The severe pain jolted the HYDRA captain awake, and he let out a blood-curdling scream. He realized what had happened almost instantly and shouted in agony, "My arms! You devil!"
Russell flipped the Serpent Squad member over with a toe hook, stomped on his chest, and smiled coldly.
"Now I ask, and you answer," he said with a ferocious grin. "If you answer honestly, I might consider letting you go. But if you lie—I'll show you what a real devil looks like."
Steve Rogers' face twisted in pain as he gritted his teeth and said, "Even if I talk... will I live?"
Russell nodded and pointed at himself, speaking with mock sincerity. "I'm not an evil villain like you. I always keep my word."
He paused, then added darkly, "Besides, do you have a choice? If you don't talk, I'll cut off your legs next and leave them here for Alioth to snack on."
Steve's body trembled involuntarily.
He knew all too well—once consumed by the time monster, even the soul would be annihilated.
Even he didn't want that kind of end.
"I'll talk! Just remember your promise!"
With no other options, he could only hope Russell would keep his word.
Russell nodded, satisfied, and asked his first question.
"How big is the Void?"
Steve quickly shook his head. "I don't know... I mean, no one knows. This place isn't a normal planet—it's endless. Even the sunlight here looks fake."
A special dimensional space? Russell thought instinctively.
After a moment's pause, he asked again, "What kind of forces are nearby? Don't lie. I'll let you go once I verify the information."
Steve's expression twitched slightly. He had originally planned to send Russell into a dangerous zone, but that last line killed any hope of deception.
He took a deep breath and answered truthfully.
"Past this plain, there's a Deadpool camp hidden in the forest. They're disgusting—nobody likes going there."
"Further ahead, about 200 kilometers away by the lakeside, there's a mutant gathering. A few normal people are mixed in, too."
"There's a black market trade point in a valley to the right. Further right from there, there's an abandoned city—Loki's territory. That group of lunatics even elected a 'President'."
"To the right of that city is a mossy wetland. I don't know what's in there."
"There are also loners and small teams scattered around. No one knows exactly where they are."
"As for the left..."
His voice faltered as he visibly shivered.
"Deeper into the left plains, there's a terrifying bald psycho woman who tortures and kills for fun."
"That area is off-limits. No one goes there unless they're suicidal."
From that, Russell guessed the HYDRA captain was referring to Cassandra—the insane female variant.
Definitely not going there.
Even with the Extremis-enhanced furnace overloaded, he doubted he'd stand a chance.
The Loki variant base was relatively safer.
But Russell wasn't satisfied with just that information. His gaze darkened, his eyes gleaming with a sinister red glow.
"What else?" he asked, his voice low and menacing.
"Did you forget something?"
The HYDRA captain's heart jumped at the devilish tone. Still trembling, he answered honestly:
"My base is located in a cave under a dried-up riverbed more than ten kilometers from here."
"My teammates… I have three: Peter Parker, Tony Stark, and Mordo from Kamar-Taj."
Hearing those familiar names, Russell immediately realized these were not the originals—they must be evil variants. Otherwise, they wouldn't be teaming up with a HYDRA operative.
His eyes narrowed sharply.
With his entry-plunder system, how could he not be tempted?
Spider-Man's superhuman body and Spider-Sense…
Iron Man's tech that could help unlock the Tempad…
And Mordo's mystical knowledge from Kamar-Taj…
With those powers, his furnace overload wouldn't just be an energy blast—it could be amplified through spellcasting, energy manipulation, and tech support.
But barging in recklessly was too risky.
First: he had little combat experience.
Second: these three weren't weak.
Especially Spider-Man. Most Spider-Men could easily punch with over ten tons of force.
Even without a weakness, getting hit like that could kill anyone.
And with all three combining long-range and close-combat powers? A nightmare scenario.
So he had to take it one step at a time.
As long as they didn't move their base, there would be a chance.
Step by step.
Get stronger first.
He looked down at the HYDRA captain, and this time he made no effort to hide the malice in his eyes.
Steve saw that gaze and immediately panicked. He shouted in disbelief, "You lied to me!"
"How can you break your word!? What kind of hero are you!?"
Russell lowered his brows, his face hidden in shadow.
After a few seconds of silence, he looked up and smiled coldly.
"Too bad. I don't want to be a hero in this shitty Marvel world."
As the words fell, he stepped forward without hesitation.
His glowing foot came down hard—cracking the HYDRA captain's neck, silencing him forever.
At the same time, the system prompt rang in his ears:
[Entry Plunder Complete!]
[Advanced Elite Combat (Green)]
You now possess mastery over peak human fighting techniques and are proficient with most firearms and weapons.
[Super Serum – Special (Green)]
A hybrid of HYDRA and Allied Super Soldier formulas.
Grants enhanced strength and physical performance.
Can be stacked with Extremis.
Raises control limit temperature from 1800°C to 2600°C!
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