The blinding tidal wave of energy surged, obliterating everything in its path— walls, floors, and steel doors alike, nothing escaped its reach.
"Ahhhhhh!" The bespectacled old scientist's screams were drowned out as his body disintegrated, vanishing completely.
The corridor crumbled, its walls collapsing under the force of the explosion. Dust filled the air, sending shockwaves that flung Kyle through the air with great violence.
After a few moments, the chaos subsided.
At the end of the corridor, Red Skull ripped off his fake mask, revealing the horrifying crimson skull beneath. He gazed at the devastated corridor and spoke with a cold expression on his face, "Until we meet again, Super Soldier," before turning away without a backward glance.
After a short while, a disheveled figure emerged from the rubble— it was Kyle, who had narrowly escaped the disaster.
"Cough, Cough." Kyle dusted himself off before his eyes fixated on the discarded mask lying on the ground. His voice carried an icy determination as he spoke, "Red Skull, next time… I promise you, the sight of your death will be a glorious one for me!"
He vowed to remember this grudge.
Fortunately, with the human shield in front of him, Kyle managed to withstand most of the energy wave and thanks to the Vibranium Bracer's defense, only his sleeves were burnt to a crisp, and his clothes suffered minor damage.
"However, I missed the perfect opportunity to seize the Tesseract." Kyle sighed inwardly. This setback was a true wake-up call, reminding him not to underestimate the cunning villain, Red Skull.
After all, Red Skull was the founder of Hydra, and while his strength might be slightly inferior to Steve's and not on par with Kyle's, his deceptive tactics were hard to anticipate.
In the midst of Kyle's contemplation, a sudden alarm blared from the partially intact central control room and he snapped back to reality and rushed inside with a sense of urgency.
Within the control room, the control panel emitted black smoke, and the main screen displayed red German text: "Factory Self-Destruct countdown: 61 seconds," with the seconds ticking down rapidly.
Facing the screen was a young man, who was unconscious and strapped to an experimental table. Adjacent to him, a large map adorned the wall, displaying six scattered flags marking various German weapon production factories and bases.
Kyle's gaze locked onto the map, and a card message appeared in his mind.
[German Factory Distribution Map]:
It contained the distribution map of six German weapon production factories and bases. White Item Card.
Extract it?
"Another map. This must unlock some new information." Kyle blinked and a cold smile formed at the corner of his mouth.
Red Skull, you can run as much as you want, but I will dismantle your lair piece by piece.
As Kyle extracted the distribution map from the wall, a tall figure burst into the room. Their eyes met, and both individuals paused in surprise.
"Kyle?"
"Steve?"
After their meandering paths, Kyle and Steve reunited in the factory's control room.
"What happened here?" Steve surveyed the heavily damaged control room, a mixture of concern and confusion on his face.
"It's simple— the commander of this factory grew impatient and threw an energy bomb to stop me." Kyle shrugged, nodding towards the unconscious young man in the room. "That's the person you wanted to save, right?"
"Bucky!" Steve's face lit up with joy upon seeing the young man and he hurried over, intending to wake him up.
"Just throw him over your shoulder. This place is about to explode." Kyle pointed at the main screen where the countdown had dwindled to thirty seconds.
Steve nodded and hoisted his unconscious comrade onto his shoulders. Kyle, ready to lead the way to safety, noticed something on the control console.
[Car Key]: The car key to Red Skull's exclusive vehicle, a four-wheel-drive car crafted with top-notch German engineering, boasting astonishing horsepower.
White Item Card.
"I've got it. Follow me!" Kyle swiftly grabbed the car key and guided Steve toward the factory's garage.
With the countdown reaching zero, the factory erupted in a chain reaction of explosions, engulfing the surrounding area in a fiery spectacle. The flames illuminated the deserted night wilderness.
Outside the factory, a large group of captured American soldiers was set free. Armed with the new energy weapons and tanks they had seized, they had already overwhelmed the stationed German forces.
Witnessing the factory's self-destruct sequence, all the American soldiers hurriedly evacuated to safety.
At that moment, amid the fiery backdrop, the roar of an engine accompanied by the sudden appearance of a stylish and exquisite luxury car reached the surroundings.
"Follow my lead and break through towards our base!" Kyle shouted from the driver's seat as he floored the accelerator, taking charge and crashing through the factory's iron fence, treating Red Skull's precious vehicle as if it were a tank.
"Follow me! Everyone, follow!!" The American soldiers, catching sight of Steve and Bucky in the conspicuous car and realizing they were on the same side, erupted with excitement. They trailed behind the car, surging into the vast darkness of the wilderness.
One night passed.
In the early morning, with the sky barely brightening, Agent Carter couldn't contain her curiosity and rushed to the communication center at the training base to inquire about the news.
"Second Lieutenant Kyle and Steve Rogers vanished in Zone 3 last night. The factory in that area has gone silent. The search team has returned, and we are preparing to officially declare them deceased," Agent Carter's anxiety increased when she heard the report.
Officer Brandt personally received the message, and he spoke to Carter in a cold tone, "Because of you, we have not only lost an outstanding officer and a propaganda captain but also the lives of hundreds of soldiers!"
"I am prepared to take full responsibility for the consequences," Agent Carter responded calmly. She couldn't bring herself to believe that those two men would perish so easily on the battlefield.
"No matter what you say now…" Brandt's words were cut short as his attention shifted to the sound of a car engine faintly emanating from beyond the base's wilderness.
"Quick, look! What is that?"
"Oh My God!"
The soldiers who were preparing for training in the base gathered in astonishment at the rear entrance, quickly making their way on both sides.
A heavily damaged luxury car led the way, with Kyle driving cautiously at the front. Steve and the now awake Bucky sat side by side in the backseat.
Behind the luxury car were hundreds of American soldiers armed with new energy weapons. Though exhaustion marked their faces from the overnight battle, their steps exuded unwavering determination.
They had returned!
"That guy… He really…" Brandt, the commanding officer, struggled to find words as he saw enemy tanks being brought back at the rear of the formation.
Had they plundered the enemy factory?
"Please give me a chance to show my abilities as a soldier!"
The resolute words of the young man echoed faintly in Brandt's ears. Somehow, that new recruit who had arrived at the base had quickly become a hero, repeatedly defying the odds.
"He truly is remarkable!"
Finishing his interrupted words, General Brandt led the applause, and the soldiers at the training base followed suit, clapping their hands.
The thunderous applause resonated through the air above the base for a long time.
(End of Chapter)