MD-Chapter 288 Reinforcements

In the quiet base, only Arthur remained. A cup of coffee sat beside him, but he was lost in thought. 

He wasn't sure if the 'related documents' mentioned in the 'Instructor' file were present on Camp Lehigh's computer. But today, just after starting the operation and preparing to buy Camp Lehigh, Hydra's people arrived in cars that night. 

From this perspective, even if this computer didn't contain the 'documents' Arthur wanted, it likely had other information logged in it. Otherwise, Hydra wouldn't have been so nervous.

"This indicates its value!" Arthur pondered for a moment, finally making up his mind. He opened his communicator and found Tony's number. Tony's face, a bit worn and displeased, appeared on the screen. "Let me guess, it's 3:30 AM. Do you realize how long it's been since I've taken a call at this hour?"

"Laziness doesn't lead to progress," Arthur mumbled.

"…Isn't this just normal human rest time?" Tony said in disbelief. "Are people now using such legitimate excuses for prank calls?"

"Actually, I've probably been awake for almost 48 hours," Arthur replied. He rubbed his face; last night, he had slept at Rumlaw's house. 

Since he was role-playing, he couldn't appear differently in front of others. He needed to keep a consistent appearance, inside and out. If there hadn't been a mission tonight, he wouldn't have returned.

"48 hours? I can imagine that must be quite difficult for someone as old as you," Tony said, shaking himself awake. Then Arthur saw another face in the call. A beautiful woman, with sleepy eyes, leaned on Tony's shoulder and greeted Arthur. "Hey, Arthur, long time no see."

"From now on, when you're with Tony, just call me 'Uncle.'" Arthur said with a warm smile.

"I've never called you that!" Tony frowned, now fully awake.

"Good night, Uncle..." Pepper murmured sleepily, then fell silent.

Arthur and Tony exchanged glances, and Arthur quickly spoke up, "How about, from now on, you just call me 'Uncle' along with her?"

"Not a chance in hell!" Tony scowled before he settled Pepper down, then stood up, poured a glass of wine, and said, "So, tell me, what's the real reason you called me in the middle of the night? I'm sure it's not because you're lonely and decided to bother a life winner like me."

"I really don't understand how someone with your personality has survived this long without being beaten to death." Arthur replied, "Your dad was much easier to like. I found an old computer that has the files I need, but analyzing it will take a long time. I think you could help me speed up the process."

If Hydra's people hadn't come tonight, Arthur could have waited for Harry's team to handle it. But given the current situation, he truly needed some external help— not just with analyzing the computer, but also in dealing with Hydra.

There was no denying that, at this stage of the investigation, continuing to handle everything quietly was nearly impossible.

"A computer? That's something I'm good at," Tony glanced at the time and said, "I'll come over now, wait for me..."

"No need, I'll come to you directly," Arthur replied before hanging up.

"Such a straightforward guy..." Arthur glanced at the entrance below and sighed. What would become of Bucky's situation? Every time he saw Tony, Arthur felt a bit guilty... But realistically, not wanting Tony to impulsively deal with the situation was also a way of taking responsibility for him. 

Arthur didn't know. Having seen so many people who did things under the guise of "for your own good," Arthur didn't want to become one of them.

"Once Bucky recalls everything, we'll let them handle it themselves." Arthur scratched his head. In the face of such a situation, he really felt a bit helpless. This was also why he never wanted Tony to know about this matter.

…

After tidying up, he stepped onto the teleportation array. As soon as he arrived at Tony's lab, his phone rang again: "You are coming to find me? How are you planning to get here?"

There was a pause, and then Tony frowned. "Why does it feel like the place you're at right now is a bit familiar?"

"You can come down now." Arthur walked over to the bar, grabbed a bottle of wine, and poured himself a glass.

"No! That's the wine I was planning to drink tomorrow night..." Tony immediately rushed downstairs in a panic.

His words were a bit late, as Arthur had already taken a sip. Looking at the liquid in the bottle, he nodded in satisfaction. "Not bad. The wine you were preparing for tomorrow night? Are you already starting to plan something romantic?"

Before Tony could reply, he walked in with a dark expression. He was wearing pajamas, sleep pants, and slippers, and his face looked as dark as Heimdall's. "How did you do that?"

Arthur instantly understood what Tony meant and casually tossed him a teleportation device he had invented. "This thing can instantly get you home."

"What's this?" Tony glanced at the device in his hand, instantly showing a look of disdain. "I stopped using phones like this ten years ago."

"It's not a phone..." Arthur said, speechless.

"Well, it's ugly!" Tony frowned and fiddled with it a bit before placing a teleportation array on the ground. The light blinked, catching his attention. "This looks nice, though. It kind of resembles a teleportation array from a cartoon."

"Exactly, that's the one," Arthur said. "It can instantly bring you to our team's base."

"Oh? Tell me more." Tony didn't care whether the wine was for tomorrow night; he grabbed a cup and sat next to Arthur, ready to listen.

Looking at the time, Arthur said, "Time is limited, so I'll give you the brief version." In just a few words, he explained the concept.

Tony's eyes were sparkling with excitement. "Can you teach me how to draw this?"

"Without the right kind of energy, this teleportation array is meaningless." Arthur's hand flashed, and paper and a pen appeared. He began to draw it, explaining in detail with no intention of hiding anything.

"Mythology and technology combined!" Tony was paying close attention. "I believe if these two can truly be integrated, it might lead to a qualitative leap in human technology!"

"...We can call it 'black technology'?" Arthur blinked.

(End of Chapter)

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