Let the veteran suffer; I'll bear the blame!

Peggy Carter barely hesitated before refusing outright:

"No. I won't make this kind of deal with you. I know these devilish methods far too well. I will never fall for them."

Throughout her long career, she had encountered many bizarre incidents involving demons.

She was all too familiar with methods like soul trading.

Lu Xi refused to give up and tried to persuade her:

"But you've already reached the end of your life. What do you still have left to lose?"

Peggy shook her head firmly and said:

"No. I've lived for over eighty years. Everything I've experienced has been wonderful enough. I've already gotten my money's worth."

"After I die, my soul will naturally go where it belongs. There's no need to make any deal with you."

Seeing how resolute she was, Lu Xi thought for a moment before simply playing his trump card:

"Ms. Peggy, I know you've always been thinking about Captain America, Steve Rogers."

"As long as you agree to trade with me, I can make it possible for the two of you to meet again."

A clear flicker passed through Peggy's eyes. Steve had always been the deepest concern in her heart.

Her expression was complicated as she said:

"Has even his soul fallen into your hands? A good man like him should have gone to Heaven, shouldn't he?"

Her expression became deeply conflicted as she sank into thought for a long while.

But in the end, reason overcame emotion. She slowly shook her head and said:

"Don't think I don't know how these contracts work. After making a deal with you today, I might get into a car accident and die tomorrow."

"By then, my soul would belong to you directly. Or perhaps I would simply die naturally tomorrow, be arranged to meet him once, and then my soul would fall into your hands."

Lu Xi's face immediately darkened slightly at those words.

It was all that bastard Mephisto's fault. He always used underhanded, deceitful methods when making contracts with people.

He had completely ruined the reputation of demonic contracts. Now, whenever people heard the words Soul Contract, they treated it like a mortal enemy.

After thinking for a moment, Lu Xi clarified:

"I'm not someone like Mephisto. I swear on my name that I can guarantee Steve will come back to life, and that the two of you will have at least fifty years of natural lifespan remaining, provided you don't deliberately go looking for trouble and get yourselves killed. How about it?"

Ordinarily, Peggy Carter's soul alone was not worth Lu Xi offering such generous terms.

But if he secured Peggy, that meant securing an excellent chance to obtain Captain America's soul. That was the real priority!

Peggy's expression grew even more conflicted as her heart waged war with itself.

At her age, she basically no longer cared about anything.

But her past with Steve was the one lingering regret she could not let go of.

With terms like these, she truly had reason to be tempted.

Peggy took a deep breath. A trace of hesitation and expectation showed in her eyes as she asked:

"How can I trust that you can do it? What if you're like the other demon gods and hide some trick in the contract? What could I do then?"

Lu Xi smiled and said:

"You can only take a gamble. Oh, right, I'm stationed on Earth now."

"Trading souls isn't a one-time business for me. Demon gods need a reputation too, don't they?"

Peggy pondered for a moment before finally making up her mind. She took a deep breath and said:

"Fine. If those are the terms, I'm willing to make the trade."

Nick Fury listened through Maria's earpiece, and his expression instantly became extremely tense.

He had never expected this Lucifer to use Steve as a condition to close the deal. This time, he had truly been careless.

If news of this deal got out, then as the current director, he would undoubtedly end up carrying another massive black pot.

He wanted to speak up and have Maria stop it, but intimidated by Lucifer's terrifying power, he ultimately did not dare go back on his word.

In the end, Fury let out a conflicted sigh and came to terms with it.

Since Peggy herself was willing, he might as well let this veteran test the waters and see what this demon god was really up to.

Fury thought to himself, Let the veteran suffer; I'll bear the blame!

In the hospital room, Lu Xi had already drawn a contract scroll radiating a mysterious glow from the void. Smiling, he said:

"Just press your fingerprint on it."

Peggy first read through the contract's contents with utmost care. Only after confirming there were no issues did she press her fingerprint onto it as instructed.

The contract instantly turned into a streak of light and returned to Lu Xi's body.

Lu Xi could clearly feel his power increase a little further, while his understanding of the laws of the world deepened as well.

Then he looked at Peggy and took out a feather.

Fortunately, he did not have to pluck another feather. This was the one he had used to test Wanda before.

Lu Xi pointed a finger, sending a stream of Divine Power precisely into Peggy's body before gently placing the feather on her.

The feather immediately transformed into specks of starlight and slowly merged into her body.

Peggy's originally pale, thinning hair became lustrous at a visible rate.

Thick strands continuously grew from her roots, falling softly over her shoulders.

The loose, wrinkled skin on her face gradually became firm and smooth, as if time had turned back and the vigor of her youth had returned.

The marks left behind by the years gradually vanished beneath this miraculous power.

Her figure began to change as well. Her once-hunched back straightened, her atrophied muscles became full and powerful again, and her entire body radiated a youthful vitality.

Before long, a young woman who looked about twenty stood before everyone.

Her delicate features and bright eyes made it seem as though they were seeing the peerless Peggy Carter from those bygone years.

Peggy looked at her hands, now young once more, her eyes filled with disbelief before she was overcome with surprise and delight.

She gently touched her smooth cheek, feeling the transformation that was almost like being reborn.

"Bang!"

Just as Peggy was immersed in her joy, a pair of snow-white wings suddenly grew from her back without warning.

The sudden change made Peggy instinctively rise to her feet, her eyes filled with shock and panic.

Seeing this, Lu Xi smiled and reassured her:

"Don't panic. This is normal. I'm giving you a pair of wings for free. So, am I not a pretty conscientious demon god?"

A trace of confusion showed through Peggy's panicked gaze as she hurriedly asked:

"Can... can these wings be put away?"

Lu Xi nodded and patiently said:

"Once you get used to them, you'll be able to do that."

"Also, I threw in a body-strengthening service as an extra. You'll understand once you experience it for yourself."

Half-believing him, Peggy instinctively reached out and grabbed the hospital bed. To her surprise, she effortlessly lifted the bed's solid iron frame with one hand.

Even she was startled by that astonishing strength.

Maria, standing nearby, also widened her eyes, her mouth slightly agape in disbelief.

Although S.H.I.E.L.D. had already known that Lucifer possessed the ability to turn people into Angels,

witnessing the entire process firsthand was still so shocking that she could not recover for a long time.

Beyond the deep shock in her eyes, a trace of envy unconsciously appeared as well.

After all, what woman would not yearn to remain forever young while gaining such powerful strength? It was simply a double blessing.