Watching Ronak crouched on the ground, crying and retching, Natasha stepped forward and said gently, "Mr. Ronak, are you alright?"
"Oh God, what have I done?"
Grabbing her arm, Ronak dropped to his knees, his voice shaking. "Please, Agent—kill me! Let me atone for my sins before God!"
Seeing his panic, Natasha immediately worked to calm him down. She'd handled countless unstable individuals before and knew exactly how to steady someone like him.
Once Ronak's breathing evened out, she asked, "Mr. Ronak, this is where you and Professor Wilson conducted your research with Chitauri technology, correct?"
At her words, Ronak froze—then looked around and realized where he was.
"No… I don't want to be here again. I'll never come back here, never!"
Shaking his head frantically, he scrambled backward in terror.
Steve frowned at the sight. His instincts told him that forcing a traumatized man to relive something like this was crossing a line. He was just about to step in to stop Natasha—
—when something caught his eye.
Lynn was crouched nearby, turning a fallen leaf over in his hand, examining it closely.
Steve took a step closer. "Detective Hall," he asked, "did you find something wrong with that leaf?"
"Look."
Lynn held the leaf up to the sunlight, the rays filtering through and scattering faint patterns across the ground.
He turned to Steve. "Notice anything?"
Steve took the leaf from his hand and examined it carefully. "The color—it's not right, is it?"
"Exactly." Lynn nodded. "There's a maple forest about two miles from here. Every October, people drive out just to see the scenery."
"But right now, all the maples around here have turned red—and yet this leaf is still green."
Waving for Steve to follow, Lynn walked toward one of the nearby trees.
The maple's canopy was full of vivid, fiery-red leaves swaying gently in the breeze.
Steve folded his arms. "Agent Hall, are you saying there's something wrong with this tree too?"
"Yes—and a major problem at that," Lynn said. "I saw this exact leaf fall from this tree just a moment ago."
As he spoke, he reached up and plucked another maple leaf.
To Steve's astonishment, the bright red leaf instantly shifted color in his hand—turning a deep, unnatural green.
Steve reached out and plucked a leaf himself, watching in disbelief as its color shifted before his eyes.
"I thought after sleeping seventy years, nothing could surprise me anymore—not even aliens ripping open the sky to invade Earth."
"But I've got to admit," he said, shaking his head, "what in the world is wrong with this world.. not even the trees are... sigh.."
He gestured for two nearby S.H.I.E.L.D. agents, who immediately approached to begin examining the tree.
Turning back, Steve extended his hand toward Lynn. "Steve Rogers," he said with a firm, respectful nod. "You've got sharp instincts. Spotting something like that without formal training—that's real talent."
"Honestly, you should consider joining S.H.I.E.L.D."
Lynn shook his hand but replied with an easy smile, his tone casual. "Just call me Lynn. I'm quite happy where I am at the Manhattan Police Department. No plans to switch careers anytime soon."
Then, as if remembering something, he added, "Oh, by the way—do you know what everyone's been talking about online lately?"
Steve raised an eyebrow, amused. "What's that?"
"Hundreds of thousands of people," Lynn said with a straight face, "are debating whether the great Captain Rogers is still a virgin."
Steve's smile instantly vanished.
"Hey, boys, what are you two talking about?"
After finishing with Ronak, Natasha walked over, her voice slightly hoarse but amused. "You seem to be having a good time. Mind letting me in on it?"
"We were just discussing the hottest topic online—about whether Captain Rogers is still—"
"Cough! Cough!"
Before Lynn could finish, Steve cleared his throat loudly, cutting him off. "Now's not exactly the time for that discussion," he said firmly. "Let's check out the villa."
With his shield in hand, he strode toward the abandoned building.
Watching him walk away, Natasha smirked and whispered to Lynn, "Twenty bucks says he totally still is."
Lynn grinned. "I wouldn't be so sure."
Recalling something he'd once overheard between Hulk and his friend after a few drinks, he added, "Don't forget—seventy years ago, after he got the super-soldier serum, he toured all over to raise military funds. I'd bet he lost it back then."
Inside the villa, a thick layer of dust covered every surface, the air heavy with neglect.
But when Lynn, Steve, Natasha, and Ronak reached the second floor, they found it spotless—so clean it looked as though someone had just wiped everything down minutes ago.
Ronak led them into a laboratory.
In the center of the room stood a cylindrical device more than two meters tall, surrounded by a tangle of cables and equipment. A fire axe lay discarded on the floor, beside dark, dried bloodstains that hadn't been fully cleaned.
"This is it," Ronak said, his throat tightening. "Professor Wilson started the experiment here… and then that devil appeared in a flash of purple light and bit off his head."
As he spoke, his whole body trembled. "It chewed through Professor Wilson's skull like it was eating a cookie. My God, I can still hear the sound of it crunching his bones!"
Seeing his panic rising, Steve stepped forward and rested a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Calm down, Mr. Ronak. No matter what happens, I promise—you're safe with us."
Coming from Captain America, those words carried weight.
After decades of propaganda and the events of the Battle of New York, Steve Rogers's name had become synonymous with courage and trust.
And it worked—Ronak's terrified expression slowly eased.
Seeing Ronak's emotions stabilize, Steve turned to Natasha.
He saw Natasha and Lynn huddled together, whispering about something.
Noticing Steve looking over, Natasha spoke up before he could ask, "It's about a twenty-dollar bet, Steve. Once this investigation is over, I hope you'll answer our question honestly."
With that, Natasha walked over to the device and began examining it carefully.
Meanwhile, Lynn stood leisurely by the window, gazing out at the view as if none of this had anything to do with him.
Death energy flickered faintly in his pupils. The maple trees outside were a strange sight—half lush green, half withered and lifeless.
It was a sharp contrast, and Lynn noticed that a faint trace of death energy seemed to be circulating within the machine.