Why kill Schmidt at this point instead of following the original plot? There are many reasons, but the most crucial factor driving Rhine to act is Schmidt's increasing brutality. Besides his bottomless human experiments and his treatment of prisoners of war as slaves, Schmidt has become violently abusive toward his own people. Dissatisfaction often leads to beatings, scoldings, and sometimes even summary executions.
If Rhine continues following the plot, there are still a few months before Schmidt's eventual downfall. However, during these months, the risk to Rhine's safety would increase significantly. Additionally, she can't expose Hydra in order to "seize power," making this moment an ideal opportunity to eliminate Schmidt. After Schmidt's death, Hydra would naturally splinter, allowing Rhine to consolidate power by stepping in as the chief scientific officer. Under the banner of Hydra, recruiting the remaining members would be easy.
In this situation, killing Schmidt is a necessity.
"Blazer, get to the top floor of the factory workshop immediately—you have 8 minutes," Rhine ordered.
Since being 'recruited' by Rhine, Blazer had become her exclusive operative, enhanced through scientific exercises and cognitive-enhancing drugs. Of course, Rhine didn't expect Blazer alone to be able to defeat Schmidt. However, Blazer was the strongest conventional combat asset she had created so far, with the potential to rapidly expand his effectiveness if more resources were available. Rhine wanted to assess Blazer's actual combat effectiveness.
At this moment, Schmidt was unaware of his impending death. He was locked in battle with Rogers amidst the billowing flames of the factory's self-destruction.
Through their simple exchanges of fists and kicks, it was clear that Rogers, with the more perfected serum, held the advantage. Schmidt's fake face loosened and fell into the flames.
"Captain, no matter what Erskine told you, it doesn't change the fact that we're no longer human," Schmidt said.
Strictly speaking, the genetic gap between Rogers and ordinary humans wasn't vast enough to classify them as different species, but the significant physiological differences certainly raised questions.
The aircraft on the top floor could only carry one person. Schmidt had sent Dr. Zola to his garage, instructing him to escape on his own.
Schmidt took a few steps with his handbag and then suddenly stopped. Opposite him stood a man in a gray combat uniform.
"Blazer... so it's you. I should have figured it out sooner," Schmidt muttered.
Setting the handbag on the ground, Schmidt suddenly burst into action. His speed was so fast that the explosion drone could only capture afterimages.
The drone couldn't see clearly, but Blazer could. Judging Schmidt's trajectory, he crossed his arms, bracing to absorb the blow.
When Schmidt's fist connected with his arms, Blazer immediately regretted it. He had wanted to test Schmidt's strength, but he hadn't expected Schmidt to be so powerful. The punch nearly shattered Blazer's arm.
Both combatants were surprised—Schmidt because Blazer had never undergone any body enhancements, meaning he was relying solely on his equipment and natural abilities to withstand the blow.
Realizing he couldn't afford to engage Schmidt head-on, Blazer focused on dodging and counterattacking whenever an opening appeared. However, Schmidt quickly noticed that although Blazer's reaction speed matched his own, Blazer's physical fitness was still within human limits and hadn't reached the level of enhancement Schmidt possessed.
This created a situation where, despite appearances, Blazer was taking far more damage than Schmidt.
Rhine, observing the battle through the burst drone, understood this as well. One Blazer alone was clearly no match for Schmidt. To compete with Schmidt, at least two Blazers would be needed—three to secure a victory. And with the right weapon, the outcome could be even more favorable.
This result was acceptable to Rhine. The idea that three humans, augmented with cognitive enhancement drugs, could defeat a super-soldier was cost-effective.
As the base was on the verge of exploding, Schmidt, confident of victory, approached the exhausted Blazer. "I have to admit, Rhine is good at her craft—sending a piece of trash to entertain me for so long. Thank her for the post-dinner show."
Having gathered the necessary data, Rhine clicked a few buttons on her control panel. An explosive drone flew out from the corner and latched onto Schmidt's head with lightning speed.
"What? You think this will—"
"It might not kill you," Rhine's voice cut him off, "but I'm not planning to let you die easily."
Schmidt froze, recognizing the familiar voice. He reached back to grasp the drone and turned to see Rhine, who had been standing there for some time.
"I underestimated you. I still remember what you were like as a child," Schmidt said, attempting to disarm her with nostalgia.
"Schmidt, others might try to play the emotional card with me, but it won't work with you. And if you don't want to die, I suggest you remove your hands from the back of your head. That drone carries 500 grams of high-explosive charges," Rhine warned coldly.
"Okay, you're in charge," Schmidt shrugged and raised his hands. Even with his enhanced strength, he knew he couldn't survive an explosion at such close range.
Rhine leaned against the railing, her face emotionless. "You know, Schmidt, I didn't originally intend to kill you. Even if you're a villain, I could have excused you because you've been useful to me."
"Then why now?" Schmidt asked.
"Because of that village," Rhine replied, her voice tight with anger. "I recently sent someone to check on it. It's a ruin now, and it's clear the inhabitants didn't leave voluntarily."
Rhine's anger flared as she drew a pistol and shot Schmidt twice in the legs, causing him to collapse. She walked toward him, fired two more shots into his knees, and completely shattered them.
"Sorry, I don't like looking up at people."
"That village gave you the Tesseract, and you promised to spare them. Why did you kill them? They were ordinary people, far removed from the battlefield, with no stake in this war," Rhine demanded, her voice shaking with fury.
"Why? It's hard to say... maybe because I wanted to," Schmidt replied, lying on the ground, having given up all hope of survival. "I needed to vent my inner rage somehow. Otherwise, I'd go mad."
"Soon you won't have to suffer anymore," Rhine said coldly as she aimed the gun at Schmidt's head. She emptied the magazine to ensure his death.
Even now, she couldn't shake the complicated feelings she had when she returned to that destroyed village full of hope, only to find it reduced to rubble. The old man's eyes, filled with resentment and regret, still haunted her.
Maybe once, Rhine had wanted to start a war, using her technological advantage to reshape the world. But war had displaced countless people and brought endless suffering.
With great power comes great responsibility. Rhine knew she had the power to create a new era and build a new society, and she was determined to use it wisely.