A Kiss

A Kiss

Queens, New York, near the outskirts.

As the sun set, the clouds in the western sky were dyed a deep crimson. A gentle breeze drifted down over the hills and concrete road, sending ripples through the golden wheat fields on both sides of the highway like waves on the sea.

Farmers worked in small groups among the wheat, sweating as their faces glowed with contented happiness. World War II had just ended, and people cherished and longed for peaceful, comfortable lives more than ever.

Sparks faded beneath the sunlight. In the middle of the previously empty road, a silver-haired young man had appeared at some point. His hood concealed most of his hair and face, while his tall frame was clad in a fashionable black leather jacket and jeans. Both his flawless appearance and aloof aura easily drew the farmers’ attention.

Surveying the vast wheat fields around him, the silver-haired young man lowered his head and glanced at the photograph of a house in his hand. His brows furrowed. He had not expected that, with the abnormalities in his body, even his magic had become somewhat unreliable, failing to bring him to the exact location in the photograph.

"Young man, is there anything we can help you with?" A middle-aged couple emerged from the nearby wheat field, their faces kind as they asked helpfully.

"Excuse me, do you know where Peggy Carter lives?" Raising the photograph for the approaching couple to see, the silver-haired young man asked calmly.

"Peggy Carter?" The middle-aged couple’s expressions changed. They exchanged a glance, then looked back at the silver-haired young man with less warmth and more wariness.

The bearded man raised his brows and tightened his grip on his farming tool. In a slightly stern tone, he said, "Who are you? Are you from the military? How many times do we have to tell you people? Peggy will not be returning to work there."

"I was indeed in the military once, but I retired long ago." The silver-haired young man shrugged, unwilling to waste words on explanations. "She and I were comrades. I’ll be leaving New York soon, so I came to visit her."

"I see…" The farmer’s wife hesitated, but the bearded man beside her shook his head and planted his tool against the ground. "If you have anything to say, tell us directly. We’ll pass it on. Peggy is recuperating and cannot receive visitors."

Though he had been firmly refused, the silver-haired young man did not seem angry. He nodded and asked, "May I ask who you two are…?"

The middle-aged couple was about to answer when a clear, cool female voice came from not far behind them. "Father, Mother, what’s wrong?"

Wearing an elegant ladies’ hat and a fitted yet casual Western-style suit, the woman stood upright at the bend in the field road with the habitual posture of a soldier, a basket hooked over her arm.

"Ah, Peggy, why did you come out here?" the farmer’s wife cried, quickly hurrying toward her.

With a clatter, the bearded man dropped his farming tool. Somewhat nervously, he followed the farmer’s wife over and scolded, "I told you not to leave the house…"

Their concerned expressions made Peggy smile faintly. Lifting the basket, she said, "I brought you something to eat."

"You could have had your younger brother bring it out."

The middle-aged couple fussed over her for a while before seemingly remembering the outsider. In lowered voices, they reminded her, "Oh, right. Someone claiming to be your former comrade came looking for you."

"A comrade?" Peggy was slightly startled. She raised her beautiful eyes, and when her gaze fell upon the silver-haired young man standing coldly ten meters away, it was as if she had been struck by lightning. Her body trembled violently.

"Carter, long time no see." The silver-haired young man raised his head, revealing the sharply handsome face beneath his hood. A faint smile rested at the corner of his lips.

"Yes, it has been a long time, Kyle." Peggy could not hide the emotions in her heart, and her voice trembled as she spoke.

"Kyle…?" The bearded man repeated the name, finding it deeply familiar. Then his eyes suddenly widened as he stared at the silver-haired young man in shock. "He… he’s that person?"

Peggy’s mother’s expression changed as well. "The Symbol of Peace?!"

He could no longer be described simply as an important figure. He was a godlike Superhero who should have existed only in tales of war.

"Sorry to disturb you. May I borrow Carter for a moment? I’ll say a few words and leave." Kyle spoke gently, yet his words carried a faint authority that could not be questioned.

In the vast fields.

On a path overgrown with flowers and grass, Kyle and Carter walked side by side in silence, strolling without any destination in mind.

From the corner of his eye, Kyle watched Carter. After a year apart, the woman seemed slightly fuller than before. Her delicately beautiful face wore little makeup, save for the vivid red lipstick on her lips, yet she remained as beautiful and cool as ever.

With a soft laugh, Carter broke the silence. "Seeing the shocked, admiring looks on my parents’ faces just now reminded me of the first time I saw you two or three years ago. Back then, you were a rookie recruit who had nearly been kicked out of the training camp. Who would have thought you would become the legendary role model the military took pride in, the symbol of world peace?"

"Coincidentally, I remembered it too. Back then, you were the sexy agent observing and studying Steve and me." Kyle blinked, teasing her for once.

"Who would have known? A Superhero covered in glory was really just a hooligan." Lost in memories of the past, Carter gave a light spit. Her cheeks flushed pink with embarrassed irritation beneath the sunlight.

"That was all a misunderstanding." Kyle secretly felt helpless. He had been taking the blame for Venom long enough.

"Oh, right." As if recalling the earlier scene, Kyle looked at Carter seriously and asked, "Why did you resign? Your parents seemed so worried. Are you sick?"

"No. I was simply tired of military work, so I chose to return home and live a stable life. Family is like that. They just show their concern too dramatically." A ripple passed through Carter’s eyes, but she answered expressionlessly.

"It’s good that you’re fine. Before Steve’s plane crashed, he asked me to take good care of you. If anything happened to you, I wouldn’t be able to leave with peace of mind." Kyle smiled faintly. His words darkened Carter’s expression. She halted, quickly turned her head toward him, and asked in surprise, "Leave? Where are you going?"

"I’ll be leaving New York, America, for a distant place." Kyle’s expression remained calm, neither joyful nor sorrowful.

"When will you come back?" Carter drew a deep breath and asked.

"I don’t know. Maybe I’ll return, maybe I won’t." With a faint smile, Kyle looked at Carter and said solemnly, "I’ve had Howard sign the documents and transferred one million dollars into your personal bank account. You can go to the central bank to withdraw it formally. Also, after I return, I’ll have someone notify Fury and Joseph to intervene. No one from the military will come bother you again.

"You can live whatever life you want."

As he spoke, Kyle raised his right hand. Two Add Life Cards, invisible to everyone else, were held between his fingers. With a flick forward, the cards swiftly entered Carter’s body and took effect immediately.

Two rare blue Add Life Cards would grant a combined sixty years of natural lifespan. Based on Carter’s original lifespan of over ninety years, she would have more than enough time to live until the middle of the next century.

Why had he given her only Add Life Cards? That had been a decision Kyle had considered carefully.

The life Peggy Carter wanted was something Steve could not give her, and something he was even less capable of giving.

Whether she chose to keep waiting for a long time or to live peacefully and happily as an ordinary person was entirely up to Carter herself.

"I understand." Peggy smiled faintly, as sexy and radiant as a blooming rose. Then she suddenly stepped forward, embraced Kyle, and lightly kissed his cheek near the corner of his mouth. "Consider this my farewell gift."

Kyle felt only a fragrant breeze brush past him, leaving a trace of moisture on his face. Peggy had already turned and walked several steps ahead, her back facing him as she said, "You should go."

"Take care." Somewhat unexpectedly, Kyle touched the spot she had kissed. He nodded and cast a spell on the spot, opening a portal.

Looking at Carter’s graceful figure from behind, a powerful feeling suddenly rose within him. Once they parted this time, he feared he would never see the woman before him again.

But Kyle quickly cast aside his tangled thoughts and decisively stepped into the portal.