The newcomers were Tony Stark and Steve Rogers, who had just rushed over from Avengers Tower.
They had set aside everything else today to focus on tracking down Miaomiao. Unfortunately, although the kidnappers' methods had been crude and direct, their cleanup had been meticulous. Even with the AI butler J.A.R.V.I.S. searching, they had barely managed to uncover a few scraps of footage.
An anxious Tony had immediately authorized J.A.R.V.I.S. to hack every camera in the surrounding area and compare the images of the girl one by one, but the information they found was still extremely limited.
They did notice, however, that a strange ice cream truck had been nearby when the kidnapping happened. It had never opened for business and had driven away quickly afterward.
Most importantly, a short while later, more than a dozen ice cream trucks with identical license plates had inexplicably appeared on the city streets, speeding off in every direction as though trying to throw anyone following them off the trail.
Tony knew at once. That was it!
Hydra's repeated vehicle changes, altered routes, and decoy vehicles had indeed hampered the Avengers' pursuit. Their final hideout was especially troublesome: Hydra had swept the surrounding area countless times, leaving no cameras at all. Even J.A.R.V.I.S. could do nothing.
By the time Tony and the others finally found the place, all that remained was a field of rubble left by the self-destruct sequence. The fires ignited by the explosion were still burning, and black smoke drifted through the air, giving off an acrid smell.
Tony's expression darkened on the spot.
Steve was wracked with regret. It felt as though a boulder were pressing against his chest, crushing him beneath his guilt. He dared not imagine the worst, terrified that the sweet, considerate young girl had already perished in