Good (Part 2)_2

"I'll check the computer here for any information and then we'll return to Mr. Stark, ask him if he can figure out where this secret base is located," Peter said.

As he spoke, Peter turned and walked to the computer terminal. He'd hardly reached it when he uttered in confusion, "Hmm? The system here seems a bit different from the others?"

Steve, who was inspecting paper files, turned his head and asked, "What's different? Anything special?"

"It seems to have a unique encryption system, a special password lock needs to be cracked. This is complicated. They might not have had enough time to destroy this before they left. Let me see..."

"My God, the damned human experiments again. What is this? ...The Winter Soldier program? Good heavens! How could they..."

With Peter exclaiming in astonishment, Steve and Matt joined him. Peter explained, "This is a very old encrypted system. It probably wasn't destroyed because its opening mechanism is too complicated, and it doesn't stand out. The agents who evacuated probably didn't have the time to..."

"But I think this should be quite important. I just decrypted some of the documents and found they mentioned a human experiment called the 'Winter Soldier project'...."

"They wanted to create emotionless perfect soldiers, so they implanted brainwashing modules into people's brains and then, after augmenting their bodies with parts of machines, sent them to assassinate important people."

"I've said it before, the evil of Hydra is like an iceberg under the water surface; what we see is always only a small part," Steve sighed and then said, "Please archive these documents."

"By the way, is there a list of subjects? If we can find the families of these pitiful victims, we can send them some compensation. I'll pay for it."

Peter looked at the computer and replied, "A list... a list... Found one. Oh! My God, it's a bit damaged! Only the first half remains, up to surnames beginning with 'G.' Do you want to come over and take a look, captain?"

Steve initially didn't want to go, but he thought of his comrades who were cruelly killed by Hydra. Regardless, they were all victims, and Steve wanted to say a few prayers for them.

So, he went over. After just taking a glance at the list, he made the sign of the cross over his chest. But at this moment, he saw that at the top of the list was a surname that started with the letter 'B'

"Barnes?" Steve squinted in confusion, to which Peter responded, "What? What's wrong with him?"

"... Nothing, it's just that I had a friend with the same surname. Can you see their names?"

"Oh the names were folded," Peter replied as he moved the cursor on screen and revealed those hidden names. Steve then gazed at the screen and uttered, "James Barnes?! Bucky..."

"Do we have files on this person?!" Steve abruptly grabbed Peter's shoulder. The grip was so tight it made Peter wince in pain. Noticing Steve's frenzied expression, he asked, "Are you okay, Captain?"

Coming back to his senses, Steve relaxed his grip and tried to control his trembling hands. He said, "...I'm fine, can you help me look up this one's data? He could be an old comrade..."

"Sure, let me see... James Buchanan Barnes. The specific sourcing isn't indicated, but it shows that he underwent the Winter Soldier Transformation Project and was equipped with a mechanical arm after losing his own…"

Suddenly, a look of surprise spread across Steve's face, "That's right! Bucky's arm should be gone! It's him! It must be him!"

But shortly after, his face fell in dismay. "The victims are likely all... Those damned hydras, Bucky must have been tortured a lot. I'll eradicate them!"

"You mean, this Mr. Barnes, might have been your old battle buddy?" Peter asked. He then moved to the computer and began scanning more files, saying, "He might not be dead, Captain. The files indicate they injected a special serum into the humans to enhance their cell vitality and lifespan."

"And they mentioned a Principle of Weapon Sealing, which suggests they sealed the individuals away in a base until they were needed."

Steve turned to him, staring intently, and asked, "Really? He could really live that long?"

"Look, here is the detailed report on that serum. Given its molecular formula, I believe it could be highly effective. It should be able to increase a human's cell vitality and lifespan several times over. If he didn't die in battle, he should still be alive..."

Instantly, Steve picked up his shield and began to stride out of the room. Peter quickly followed, calling, "Captain! Captain! Where are you going?"

"I'm going to find that base. I'm going to save my friend!"

Matt moved quickly to block Steve's path. "Steve, calm down. Have you forgotten our previous experiences?"

"Every base we've found has been empty. If we can't figure out where the secure base is, the researchers involved in this may still move the important files, and you'll never find your friend!"

Steve clenched his fist around his shield. His chest heaved for several moments. After a few minutes, he had finally calmed down. He said, "Let's go find Stark."

About an hour later, members of the Avengers arrived at Stark's lab. Steve could clearly see Stark's eyebrows knitted tightly when he heard Barnes' name. Slightly narrowing his eyes, Steve asked, "You've heard of him, haven't you?"

Stark denied it, "I haven't. I have no interest in you or your friend."

"Mr. Stark, can you help us track any clues to the secret base? Although I can hack into their control system, most of the files have been erased, and those that can be recovered are minimal…"

With a shake of his head, Peter sighed, "Looks like, I still need to work on my skills."

Stark walked over, pulled Peter to his feet, put an arm around his shoulder, and said, "I told you before, you should try my way instead of mingling with these people who lack technical skills. Come over, let's study their control system together..."

As Stark led Peter away, Steve stood dumbstruck. He was anxious but couldn't help feeling resentment towards Stark's cavalier attitude.

Steve, who doesn't have the Mind Reading Technique, had no idea that Stark was deliberately putting on this facade primarily because of Barnes. If Steve hadn't mentioned his name, Stark would surely have accepted his cooperation offer.

The reason being, Stark's recent campaign against Hydra hadn't gone smoothly either.