Where Did the Winter Soldier Go?

The Heavy Hammer unleashed the force of dozens of tons of impact energy. At close range, its power was no less than that of a modern small missile.

Bang!

Like a thunderclap erupting from level ground, the entire old castle estate shook. The old warehouse trembled as though it were about to collapse, while the sealed basement security door caved inward and split apart dramatically.

Having done all that, Kyle calmly withdrew his right hand. The dark outerwear around his arm vanished in an instant, melding back into the sleeve of his leather jacket.

The accompanying butler stood dumbfounded, looking at Kyle with even greater fervor, like a believer gazing upon the god he had worshipped all his life.

Steve’s attention was elsewhere. The moment the basement door was violently broken open, he charged into the room through the billowing dust without hesitation.

Kyle switched on the lights and followed him into the basement.

But before long, both of their expressions changed slightly.

Inside the basement, which had been sealed away for more than half a century.

Under the dim yellow glow of the old lightbulb, there was indeed a rectangular freezing pod in the center of the room. However, all the wires connected to it had been cut, and its frozen chamber door stood open toward the entrance. Inside was utterly empty, without a single person.

"Kyle, what’s going on?" Steve’s pupils constricted as he turned and looked at Kyle with uncertainty and alarm.

Kyle’s face darkened as his gaze swept across the room. There were obvious traces everywhere that outsiders had entered.

He calmly called out, "Butler."

Thud!

The butler dropped to both knees, his face drained of color as he prostrated himself on the floor. Trembling with fear, he said, "Patriarch. I swear on my life that ever since you left, only one incident occurred at the family’s old estate. No one outside the family has ever come here."

"An incident? Tell me. What incident?" Kyle asked softly.

"It was around ten years ago. A fire suddenly broke out in the nearby forest. To keep it from spreading to the estate, all the family members stationed here went to put it out. The estate was unattended for half a day." The butler searched his memories before quickly adding, "After the fire was brought under control, we inspected the main building and found no signs that any valuables had been stolen. As for the old warehouse, we did not have permission to enter, so we did not inspect it."

Kyle furrowed his brows deeply. After a moment of silence, he said to Steve, "It should have been then. Someone came in here and forcibly took Bucky away while he was still sleeping in frozen suspension."

"What the hell are those bastards planning to do to Bucky?!" Steve’s handsome face was filled with rage. He clenched his fists hard enough for his bones to crack.

"So much time has passed. It won’t be easy to investigate."

Kyle remained expressionless, a cold glint flashing through his eyes as he said calmly, "Don’t worry about this. Someone caused trouble on my turf. I’ll give you an answer you’ll be satisfied with."

The butler’s heart trembled, and he lowered his head even further. He knew the Patriarch was truly angry this time!

When the Patriarch was angry, the consequences were severe!

"Kyle, then I’ll thank you in advance. But Bucky’s problem is my problem. I’ll do everything in my power. Even if it costs me my life, I’ll find him and bring him back!"

As Steve spoke, he strode resolutely toward the basement door, as if he had finally found the foremost purpose of his life after awakening from the ice.

Kyle did not stop him, allowing him to leave first.

I had wanted you to get some proper rest during this rare period of peace. But once you set out now, you’ll never have a quiet day again.

Kyle sighed inwardly, his gaze returning to the broken, abandoned freezing pod.

He called again, "Butler."

"Yes!" The butler looked up and answered.

Kyle said coldly, "Notify every Card Disciple. Mobilize every channel and resource at your disposal. Find Bucky Barnes for me!"

"Yes, I will fulfill the mission!" The butler nodded and immediately hurried out of the basement.

Only after leaving the old warehouse.

Did the butler finally breathe a sigh of relief. He wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and his formerly gentle, humble face filled with savage killing intent. "Which bastards caused this trouble? They nearly got me killed!"

On Earth, the Card Disciples possessed formidable personal strength, and the forces under their control spread across the globe. They ignored the powerful and the law alike, proudly reigning as kings of the underworld for decades.

And all of that had been bestowed upon them by Patriarch Kyle.

They were truly second only to one man!

The butler sneered coldly. "The Patriarch has just returned. Many Card Disciples have been waiting for a chance to prove themselves. Once this news gets out, plenty of murderous lunatics will probably make their move."

The Card Disciples usually took Zero Organization missions worth hundreds of millions of dollars merely to pass the time. No one knew what lengths they would go to once they truly got serious.

That day, Kyle spent the night at the estate and did not return to New York City until the following morning.

Emperor Building.

Since the Supernatural Affairs Agency had been established and made public, people from all walks of life around the world came every day, hoping to conduct business or consult them about supernatural events.

There had also been quite a few absurd incidents.

For example, some people claimed they were troubled by superpowers, only to turn out to be frauds or mentally ill. Before long, the lower-ranking Card Disciples threw them out.

There were also many spies and media personnel from various countries who tried to use the opportunity to uncover secret information. In the end, they were kicked straight out the front doors, people and chairs alike.

After all, the Card Disciples were seasoned veterans of the underworld: elite professional spies, arms dealers, and assassins. Trying to fool them was no ordinary challenge.

Yet despite wave after wave of people being driven away and the blacklist steadily growing, there was still an endless stream of visitors to the agency every day. It had become one of New York’s hottest attractions.

Kyle did not care about any of this.

His main reason for founding the Supernatural Affairs Agency was to establish a public-facing branch of the family, allowing people to recognize and accept the existence of the Card Disciples. At the same time, he could use people across the world as informants and gather useful intelligence through the platform.

Of course, being able to attract mutants like Logan along the way was simply an added benefit.

Avoiding the crowd seeking consultations, Kyle took the employee passage and rode the private elevator straight to the top floor.

While the elevator was still ascending, Vis’s radio wave connected to the building’s internal network. Before long, his voice came through the elevator speakers. "Master. Your secretary, Yutong, is currently in the top-floor office."

Kyle nodded to show that he understood.

Vis continued, "She looks a little gloomy, as if something is weighing on her mind."

"…" Kyle glanced at the electronic watch on his wrist and said in surprise, "You can judge other people’s expressions and thoughts now?"

"I learned it all from Jarvis." Vis silently shifted the blame to Jarvis.

Kyle scolded him irritably, "Jarvis isn’t as bored as you are. It assists Tony and works day and night modifying the Iron Man Armor. When are you going to learn properly from Tony? Among my current combat forms, your Iron Man form is the weakest."

Vis had nothing to say.

But it was true. In terms of versatility, Venom’s full-coverage form was ever-changing. In terms of raw power, no one could withstand Vulcan with his divine power unleashed.

If the technologically oriented Iron Man form was not upgraded soon, it would truly fall behind and be phased out.