The moment Levi plunged headfirst into the pitch-black drainage pipe, he felt like his entire life had turned gray.
Holy hell—this stench is lethal.
If the smell outside had only been an appetizer, then what he was experiencing now was like diving straight into a biochemical weapons pool made from eight hundred years of fermented pickled cabbage mixed with public toilet sludge. The odor attacked from every direction, drilling straight into his pores, so strong it made his eyes water uncontrollably.
He instinctively tried to hold his breath—then remembered he was a super soldier now. His lung capacity was ridiculous. Holding his breath for ten-plus minutes wasn't a problem.
The problem was that even if you held your breath, the smell still forced its way up your nose.
Ice-cold sewage submerged his calves. It was thick and slimy, and God knew what kind of "nutrients" were dissolved in it. The ground beneath his feet felt soft and squishy, and every now and then something slick brushed past his ankle.
The moment he thought about what that thing might be, his stomach churned violently, and he nearly sprayed out the compressed rations he'd eaten earlier.
Fighting down the nausea, Levi looked up at Steve walking ahead.
Damn—Captain America really lived up to the hype.
Steve held a small waterproof flashlight in one hand and his precious shield in the other, posture straight, steps steady as he waded through the sewage. He barely splashed at all. His expression was so calm it was infuriating, like he was strolling through his backyard rather than a hellish sewer that could knock a man unconscious with its smell.
Then Levi glanced behind him at Logan.
Now that was a different story.
Logan's face was twisted into a knot. His beastlike sense of smell was a curse in an environment like this—he was probably suffering several times more than Levi. An unlit cigar was clenched between his teeth, and a low "grrrr" rumbled constantly in his throat, like a bear on the verge of snapping.
"Fuck…" Logan finally muttered in a hoarse whisper.
"This place smells worse than any bear den I ever crawled through in Canada."
Levi couldn't agree more.
Movies made crawling through vents and sewers look cool as hell. Reality was a cruel lie. In real life, you endured stench, claustrophobia, and the constant fear of stepping on something you really shouldn't.
"Stay sharp," Steve's steady voice came from ahead, like a shot of adrenaline to Levi's fogged-up brain.
"Levi, listen carefully. We don't know where this tunnel leads—or what's in it."
"Got it," Levi replied, forcing himself to shift his focus away from the smell and onto his hearing.
The Super Soldier Serum-enhanced senses kicked in again.
He closed his eyes, and the nauseating stench seemed to fade a little as layers of sound flooded in.
The slosh of flowing sewage.
The drip, drip of water falling from the ceiling.
The squelch of their boots moving through sludge.
And then—something else.
"Left front," Levi whispered.
"About fifty meters ahead. There's… something there."
Steve and Logan stopped instantly, alert, eyes on the darkness Levi indicated. The flashlight beam couldn't reach that far—only endless black stretched ahead.
"What is it?" Steve asked.
"I hear a lot of small movements," Levi frowned, concentrating.
"Scratching. Scuttling. Chewing. A lot of them. Sounds like… rats. Big ones."
Logan sniffed hard, his expression darkening even further.
"He's right. I smell them. Bastards are huge."
Steve's brows knit together. Rats in sewers weren't unusual—but this many, and this big? Inside a Hydra facility, that raised red flags.
"Can we go around?"
"Probably not," Levi shook his head.
"The sound fills the whole cross-section of the tunnel. They're blocking the way."
Steve thought for a moment, then decided.
"We move forward carefully."
They advanced, and the closer they got, the stronger the rat stench became, mixing with the sewer's own filth into something so vile it could probably knock out a normal man on the spot.
Soon, the flashlight illuminated what lay ahead.
Even with mental preparation, Levi sucked in a sharp breath.
The tunnel ahead was packed—packed—with black rats. There were countless of them, each the size of a kitten. Their eyes glowed blood-red in the light, glittering with hunger and malice like rubies.
They were gnawing on something, producing an awful crack-crack sound. In the center of the swarm lay the half-devoured skeleton of some unfortunate creature.
"Oh my God…" Levi's scalp went numb.
Fall into that, and you wouldn't even leave bones behind.
"Fuck these things!" Logan growled, veins bulging on the backs of his hands. It looked like he was about to pop his claws.
"Don't," Steve said sharply, grabbing Logan's shoulder.
"Too much noise. We'll bring the whole place down on us."
He studied the writhing rat tide calmly.
"They're just rats—drawn here by food. Probably grew bigger from industrial waste. They're afraid of fire."
He pulled a signal flare from his pack and snapped it.
Hiss—
A brilliant red flame erupted, bathing the tunnel in an eerie crimson glow.
The effect was immediate.
The rats shrieked in terror, chaos exploding through the swarm. They scattered wildly, scrambling up the walls and retreating from the flame in blind panic.
Within seconds, a narrow path—just wide enough for one person—opened through the mass.
"Move."
Without hesitation, Steve strode forward, holding the burning flare and walking straight through the living corridor.
Levi and Logan followed closely.
Levi felt like Moses parting the sea—except instead of water, there were countless pairs of glowing red eyes on either side, filled with hatred and hunger. He could feel the heat of their bodies, their bristling fur brushing against his legs.
It was terrifying.
And insanely intense.
After clearing the rat swarm, they continued another hundred meters before reaching a fork.
Left or right.
"Which way?" Logan growled impatiently. He clearly just wanted out of this hellhole.
Steve hesitated. The map didn't include sewer layouts. A wrong turn could cost precious time—or worse.
"Levi?" he asked again.
Levi nodded and closed his eyes.
This time, he listened even more carefully.
The left tunnel had stronger water flow—and a faint hummm sound, like industrial fans.
The right tunnel—
Levi's eyes snapped open.
"Right!"
"I hear footsteps—metal boots. And metal clanking. Above us, slightly to the right. That tunnel's closer to the interior!"
"Good. Right it is," Steve decided instantly.
They turned into the right passage.
It was narrower and drier, and even the stench eased a bit. As they advanced, the sounds from above grew clearer.
Marching footsteps—patrols.
Heavy metal doors opening and closing.
Shouted German orders echoing faintly.
They were close.
After another two hundred meters, Steve stopped.
"This is it."
Ahead, a rusted metal ladder rose from the sewage to a square outlet sealed with an iron grate.
Finally.
Levi almost cheered.
Steve signaled for silence and climbed up like a cat, pressing himself against the wall. He leaned close to the grate, listening.
A moment later, he nodded and mouthed: Clear.
He grabbed the grate, muscles bulging. This time he controlled his strength, minimizing noise. With a harsh metallic groan, the iron bars were torn free.
Fresh air—tinged with oil and rust—rushed in.
Levi and Logan inhaled greedily, feeling reborn.
Steve exited first, then Levi, then Logan.
When Levi's boots finally hit solid concrete, he let out a long breath.
They were inside.
They stood in a narrow, dim corridor—likely an underground maintenance passage. Thick pipes and cables crisscrossed overhead. Dim explosion-proof lights flickered along the walls. The air smelled of damp mold and heavy machine oil.
"Northeast corner of the factory," Steve said after glancing at an internal layout diagram.
"This should be the boiler and power systems' lower level. The power distribution room is one level up—not far."
Suddenly, Levi's ears twitched.
"Shh!" He raised a hand sharply.
"Someone's coming. Two people. Heavy boots—patrol soldiers. Less than thirty meters away!"
Almost immediately, footsteps and German voices echoed from the corner ahead.
Steve and Logan's eyes sharpened instantly.
Steve scanned the surroundings and pointed at a pile of tarp-covered equipment.
Hide.
They slipped behind it and held their breath.
The footsteps drew closer.
Levi's heart climbed into his throat. He gripped his MP40 tightly, palms slick with sweat.
This was it.
Now things were getting real.
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🎉 Power Stone Goal Announcement! 🎉
I'll release one bonus chapter for every 200 Power Stones we hit!"
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