Chapter 386: Heroes Are Also Mortals_1

Steve felt considerably more relaxed after sharing a meal and chatting with Stark for a while. He wasn't sure why, but Stark seemed more understanding today.

God, what was he thinking? Understanding? How could that word be associated with Stark? After Stark left, Steve rubbed his forehead, convinced that he was just hallucinating due to stress.

Ever since Bucky was rescued, he had been receiving treatment at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s secret base. According to the feedback Nick gave Steve, Bucky's situation was not optimistic.

Hydra back in the day was not purely a spy organisation; more frequently, it served the war efforts. In times of acute danger, they hastened to achieve results, and thus employed brutally aggressive brainwashing methods on Bucky. He has now wholly transformed into a cold-blooded killing machine.

As he recalled those past events and heaved a sigh, Steve didn't notice his fingers trembling unconsciously. The heroic deeds he often referred were more like poison than a remedy.

Carrying mixed feelings, Steve returned to the Avengers Base. It was still early, and there seemed to be no one around. He walked towards the dark hallway. The moment he switched on the lights, he heard Peter let out a surprised: "Oh!"

"You're here, sorry, I thought no one was here. Why are the lights off?" Steve walked over to Peter, who was fiddling with a gadget. Peter chuckled, "I'm running a power outage test to prevent any accidents, so I turned off the breaker."

"What's this?" Steve asked, looking at the complex machinery he couldn't understand. Peter glanced at Steve's face and asked, "Captain, what happened to you? You look pretty off."

Steve touched his face and sighed inwardly. Even Peter noticed his poor state; Stark must have been smirking at his calamity earlier.

"It's nothing, I just didn't sleep well," Steve replied politely. Peter fetched a chair and motioned him to sit on it, "Sometimes, you need to rest. Constant standing will fatigue your waist and legs. That's what my uncle often says".

"Thanks, Peter, you're thoughtful. But I feel more energised standing," Steve chuckled and didn't sit down, instead leaned against a pool table.

Whilst tweaking the device, Peter said, "Captain, I believe you're too tense sometimes. You always want people to see you shining brightly, but everyone gets tired…"

"That's because you're not a leader, Peter," Steve blinked, lowered his head, and said, "You need to instil confidence in everyone, make them believe that you, the heroic one, could lead them to victory. This is what I've been doing for years and will continue to do so."

Peter shook his head, he glanced at Steve, displayed a worried look, and said nothing. Tapping the device, he explained to Steve, "I had an important revelation when Mr. Stark taught me some things during the Bullseye incident."

"Surveillance systems don't necessarily need to rigidly select a few locations to monitor or listen in; it can be a dynamic system. And, the corresponding analysis system doesn't have to only collate data; it can be more intelligent."

"I know, ideally, Mr. Stark should do this. If he did, he'd definitely use the state-of-the-art AI, Jarvis, from Stark Group for the analytical core."

Peter lowered his head, tweaked the machine, and said, "I can see, Captain, that your relationship with Mr. Stark is somewhat…"

"Never mind. I know I shouldn't backbite, but I think you don't want the Avengers to rely too much on Stark Group, or S.H.I.E.L.D…"

"Truthfully, I feel the same. Such dependency does not benefit us. If justice can't be pure and independent, there's a strong chance it will be hijacked, and then it wouldn't be justice anymore."

Steve walked over, patted Peter on the shoulder, looked into his eyes and said, "Do you know, Peter, you have grown a lot. Remember that incident of the vampire attack on the Brooklyn Bridge?"

"Back then, I viewed you as a naive youngster with fervour, much like my youthful self. However, now, you're an exemplary member of the Avengers and an outstanding superhero. Your rate of progress surprises me."

However, getting acknowledged didn't make Peter jump with joy. He said, "When I changed, I realised that I had stepped into a broader domain. In the adult world, there is a magnitude of more issues to deal with than my experiences, and the responsibilities outweigh the beliefs."

"Captain, you often tell me about your past. You said you heard about the outbreak of the war and the death of countless people on the radio. It saddens you and makes you feel helpless."

"Then, with a surge of passion, you wanted to save others on the battlefield. And you did succeed in doing that."