Chapter 020: Mission Branch
"TIMELINE FRACTURE DETECTED. DELIVERY MISSION RECALCULATING..."
"MISSION UPDATED:Mission 1: Deliver the vibranium shield to Captain America, Steve Rogers.Mission 2: Deliver the vibranium shield to Black Serpent, Gilmore Hodge. WARNING: Target exhibits hostile disposition toward courier. High probability of negative performance review!"
"CRITICAL NOTICE: Selecting Mission 2 will severely impact subsequent missions in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and cause cascading unpredictable consequences. Choose wisely!"
"Black Serpent... yeah, that doesn't sound heroic at all. Hydra's Black Serpent—hell, those two names fit together perfectly." Mason rubbed his chin and muttered.
Mission 2 seemed significantly simpler than Mission 1. Mason wouldn't have to do anything—just wait until Hodge became a super soldier in three days, hand him the shield, and call it a completed delivery.
However, he also noticed the blood-red warning text on his tattoo. Once he selected Mission 2, Captain America would probably only exist in his memories. Although Steve Rogers' active role in World War II wasn't extensive in the original timeline, he influenced countless key figures later.
Gilmore Hodge was a textbook bully—if he became this so-called Black Serpent, causing mayhem and destruction wouldn't be the worst outcome. But if he killed Howard Stark, preventing the unborn Tony Stark from ever existing, the consequences would be catastrophic.
If Mason ever returned to the MCU, he'd likely face a completely unrecognizable world.
But thinking about it... that sounded kind of exciting.
Should he try approaching Hodge? Mason was momentarily tempted. He deeply admired Steve's character and respected his principles, but ultimately, his own survival took priority.
In three days, he couldn't conceive of a viable method to reverse the situation and convince the committee and senators to change the Super Soldier selection back to Steve Rogers.
Although he had one idea, he was reluctant to attempt it unless absolutely necessary—he hesitated.
"Well, one step at a time. The most critical thing right now is regaining full mobility." Mason retrieved the healing compound Dr. Erskine had given him and slowly unwrapped his bandages.
His most severe injuries were the two gunshot wounds. The bullets had been extracted, and the wounds meticulously sutured, but the process of removing bandages—due to Mason's excessive movement—inevitably reopened the wounds.
He endured the pain and inserted the syringe directly into the wound, rotating and pressing.
A searing stream of heat flooded from the syringe, the sensation like molten metal being injected into his body, causing Mason to groan involuntarily.
After the burning subsided, a tingling and itching sensation followed, and the cells around the wound rapidly multiplied. Mason could almost feel the agonizing sensation of muscle tissue knitting back together. Having completed this, he paused, then skillfully treated the other wound as well.
"Jesus, that burns!"
Mason grimaced and muttered. This was just a standard gunshot wound—if the injury were more catastrophic, the treatment could probably kill someone from pain alone.
Mason wasn't certain if it was his imagination, but he sensed that the two newly appeared missions were somewhat fluid, as if they could shift again at any moment.
Scrolling through the mission log, he found a special notification:
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT: THE RECKLESS TEMP
STATUS: COMPLETED
As a probationary courier for Dimensional Express, you drastically altered the timeline during your first trial mission. Achievement unlocked.
REWARD: One vial of Super Gene Repair Serum. Management sincerely hopes this courier continues his pattern of chaotic timeline disruption.
Looking at the notification in the mission log, Mason was dumbfounded. He explored carefully and quickly discovered a dedicated storage space.
The vibranium shield—the item he was delivering—had been stored in virtual inventory. Although Mason sensed additional storage capacity, he couldn't store any items besides the vibranium shield.
The newly awarded repair serum also opened a separate storage slot, but Mason tested it and still couldn't store anything except the Super Gene Repair Serum.
"What a cheap-ass company,"
he muttered under his breath. It seemed that aside from items awarded by Dimensional Express, nothing else could be extracted from this world. Mason had initially planned to smuggle back some advanced 1940s tech, but now he had to abandon that idea.
He held the gene repair serum awarded by Dimensional Express in his hand. Visually, it resembled the two Dr. Erskine had given him, but its potency was dramatically enhanced.
SUPER GENE REPAIR SERUM: This product can repair most damage in baseline humans and, depending on circumstances, provide minor genetic repair and enhancement. Also demonstrates significant efficacy in treating most non-hereditary conditions.
EFFECT: INSTANTANEOUS
Compared to the repair compound Dr. Erskine had provided, this item from the Express Company was absolutely game-breaking!
Dr. Erskine's compound, while extraordinarily powerful, required time to take effect. However, the item Dimensional Express had rewarded him with defied conventional biology—working instantaneously. On the ever-changing battlefield, possessing this was like having a literal extra life.
Seeing the description mentioning genetic enhancement effects, Mason resisted the urge to inject himself immediately. If it truly functioned as advertised, administering this gene repair serum should improve Mason's baseline capabilities, though he didn't know the extent of enhancement.
After consideration, he secured the gene repair serum in storage. With these items, he felt considerably more confident about completing his mission.
Just then, footsteps sounded outside the door, and Steve pushed it open and entered. Surprisingly, the striking Agent Carter followed behind him.
"Hey, Mason, how're you holding up?"
"Just superficial damage, nothing critical. What brings you by?" Mason replied casually. Judging from the timing, they were probably still undergoing training.
Or had training at camp become optional now that the selection was finalized?
"Just received last-minute orders to report here." Steve was clearly uncertain himself.
After the bullet extraction at the hospital, Mason had been transferred to the medical wing at Camp Lehigh. This arrangement was obviously strategic, but Steve was oblivious to the reasoning. He'd only heard that Mason was injured and came to visit during his break.
"Steve, would you mind stepping out momentarily? I have some questions for Mason to answer." Agent Carter interrupted their exchange, speaking with formal authority.
Steve had assumed Agent Carter's visit to Mason was personal—after all, he vividly remembered Mason's speed with women.
"Of course, proceed." He nodded to Mason, stood, and exited the room, closing the door behind him.
"Mason, I have some questions regarding Frederick Clemson that I need answered." The moment Steve departed, Carter cut straight to business.