Chapter Thirteen: The Hoodwinked Captain

"Dealing with Hydra? Tony!" Hao Yun turned his head and looked at Tony... Wasn't it only the original five members of the Illuminati—the Potts family, Tony, and Rhodes—who knew the whole future? Why does it seem like the Captain knows as well now?

"Uh... hehe," Tony scratched his head, embarrassed. "I selectively told them a few things. But don't worry, I only mentioned Hydra, nothing else! Even Banner doesn't know!"

"What are you two talking about?" The Captain frowned, watching Tony and Hao Yun exchange banter, and interjected.

"Nothing, just discussing Hydra," Tony quickly changed the subject. He knew all too well that knowledge of the future couldn't be shared with too many people; anything connected to official agencies, even members of the Illuminati, must not be leaked.

Thus, the Captain, Natasha, and Barton had been kept out of the core. Banner only knew a little more than those three; Tony hadn't even told him about Thanos or the Guardians of the Galaxy.

"Oh, right, Hydra!" The Captain nodded, his gaze toward Tony laden with guilt.

"Tony, I know this puts you in a difficult spot. But Bucky is a hero; he shouldn't—"

"And my father wasn't a hero? Don't forget, Captain, Howard was your comrade! He personally developed your shield! And now, I'm your teammate!" Tony grabbed the Captain's collar and shouted.

Steve couldn't meet Tony's eyes... He was drowning in guilt. Why hadn't he saved Bucky back then, dooming him to brainwashing and so many mistakes!

"Tony!" Hao Yun loudly reminded Tony not to go too far.

In fact, even before he went to the world of Naruto, Tony had chosen to forgive Bucky after learning about the future. Not just for the Captain's sake—he simply wanted to settle accounts with the true culprit.

As for Bucky, a beating would suffice! Of course, letting him off was conditional on the Captain acknowledging his mistake.

Now, he was using words to provoke the Captain's guilt.

"What? Did I say something wrong?" Tony turned away, and Hao Yun noticed his eyes were red.

Perhaps it wasn't just an act; Tony was also venting years of guilt over his parents.

"I'm sorry..." Steve's voice was low, his eyes avoiding Tony.

"Hmph!" Tony let him go. "I'll let Bucky off, but there are three conditions!"

"Name them! As long as they don't violate justice!" Steve agreed immediately. Tony rolled his eyes. "Violate justice? I'm a founding member of the Illuminati!"

"Relax, the conditions are easy.

1. Bucky must let me beat him up! No armor, bare fists!"

"No problem!" The Captain agreed at once. Even though Tony was a superhero and worked out every day, in a straight-up brawl, the Captain figured he could take on a hundred Tonys. No matter how weak Bucky was, he'd still be at least a tenth as tough as Steve himself.

"2. The Hydra leader hidden in SHIELD—the one responsible for my parents' death—must be killed by me.

3. After Bucky is rescued, you must leave SHIELD and officially join the Illuminati with Bucky, Natasha, and Barton!"

"Uh... about that..." The Captain hesitated. "I'm fine, but Natasha and Barton are SHIELD agents. I don't have a reason..."

"No problem, we can quit right away!" Natasha and Barton, already impatient, spoke up in agreement.

Compared to endless missions and rough living, the Illuminati offered luxury and comfort—who wouldn't prefer that?

Their previous 'retirement' was just a cover orchestrated by Nick Fury, but this time, they truly had no desire to be agents anymore.

"Natasha, Barton, you..." The Captain looked at them apologetically. For his sake, their sacrifice was enormous.

"Captain, it's not about you. We're just getting old and ready to move on," Barton patted the Captain's shoulder. His eldest child was about to enter junior high, and he didn't want his family to worry day and night.

Staying in the Illuminati was perfect—still heroes, great benefits, and most importantly, Tony was generous.

Natasha smiled, her expression suggesting she was ready for retirement as well.

"All right, I promise you! Once Bucky is rescued, I won't interfere with SHIELD matters anymore. I'll sever ties completely!" The Captain declared resolutely, and Tony nodded in satisfaction. The Illuminati was about to be strengthened once again.

Later, when there's time, he'll upgrade their gear... Oh, and there are the Witch, Quicksilver, and Wakanda—he needs to bring them into the Illuminati soon.

Since the last battle with the Black Order, Thanos must have sped up his plans. The heroes need to be assembled as quickly as possible!

Hao Yun had no interest in Illuminati affairs; his mission was to boost the alliance's power, to strengthen Earth and humanity... Management was Tony and Pepper's domain—no problem there.

After all, if they could run the conglomerate of the world's richest man, managing a superhero team was SO EASY!

"All right, Tony, Auntie, you two carry on. I need to visit Kamar-Taj."

"Is something wrong?" Tony hurriedly turned to Hao Yun, fearing he might announce some terrifying news.

The appearance of the Ancient One had been unreal, and fighting dimensional demons was so high-level—it was hard not to worry.

"It's nothing, the Ancient One just asked me to drop by. Oh, and from now on, I won't be involved much in Illuminati matters. Call me if you need anything!"

"Huh? Son, what are you up to?" Angel looked at Hao Yun in confusion. What did this mean—her son was going to join Kamar-Taj and defend dimensional peace?

"Nothing. From now on, Earth's dangers are in good hands with the Illuminati. I'll be focusing more on the safety of the universe and other dimensions."

He gave himself a grand-sounding reason, nodded to the group, and drove Tony's car toward the London Sanctum.

The recent inability to handle the Dark Elves had shown him the power of Marvel's top experts... Malekith was just a minor boss; true powerhouses like Dormammu, Hela, Thanos had yet to appear. He needed to let go of trivial matters and focus on strengthening himself.

This battle had taught him one thing: In Marvel, top-tier combat strength matters far more than average individual ability! His upcoming trip to Kunlun might be the opportunity for a massive leap in power!

Entering the London Sanctum's grounds, the doors automatically opened... Wong, the librarian of Kamar-Taj, was waiting at the entrance with a smile.

"Hao Yun, welcome to the London Sanctum!"