Zaire bent down and grabbed the Winter Soldier, who was gradually slipping into unconsciousness.
He stepped forward, walking past shattered corpses and debris.
Without hesitation, he strode into the scorching, dry desert.
The temperature-regulating system inside his Hunter Duke armor had already activated.
Even if he were to step into the hellish heat of a volcanic lava field,
Zaire could easily endure it.
Ten minutes later.
He arrived behind a sand dune three kilometers away, carrying the Winter Soldier.
At this moment, a Valkyrie-class armed transport aircraft was baking under the sun.
Its camouflaged metal shell shimmered faintly as it reflected the sunlight.
Meanwhile, Iron Man David was loading scientific equipment retrieved from the underground laboratory into the Valkyrie's cargo hold.
When Zaire stepped into the cabin with the unconscious Winter Soldier in tow,
Iron Man David gently placed a piece of scientific equipment down from its metal hand.
It approached Zaire,
lowered its head to examine the bloodied and unfamiliar human,
and said, "My Lord, have you found yourself another recruit?"
"Something like that… I also hope to extract some Hydra secrets from his memories."
Zaire gently placed the Winter Soldier down,
leaving him lying on the cold metal floor.
He casually removed his sealed metal helmet,
revealing gray hair tied at the back of his head.
Blinking his cyan wolf-like eyes, he looked at Iron Man David and asked,
"Is the laboratory cleared out?"
"My Lord, I was just about to report the situation..."
Iron Man David slightly shook its metallic head.
It raised its hand, gesturing toward the scientific equipment stacked across most of the cargo hold, and said,
"Aside from various manufacturing devices, we recovered nearly a ton of Compound V… In other words, if you wish, you could rapidly assemble a vast army of super-powered soldiers…"
"David, a bunch of superhumans without the will to fight are even worse than the gangsters from the Nest… They're nothing more than infants wielding laser guns. Their destructive power might be sufficient, but against a well-trained military force or an even more terrifying alien threat, they'd likely fail to even maintain basic combat capabilities."
Expressionless, Zaire narrowed his cyan eyes and said flatly,
"Besides, Professor Connors has yet to fully understand the true effects of these compounds. Unless we acquire a large number of orphans and start training them from childhood, human experimentation would bring unintended consequences that I do not wish to deal with."
"Most importantly, courage and willpower are the true soul of any mortal army… Madam Gao's gang members still require further training. However, you can assist her in selecting five hundred elite candidates to form a temporary force."
"My only requirement for this unit is that they must be fearless and absolutely loyal… Since we won't be engaging in large-scale warfare in the near future, this unit, under my command, will be more than sufficient to handle any conflicts with official forces in urban operations."
Zaire lowered his head in thought before continuing,
"Make sure to notify Reditus afterward—tell it to find a way to mass-produce laser weapons. Even if they aren't as powerful as the originals, as long as they surpass modern infantry weapons, it'll be fine. We can improve and upgrade them gradually… Of course, if necessary, I'll use… miracles to acquire some."
Hearing Zaire's words,
Iron Man David's blue optic lights flickered.
It slightly tilted its metallic head,
quickly memorizing the orders Zaire had given.
"My Lord… Hmm?"
However, just as Iron Man David was about to praise him,
its blue optic lights suddenly froze for a moment.
Then, it immediately turned to Zaire and reported,
"My Lord, another convoy is approaching the laboratory… Based on their vehicle markings and radio communications, they are S.H.I.E.L.D. agents."
Upon hearing this,
Zaire narrowed his eyes and rolled his neck from side to side,
slowly revealing the fangs in his mouth.
"A pack of wild dogs who have tasted blood, huh…"
"Well then, I think it's time to give them an unforgettable lesson—consider it a 'friendly' reminder for Nick Fury…"
Hearing Zaire's words,
Iron Man David suddenly raised its metal hand and pointed at the Valkyrie's cockpit, saying,
"My Lord, the Valkyrie still has a full stock of ammunition. Perhaps we should…"
"No need… I have a small idea of my own."
Zaire, having put his metal helmet back on,
shifted his gaze slightly.
He stared at the unconscious Winter Soldier lying on the metal floor,
and beneath his helmet, a sinister grin formed.
...............
"Hail Hydra?"
Sitting in the co-pilot's seat, Phil Coulson absentmindedly rubbed the phone in his pocket, a faint smile appearing on his lips.
Texting during work hours
was a clear violation of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s regulations.
But as an eighth-level agent, he had a bit of leeway.
Not to mention, in this makeshift team assembled from a nearby base,
he was the only commander.
Perhaps noticing Coulson's overly visible smile,
the rookie agent driving the vehicle blinked,
then cautiously asked,
"Sir, you seem to be in a good mood today?"
Hearing the question, Coulson immediately regained his neutral expression.
With a stern face, he replied,
"Greg, focus on driving."
However, it didn't take long for Coulson's restrained smile to resurface.
He turned to the visibly nervous rookie and, in a much gentler tone, said,
"It's a personal matter—my girlfriend was selected to host a cello recital…"
"Oh, that's wonderful news! Congratulations, sir—"
The rookie agent quickly nodded.
But before he could finish his sentence—
BOOM!
A deafening explosion suddenly roared through the convoy.
One by one, the vehicles at the front erupted in terrifying blasts!
Even Coulson's car was violently overturned by a massive shockwave!
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
At the same time, thunderous explosions rang through the air.
"Ah…"
Dizzy from the impact, Coulson struggled to open his eyes.
At this moment, he was hanging upside down, trapped by his seatbelt.
Turning his head, he looked toward the driver's seat—
only to find that the rookie agent, who hadn't worn a seatbelt, had already lost his life.
His neck was twisted at an unnatural angle.
His lifeless eyes remained open, still reflecting the lingering remnants of unfulfilled dreams.
"Greg!"
Suppressing the grief surging in his heart, Coulson regained his composure as an agent.
He fumbled to unfasten his seatbelt, his back hitting the car's roof as he fell.
Then, pulling out his handgun,
he struggled through the shattered car window, crawling outside.
However, just as he tried to get up and assess the situation—
a massive shadow suddenly loomed over the sandy ground before him.
At the same time, an eerie voice, like a nightmare from the depths of hell, echoed in his ears.
"Hail Hydra!"