Lin Feng knew what Captain America was thinking, likely wanting him to intervene and save Bucky.
He directly shook his head and refused.
"I will not stop Tony from making any choice."
Hearing this, Captain America's eyes dimmed slightly.
"However."
Lin Feng patted Captain America's shoulder, comforting him, "The one who truly killed Howard was HYDRA, Bucky was merely their tool."
"I've already told Tony the truth, you should trust him, shouldn't you?"
"But..."
Lin Feng increased the pressure, patting Captain America's shoulder again, stopping him from continuing.
Let Tony and time handle it.
Having done all he could, Lin Feng left.
He flew directly into the sky.
He had done what he could, and now it was time to go home, sleep, and then find the Secretary of State.
As for why he didn't go looking for him immediately?
Lin Feng had already intercepted intelligence that the Secretary of State would be reporting to the Director on the night's events the following morning.
Seeing Lin Feng depart, Captain America slumped in defeat, helpless.
He looked at the door before him, hesitated, and then finally chose to leave.
Inside the room, Tony slumped in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Stinger slowly poked its head out from behind him.
"Shall I help you bite off his head?"
Stinger looked at Bucky's avatar on the screen.
It could sense, but not comprehend, Tony's complex emotions at this moment.
Humans were truly strange creatures.
It couldn't understand what Tony was agonizing over.
Biting off a head seemed like a simple matter.
"Sir, location is locked."
JARVIS's voice chimed in.
On the screen, Bucky's position was displayed.
Tony's eyes opened, and he looked at the screen.
He stared at Bucky's avatar but didn't act immediately.
His fingers tapped lightly on the table.
The truth Lin Feng had revealed and the images of his parents' death intertwined in his mind.
He was desperately trying to remain calm, and even calmer.
After a long pause, Tony finally managed to somewhat compose himself.
"Create new file, Project Revenge."
"Incident date, December 16, 1991, Subject: Howard."
"Next, let's see if S.H.I.E.L.D. has the information I'm looking for..."
A sleepless night...
Tony wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep; neither could Captain America...
The next day, the Secretary of State arrived at the White House early.
After a series of complex verification procedures, he reached a brightly lit office.
There was only one person in the office.
The Director...
He handed a file to the Director and sat down.
He had already reported once the previous night.
Lin Feng, as they had imagined, was the biggest obstacle to their contingency plan.
The Director flipped through the file, a strange expression appearing on his face.
"Tony didn't go looking for Bucky?"
According to the original plan, the second scenario was meant to ignite internal conflict within the Avengers.
And the escalation of this conflict required Tony to kill Bucky...
Although, given Captain America's personality, he wouldn't seek revenge on Tony, the Avengers would still disintegrate.
Then, they could break them down one by one, making the contingency plan much easier to sign off on.
"Yes, there was an unforeseen development," the Secretary of State explained.
"We deliberately leaked Bucky's location, and Tony received the coordinates."
"But it's strange, Tony didn't take action."
He paused, then continued, "Our latest intelligence indicates."
"Tony's inaction is 95% related to Lin Feng."
"After Tony left yesterday, Lin Feng went to see him."
"We cannot monitor Lin Feng."
This put the Secretary of State at a loss.
They hadn't not tried to monitor Lin Feng's communications.
But after Lin Feng had smashed a few satellites, they had become much more cautious.
Even the spies around Lin Feng's villa would inexplicably disappear.
Never to be found again...
The Director was aware of all of this.
He slammed his fist on the table in annoyance.
"Lin Feng again?"
In the Director's memory, Lin Feng was an extremely troublesome, powerful Eastern individual.
Such people, if they couldn't work for the White House, were usually eliminated.
But based on Lin Feng's performance over the past two years, even nuclear bombs might not be effective against him.
That's why they found him so difficult to deal with.
As soon as the Director finished speaking, a sudden voice echoed in the conference room.
"You were looking for me?"
The tone was lazy yet clear.
The Director's head shot up, and he immediately broke out in a cold sweat.
It was Lin Feng, who, at some unknown time, had taken a seat opposite him!
The Director gasped, instinctively reaching for the alarm button hidden in his cuff.
But such small movements couldn't escape a super-human's eyes.
The next second, the Director found himself unable to move.
He and the Secretary of State were frozen in place as if under a spell!
"Someone's always saying handsome things about me behind my back, it's quite a burden!"
Lin Feng chuckled as he stood up, his eyes, however, held a chilling glint.
"What? Is it that hot in here? Sweating so much?"
Lin Feng walked behind the Director, placing a hand on his shoulder.
"Mr. Lin Feng, we can talk, we can talk!"
The Director's plump body stiffened, his lips trembling uncontrollably.
The White House's security level was almost second only to a bunker.
Yet, under these circumstances, Lin Feng had infiltrated undetected, without even triggering an alarm.
He thought Lin Feng was here to kill him.
He had worked hard to reach his position and had no intention of dying now.
"Heh, don't be so nervous!"
Lin Feng sauntered around the office, stopping by the window to look out at the greenery.
The guards hidden outside seemed not to see him, their faces blank.
"A bright conference room, with such a beautiful view outside."
"It must be pleasant to work here..."
Lin Feng said softly, and at the same moment, a powerful pressure emanated from him again.
More chilling than when he was at the hotel, filled with a bloody and murderous aura.
"Tell me, why do some people, instead of enjoying life, always try to control things beyond their capabilities?"
"Is it really like what's shown in movies?"
"Only when they reach the end of their lives do they suddenly realize?"
Lin Feng stood by the window, feigning confusion, and looked at the Director.
Sunlight fell on Lin Feng's shoulders, obscuring his face for a moment.
But in the Director's eyes, Lin Feng's face had transformed into that of a demon.
This was a threat!
"Mr. Lin, Mr. Lin Feng..."
"Whatever your demands, just state them, and we will do our utmost to satisfy them!"
The Secretary of State broke first. The thick, almost congealed pressure made the blood in his body flow sluggishly, and his voice trembled.
"Oh? Is it really anything you want?"
Lin Feng slowly approached the Secretary of State, his smile appearing like a devil's to the Secretary of State...