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Golden sparks spun through the lab's air like fireworks.
The two HYDRA soldiers spun around, energy rifles instantly aiming at the newly opened portal.
"What the—"
The tall soldier's exclamation was cut short.
Two blazing red beams shot out from the portal, piercing right through their foreheads with perfect accuracy.
Their bodies didn't even hit the ground before they were completely charred by the heat, turning into blackened statues.
Jiro stepped out of the portal, his black boots thudding heavily on the metal floor.
His cape fluttered without wind, and the gold "S" on his chest glinted coldly under the harsh lab lights.
Wanda curled up inside the containment pod, her scarlet eyes wide in shock.
Her lips quivered, and her Chaos Magic flared uncontrollably at her fingertips, painting the glass in blood-red light.
"Stand back."
Jiro's voice was calm, but carried an authority that couldn't be questioned.
Wanda instinctively scooted backward, pressing her back against the freezing wall.
The next second, Jiro's eyes flared red again.
Zzzzzhhht!
The heat vision sliced through the reinforced glass like it was butter. The pod shattered.
Wanda's world spun. Her Chaos Magic surged out of her body like a dam bursting.
A storm of scarlet energy tore through the lab—equipment shredded, metal twisted, lights exploded.
"No… I can't control it…"
Wanda clutched her head in pain as the energy storm raged around her.
Jiro frowned slightly. His bio-field flared out, containing the energy within a fixed range.
He walked toward her and gently placed a hand on her shoulder.
The moment they touched—
Wanda's vision was flooded with shattered images.
She saw Jiro hovering above New York, shooting devastating heat vision to slice aliens in half.
She saw him carrying a nuclear missile into space, blowing up an alien battleship.
She saw him wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, wiping out an entire alien fleet with a single snap.
The visions shot through her mind like electricity, stabbing at her brain.
She screamed, and her Chaos Magic flared, pushing Jiro back half a step.
"Who… who are you?" Wanda collapsed to the floor, her voice hoarse and barely recognizable.
The entire base lit up with alarms, and red warning lights bathed the corridors in blood.
Heavy footsteps echoed from every direction—HYDRA reinforcements were on the move.
Jiro didn't answer her right away.
He turned toward the lab door, listening to the approaching noise, and smiled slightly.
"Take a breath," he suddenly said.
Wanda blinked, then instinctively took a deep breath.
Jiro's chest expanded slightly, and then—
Whoosh!
A freezing blast of breath erupted from his mouth, sweeping down the hallway like a blizzard.
The first six HYDRA soldiers charging in were instantly frozen into ice statues, their terrified faces locked in place.
The frost spread rapidly. Walls were coated in thick ice, alarms burst from the cold, and moisture in the air crystallized into snowflakes.
"Oh my god…"
Wanda whispered, her breath forming mist in the air.
She had never seen power like this—graceful, but deadly.
Jiro turned to her and reached out his hand. "Can you walk?"
Wanda hesitated a moment, then shakily placed her hand in his.
Jiro gently pulled her behind him.
"Stay close."
They stepped out of the lab—right into a hallway full of heavily armed HYDRA soldiers.
The charging sound of weapons filled the air, and red laser sights formed a crisscross net over Jiro's chest.
"Open fire!"
Dozens of energy blasts shot toward them—but stopped just inches from Jiro's skin, hanging there in midair like they'd hit an invisible wall.
Jiro's eyes flashed red. A sweep of heat vision tore through the air, cutting down the front line of soldiers before they could even scream.
Wanda clutched his cape tightly, horrified.
She had dreamed of someone breaking her out of this nightmare, but she never imagined it would happen so violently.
Every flash of red light meant another group of soldiers falling.
She saw Jiro casually lift a hand and bullets twisted mid-air, reversing course to tear through HYDRA troops instead.
He moved through the base like death itself—leaving behind only bodies and twisted steel.
"Baron Skra…" Jiro's enhanced vision locked in.
"Escaping by chopper, huh."
"Northern direction."
He turned to Wanda. "Close your eyes."
Wanda did, and suddenly felt weightless. Jiro's bio-field wrapped around her.
Then—
BOOM!
The ceiling shattered, concrete and steel bursting apart like paper.
Wanda felt herself soaring upward. Cold wind lashed her face.
When she dared to open her eyes, the HYDRA base was already a glowing dot far below. Flames raged through it.
The place that had caused so much pain was now completely destroyed.
"Hold on tight."
Jiro's voice was still clear, even through the wind.
Wanda's heart skipped a beat. They were flying—at a speed she couldn't even comprehend!
Clouds whipped past them. The ground blurred into colorful streaks.
Seconds later, she saw a tiny black dot moving in the distance.
"That's Skra's chopper," Jiro said coldly.
His eyes lit up. Twin beams of heat vision slashed through the sky, hitting the chopper's tail dead-on.
Smoke billowed, and the helicopter started spiraling out of control.
"Don't kill him. I want to do it myself," Wanda suddenly grabbed Jiro's arm.
He nodded and shifted course, diving toward the falling chopper.
Right before it hit the ground, he caught it with one hand and gently lowered it onto a flat patch of land.
Baron Skra crawled out of the mangled wreck, covered in blood.
When he saw the figure in black standing in front of him, his face turned deathly pale.
"S-Superman…"
His voice trembled. "This… this has nothing to do with you… It's HYDRA business…"
Jiro sneered, grabbing him by the neck and lifting him off the ground. "Where was that attitude when you were experimenting on me?"
A flicker of cunning passed through Skra's eyes. "L-let me go… I'll tell you all the secrets…"
Crack!
Without hesitation, Jiro snapped his right arm.
Skra screamed like a dying pig.
"Next one's your left."
Jiro's voice was terrifyingly calm. "Then both legs. You get one chance."
"You won't get anything from me!" Skra sobbed through the pain.
"Hail HYDRA!"
Jiro used telekinesis to hold him in place, then turned to Wanda. "I've already rescued everyone else. They were sent through my portal to safety. As for him—he's all yours."
Wanda froze. Tears shimmered in her eyes under the moonlight.
"It's finally… over?"
She let her Chaos Magic flow.
Baron Skra's life ended in a flash of red.
Jiro said nothing, his eyes glowing faintly as two thin beams of heat vision burned silently through the dark.
The helicopter exploded precisely, erupting into a massive fireball that lit up half the sky.
"We're leaving."
Jiro wrapped Wanda in his bio-force field once again and flew off toward New York.
New York
The lights of the Long Island villa glowed warmly in the night.
As Jiro landed on the terrace with Wanda, the smart home system automatically adjusted the indoor lighting and temperature. A soft piano melody flowed gently from the hidden speakers.
Wanda stood barefoot on the plush carpet, barely believing what she was seeing.
A spacious living room, the Atlantic Ocean right outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, priceless artwork hanging on the walls…
It was a complete contrast to the HYDRA prison she'd been trapped in for three years.
"This is... your home?" she asked quietly, her voice raspy from lack of use.
"For now, it's yours too."
Jiro pressed the "S" emblem on his chest. His nano-suit retreated like a tide, revealing the black combat uniform underneath.
"There are empty rooms upstairs. Pick whichever one you like."
Wanda looked around warily. "Why… why did you save me?"
Jiro walked over to the kitchen island and poured two glasses of water. "Because I heard you calling for help."
"Thank you," Wanda murmured, her mind flashing back to the bodies sliced apart by heat vision. Her stomach twisted in pain.
Jiro handed her a glass. "They were experimenting on children. They deserved worse."
Wanda took the water, her hands trembling slightly.
The sensation of warm, clean water sliding down her throat felt so unfamiliar. That's when she realized—she couldn't even remember the last time she'd had clean water.
"You saw my memories," Jiro suddenly said. "Back when we touched."
Wanda's head snapped up. "That stuff… it's all real? You really fought aliens? Carried a nuke?"
Jiro nodded. "I've been to other places. But here, I do what I want."
He paused. "Including saving you."
There was a flicker of gratitude in Wanda's eyes. "Thank you. If it weren't for you, I don't know how long I'd have stayed trapped."
Jiro pointed upstairs. "You need rest. There's clean clothes and toiletries in the bathroom."
"....."