Ultraman Noah from Marvel

35. Steve, out of step with the times

Ji Yuan received his "pension" and "compensation" as he wished.

It has to be said that Fury was really too greedy, actually extorting a full 100 million from Ross, which is really outrageous.

Most importantly, Ross actually gave it to them, which shows how strong his connections and financial resources are. No wonder he was able to be elected Secretary of State even after causing the Abomination and destroying the city. He's got some serious connections.

Fury was also quite audacious; of the 100 million in compensation he extorted, he was only willing to give him 10 million, which made Ji Yuan laugh in anger.

They had given him another chance, but they were only willing to give him an extra ten million. Sure enough, old embezzlers are not trustworthy. If Jarvis hadn't found out that the compensation was one hundred million, he might have really been fooled.

There was no other way. In order to establish the authority of a "mage", Ji Yuan had to make Fury suffer a little and make him cosplay as a black unicorn. As for what the horn was, that was something that black people were good at.

It is believed that in the future, Fury will never dare to embezzle what belongs to Ji Yuan again.

Meanwhile, inside the safe house, Fury, his eyes wide with terror, covered his forehead and frantically jotted down something.

Known abilities: hypnosis, mind reading, magic, body manipulation...

……

The night passed quickly, and a rare heavy rain fell in New York.

For fast-paced New York, rain is just a spice in the fast-paced life.

But it's different for Hell's Kitchen.

The dilapidated asphalt street, washed by the rain, resembled a swelled, inferior biscuit, each step feeling soft and prone to collapsing.

The perpetually clogged sewers make the roads even more muddy and difficult to navigate, causing immense suffering for the people of Hell's Kitchen who have to get up early to beg for food.

But none of this mattered to Ji Yuan. On a rainy day like this, sleeping was the most comfortable thing to do. At this moment, he was fast asleep under the covers, accompanied by the sound of rain.

"Knock knock knock!"

The sudden knocking on the door disturbed Ji Yuan's peaceful sleep. He glanced at his phone; it was exactly eight o'clock in the morning.

"That doesn't make sense. With a psychic barrier, who would come knocking on the clinic door?"

Ji Yuan was somewhat puzzled, but still called out softly, "Xiao Bu, open the door and see who it is."

"Okay, boss," replied Bronsky, who was standing by in the next room.

The house in Hell's Kitchen wasn't fully repaired yet, so Ji Yuan could only rest in the clinic room. Meanwhile, Bronsky, who had changed his appearance, became the clinic's assistant, cleaner, and bodyguard—basically, an incredibly demanding job.

"The boss is your friend." Bronsky's tone seemed somewhat hesitant and doubtful.

"friend?"

Ji Yuan walked out of the room, still half asleep. The visitor was indeed a friend, none other than Captain America, with blond hair, blue eyes, and a burly build.

"Steve, you're finally awake."

With a warm smile, Steve said, "Thank you for helping me out of that dream. I don't think I ever want to experience that again in my life."

Ji Yuan smiled. "I think the fear from nightmares still can't break the will of a true warrior. Have you had breakfast, Steve?"

The sudden turn of events left Steve somewhat bewildered, but he still replied, "I've already eaten, friend."

Ji Yuan winked at Bronsky, who nodded and left, understanding the signal.

"Steve, now you can tell me what problem you're facing," Ji Yuan said.

Steve sat in the chair, looking rather slouchy, lacking the upright posture expected of a soldier. He said, "I've been awake for several days now. I've seen a lot of things these days, and I've been trying to adapt to this era."

"Whether it's computers and mobile phones, historical civilizations, or even aliens and Ultraman."

"I admit that I have failed. The seventy-year gap has caused me to lose everything: my family, my comrades, and the faith I cherish."

"The people at S.H.I.E.L.D. said I was sick, and I think I might actually be sick."

Steve fell silent, a strange look flickering in his eyes.

Ji Yuan didn't say anything, but silently brewed a pot of hot tea and poured him a cup.

"I think you can try new things too."

Steve picked up the hot tea and, imitating Ji Yuan, slowly took a small sip. Unlike the sour and bitter taste of American coffee, this tea had a slightly bitter and fragrant taste, followed by a subtle sweet aftertaste.

Setting down his teacup, Ji Yuan said, "That nightmare that repeated itself countless times couldn't break your will, and I think the so-called gap between eras can't crush your fighting spirit either. Your roots are somewhere else."

"You won that war, you defeated those fascists, you defended the lives of the innocent, and you defended the freedom of the individual."

"You believe that the new world after the war should be completely different, the opposite of the world before the war. Just as the world was in its darkest period then, the world after the victory should be bright."

"But decades can pass in the blink of an eye. When you open your eyes, the world has changed. It is neither dark nor bright, but shrouded in a gray curtain that you cannot see through."

"You're not unable to adapt to this era; you're just resisting, resisting this gray world. You want to fight, even if it's just tearing open a veil, even if there's deep darkness underneath, you have the fighting spirit to turn it around, instead of like this."

Steve fell silent after Ji Yuan's words. He closed his eyes and said with some pain, "Perhaps so. What I fought for, what I worked hard for, what I cherished, what I believed in, is like a dream, an illusory dream that vanishes after I wake up. Rather than seeing such a world, I would rather be tormented by nightmares and fall into the abyss."

It's hard to imagine that the resolute Captain America could have such moments of confusion, just like an ordinary person.

Ji Yuan smiled and said, "Perhaps the war has never ended, and your faith is still taking root and sprouting in corners you don't know about, just waiting for you to fertilize and weed them."

"Really?" Steve sounded tired. "But who are my enemies, and who are my allies?"

"Hahaha." Ji Yuan laughed.

Steve didn't understand why he was laughing.

"Once you adapt to this era, you will know who your enemy is, as for your comrades."

"Every era has its own heroes, who are good people or quietly contributing in their time. They fight their own battles and are not united enough. Perhaps they need a seasoned pioneer."

"You'll see them soon."

"As for now, perhaps you should take a good rest; you're too tired."

"Smack."

As he snapped his fingers, Steve lay back in the recliner and slowly closed his eyes.

The pattering rain seemed to become a lullaby to help him sleep, and Steve relaxed his furrowed brow.

Within Ji Yuan's field of vision, that light was so dazzling!