"What the hell are you?"

The foot on his back was raised, and young Frank Custer was able to take the opportunity to catch his breath and slowly recover, no longer rushing at the man who called himself "Uncle Fledo" as impulsively as before.

Instead, he reached out and wiped the swollen tip of his nose under his nose, the blood blurring his fingers, but he still asked firmly.

There were some familiar moves in the fight, and the words shouted in unison, all of which gave rise to a conjecture in his mind, but the conjecture was so terrifying that even when he had drunk the most in the bar, he had never been so delusional.

Movies like "Back to the Future" and "Time Machine" should just be movies. Although he usually has a stinky face that others owe him eight million, he still watches all kinds of movies.

"Get up, let's talk."

Old Frank was silent for a moment, then held out a hand to the younger version of himself on the ground, and this time the latter did not resist being pulled up again, and then slapped the dust on his body and looked at 'Uncle Fledo'.

Two men of similar appearance, but of different ages, stood in the garage and looked at each other, the silence of which was only broken by the sound of leaves swaying in the breeze, and the former took a deep breath and stared at his younger self, his eyes full of heaviness.

"I don't know where to start, but you have to listen to me."

The Punisher's voice was low and firm, and it would be one of the most important moments of his life, both for himself and for his younger self.

Young Frank nodded, and although his heart was full of doubts, he was willing to listen to them for the sake of the picture.

"I'm you, or rather, I'm your future you."

Hearing this, young Frank was stunned for a moment, then nodded slightly uneasily, "Go on." ”

He could barely believe his ears. But the look and tone of the 'Uncle Fledo' in front of him, as well as the almost identical photograph, made him understand that this was not a joke or a prank.

If this is not a joke or a prank, then

"One day not far from today, someone took away our most precious thing." As if he knew what his younger self was thinking, Old Frank's voice became low and heavy, the leaves rustling outside the window again, and he closed his eyes and began to remember the bad day and slowly relate it.

A picnic in the park, gunshots, screams, and the warm blood that splashed on his hands, and the bullet that drove him into darkness at the end of it all.

If Heaven had given him another chance, he would never have taken Maria and them to that damn park for a picnic.

And listening to all this, young Frank silently pulled his wallet out of his pocket and gently pulled out a folded photo. He hesitated, then unfolded it, revealing the image from the photograph.

The picture is a picture of a family, young Frank, his wife Maria, and their little baby sleeping in their arms. The three of them huddled together, smiling brightly and beaming with happiness. The background of the photo is a sunny sky, and they seem to be having a great vacation.

This photo is exactly the same as the one in Frank Sr.'s hand, the only difference is that the photo in his hand looks fresher and more colorful.

At this moment, young Frank feels as if he is in a science fiction game, and he begins to wonder if this is a hallucination or a crazy dream. However, the existence of old Frank is so real that he can't easily ignore it.

"So you're really from the future?" He kicked away a screwdriver at his feet, turned his head and asked as he watched the latter clink and disappear into the darkness.

Old Frank nodded and shook his head slowly, there was a slight difference between the two: "To be precise, I am not from your future, but from the future of another universe. ”

Looking at the young version of himself confused, he waved his hand helplessly, he shouldn't have said these trivial things: "You are the past me, although you are a bastard now, but I know what kind of person you are in your bones, I believe you will understand and assist me in preventing this tragedy from happening." ”

Young Frank frowned slightly after listening to Old Frank's explanation, and then fell silent for a while. The cold and calm man was clearly thinking about his next move. Eventually, he broke the silence.

"I'll go get you a beer. This time it's true. His voice was still cold, but there was an unusual emotion in it. Young Frank got up and walked towards the refrigerator next to him and opened the door, which was filled with a cold smell.

In the fridge, he finds two bottles of cold beer and takes them out, and if there are any extra words, young Frank hands old Frank a bottle of beer, and then opens his own bottle.

The two Franks sat silently in the room, each holding a cold beer with droplets of water on the cold glass bottle. Their thoughts came flooding back, and their hearts were filled with all kinds of complex emotions and questions.

Young Frank pressed the bottle to his lips and drank a cold beer with his eyes closed. Each sip was accompanied by a hint of bitterness, as if to remind him that the words spoken by this strange person could change everything. He thinks about his wife and children, about the possibilities of the future, and about whether he should trust old Frank.

Minutes and seconds ticked by.

"I know you're still not sure how to make sense of this, and to be honest, I'd find it incredible myself." Old Frank took a sip of his beer and said suddenly.

"But I'm not lying to you, I've been through everything you've been through now. When I came back from the battlefield, I shut everyone around me out, until it was too late after that day, and I lost everyone I cared about. ”

"My past can't be changed, and your family needs you, and Frank Custer. But you need them even more. ”

Young Frank's eyes opened suddenly, his pupils contracted, and his gaze locked on Old Frank's face: "You just said cooperation?" Tell me what I can do to protect Maria them. ”

"It's simple."

Old Frank wiped the corners of his mouth and stood up, slammed the empty bottle on the table beside him with a "bang", and pointed a finger to the door of the garage leading to the house:

"You now go in and eat with Francis, Sarah, and Maria, and be a good father and husband."

"I'll take care of the rest."

(End of chapter)