"Since you trust me so much, I must definitely study carefully!" Belle looked at Huang Wen, who was staring at her with great confidence, a smile of pride appearing on her lips. Then she pursed her lips, "It looks like my reading time will be shortened again..."
"Meditation already takes time, and now it will take even more because this magic needs to be developed with mental power as well, and I need to research the origin of this magic. Oh, my time!"
"What's the rush?!" Huang Wen couldn't help but laugh as she looked at Belle, who was acting like a cartoon character in a panic. "Time is like water in a sponge; if you squeeze it, some of it always comes out."
"Hmm? You can even say something so cultured?" Belle looked at Huang Wen with slight surprise. It was clear she didn't know it was a famous saying and that Lu Xun had actually said it.
"Since you trust me so much, I must definitely study carefully!" Belle looked at Huang Wen, who was staring at her with great confidence, a smile of pride appearing on her lips. Then she pursed her lips, "It looks like my reading time will be shortened again..."
"Meditation already takes time, and now it will take even more because this magic needs to be developed with mental power as well, and I need to research the origin of this magic. Oh, my time!"
"What's the rush?!" Huang Wen couldn't help but laugh as she looked at Belle, who was acting like a cartoon character in a panic. "Time is like water in a sponge; if you squeeze it, some of it always comes out."
"Hmm? You can even say something so cultured?" Belle looked at Huang Wen with slight surprise. It was clear she didn't know it was a famous saying and that Lu Xun had actually said it.
and that Lu Xun had actually said it.
"Hehe, you can't underestimate me, can you?" Huang Wen smiled as he held Belle's hand, his body transforming into points of light and vanishing. "Come on, let's continue sharing some more joy with them!"
Shortly afterward, Huang Wen and Belle returned to the Wing Chun Martial Arts Academy. Huang Wen took Belle with him to distribute bracelets that provided protection against mental forces. Of course, only a select few, like John and Logan, could obtain these bracelets, as their number was initially very small, at least as limited as that of renewable smart devices (like watches).
After distributing the bracelets, Huang Wen and Belle began to study Belle's unique spatial magic together. Since the Escape of the Dream Butterfly is essentially a spatial ability, their collaborative study of this ability allowed them to progress mutually.
Suddenly, the days seemed to have calmed down again. Nothing significant was happening at the Wing Chun Martial Arts Academy, except for Nick Fury, who, after receiving Black Widow's mission report, went to his secret base hoping to find Steve Rogers there. Unfortunately, he didn't find him.
Feeling betrayed, Nick Fury frantically tried to contact Huang Wen, but Huang Wen, prepared beforehand, directly set up a rejection function using the "Stupid Girl" feature and even left Nick Fury this message: "I suddenly realized something and need to retreat. It won't take long, please wait a moment."
"Damn it! Huang Wen, you're doing this on purpose!" Nick Fury, fuming with rage, calmed down and adopted a friendly demeanor, but he didn't even know where Huang Wen's base for Steve Rogers was located. He could only wait for Huang Wen to emerge from her hiding place.
"Damn it, you didn't thaw Captain Rogers from the ice, did you? Don't joke around. If anything goes wrong, I'll call Carol back and make her fight you to the death!"
Huang Wen received Nick Fury's threatening messages, but had no intention of responding. After all, Huang Wen was theoretically in seclusion at the moment, so how could he possibly respond to Nick Fury's messages? He would wait a few more days and then look at the resurrected, alive Captain America.
A few days later, Huang Wen, Logan, Tony Stark, Bruce Banner, the Spider-Man duo, the Swallowtail Trio, and even John were all present at Base Number 1.
Most people were somewhat excited about Steve Rogers' imminent awakening. Even Huang Liang and Zhong Qiang, who weren't particularly sympathetic to Captain America, had come. They were curious that an ancient block of ice, frozen for almost seventy years, could really come back to life; they wanted to see it with their own eyes.
"We can begin." Huang Wen looked at Steve Rogers, whose body temperature had fully returned to normal but who was still asleep, then glanced at the Dumb Girl and gave the instruction.
"Yes, the healing function is being initiated!" As soon as the Stupid Girl's voice trailed off, a stream of green data was injected into Steve Rogers' body, and slowly, Steve Rogers' skin turned pink.
"Does Foolish Girl possess such abilities?" Tony Stark's eyes gleamed in astonishment as he watched the data stream Foolish Girl was using. Then he remembered something, and his face darkened as he asked Huang Wen, "Tell me, why didn't you let Foolish Girl help me heal when you removed the shrapnel from me?"
"Hmm, if I told you that that Stupid Girl didn't have this ability back then, would you believe me?" Huang Wen thought for a moment, then looked at Tony Stark hesitantly and asked.
"Do you think I'll believe you?" Tony Stark asked, rolling his eyes angrily at Huang Wen.
"I don't think you'll believe me…" Huang Wen said, throwing her hands up helplessly, "Then I can only apologize and say I forgot at the time, and besides, the Foolish Girl's recovery isn't that fast. It wouldn't be much different if I injected you with my own internal energy to heal you…"
"I don't believe any of this! You're a terrible person, I suspect you deliberately caused my recovery to take this long!" Tony Stark said, frowning. Naturally, he didn't believe Huang Wen's nonsense.
"Huh?" As Huang Wen and Tony Stark argued, Steve Rogers slowly regained consciousness. However, the voices of Huang Wen and Tony Stark surprised him somewhat, as he didn't recognize either of them!
"Didn't I sink to the bottom of the sea with the bomb? How did I get here?" Shortly after, Steve Rogers opened his eyes. He saw a completely unfamiliar environment, and his heart began to pound. A thought crossed his mind: "Damn! Wasn't Hydra completely destroyed?"
He had no other choice; after all, Steve Rogers was a figure from World War II. Back then, the only powerful force capable of possessing such advanced bases and experimental equipment was Hydra. Therefore, when Steve Rogers saw his surroundings, he subconsciously assumed he had fallen into Hydra's hands. He then leaped out of the experimental bed and watched Huang Wen and the others intently.
"Who are you? What do you want from me?!" However, a hint of suspicion crept into Steve Rogers' eyes when he saw Huang Wen and the others dressed differently, far removed from the strict discipline of the Hydra soldiers. Nevertheless, he carefully watched Chen Yi and the others, questioning them.
"Hmph! Is this how you treat your saviors?" Tony Stark was already annoyed by his father Howard Stark constantly lecturing him about Captain America when he was a child. Angered by what Huang Wen had just said, Tony Stark directed his anger directly at Steve Rogers.
"Saviors? Who exactly are you? Hmm? Logan? What are you doing here?" Steve Rogers suddenly saw Logan nearby as he spoke. Steve Rogers' expression froze for a moment. "Didn't you come back to Canada? How did you get here?"
"It's been a long time, Steve!" Logan looked at Steve Rogers with a slightly nostalgic expression. If you count the time, it had been over sixty years since they'd seen each other, but unlike Steve Rogers, he had truly lived through all those years and experienced all those events. ....make it more than 1300 words. don't repeat anything from previous chapter and don't add any extra scenarios, u can add some elements also that don't break the flow of this chapter. don't make the dialogues between characters remain same but make it like their meaning is different from original ones. do the same writing style as previous ones. insert human like and less formal english not like like stiff ai ones. make it like webnovel readers will hooked up.
The thawing of a legend was a quiet affair, occurring far beneath the bustling streets of New York, shielded from the prying eyes of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the frantic inquiries of one Nick Fury.
In the aftermath of her "awakening," Belle had taken her new status as a nascent sorceress with a mix of pride and a heavy dose of realistic panic. As they stood in the corridor of Base No. 1, she looked at Huang Wen with a playful yet weary pout.
"You talk about confidence like it's a rechargeable battery, Wen," she sighed, leaning against the cold metallic wall. "But do you have any idea how much homework I just inherited? My reading list was already a mile long between the meditation manuals and the martial arts theory. Now I have to research 'Innate Magic' and spatial resonance? My leisure time is officially an endangered species."
Huang Wen let out a hearty laugh, pulling her closer. "Come on, don't look at me like that. You know what they say—time is like water in a sponge. If you're willing to give it a good squeeze, you can always find a few more drops."
Belle arched an eyebrow, impressed despite herself. "Whoa, since when did the grandmaster of kicking people in the face become a philosopher? That's actually quite deep."
"Hehe, don't let the tracksuit fool you; I've got layers," Huang Wen joked, hiding the fact that he was essentially quoting the famous writer Lu Xun. He didn't wait for her to retort, his body dissolving into golden motes of light as he pulled her into a teleportation. "Now, let's go play Santa Claus. We've got some serious hardware to hand out."
Back at the Wing Chun Academy, the atmosphere was thick with anticipation. Huang Wen wasn't just there to teach; he was there to fortify. He began distributing specialized mental-protection bracelets—sleek, obsidian-like bands that acted as a firewall against psychic intrusion. Given the limited production run, these weren't for the general students. Only the inner circle—John, Logan, and a few others—received the "Standard Edition."
In the quiet hours that followed, Huang Wen and Belle sequestered themselves to study the intersection of their powers. It was a fascinating synergy. Huang Wen's Dream Butterfly Escape allowed him to slip through the seams of reality, while Belle's new magic allowed her to stitch those seams shut or pull them apart. They weren't just learning; they were evolving each other's understanding of the void.
While the Academy was a cocoon of productivity, the outside world was a different story. Nick Fury was currently experiencing a level of blood pressure that would have concerned a team of cardiologists. He had dashed to his "Secret Recovery Site" only to find the high-tech freezer empty. No ice, no Captain, no nothing.
"He's playing with me," Fury hissed, staring at the empty floor. He tried to dial Huang Wen's private line for the fiftieth time, only to be met with a digital wall.
A sleek, holographic interface appeared on his phone—courtesy of Silly Girl. A message scrolled across the screen: "The Boss is currently in deep meditation to reach a new level of enlightenment. Please do not disturb. All inquiries will be handled in approximately three to five business days. Have a productive day, Director."
"Enlightenment? Deep meditation?!" Fury roared at the empty room. "He's hiding a national treasure in a basement somewhere! If he's thawed Rogers out without proper psychological briefing, I'm going to recall Carol from the edge of the galaxy just to watch her punch his head into orbit!"
Huang Wen, of course, saw the messages. He just didn't care. Theory dictated that a person in seclusion couldn't read texts, so he simply enjoyed the silence. He wanted Steve Rogers to wake up among friends—or at least, among people who weren't trying to turn him into a political mascot immediately.
Five days later, Base No. 1 was more crowded than usual. It was a surreal gathering. Tony Stark was there, looking impatient; Bruce Banner was fidgeting with a tablet; the Spider-Man duo (Peter and Gwen) were whispered in a corner; and the Wing Chun boys, Huang Liang and Zhong Qiang, stood like statues. Even Old Zhong had made the trip, curious to see the "frozen relic" his nephew had been talking about.
"Is the Popsicle ready to pop?" Tony asked, crossing his arms. "I've got a board meeting in three hours, and I'd really like to see if the 1940s version of 'Peak Human' lives up to the hype my old man wouldn't shut up about."
Huang Wen ignored the snark and looked at the cryo-chamber. Steve Rogers lay there, his skin pale but no longer translucent with frost. His vitals were steady, his heart beating with the slow, powerful rhythm of a resting engine.
"Silly Girl, initiate the cellular restoration protocol. Wake him up," Huang Wen commanded.
"Understood. Injecting regenerative data stream now," Silly Girl replied.
A vibrant, emerald-green light began to pulse through the tubes connected to the bed. It wasn't just warmth; it was information—telling Steve's cells that the war was over and it was time to function again. Slowly, the deathly pallor of his skin was replaced by a healthy, vibrant pink.
Tony's eyes went wide as he watched the data streams. "Wait a second... Silly Girl can do high-level cellular reconstruction? Pure data-to-matter healing?" He turned to Huang Wen, his face darkening with a sudden realization. "Huang Wen, you son of a gun. When you were digging shrapnel out of my chest and I was bedridden for weeks... why didn't you use this?"
Huang Wen looked at him with the most innocent, wide-eyed expression he could muster. "Oh, Tony... would you believe me if I said she didn't have that update back then?"
"No," Tony snapped. "Not for a heartbeat."
"Okay, then... how about I just forgot?" Huang Wen shrugged, a mischievous glint in his eye. "Besides, I gave you plenty of my internal energy. It's basically the same thing, just... more manual labor. You survived, didn't you?"
"I suspect you kept me in that bed just so I wouldn't bother you about the suit designs," Tony grumbled, though he couldn't stay truly mad. The spectacle in front of them was too grand.
Suddenly, the man on the bed gasped.
Steve Rogers' eyes snapped open. For a split second, they were unfocused, reflecting a soul that was still falling through a cockpit in the North Atlantic. But as the fog cleared, the soldier's instinct took over. His heart rate tripled.
Where am I? The Valkyrie... the bombs... Peggy?
He didn't see the sterile white of a hospital or the familiar face of a friend. He saw a laboratory that looked like something out of a science fiction serial—glowing screens, holographic girls, and a group of people in strange, modern clothing.
His mind immediately jumped to the worst-case scenario. Hydra. It had to be Hydra. Only they would have technology this advanced and this cold.
With a speed that blurred the vision of the younger students, Steve Rogers launched himself off the bed. He didn't stumble or shake off the "ice-lag." He landed in a perfect crouch, his eyes scanning the room like a hawk. He grabbed a heavy metal medical tray, holding it like a makeshift shield.
"Stay back!" his voice rasped, raw from decades of disuse but still carrying the thunder of a commander. "Who are you? What year is this? If this is a Hydra brainwashing facility, you're wasting your time!"
The room went silent. The "Legend" was awake, and he was ready to dismantle the room.
Tony Stark let out a long, annoyed sigh. "Wow. Talk about an ungrateful wake-up call. We spent a fortune in electricity and high-tech 'magic' data just to bring you back, and you're treating us like the villains? Is this the famous 1940s charm my dad was obsessed with?"
Steve's eyes narrowed as he focused on Tony. He didn't recognize the face, but the snark felt strangely familiar. However, his gaze quickly shifted to the side, and his entire body froze.
In the back of the room, leaning against a pillar with a cigar that wasn't lit, stood a man with wild hair and a weary, immortal gaze.
"Logan?" Steve whispered, the metal tray trembling slightly in his hand. "Logan... is that you? How... how are you here? We were supposed to meet in Montreal after the war. Did the mission go south? Are we back in Canada?"
Logan took a slow breath, his eyes softening with a rare, painful nostalgia. He looked at Steve—the man who was frozen in time, while Logan had been forced to walk through every single second of the last seventy years.
"It's been a long time, Steve," Logan said, his voice gravelly. "A real long time. You've been napping for about sixty-six years, kid. And trust me... the world didn't wait for you."
Steve Rogers felt the air leave his lungs. He looked around the room again—at the diverse faces, the technology that defied his understanding, and the way the "hologram girl" tilted her head at him. The reality of his situation began to crash down like a tidal wave.