Chapter 77: The Search for Steve and Kyle: The Unexpected Surprise

In the basement of the US military training base, Howard, Fury, and Carter were discussing a world map with solemn expressions.

"The departure point was the Hydra base under the Alps, and the autopilot's destination was New York. According to the normal flight speed of the out-of-control transport fighter and the time when communication was cut off, we can calculate that the out-of-control fighter will eventually fall into this area of the sea." Howard, dressed in a suit and tie, stood in front of the world map and drew a circle in the middle of the Atlantic with a black pen, covering the area that should be investigated.

"But the center of the sea area where the out-of-control fighter is most likely to fall has already been searched by divers and no trace was found. So it's inevitable to consider whether the out-of-control fighter deviated from its autopilot trajectory at that time, and the distribution of ocean currents and glaciers at that time." Howard's expression was heavy as he drew another larger circle on top of the original one, covering the entire map of the Atlantic Ocean.

Fury, sitting in the lower seat, shook his head and sighed.

"In this area of the sea, if we used a submarine to dive to the bottom and searched every ten meters, it would take ten years to find the wreckage of the fighter."

"We can't give up!" Carter's face was cold as she said firmly, "Those two won't die so easily. They said they would definitely come back."

"Of course. Not only will the military's submarines search, but Stark Industries will also invest money and send professional divers to look for them in the sea. We won't give up until we find them." Howard nodded in agreement.

After a moment of silence, he voiced his concerns. "I'm afraid the out-of-control fighter might have encountered the floating ice of the Shanghai Mountain. It's winter now, with multiple cold currents in the Atlantic. If the fallen fighter is frozen and sinks to the bottom of the sea, then even if we search for a hundred years, we won't be able to find even a trace of the fighter's parts."

Upon hearing this, Fury and Carter in the basement fell silent. In fact, after the fighter jet lost communication and fell into the sea, the US military had sent fighter jets and submarines to try their best to find Steve and Kyle, but they had long assumed that the two men had unfortunately died. Even if they were found, they would only bring back their remains.

However, even if Steve and Kyle's deaths were confirmed, the news would be suppressed by the military. After all, the loss of heroes who symbolized the country would have an unbearable impact during wartime.

Just then, a soldier came down the stairs and said to Carter, "Agent Carter, someone sent something in from outside the base. She said it's for you."

"Hmm?" Carter was puzzled, but she still took the box from the soldier and asked, "Who is that person?"

"It was a little girl. She said that someone ask her to give to you. Also, she said it was your friend. The guards at the base couldn't figure out what was going on, then the little girl ran away. We only sent the box in after confirming it was safe."

"Thank you for your hard work." Carter nodded. After the soldier left, she placed the box on the conference table.

The cardboard box was neither big nor small and was sealed with tape. There was a short paragraph written in English on it: "To Carter."

Carter looked at the English handwriting with her beautiful eyes and was instantly stunned. Howard felt that the atmosphere in the conference had been too heavy, so he couldn't help but tease, "Could this be a gift from a gentleman who admires you?"

"Maybe it's intelligence. Let me help you open the box." Fury raised his hand and offered to help. Carter agreed, and Fury quickly took a pair of scissors and cut the tape sealing the box. The tough guy easily opened the box, revealing its contents under the dim yellow light. It was a brand-new, folded red evening gown with a card featuring a rose on the front.

"An evening gown? A rose card?" Fury was disappointed. He wasn't interested in women's items, so he returned to his seat.

Howard shrugged. "Looks like I was right. Beautiful Carter, do you need a bodyguard?"

Carter didn't say anything. She walked forward and took the rose card from the box. When she turned it over, the back was written in English. "Here is a solemn invitation to Miss Carter. Please attend the Bird Club's singing and dancing party on Friday, which is tomorrow at eight o'clock in the evening."

"It's him. He's back," Carter said softly.

"He's back?" Howard and Fury were slightly stunned. They looked at each other and then looked at Carter eagerly. "Who did you say is back?!"

A day passed and Friday night arrived as expected. In the big city near the base, the Bird Club was located on the busiest street, its main entrance carpeted and the lights maintaining a romantic neon glow.

"Beep beep!" An extended luxury car stopped smoothly in front of the club's main entrance. Howard, the driver, got out first and opened the door of the front passenger seat in a gentlemanly manner. Slender feet in high heels stepped out, followed by Carter, who was wearing a luxurious tube top evening gown.

Her beautiful and glamorous face looked especially charming after she had carefully dressed up. Her blonde hair was styled up, revealing her delicate collarbone. The tube top evening gown cleverly showed off her perfect shoulders and the lines of her body, looking both sexy and elegant. The red evening gown contrasted with her fair skin, making it hard for people to look away.

"Carter, you'll definitely be the most dazzling person at the party tonight," Howard sighed and waved his hand, urging her to go inside. "Hurry up and go in. Don't let them wait too long."

After that, Howard sat back in the driver's seat and started the limousine, leaving Carter standing alone in front of the door. Carter took a deep breath, pressed her palms lightly against her chest, and nervously walked into the club.

Passing through the main entrance guarded by formally dressed attendants, Carter walked down the corridor. Inside, the club was not as lively as usual. In fact, the main hall was dark except for faint lights in the corridor to maintain visibility. There was no music, no lights, and no other guests, not even the club's attendants.

"This … " Carter looked at the silent, dark hall in front of her. Just as she was about to call out, the lights around and above her suddenly lit up.

"Whoosh" The originally dark main hall was instantly illuminated. Soft tunes played by a variety of musical instruments then sounded, as if rehearsed countless times. Gentlemen and ladies holding hands poured into the main hall from all directions and danced elegantly to the music.

"Is that you?" Carter couldn't help but ask, looking around at the dancing people as if trying to find a familiar figure among them.

"No," a familiar low voice sounded from the musician playing the tune. Carter looked at the source of the sound and saw a handsome young man in a black tuxedo standing up from the piano seat.

"It's me. You must be very disappointed." Kyle spread out his hands and looked at Carter in the center of the main hall.