Chapter 145: Searching High and Low for Captain America!

Tony's information on artificial intelligence was extensive, and in his bid to sever ties with Clark completely, he held nothing back, even including data and insights related to perfecting Jarvis's program.

Clark felt fully justified in using this information; after all, the insights he provided also spared Tony from significant hardships, didn't they? It was a fair exchange, with no obligations attached.

After printing all the information, Clark locked himself in his room and used astral projection to review the data. Utilizing the time dilation in the astral state, Clark spent less than ten minutes to go through the voluminous data that would have otherwise exhausted an ink cartridge, followed by another ten minutes for familiarization and analysis. Twenty minutes later, he had fully assimilated the information.

Then, Clark made some improvements on Tony's design. Although his modifications might not necessarily be better than Tony's original designs, the enhanced AI had become uniquely his, beyond Tony's easy cracking.

After rechecking his improved plans, ensuring no flaws were left, Clark looked up at the wall clock; only 30 minutes had passed, and it was now 4:30 PM.

Returning to his physical body, Clark reorganized the materials, then joined his family for dinner and a brief chat.

He was about to head to Hank Pym's lab to work on his AI project before sleep when a call from Bucky completely disrupted his plans.

Captain America was missing! Upon hearing this, Clark's immediate thought was that Hydra must be behind it.

This speculation stemmed from Hydra's notorious track record and Captain America being their archenemy, similar to how in certain stories, if a villain isn't directly accused, they're often the first suspect, with at least a fifty percent chance of being right.

Though Tony was currently Hydra's main adversary, Tony, being a superhero, had his moral boundaries, unlikely to direct his vengeance towards Captain America.

But identifying the culprit wasn't the priority; finding Captain America was.

"Don't panic, Bucky," Clark advised over the phone. "When did he disappear, and have you tried calling him?"

Bucky's voice came through the speaker, "We just got back from the set, and he left alone, saying he'd be back soon after buying something. But he's not returned, his phone's off, and even his shield is missing."

Clark frowned slightly, then responded, "Okay, got it. Stay home and don't wander off; I'll find someone."

After hanging up, Clark dialed Lu Dan's number without wasting time on pleasantries: "Captain America is missing, and I suspect he's in danger. We need your help to use all resources to find him."

"Captain missing?" Lu Dan was surprised but then slowed down, "Based on our previous deals, I charge for my services. Now you're asking for my help..."

"He's Captain America, he bled for the Allies!"

Received +6666 reputation points from Nick Fury!

"I'm aware of Captain America's achievements, but I'm referring to our agreement..."

"He was frozen for America!"

Received +7777 reputation points from Nick Fury!

"I know he's a war hero, but what I mean is..."

"He bled for freedom!"

Received +8888 reputation points from Nick Fury!

"What I'm trying to say is..."

"He was frozen for the world for 70 years!"

Received +9999 reputation points from Nick Fury!

Lu Dan felt unable to communicate properly with Clark, yet he couldn't ignore Captain America's predicament.

Regardless of Captain America's inherent goodness and his reputation, if it became known that Lu Dan did nothing during Captain America's crisis, it would severely damage his own reputation.

Reluctantly, Lu Dan conceded, "Alright, your shamelessness has won. I'll assign Hill to lead this operation, and your people better cooperate."

After the call, Clark immediately rallied his family and allies, including Hope, Nalan Bai, and even Sharon and the young Mindy, who had already gone home, for a single mission: to assist SHIELD in any way possible.

Searching high and low for Captain America!

Under SHIELD's diligent search led by Hill and Clark's own efforts, flying around Los Angeles in a striking red cape—mistaken by many for a comic book superhero—they still found nothing after hours.

By around 8 PM, Clark and Hill finally met at a coastal villa in Los Angeles. An impatient Bucky immediately inquired about the situation.

After shaking his head gently, Clark asked an anxious Bucky, "Calm down and think—before Steve left today, did he say anything unusual, or did you encounter anything out of the ordinary?"

Bucky paused, then mentioned, "As we were leaving the company building for the car park, we saw a monk telling stories to some disciples."

Clark raised an eyebrow, "Could you understand?"

"They spoke English."

"Alright." Clark nodded, pressing on, "What story was he telling?"

"The story was about a person named Buddha," Bucky recalled thoughtfully. "In the story, Buddha cut off his flesh to feed an eagle to save a pigeon, and later, to save a starving tiger, he offered himself as food."

"I can't remember the details, but that was the gist."

Convinced by Bucky's account, Clark said, "That monk is suspicious. Can you remember what he looked like?"

With Bucky's affirmative nod, Clark told Hill, "I think I know where Steve might be. I'll go find him. Have someone sketch the monk based on Bucky's memory and arrest him; he's definitely involved!"

Hill nodded, mobilizing experts, while Clark prepared to use the Sling Ring to create a portal directly to the target.

With the Sling Ring ready, and Tony's living room image in mind, Clark's precise movements failed to summon even a spark of magic.

"What's going on?" Despite multiple attempts, Clark faced consistent failure.

Suddenly, Sharon burst in with photos, "Clark, I've found a clue. Come look at this."

Taking the photos, Clark saw the first depicting the Captain America Museum, with several mannequins standing in front of a mural of the Howling Commandos. The central mannequin was bare, holding only a model shield.

"Just now, I heard the Los Angeles Captain America Museum was burglarized, and his uniform was stolen."

Listening to Sharon, Clark quickly flipped through the photos, which contained clues about the museum theft. He handed them back to Sharon, "Thanks for the information. I think I know where to find him. I'm on my way."

With that, Clark activated his flight mode and headed straight for Tony's coastal villa, convinced that Captain America had gone to Tony.

No, it was more like he was seeking death, inspired by the Buddha story to use his life to dissolve Tony's hatred.

Frustrated, Clark suddenly came up with a couplet for Captain America:

Upper Couplet: Alone he stormed the dragon's lair, his shield against the sky, his fists ruling the world; Lower Couplet: Roaring he slew the hydra, Captain America's life, second to none!

Though it felt inappropriate at the time, Clark couldn't deny the couplet's fitting tribute to Captain America.

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