Deep within the base, in the central control room.
A white man in his fifties, clad in a crisp black officer's uniform with his hair meticulously combed, paced back and forth. His face was ashen as he stared at the terrifying scenes unfolding on the monitors.
This was the base's supreme commander, General Alexander Lukov, a fanatical and loyal Hydra operative.
"General!"
A researcher in a white lab coat stumbled and crawled toward him, voice trembling uncontrollably.
"All frontline units have lost contact! Our defense systems… they were like paper in front of them!"
"Useless!"
Lukov kicked him aside. Excitement burned in his mad, obsessive eyes.
"I see it! I see it!" He spread his arms like a lunatic welcoming the apocalypse.
"This… is true power! This… is the power of gods!"
"Activate him! Immediately! Full authorization!" he roared at the terrified researchers in the control room.
"I don't care how you do it! Even if it drains the entire base's energy, you must wake him!"
"If he can't stop them… awaken the ultimate weapon!"
At the center of a circular underground chamber.
On a slowly rotating platform ahead stood a single silver-white cryogenic pod, clearly not ordinary.
The other five pods had been obliterated in Henry's earth-shattering strike.
"This must be the most special one," Henry said calmly as he descended onto the platform, his eyes piercing through the pod to see inside.
The man inside was the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes.
But Henry noticed something different—this Winter Soldier wasn't quite like the movie version. He seemed stronger; his body condition almost matched Tony's.
"Of course," Tony said as he landed, observing the glass dome of the pod already cleared of frost. His voice turned icy as he looked at the pale sleeping face.
"After all… he's the Winter Soldier."
"A legend who killed Howard Stark."
At that moment—
Crack!
A faint sound of ice breaking echoed abruptly through the silent space.
Tony frowned. Henry remained impassive.
The man inside the pod twitched his fingers slightly.
Then, more cracking sounds emanated from inside the cryo-chamber.
"Oh?" Tony's interest piqued. "Looks like they're thawing him from the inside!"
"You're right, but no reward for guessing," Henry's voice remained calm.
Moments later, the man's eyes—closed for who knows how many years—snapped open!
What kind of eyes were these?
Hollow. Numb. Overflowing with killing intent.
BOOM!
The heavy bulletproof glass of the cryo-pod shattered inward under a terrifying force!
A shirtless man with a mechanical left arm leapt out!
He landed silently, like a sleek predator.
His gaze remained cold, locked solely on Tony, as if in his world, Tony was his only prey.
"Alright," Tony said, eyeing the mechanical arm with a smirk.
"I'll admit… your look is cooler than I imagined. But my design is still superior."
Bucky ignored the trash talk.
His body became a blurred shadow!
His speed surpassed human limits.
In an instant, he reached Tony!
His metallic fist, tearing through the air with a whistle, slammed toward Tony's head!
A punch of lethal force—anyone hit would die instantly!
Tony remained calm, lifting his right hand to block.
BANG!
A heavy clash echoed. Tony's hand easily gripped Bucky's metal fist.
Bucky's pupils contracted. He tried to pull back, but no matter what, the arm wouldn't budge.
The next second, Tony's left fist whistled through—
CRASH!
Bucky slammed into a distant alloy wall, leaving a massive human-shaped dent in the heavy structure. Dust rose. Tony's punch radiated confidence.
"This guy's strong… but still not enough!" Tony mused, slightly bored.
From a distance, Bucky leapt out of the wall, eyes icy, fixing his gaze on Henry.
"Just now noticing?"
Henry's calm voice rang out.
He had appeared behind Bucky without him noticing.
Bucky sensed the threat.
He spun violently, swinging his metal arm in a horizontal slash aimed at Henry's neck!
But Henry didn't even blink.
He casually lifted his left hand.
Then, to Bucky's shock, he pinched the seemingly indestructible arm between two fingers.
The base seemed muted again.
Bucky stared in disbelief—his arm, firmly held by two seemingly ordinary fingers.
No matter how he struggled, he couldn't move it forward.
His killing-instinct-driven mind was in confusion.
"Strong enough," Henry said, smiling coldly, amusement in his eyes.
"Looks like Hydra's meals are decent."
"However…" He paused, tilting his head in disdain.
"Still not enough."
In the next instant, Henry's two fingers snapped forward!
CRACK!
A crisp, twisting sound rang out.
The special-alloy arm was bent and broken by two fingers alone!
"AAAH!!"
For the first time, a pained scream erupted from the Winter Soldier's otherwise numb throat.
But it wasn't over.
"Steve may pamper you, but I won't."
Henry shook his head and released his grip. His other hand formed a fist and delivered a sharp uppercut to the Winter Soldier's jaw!
BANG!
A dull crack of bone echoed.
Bucky's feet left the ground, flying upward.
Then, under Tony's jealous gaze, Henry followed with a powerful whip kick to his waist midair!
BANG!
Another dull impact.
Bucky's body flew sideways into a distant wall, leaving a deep, bottomless human-shaped hole. The entire base trembled for a moment, then fell into dead silence.