Late at night, at the Museum of World War II Victory in New York.
Ever since Captain America was unfrozen, especially after the Wakanda battle which gave him a huge boost in public attention.
The museum has experienced an unprecedented surge in popularity, especially during the summer vacation. From the moment it opens in the morning until it closes in the evening, there is a constant stream of visitors.
The museum, which was severely understaffed, had to have its security guards, who had already worked six-hour shifts during the day, work night shifts as well.
He took two vicious bites of the hamburger, then slurped up the Coke in his glass in a fit of rage, until the glass, now only ice cubes, made a hissing sound as he sucked it up.
He then let out a satisfied burp, and immediately began muttering curses and insults directed at his supervisor.
They complained that the overtime pay was never enough, and so on.
Working in the museum's duty room at night is actually a very easy job. There aren't many valuable items inside, and the security facilities are quite comprehensive. You can just check the surveillance cameras occasionally, take a nap now and then, and as long as nothing happens, no one will bother you.
After finishing the remaining half of the hamburger in a few bites, I adjusted my posture and was just about to take a nice nap when suddenly the light source in one of the surveillance cameras changed, and the TV on the wall used to show documentaries suddenly lit up.
"Damn it! I hate this old TV that should have been thrown in the junkyard long ago. Can't it just let me work a shift in peace?"
The security guard grumbled as he walked toward the Captain America exhibit. The television had turned on by itself more than once in the middle of the night, and the museum's managers, fearing it would be stolen, had even locked the outlet.
He cursed all the museum staff as he pushed open the door and entered the Captain America exhibit.
Upon entering, the security guard could hardly believe his eyes at what he saw.
Two men sat in front of a glass display stand against the wall in the exhibition area, which happened to be a blind spot for the surveillance cameras. They were chatting and watching the TV on the wall.
Hearing the security guard enter, the two of them turned around at the same time...
" Captain Rogers... you are... Qin, Qin Xiao! God, am I seeing things? Why are you here in the middle of the night?"
The security guard could hardly believe his eyes.
Captain America stood up and said to the security guard with a smile.
"We're just here to chat and reminisce about my past. I promise, we won't break anything, okay?"
"Of course... of course! Do you want me to order you some late-night snacks? I know a pretty good pizza place nearby. I wanted to say, I'm a fan of yours, Captain. I came here to work because of you. Of course, I'm also a fan of Mr. Qin. In fact, I love every single one of you Avengers. You guys are so cool in Wakanda..."
The security guard went on and on about how much he admired the Avengers, how his childhood dream was to become someone like Captain America, and so on...
They smiled and praised the security guard for his dedication to his work, then took a photo with him before sending him away.
As soon as they left, the Captain's expression turned serious.
"I confirmed with Bucky. He has a vague memory of the incident, and he didn't even know afterwards that it was the Howard, but he remembers the whole thing, and it was definitely him who did it!"
"Well!"
The Captain sighed softly. Qin Xiao took out two bottles of high-proof vodka from his spatial storage, clinked them together, and the Captain, who couldn't get drunk, each downed a whole bottle.
"Whatever decision you make, or whatever Tony plans to do after he finds out, I understand. But Qin, Bucky was once my only friend. This isn't his fault, and I won't abandon him, just like he did for me!"
"Give Tony some time, Captain. He'll get over it eventually. After all, Bucky was just a tool, wasn't he?"
"He's not the real killer, but they are Tony's parents after all. Whether Tony will eventually find peace with them is anyone's guess!"
"However, Tony's mental state has been problematic lately, and I'm worried he won't be able to handle this shock. I want to wait until he's feeling better before telling him."
"I'll have Natasha go find Pepper during this time, so she can stay with Tony as much as possible. Barnes still has some mental issues, and I suggest finding a quiet place for him to recuperate properly, like Wakanda or Asgard!"
"I'm just offering a suggestion. I won't connect you with anyone. Go find T'Challa or Thor yourself. I don't know anything about this!"
That's all Qin Xiao can do. If Tony insists, then Qin Xiao will have no choice but to let it go, provided Tony's safety is guaranteed.
Thank you, Qin!
The Captain understood perfectly well that this whole affair was primarily for his own benefit; if he hadn't been caught in the middle, Qin Xiao would never have cared about Bucky's life or death.
"No need to be so polite, Captain. I just don't want to see the team fall apart. Besides, you're an old-fashioned guy, so this is just me showing respect for the elders, isn't it?"
Qin Xiao smiled and patted the Captain on the shoulder.
"Go back!"
Having temporarily delayed the team's internal strife caused by the Winter Soldier, Qin Xiao began to seriously address Tony's mental health issues.
At Natasha's suggestion, Pepper Potts temporarily put aside her work and returned to Tony's side.
But according to Pepper Potts, Tony's mental state is even worse than imagined.
He even had his armor keep watch over him while he slept and went to the toilet.
One night, she even had a nightmare in which Tony suddenly summoned his armor and almost hit Pepper Potts with a laser cannon.
The mental hospital prescribed some medication for Tony, but it could only guarantee that he could barely fall asleep after taking the medication. As for the quality of his sleep, only God knows.
But just by looking at Tony's bloodshot eyes every day, anyone could tell that he had a serious problem.
Tony felt extremely insecure; if Sky Base weren't already safe enough, he wouldn't even want to take off his armor.
He even designed a small automatic sewage system in his armor specifically for this purpose, allowing him to defecate directly inside the armor.
This is a bit of an overreaction.
After Pepper Potts returned for a few days, Tony's mental state didn't improve much; in fact, it made Pepper Potts somewhat mentally exhausted.
Left with no other option, Qin Xiao asked Natasha to accompany Pepper Potts Pepper Potts shopping and to the movies to ease her tension.
Unexpectedly, what started as a simple outing for two women—shopping and watching a movie—turned into an unforeseen incident.
There will be another chapter tonight!