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Chapter 31: Reunion
"At that time, when the purple Titan rushed over, I slid in with my axe, sliced open its stomach, and with its head on the ground, I finished it off..."
"Wow! Uncle, you're amazing!"
Natalia blushed and applauded.
Thor: "..."
Does she really believe these second-rate stories? Does she even know what a purple Titan is?
In the past few days, this girl seemed to have regressed, constantly pestering him for stories.
However, Thor didn't have much material to offer. He found himself recounting the same tales over and over, which made it difficult for Natalia to continue pretending to be amazed.
He didn't realize that Natalia was only seeking an excuse to talk more with him because she didn't feel safe in her homeland.
…
Fortunately, the voyage wasn't too long. A week later, Thor finally reached the other shore and received a message as soon as he landed.
Steve had finally located HYDRA's lair, an underground base in the Alps.
He had led the Howling Commandos and a large number of soldiers into a decisive final battle.
Thor arrived at a local command post, presented his identification, and took a plane to the front lines.
He couldn't join the battle, but he could at least provide transport for the Captain...
…
A fierce battle erupted in HYDRA's lair.
Steve had feigned capture to pinpoint Red Skull's location. Then, he coordinated with reinforcements from outside to nearly annihilate HYDRA's main forces with a well-timed assault.
Realizing he was outmatched by the Brooklyn hero, Red Skull initiated his final plan. He took the Tesseract, boarded a state-of-the-art bomber, and set the course for New York.
The terrorists' last resort was self-destruction...
At the last moment of the bomber's takeoff, Steve, with the aid of Colonel Phillips and Peggy Carter, boarded the plane.
This would be the stage for the final confrontation between old enemies.
Colonel Phillips, feeling a sense of foreboding, watched as Steve entered the plane.
At that moment, both his and Peggy Carter's communicators buzzed simultaneously.
"Captain Blake is back!"
"Clunk--"
The communicator in Peggy's hand dropped to the ground.
…
"Uncle, do you hold a high military rank here?"
In the reception room of the headquarters, Natalia asked Thor.
"Not high, just a captain, and that's without any soldiers..."
He had earned the rank of lieutenant through his exceptional performance, and was later given the honorary title of captain for his role in rescuing prisoners.
Technically, the Howling Commandos weren't his soldiers.
But he didn't mind, as he wasn't focused on rank.
"Uncle, being a captain at such a young age is impressive!"
"Since you know I'm young, can you stop calling me 'uncle'?"
"Understood, uncle..."
Thor: "..."
"Uncle, why aren't you saying anything?"
Natalia noticed Thor suddenly looking back and turned around reflexively.
She saw a heroic female officer, and felt a sense of familiarity from her presence.
It was the aura of a top agent!
Peggy looked at Thor, struggling to maintain her composure, though the tears in her eyes betrayed her emotions.
"I'm back. Why is there no welcome?"
Thor opened his arms.
Peggy Carter glanced at Natalia, hesitated momentarily, but Thor took the initiative, pulling her into a bear hug.
"Come on, be serious, there are other people here!"
"No, no, just pretend I'm not here."
Natalia tried to make herself as inconspicuous as possible, a skill that came naturally to her as an agent.
"Ah, I almost forgot—Red Skull plans to bomb New York. The Captain needs to stop him. I need to stay updated on the situation!"
Peggy pushed Thor away gently and hurried into the command room.
"You wait here!" Thor followed quickly.
Natalia's special status made it inappropriate for her to enter.