Chapter 31: Turning Right and Wrong Upside Down
"Bang!"
Mason crashed through the second-floor window and tumbled down the sloped roof of the first floor into the alleyway outside. He heard urgent shouts behind him, knowing that Hodge and the agents from the Strategic Scientific Reserve would catch up soon.
Mason didn't believe in any so-called "truth prevailing." If he stayed to explain to the agents from the Strategic Scientific Reserve, he'd be walking into a death trap. Given Hodge's hatred for him, he probably wouldn't even get a chance to speak before being shot dead.
Ignoring the pain, Mason gritted his teeth and stood up. He'd landed on a nearby dumpster with a loud crash. The sound startled an agent standing at the alley entrance. The agent turned around cautiously, the dark muzzle of his gun pointed at Mason.
At that moment, the shouts from above grew closer. In seconds, an agent would rush into the room and appear at the window above Mason.
"What's going on?" the agent asked warily.
Mason, thinking fast, acted like he'd been attacked, then raised his hands and shouted, "Buddy, don't be trigger-happy—it's me, Mason!"
"I was in the super soldier selection process before. Professor Erskine's been attacked—go help!"
The agent hesitated for a moment, then looked Mason up and down, seemingly recognizing him, before hesitantly approaching.
Mason pretended to stumble, quickly moving forward. "Don't just stand there—the situation upstairs is critical. One of our guys with the beard has already been killed!" The man Mason was referring to was an agent following Hodge.
"That's old Kevin!"
The agent exclaimed upon hearing Mason's words, no longer doubting him, and ran quickly toward Mason. Just then, a figure appeared at the second-floor window. Seeing Mason in the alley, he shouted frantically, "Chris, grab him! He's the killer!"
The agent called Chris looked up and saw the figure in the window. His expression changed drastically. "Kevin?" He seemed to understand something and hurriedly turned around, but it was too late.
A sharp blow struck his neck, his vision went black, and he collapsed unconscious. Mason grabbed the gun from the agent's hand, lunged forward, and hid in the shadows of the alley.
Just then, a gunshot rang out, the bullet grazing Mason's body and striking where he'd just been standing.
"Stop him! Don't let him get away!" came the agent's stern shout from above. Mason didn't dare linger. He might stand a chance against an ordinary agent, but against Hodge, it would be suicide.
He secured his gun and quickly slipped out of the alley along the wall. Outside, the streetlights were just coming on, pedestrians were passing by, and cars flowed endlessly through the street.
Just then, a taxi stopped not far ahead. He jumped in quickly. "Go! Drive! Head to the Blue Mill nearby!"
The driver, a balding middle-aged man, gave Mason a knowing smile. "There's still plenty of time—no need to rush!" he said, quickly starting the car and pulling away.
Looking in the rearview mirror, Mason saw two agents running out of the alleyway in the distance. He crouched low in the back seat, so that unless someone got close, no one would notice him hiding in the car.
"Hiding from your wife?"
the driver asked with a chuckle. The Blue Mill was a well-known bar in the area, notorious for prostitution. He mistook Mason for a customer eager to satisfy his needs.
Mason's hiding behavior made him assume he was escaping a jealous wife. The car merged into the traffic ahead. "Don't worry, buddy—Hank's driving skills won't raise any eyebrows."
After driving two blocks, seeing no one was pursuing, Mason let out a long sigh of relief.
At this point, he certainly wasn't going to the red-light district for pleasure—it was just that the area around the Blue Mill was a melting pot, full of shady characters with unclear identities, making it easy to disappear even if spotted.
He planned to change his clothes there and hopefully pick up some ammunition for the operation ahead.
Meanwhile, in the alleyway behind, two agents scanned their surroundings with grim expressions but found nothing suspicious. "Damn it! Bad luck—he managed to slip away!"
"I bet he has accomplices nearby, otherwise he couldn't have escaped so fast. Let's head back and check on the professor!" They glanced around a few more times before retracing their steps.
Before long, Mason arrived at the Blue Mill. Dusk was falling, and the bar had just opened. Several scantily clad, provocative women stood at the entrance.
Mason didn't go inside. Instead, he turned into a nearby alley, knocked out a drunk, stole his clothes, and hurriedly left.
He estimated that agents and police would soon launch a city-wide manhunt for him. The orders probably hadn't been issued yet, and he needed to use this window to find Steve.
He now had the enhancement serum—if he found Steve and brought him to Stark Industries, he should be able to complete the mission.
He felt the extra bullets in his pocket, which he'd bought near the bar. With these, his survival odds were slightly better. Time was critical, so he didn't linger and quickly headed toward Steve's place.
Meanwhile, Hodge, along with several agents, carried Professor Erskine's body back to the Strategic Scientific Reserve.
"What the hell happened here? Are you all incompetent?!" Colonel Phillips roared, pointing at the agents beside him.
"Colonel, don't be angry. Nobody expected Mason to be this kind of person. He must be resentful because I replaced him as the super soldier, which is why he killed Professor Erskine." A calculating gleam flashed in Hodge's eyes as he feigned concern.
"It was me—it was all my fault! I'm the one who got the professor killed!" Hodge's face was filled with theatrical grief.
"You're saying Mason killed the professor?" Colonel Phillips looked shocked. "That's impossible! He would never do such a thing!"
Hodge only knew that he'd replaced Mason as the super soldier, but he didn't know that Mason had repeatedly refused Professor Erskine's invitations from the beginning, instead wholeheartedly recommending Steve Rogers to become the super soldier.
"How could it be impossible? I saw it with my own eyes!" Hodge exclaimed. "These two agents saw it too. When we arrived, Mason was violently attacking the professor on the ground."
"They can testify!"
Colonel Phillips looked at the other two agents. "Is that what happened?"
The two agents felt that although their account differed slightly from Hodge's, it was generally consistent. After exchanging a glance, they nodded simultaneously.
Colonel Phillips felt a surge of unease. He sensed something was off but couldn't pinpoint what. Suddenly, he frowned, as if he'd thought of something.
"Where's Agent Carter! Where is she? Bring her to me!"
Hearing this, Hodge's expression changed slightly.
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