American Comic Dimensional Trading Device

“Then there are no problems. It’s a pleasure doing business with you!” Josie smiled and immediately extended her hand, shaking hands with Hugh Jones’s cold hand, announcing the completion of the deal.

……

After Hugh Jones left, no third visitor came.

Looking at the sky, it was already close to evening, so Josie decided to go to Brooklyn to visit another old friend.

Since my understanding of the energy industry is limited, all content is based on my personal understanding; please refrain from criticism if you disagree.

Chapter 135 Ambush

The only friend Josie mentioned who lived in Brooklyn was Peggy Carter, who should theoretically be living in the apartment building where Captain America's former residence was located.

"Hmm? Keep going, don't stop!" However, as soon as the car approached the street near the apartment building, Vito in the passenger seat sensed something was wrong and immediately instructed the driver.

Upon hearing this, the driver did not stop, but drove at a steady speed, bypassing the apartment area.

"What happened?" Josie asked, her face slightly furrowed.

"Boss, it seems like we're being watched over there," Vito said with a slightly serious expression.

Josie was taken aback. Peggy Carter was being targeted?

However, given her job, this kind of thing is quite normal.

“…Find a place to stop and go see who it is!” Josie said thoughtfully.

"Yes, boss!" Vito nodded, and after the car stopped, he got out and walked slowly towards the apartment, pretending to be a passerby.

Josie waited in the car with her eyes closed.

However, just over ten minutes later, Vito returned with a strange expression.

“Boss, we’ve got it figured out, it’s someone from the council!” Vito spoke up before Josie could even ask.

"Huh? The council members? Aren't they after Bucky? Why are they eyeing Carter?" Josie asked, puzzled. He had reminded Vito about this after the meeting. Although all the council members had expressed their opinions that theoretically no one would cause trouble for Vito, what if one of the council members had a few crazy people under their command?

Although the senior members of the council are generally reasonable, due to the special nature of the organization, it is hard to guarantee that one or two people will not suddenly become mentally unstable.

It's never a bad thing to be a little cautious.

“I’ve inquired. Mr. Barnes and Ms. Carter are now colleagues and partners, and they both live in this apartment building. So while they were keeping an eye on Bucky, they also kept an eye on Ms. Carter,” Vito explained immediately.

"Bucky and Carter are living together?" Josie was taken aback when she heard this. Goodness, is this what they mean by "good brother, I'll take care of your wife"?

“Uh, no, Mr. Barnes just moved out of his house after returning to New York and became Ms. Carter’s neighbor!” Vito explained when he saw that Josie had misunderstood.

Josie now understood: Bucky and Carter had become colleagues, partners, and neighbors.

Although nothing may have happened between the two yet, it's hard to say what will happen if things continue like this.

And in a way, this is also his fault.

In a timeline without him, the only person who would have joined the Strategic Scientific Corps' New York branch at this point would have been Peggy Carter herself.

Because of the low status of women in this era, even if Peggy Carter made outstanding contributions in the war, she would still be marginalized if Howard Stark did not become a leader of the Strategic Scientific Corps and formally establish S.H.I.E.L.D. She could only be responsible for simple tasks such as clerical work or making coffee within the Strategic Scientific Corps, and had no possibility of going out on field missions.

However, in this timeline, things are different because Josie put Bucky back.

Bucky, as Captain America's best friend, is definitely the number two in the Howling Commandos.

Therefore, after the war, he naturally joined the Strategic Scientific Corps and became a senior field agent in the New York branch.

His status is absolutely incomparable to that of Agent Susa, the crippled agent in the Agent Carter series.

In this situation, whether other agents, including the director, can sideline Peggy Carter depends on whether Bucky is willing to do so.

Actually, Josh should have known this earlier, but he hadn't paid much attention to Carter and Bucky's situation before, so he overlooked it.

I just don't know if this change is good or bad.

“Boss, should we have them remove it?” Vito asked, looking at Josie who was deep in thought.

"Have Carter and the others gone back to the apartment?" Josie asked.

“No, according to them, Ms. Carter and Mr. Barnes are currently dining at a vending machine restaurant two blocks away, almost every day,” Vito replied.

The so-called vending machine restaurant is actually an early form of convenience fast food restaurant.

Its main selling points are affordability and convenience.

Although she's a woman, you can get Peggy Carter to wield knives and guns without a problem, but cooking? Forget about it.

As for Bucky, he came from a very well-off family and was a young master. He only learned how to handle field rations during his two years in the army.

So the two of them usually eat fast food after get off work, which saves money and time.

"Have they said when they've decided to make their move?" Josie continued to ask.

“Yes… They waited until Mr. Barnes and Ms. Carter finished dinner and returned before making their move. The apartment building is in a relatively remote location, and only Ms. Carter, Mr. Barnes, and a few other tenants live there, so it's unlikely to cause a big commotion.” Vito nodded and said, “Besides, eating right after a meal puts a strain on the body, making it the perfect time to strike.”

"In that case, let's wait and see. You go and keep an eye on things too, so you can lend a hand if anything unexpected happens... Remember to use the medicine so you don't get recognized!" Josie instructed.

“Okay, I promise I won’t let anything happen to Ms. Carter and Mr. Barnes!” Vito nodded solemnly.

"What nonsense! I asked you to help the council. Carter and I are friends, that's true, but just ordinary friends. It's not like I'd ruin the council's business because of that. Besides, what does Bucky's life or death have to do with us?" Josie rolled her eyes and said lightly, "But to be honest, I don't really have high hopes for the people the council sent, Carter and Bucky!"

"Hehe, I get it!" Upon hearing Josh's words, Vito scratched his head slightly embarrassedly. He had thought Josh was going to help Carter and Bucky.

“…Go ahead, but you still need to be careful. Bucky is tough, so it’s okay to go all out. As for Carter, just try to knock him out. Otherwise, if you go too far and kill or cripple him, things could get complicated if Steve comes back one day!” Josie waved her hand and said.

"Boss, you mean Captain Steve Rogers is still alive and can come back?" Vito was quite surprised to hear Josie's words.

“Who knows? This world is far more complex than we realize!” Josie said quietly.

Vito was completely bewildered by Josie's remark. Oh well, he'd better just get back to work.

He then got out of the car, intending to find a secluded place with a good view to hide in. Soon, he found a suitable spot.

Josie instructed the bodyguard in charge of driving to find a secluded spot to park and wait for news.

About ten minutes later, Carter and Bucky's car slowly drove up to the apartment building and landed.

"...Bucky, can you feel it?" Carter asked alertly as soon as the car stopped, reaching into his open briefcase and grabbing the pistol inside.

"Yes, there are some rats of unknown origin around here!" Bucky, in the driver's seat, also reached for his waist—although he was missing his left hand, Howard Stark had specially made him a prosthetic arm, which was not much worse than the Winter Soldier's metal arm in the original timeline, so there was no problem of not being able to drive with one hand.

However, it's clear from their conversation that they've noticed something's wrong with the area around the apartment.

So it's not without reason that Josie was worried the council's operation to capture Bucky would fail!

Chapter 136 Strategic Scientific Corps New York Branch

"Clang... hiss..." The ambushers, who were lying in ambush in the apartment building, also noticed Carter and Bucky's alertness in the car. Immediately, several smoke grenades were thrown from various corners on both sides of the street to the side of the car.

Soon, thick smoke enveloped the entire vehicle, and eight ambushers wearing gas masks and carrying stick-like weapons emerged from their hiding places and surrounded the car.

They wanted to capture Bucky Barnes alive, so naturally they couldn't use lethal weapons.

Moreover, judging from their movements, they are mostly from military backgrounds.

However, they clearly underestimated Bucky and Carter, two agents who had fought their way through the battlefield.

When the eight people approached the car, they were shocked to find that it was completely empty.

Just as the eight people were looking at each other in confusion, Bucky and Carter, who had also put on gas masks, had somehow managed to sneak up behind the four people on one side of the group, using the smoke as cover.

Bucky grabbed their heads and slammed them onto the roof of the car with a thud. The two men were immediately knocked senseless. Bucky then brandished the prosthetic arm that Howard Stark had specially made for him and smacked each of them hard on the shoulder.

The two burly men immediately collapsed to the ground.

Meanwhile, Carter, who was also facing two men, was not to be outdone. He first kicked a burly man hard in the groin from behind, and the sound of his testicles breaking could even be faintly heard.

Carter turned around and slammed the heavy, hard-shell toolbox in his hand into his face, then kicked him in the back of the knee, instantly knocking him to his knees.

Carter then turned around again, grabbed the hair of the man who was clutching the egg and howling in pain, and slammed him hard against the car door. The man immediately fainted with a groan.

Before the man behind him could get up again, Carter spun around once more, smashing the suitcase in his hand into his face again.

Carter took only a few seconds, almost as long as Bucky, to take down the two big men.

Bucky, who turned around almost simultaneously, gave a thumbs up.

They also saw the four attackers remaining on the other side of the car, filled with shock and anger.

Even Vito, who was hiding in a corner on the second floor of the apartment, couldn't help but cover his face, unsure whether to praise Bucky and Carter's strength or criticize the council's useless arresters.

As expected, our boss was wise enough to know that these useless people sent by the council were of no use.

Without hesitation, Vito first quietly took off his clothes, then took out the syringe he carried with him and plunged it into his neck.

Below, the remaining four people were quickly knocked to the ground by Bucky and Carter working together.

"Who are you? Why are you attacking us?" Bucky grabbed one of the attackers, who was still conscious, by the collar and shoved him hard into the car, demanding an explanation.

“I…I…monster…” However, the attacker just stared at Bucky in utter terror.

Just as Bucky thought the man was implying something about him, he felt someone stabbing him from the side. Turning around, he saw Carter staring blankly at his back.

"What's wrong, Carter? What made you so... Hou Reishert!" Bucky turned around, about to say something, but upon seeing what was behind him, he immediately switched to profanity.

Because what appeared behind him was a monster over two meters tall, with a huge physique, resembling a giant lizard, and its seemingly emotionless vertical pupils were staring intently at him.

It was Vito in his full beast form.