Steve quickly noticed the uneasy expressions on Nick Fury and Coulson's faces. As an experienced soldier, he knew they were hiding something.
"What kind of clue?" Steve pressed, his blue eyes locked on Fury.
The two men exchanged a glance, both hesitant. The information was too sensitive, and even they hadn't fully grasped the situation.
"This… it's complicated," Fury finally said. "We've received some… unusual intelligence."
"Unusual?" Steve sat forward. "What do you mean?"
Coulson looked at Fury, and only after a nod did he continue. "Captain, what would you say if I told you this intelligence came from a novel?"
Steve froze. "A novel? You've got to be kidding."
"I wish it were a joke," Fury said grimly.
"But this novel described in detail the exact location of your plane crash. Even the underwater terrain was written out clearly."
Steve frowned. "That's impossible. I was the only one on that plane. No one else could have known."
"Which is why this whole thing is so bizarre," Coulson said. "And there are other details—your private conversations with Peggy, the layout of Howard's lab…"
"Wait." Steve cut him off. "You're telling me someone wrote my private life into a novel?"
"Not just that." Fury's single eye gleamed dangerously. "The novel also suggests Hydra has infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D."
At the name Hydra, Steve's expression darkened. "Red Skull's group? I thought they were destroyed."
"On the surface, yes," Fury said. "But if this novel is accurate… and it did predict your crash site…"
Steve was silent for a moment, then asked, "Who wrote it?"
"A young man named Voss Nibbler," Coulson replied. "He looks like an ordinary novelist, lives in New York. But anyone who can write this kind of thing clearly isn't ordinary."
"I want to see him," Steve said firmly.
"Captain, you need to rest…" Fury began.
"Nick, I've had seventy years of rest." Steve stood up. His body was still recovering, but his resolve was unshakable. "If someone really knows Hydra's secrets, I need to meet him."
Steve thought to himself: I'm not even going to see Peggy yet—I just want to take down Hydra.
Meanwhile, in Voss's New York apartment—
"Master, the people watching us outside have changed," Artoria said as she set down her teacup and glanced out the window.
Voss was checking his bank account on the computer. He looked up. "Changed? How?"
Tom scurried to the window and pointed toward the opposite rooftop.
Voss narrowed his eyes. "You're right… looks like a woman this time."
Aqua leaned over. "Maybe one of your fangirls? I heard some of them can be pretty crazy."
"Fangirls? Please." Voss snorted, then paused as a thought struck him.
"Wait… could it be they actually took my novel seriously?"
Jerry hopped onto the table and made a gesture as if to say, Obviously.
"In that case…" Voss rubbed his chin. "That must mean they've already found Steve."
"Who's Steve?" Aqua asked.
"Captain America. The super-soldier," Voss explained. "If S.H.I.E.L.D. really followed the coordinates in my novel, they should have dug him out of the ice by now."
Artoria studied him. "Master, you seem to know the secrets of this world as if they were second nature."
"Sort of," Voss said with a shrug. "Like you, I'm a transmigrator. I just happen to know the plot here better."
Just then, his phone rang.
"Mr. Voss, it's Oscar," came a nervous voice on the line.
"Oscar? What is it this time?" Voss asked, a bad feeling creeping in.
"Government people want to see you," Oscar said, voice trembling. "They said your novel touches on national security."
Voss wasn't surprised, but he acted shocked. "National security? It's just a sci-fi book!"
"I told them that, but they won't listen," Oscar sighed. "Be ready. They'll probably contact you soon."
"Got it. Thanks for the warning." Voss hung up and turned to his companions. "Looks like we're about to have visitors."
"What kind of visitors?" Aqua asked.
"Government agents," Voss replied, stretching his arms. "They'll want to know how I got those secrets."
Tom and Jerry exchanged glances and slipped into fighting stances.
"Relax," Voss waved them off. "They won't hurt me. I'm too useful."
Artoria gripped her invisible sword. "If they dare harm you, Master, I'll show them the wrath of the King of Knights."
"It won't come to that," Voss said with a small smile. "Besides, we might even meet Captain America."
At the Triskelion medical ward, Steve had changed into modern clothes—strange but better than the hospital gown.
"Captain, are you sure you want to meet this author now?" Coulson asked. "Your body may still need time."
"My body's fine," Steve said, rolling his shoulders. "The Serum helps me heal fast."
Fury stepped up. "Before you meet him, you need to know a few things."
"Like what?"
"This guy knows things we don't. And his… roommates aren't normal." Fury checked the report in his hand. "Our surveillance shows a cat and mouse who play chess, and a blue-haired woman who can conjure water out of thin air."
Steve stared. "You can't be serious."
"I wish I weren't," Fury said. "But our agents don't lie about stuff like this."
"There's also a blonde woman," Coulson added. "Looks ordinary, but she gives off an extremely dangerous vibe."
Steve thought for a moment. "So Voss really isn't just some random novelist."
"Which is why we need to be careful," Fury said. "If he's an enemy, the people around him could all be dangerous."
"If he were an enemy, why write Hydra's secrets into a novel?" Steve countered. "Wouldn't that expose him?"
That gave both Fury and Coulson pause. If Voss were Hydra, openly publishing their secrets made no sense.
"Maybe he has another agenda," Coulson suggested. "Or maybe he's not Hydra at all—maybe he's trying to warn us."
"Either way, I need to meet him," Steve said firmly. "If he really knows Hydra's plans, I need answers."
Fury nodded. "Alright. I'll have a car ready. But stay sharp."
Half an hour later, a black SUV pulled up outside Voss's apartment building.
Steve sat in the back, staring at the unremarkable building. The world seventy years later still felt alien to him, but he had no choice but to face it.
"Ready, Captain?" Coulson asked.
Steve drew a steady breath. "Let's go. Time to meet this so-called mysterious author."