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Chapter 41: The Smile Gradually Changes

A young man rushed in from outside the alley, helped Steve Rogers up, examined his injuries, and then turned to Thor, saying, "Thanks, buddy. My name is James Barnes, but you can call me Bucky. I appreciate you helping Steve Rogers teach that jerk a lesson."

Thor was taken aback. He finally realized that the Ancient One had sent him back to 1942 using the power of the Time Stone.

This year had been particularly challenging for the United States.

On one hand, the German offensive led by Hydra had reached its peak, pushing several countries into battle. On the other hand, the Japanese had attacked Pearl Harbor a few months ago, and the U.S., which had been in a state of relative calm, could no longer remain passive.

So, the timeline anomaly occurred during this period?

It appeared that the thin man in front of him was the future Captain America. This afternoon, he had been repeatedly rejected from the army. Asthma, scarlet fever, heart disease, high blood pressure... The recruiter even questioned how the poor boy had managed to survive this long...

Despite Captain America's noble image in the movies, in reality, this guy was quite persistent and had tried numerous times to join the army using forged identities.

Reflecting on this, Thor realized that his name did not appear during World War II. So...

"Donald Blake, you're welcome. I can't stand these types who are strong but refuse to go to the front lines, hiding in the back and doing nothing," Thor said, introducing himself and shaking hands with them. It wasn't just idle talk.

Seeing the rejection notices scattered on the ground, Bucky said with a hint of exasperation, "Hey, even though identification isn't very authentic these days, constantly forging identities and trying to join the army is risky and illegal."

Steve pouted in disapproval.

Bucky, sensing the conversation wasn't going anywhere, changed the topic and said to Thor, "Hey, there's the Tomorrow's World Expo tonight. Why don't the three of us go together?"

Thor agreed. After all, he had no leads on his mission yet.

…

It was clear that Bucky and Steve had a strong friendship. While attending the expo, Bucky also tried to set Steve up with two girls. Given Steve's height and his straightforward demeanor, it was unlikely anything would come of it.

Thor wandered around, contemplating his mission. There was a problem with the timeline in this era, likely involving Captain America. He recalled something—Captain America had returned the stones at the end of his journey, staying in the 1940s for his final stop. He had spent his last moments with Peggy Carter, living a full life with her.

In this world, there might be an old Captain America hidden somewhere.

However, if Thor intervened and disrupted this incident, Captain America might never have the chance to travel through time, creating a conflict.

The goal of meeting Peggy Carter was to confirm the existence of the old Captain America.

Could this be the time anomaly?

"Drip, congratulations to the host for discovering a branch of the mission 'The Eternal Secret.' Complete the mission after finishing all the branches!"

"Branch 1: Block the future passage of Captain America at its source and maintain the timeline where the host is present!"

"Branch 2: Not unlocked, please explore further."

"Branch 3: Not unlocked, please explore further."

Blocking Captain America from crossing?

So, in the timeline Thor was in, the old Captain America did not exist.

To block it at the root, he would need to address the reason Captain America traveled in the first place...

Peggy Carter!

Thor looked at Steve and Bucky nearby and smiled—Captain America, women can be quite the trouble, and Winter Soldier is your issue! I'm doing this for your own good!

His smile gradually turned, and a plan began to take shape.