A "Fossil"

On the detector, the little yellow dot overlapped with the little red dot.

The little yellow dot was Barbara, while the little red dot was the large metallic object they had detected.

"Barbara—come in."

Barbara was still staring blankly at the massive "wing" before her, her heart filled with shock. There really was a "spaceship" here? That strange clash between "antiquity" and "advanced technology" was truly...

Red Skull's aircraft back then had been exceptionally advanced, decades ahead of its time. Even compared to modern aircraft, it did not fall short.

That sense of "disorder" was like a Quinjet having been frozen for seventy years.

Something beyond its era had fallen in... an age where it should never have existed.

"Barbara—"

"Barbara—come in."

Barbara finally snapped out of it after the third call. "Honey, there really is an aircraft frozen here. Judging by its appearance... it should be Red Skull's from back then."

"Looks like we've made a major discovery that'll shock the world." Hawkeye raised an eyebrow as he slowly landed the Quinjet. "Let's start digging. Hopefully, the Captain is still alive."

"Director, I'm going down."

"Be careful." Nick Fury called out.

S.H.I.E.L.D.'s technology was far more advanced than Washington's forces, and they had already prepared the excavation tools they might need. Since the Captain had been frozen for seventy years and could not possibly thaw all at once, they had specifically equipped themselves with a "cryogenic chamber."

After jumping out of the fighter jet, Hawkeye was stunned as well.

"Looks like we really were headed in the right direction. Start digging."

"I took a look around just now. We should drill at this spot." Barbara said, standing on the ice.

After all, Red Skull's aircraft had crashed into the ice. Most of it had already sunk beneath the ice sheet, with only a tiny portion of a wing still sticking out.

They had to choose the excavation site carefully. Otherwise, the ice might crack and the aircraft could fall through.

Hawkeye swept his gaze around as well, sketching out the aircraft's shape in his mind. He nodded. "I agree. Let's begin."

The agents immediately brought over something resembling a robot vacuum and set it down. The moment it touched the ground, it began spinning in circles and drilling into the ice like something out of a movie. Their mission was Captain America, not Red Skull's aircraft, so there was no need for heavy cranes.

As for the aircraft, they could leave it to Washington.

Soon, the drilling robot completed its task and was carried away by the agents.

"You first, or me?" Barbara asked with a smile.

"Ladies first." Hawkeye tilted his neck.

"Smart answer. I'll go first."

Barbara smiled and was the first to slide down on the cable.

Hawkeye shrugged.

Normally, the man should have gone down first to scout the way in a situation like this. "Ladies first" did not really apply here, but unfortunately, Barbara was fiercely independent and competitive. If he actually showed concern for her, tried to look after her, or acted like some macho man, it would be easy to make her angry.

Having been together for several years, Hawkeye understood Barbara's personality very well.

She was a textbook feminist.

It was, "I can do this, so leave it to me," rather than, "I'm a woman, so you have to let me do this."

"This place looks like it hasn't been cleaned in centuries." Barbara looked around.

"Yeah, the whole place is covered in ice and snow," Hawkeye replied.

Barbara rolled her eyes, then her expression suddenly changed. "Oh, my God, what have I found?"

Once the ice and snow were chipped away, a distinctive shield appeared.

"Oh, God!" Hawkeye perked up as well. "Director, we found the Captain's shield. This should be the aircraft that crashed with him."

"Good. Keep at it!" A flash of excitement crossed Nick Fury's face.

"Oh, my God, it's the Captain! I found the Captain!" On the other side, Barbara had already found Captain America's "body."

"What... Oh... Is he still alive?" Nick Fury's expression changed sharply.

"We don't know yet, Director. He... he's frozen solid like a block of ice!" Barbara replied.

"Dead?" Nick Fury's spirits immediately sank.

"No, sir. He doesn't look dead. There aren't any frost marks on his skin. He looks just like a live fish that was flash-frozen," Hawkeye said.

Nick Fury: "..."

Barbara turned to look at her boyfriend with an expression as though she were looking at an idiot. A live fish?

What kind of comparison was that?

"Oh, I mean—he looks more like he's asleep. The color of his skin... hasn't changed much." Hawkeye shrugged and corrected himself.

"Send me the photos."

"Okay."

"Fine, bring him back first. Be careful not to break him."

After just one glance, Nick Fury breathed a sigh of relief. The Captain really did not look dead. At the very least, there was color in his face instead of the ashen gray of death. The Captain should not be dead. Otherwise, that sly bastard Kino would not have used this as leverage against him. But even as he relaxed, he began to wonder—how had that bastard known about the Captain?

Wasn't he a World Transmigrator?

At that moment, Nick Fury began to harbor a trace of doubt regarding Chino Marcus's identity.

After all, there was no evidence proving that he was some "World Transmigrator."

As for Natasha's words?

They could only prove that he was powerful.

First, he knew that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by Hydra. Then, he revealed where the Captain had been sleeping. Just who was he?

"What did the Director mean?" Barbara asked.

"Maybe... he's worried the Captain's frozen too brittle?" Hawkeye reached out and pressed Captain America's arm, finding that it really was hard.

"Get out of here. Go bring down the cryogenic chamber already." Barbara smacked her boyfriend.

"Oh, right."

They did need to bring down the cryogenic chamber. If they simply hauled him up with a rope like this, he really might snap with a crack. His entire body was covered in ice, after all, so he might indeed be very brittle.

Emmmmm...

They needed to put him into the cryogenic chamber first, then tie on the hoisting cable and lift him out.

After they hurriedly got him secured, the Blackbird began its return flight.

"It's unbelievable. It looks like the Captain merely fell into hibernation! From the condition back then, he must have been knocked unconscious immediately by the impact, then... frozen for nearly seventy years! An ordinary person would probably have frozen to death long ago. The Captain surviving is truly a miracle." Barbara circled the cryogenic chamber as she spoke.

Hawkeye turned his head and explained, "The Captain underwent genetic modification back then. The serum also enhanced his metabolism. His body cells are immune to alcohol and toxins, so he can't get drunk and has immunity to most diseases. The serum also slowed his aging."

"No wonder he survived." Barbara came back around. "Do you think he'll be confused when he wakes up?"

"Definitely. He's been asleep for nearly seventy years."

"I suddenly feel like... would it have been better if the Captain had just died?" Barbara said.

Hawkeye froze slightly. "Huh?"

"No, I mean... when the Captain wakes up, everything he knew will have changed, and everyone he knew will be gone. Won't he be lonely? It'll feel like the whole world has abandoned him."

"I heard the Captain's girlfriend is still alive!"

"But she probably doesn't have many years left, right? One is a handsome young man, and... the other is an old woman nearly a hundred years old. Heh, that's truly cruel!"

Hawkeye fell silent as well.