Chapter 37: Howard

"Seems like you're familiar with me?" Howard remarked, noticing the astonishment on Colin's face. He furrowed his brow slightly, shrouded in shadows.

"I have come across reports about you in the newspapers, reports of your demise," Colin replied truthfully, his face reflecting his surprise.

Howard fell silent for a moment upon hearing this.

Then, Howard turned his head as if he had detected something crucial. "We can discuss the details of the report at a more opportune moment. Currently, our primary focus should be assisting you in addressing the predicament at hand," he declared, meeting Colin's gaze.

Then, he turned his head and pointed out of the window. With the humming sound, an arc blaster fired from Howard's palm, obliterating Ultron, who had mysteriously appeared outside the window.

Simultaneously, under the beam of the shock gun, Colin finally caught sight of Howard's figure concealed in the shadows. Howard's arm revealed traces of mechanical augmentation, with even a portion of his face replaced by machinery. A silver-white mechanical eyeball glowed faintly with a blue hue, embedded in his eye socket.

"Clint, you take care of it," Howard commanded, standing by the window.

Ultron, who had been pursuing him, was sent flying by Howard's attack. Instead of chasing after the victory, Howard whispered something.

"Got it."

"I've been contemplating how to inform Adeline about Jacques' demise..."

Inside a parked taxi on the apartment road, a man with a bow and arrow turned his head towards Nick Fury in the driver's seat.

Fury addressed him, "Adeline was always opposed to Jacques joining our operation and had quarreled with him multiple times over it."

Sitting in the driver's seat, Nick replied in a low, measured voice, "At the very least, you can tell her that he was a hero, a true hero."

"Who knows?" Clint, or Hawkeye, responded expressionlessly to Nick's remark.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh——

Swiftly, he unleashed three precise arrows, striking Ultron mid-air before it could mount a counterattack. Ultron's body, laden with broken parts, struggled to maintain its flight, warning in a distorted tone, "...found... target locked...scanning data...database...found target... Hawkeye...dark avenger...extremely dangerous..."

However, Ultron didn't get the chance to retaliate. Several accurately aimed arrows pierced its body from a distance. Accompanied by a violent explosion, Ultron disintegrated into multiple pieces, plummeting to the ground in flames.

"Now, your next decision is whether to remain here and wait for more robots to come knocking at your door or to leave with us, Mr. Colin Looper." Howard shifted his gaze away, turning to face Colin.

"Do I even have a choice?" Colin helplessly responded, glancing at the substantial hole that Howard had blasted into the room. He certainly didn't have enough money to pay the landlord for that kind of damage.

Following Howard downstairs, the explosion from the battle attracted the attention of many onlookers among the residents. The two men descended amidst the crowd, their actions inconspicuous.

Passing through the curious onlookers, Howard and Colin halted in front of a waiting taxi. The window rolled down, revealing a familiar face in the driver's seat.

"Nice to see you again, guest," Nick Fury greeted Colin from inside the taxi.

Observing Nick inside the vehicle and Howard in front of him, Colin couldn't help but wonder, "Since when have you been following me?" Colin entertained suspicions about the situation unfolding before him. It seemed too coincidental for them to appear at that moment.

In response to Colin's doubts, Howard met Nick's gaze, who shrugged and shook his head, denying any involvement.

"To be honest, it's not you we are primarily concerned about, but Hydra..."

"Hydra?!" Colin interjected, incredulous at the name that escaped Howard's lips.

"It may sound unbelievable, but the robot that attacked you was actually created and controlled by Hydra."

Actually, I'm not surprised by this revelation at all, Colin thought to himself. If there's anyone in this world with the strongest bias against Hydra, it would undoubtedly be Colin. After all, in his understanding, Hydra was an unequivocally evil organization. Thus, he wouldn't be astonished by the extent of their capabilities.

"Apologies, but now isn't the ideal time for discussion..." Hawkeye interjected, poking his head out of the taxi and reminding the two outside the car.

Upon hearing Clint's reminder, Colin suppressed the doubts in his mind and climbed into the taxi with Howard.

"[Contact with distorted time node, collect a small number of time fragments × 5]"

"[Contact with distorted time node, collect a small number of time fragments × 2]"

As soon as he entered the car, two lines of text flashed before Colin's eyes.

Sure enough, during his encounter with Howard and the others, he also acquired [Time Fragments].

But there were five of them?

Colin's gaze landed on the shards representing [Time Shards (Howard Stark)], and a flicker of expression crossed his eyes.

This was the largest amount of [Time Shards] he had obtained from a target thus far.

Did this imply that Howard's [distorted time node] was the most unique or significant? After all, in Colin's knowledge and the history he was familiar with, Howard had suffered an early accident and died. Yet here he sat, alive by Colin's side, defying all expectations.

For someone who had returned from the dead, the [distorted time node] on Howard's person naturally held extraordinary significance.

With these thoughts in mind, Colin gazed at the fragments of [Time Shards (Howard Stark)].

Beneath the fractured glass-like appearance, he could discern fleeting glimpses of Howard's figure flickering within them.

As he watched, Colin's vision began to blur, and countless green lights danced before him.

Within the flashing green light, he seemed to witness Howard Stark driving a car, engaged in animated conversation. Then, in the next moment of illumination, the car suddenly spun out of control. Filled with fear, Howard desperately tried to steer, but the vehicle collided with an electrical pole.

Following the violent impact, the car flipped over by the side of the road. In the flickering green light, Colin vaguely spotted a figure materialize beside the overturned vehicle, pulling Howard out. Colin's eyes widened, attempting to discern the person's face, but the shimmering green light enveloped them like a hazy mist, preventing him from obtaining a clear view of their identity.

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