"Captain, it's your turn to answer this question. If you've made up your mind, you can give your answer."
Nick Fury glanced at the large screen while speaking to Captain America.
"I choose A, Nick Fury!"
Captain America didn't hesitate much. After a brief moment of thought, he gave his answer.
[Incorrect Answer!]
Immediately, the system prompt made everyone present freeze in surprise.
The answer wasn't A?
[Answerer Steve Rogers will be penalized by having his marksmanship expertise erased. Executing now!]
With that announcement, Captain America instantly felt like something was suddenly missing from his body.
He carefully reviewed his thoughts and realized that all his knowledge related to marksmanship had completely vanished.
He couldn't recall any of it.
"Something like this… actually happened?"
After carefully combing through his memories, Captain America couldn't help but show an expression of utter shock.
If he had harbored any doubts about the quiz system before, now he had absolutely none.
To instantly erase specific memories from a person's mind—this was something only God could do!
Iron Man and Nick Fury, having already gone through similar quiz experiences, weren't shocked at all by Captain America's punishment and didn't pay it much attention.
Instead, they continued focusing on the question.
"It's clear we must've missed something crucial. What exactly did we overlook?"
Nick Fury fixed his one eye on the large screen and began to ponder deeply.
"We must've left something out,"
Iron Man also fell into thought, starting to retrace their earlier reasoning.
"Nick Fury, your previous analysis sounded fine, but it could apply to any high-clearance assassination-type agent."
"But the Winter Soldier isn't just a high-clearance agent—he's also a super soldier! We didn't consider that aspect of his identity."
"Is there anything else we've missed?"
As he spoke, Iron Man looked over at Nick Fury, who nodded while continuing the analysis.
"According to Romanoff, the Winter Soldier has been active for fifty years."
"Active for fifty years..."
Iron Man muttered a few words, and then his eyes lit up,
"Nick Fury, doesn't that mean the Winter Soldier is from the same era as the Captain?"
Though the Winter Soldier wore a mask, it didn't cover his entire face—his nose and upper face were still visible.
He also had a head of shiny black long hair.
Visually, he looked about thirty to forty years old. Combined with Black Widow's statement, it wasn't hard to estimate the Winter Soldier's age.
"A super soldier from the same era as the Captain… Nick Fury, you're the intelligence guy. Can you piece together anything useful?"
Iron Man asked seriously.
"Let's go through everything from the beginning."
Nick Fury nodded solemnly.
"From our earlier analysis, to obtain intel on the Winter Soldier, we would inevitably have to clash with the organization behind him."
"Because of that, we initially assumed I would be the answer. But there's another possibility we didn't consider."
"I'm just a commander!"
"I wouldn't be the one on the ground. Considering the Winter Soldier is a super soldier, I'd likely deploy another super soldier to confront him."
Both Iron Man and Captain America were sharp thinkers. As soon as Nick Fury said that, they caught his meaning.
"So... Captain America or I would be the ones in the field! We're the enhanced individuals deployed to handle the Winter Soldier."
"And in response to us, the opposing side would naturally deploy the Winter Soldier. So the chances of us facing him directly are pretty high."
Iron Man picked up where Nick Fury left off, then glanced at both Nick Fury and Captain America again,
"Then what? We defeat and capture the Winter Soldier? Interrogate him for his identity?"
"A guy like the Winter Soldier... good luck getting him to talk,"
Captain America shook his head.
"And assuming he even gets captured,"
Iron Man shrugged, looking helpless,
"Looks like we're hitting another dead end."
"Sure, it's nearly impossible to make him talk, and he might not get captured at all. But Captain, you're from the same era as the Winter Soldier!"
Nick Fury suddenly had a flash of insight, his gaze intense.
"So?"
"So... defeating him doesn't matter. What matters is, during your fight with him, you noticed some clue—something unique to your shared era."
"And then, using that clue, you deduced the Winter Soldier's identity."
Holy crap.
That's a heck of a save.
Iron Man and Captain America were stunned by the twist, reluctantly admiring Nick Fury's intelligence. As the head of an intelligence agency, his imagination was clearly next-level.
Though the theory sounded a bit too coincidental, logically it did hold up.
Plus, it accounted for all the Winter Soldier's key "tags"—not just the elite agent part, but also the super soldier and historical context.
"So... the real answer to this question is actually B?"
Captain America hesitated, glancing at both Nick Fury and Iron Man.
"Do we have any better options?"
Iron Man was fairly relaxed.
Option B might seem like a stretch, but at least it was backed by reasoning and analysis.
"Then, who's answering?"
Nick Fury glanced at both of them for input.
"This was your analysis, and we've all taken a turn. Why don't you go for it, Nick Fury?"
Iron Man suggested.
Captain America had no objections.
"I choose B, Captain America!"
Without hesitation, Nick Fury gave his answer to the screen.
[Correct Answer!]
Immediately, the quiz system's confirmation echoed through the room.
(End of Chapter)