Showing Their Hand

The most important reason Henry couldn't say it was because she was "Barbara Morse".

If she had used a false name to approach him, Henry might have already fallen for her. He would be completely bewitched by her today.

A blonde bombshell throwing herself at him—isn't that something everyone dreams of their whole life? Who cares about any ulterior motives? Just go for it!

But Agent 19 of S.H.I.E.L.D.., codenamed "Mockingbird," is too well-known in the Marvel Universe. Or rather, these people with names and identities are not easy to deal with, even if she hasn't achieved great things yet.

Henry didn't dare gamble on whether she just happened to have the same name as someone else, so treating her as that person was the easiest solution.

Besides, what would a girl with such good qualities want from me?

According to Westerners' thinking, it's possible to leave a souvenir or collect stamps on the West Coast.

But stamp collecting requires mutual consent. After being politely refused several times at the beginning of the year, coming back a semester later, either has ulterior motives or is here for revenge.

In this situation, how incredibly foolish would one have to be to get involved with a woman like that?

Faced with sugar-coated bullets, not everyone has the ability to swallow the sugar coating and throw the bullet back. What if it explodes in your mouth while you're eating it? Who's responsible then?

So it wasn't that Henry was unmoved, but rather that the risks outweighed the rewards.

Seeing Barbara feign shock, but I knew I understood nothing, Henry continued, "On the surface, I'm a completely unattractive person. I'm aware of that much."

"The only possibility that I could attract a beauty like you is my undisclosed identity and abilities. So the question is, which organization's agent are you, or which country's spy are you?"

Even Barbara, who was still somewhat inexperienced in understanding people's hearts, knew to resist to the death. She shook her head frantically, saying, "No, no, no, how could I possibly be some kind of agent or spy? I just like your humor and your erudition..."

The girl sounded rather guilty. Henry laughed and said, "Little girl, What If...? you graduated from a third-rate, shabby high school, I might believe you today."

"But a top university like Georgia Tech isn't full of bookworms or athletic recruits. There isn't a single humorous or wealthy person."

"Don't even mention your erudition; it's just tarnishing Georgia Tech's reputation. You might as well say we actually met when we were kids, and I even helped you chase away some girls who were throwing things at you. I still remember that."

Barbara, as if given a hint, excitedly said, "Yes, yes, actually I've never dared to tell you. I grew up in Los Angeles, and back then we..."

"The fact that you're related to Gary's ex-wife is also false, isn't it?" Henry said unexpectedly.

If Barbara still doesn't realize she's been exposed now, then she's wasted her brain.

She quickly regained her composure, her expression returning to one of shrewdness. She asked calmly, "Will I make it out of the forest alive today?"

"Things haven't gotten to that point, have they? Besides, Gary knows I brought you out. If you don't go back, I'll be the prime suspect. I don't need to create trouble for myself."

"Oh, so my safety is still guaranteed."

"After all, I haven't lost anything. I just hope you won't focus your attention on me. It's pointless."

Barbara stated knowingly, "Due to confidentiality, I can't reveal too much. But I can say that we represent the official position, working to uphold world justice and peace. Does that make you so resistant to us?"

Henry chuckled twice and said, "Justice has its own stance, while peace requires the joint efforts of everyone. Don't you think these are two contradictory ideals?"

"Unless the peace you desire is a enslaving peace where everyone submits to your righteousness. In that case, your organization might as well just openly adopt the villains in those TV dramas and say, 'I want to conquer the world.'"

Barbara, who was still a student and whose ideas were not yet firmly established, became less confident after being teased by Henry.

She frantically scratched her head, trying to find a loophole in her words to retaliate.

The problem is that with this kind of leading rhetoric, you can't follow the other person's line of thought. Otherwise, you'll just get tangled in a fishing net, and the more you struggle, the tighter it gets.

It's like facing a keyboard warrior who's all talk and no action. There are only two ways to beat him: one is to have a real-life offline duel; the other is to be Reason and just hurl insults at him. To use Stephen Chow's approach, it's like if he comes up with a thousand sophistry, I'll just respond with "You motherfucker."

Being inexperienced in the ways of the world—or rather, before keyboard warriors and trolls had become widespread and online communication was limited to a small minority— Barbara could only manage to stammer out one question, "Aren't you a patriot?"

The word "patriot" has a rather different meaning for United States who established their own independent nation.

Because they are rooted in a group of traitors who justify their actions by abandoning their original country and banding together for survival on a new land. So they call themselves patriots in order to conceal their origins.

Without this fig leaf, it's impossible to conceal the fact that they are both losers who fled to the New World and traitors who turned their backs on their homeland. The only difference between them and the Australia is that they weren't exiled criminals.

Regardless of whether he could return to his former world, Henry found it difficult to like United States. He sighed and said helplessly, "I just happen to be here."

He woke up in Alaska, earned his first fortune on a crab fishing boat, and even got legal status in the United States thanks to Old Tom. At that stage, Henry didn't think much about anything; he was just being pushed along by the environment.

What If...? he had woken up in Norway, the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, or any other country, as long as he had a reason to stay and wouldn't be deported as an illegal immigrant, he would have stayed without worry. He would have decided to see how things developed afterward.

Hearing Henry's answer, although it was not a satisfactory one, it was impossible to simply categorize him as an enemy.

Starting with the counterculture movement of the 1960s, the hippie movement rose to prominence, embracing anarchism, anti-war sentiment, and sexual liberation. This group could almost be categorized as the opposite of "patriots."

But can we say they aren't United States?

Today, only rednecks and the core United States class still hold high the banner of patriotism. The latter, in particular, can be said to have their upward mobility blocked if they fail the test of loyalty.

This is the kind of place Barbara is in. Bringing Henry in was both Nick Fury's request and her hope.

Now that Henry has personally knocked down the steps, what can she do?