Chapter 40 - 040 Hydra Base.

**Realit.**

On the large screen, the camera locked onto the two figures and started scanning them.

However, the strange thing was that the man seemed to look directly at the camera as if his gaze pierced through the screen into the room.

Dr. List felt a sudden chill.

But Strucker didn't care and instead looked delighted.

Because the woman on the screen was Wanda.

He paid no attention to the man who noticed the surveillance equipment, just stared at Wanda, laughing:

"Interesting, did you find help so quickly for revenge?"

"An ungrateful wretch, but revenge is good, otherwise, how could I capture you?"

As he spoke, he pressed a button and called into the intercom:

"First Elite Squad, Third Biochemical Squad, Seventh Special Unit, deploy immediately!"

"Other strike teams, stand by."

"Remember, do not kill Wanda; that's an order!"

"The man is likely superhuman too; capture him alive if possible, kill if necessary!"

With orders given, the base's armed forces quickly mobilized!

Strucker watched through the surveillance, excited as squads of well-trained soldiers surrounded the targets.

He was confident because HYDRA had killed superhumans with special abilities before.

But without the trigger conditions, most had no value.

Thus, Wanda's awakening in the base was critical!

---

**In the Snow.**

Wanda still clung to the warm hand, trembling even more as they approached the base.

Balder sensed her instinctive fear and tightened his grip reassuringly.

He had come directly to help her overcome this psychological shadow.

The sound of mechanical gears echoed.

Wanda turned to see two machine guns lower outside the HYDRA base entrance.

The next second, *bang bang bang* sounds erupted, dozens of shock grenades launching out.

Reaching a certain height, the sonic weapons emitted bright white light and loud blasts!

**Command Room.**

Strucker smiled confidently; these special shock grenades were designed to deal with the Hulk.

Though ineffective against Hulk, they were potent against humans!

Dozens of intense flashes and high-frequency sound waves exploded!

But Strucker's smile froze the next second.

He saw through the screen that the man and Wanda were unaffected as if nothing had happened.

"Interesting."

Strucker sneered, ordering:

"Attack!"

Simultaneously, entrances opened in the snow, fully armed soldiers rushing out.

They maintained a safe distance, pulling their triggers without hesitation.

Gunfire erupted in dense bursts.

Special blue paralyzing bullets were fired from all angles.

But within ten meters of the targets, the energy bullets inexplicably froze.

In the room, Dr. List shouted in disbelief:

"This is impossible!"

"Energy bullets shouldn't be restrained; even magnetic confinement for fusion can't do this!!"

It shattered his understanding of science!

In his view, superhumans merely manipulated physical energy in unknown ways!

Then a more terrifying scene unfolded.

The frozen energy bullets turned into ice, transforming into a deadly storm shooting back!

One second later!

The entire sixty-four-man elite squad died from their bullets!

Strucker's eye twitched.

This was his first encounter with such an eerie superhuman.

Without further orders, the next wave of attacks followed!

The machine gun emplacements launched dozens of mini bombs, falling around the targets.

The next second, yellow-green gas erupted!

A neurotoxin deadly enough to knock out an elephant. Humans inhaling even a bit would fall into a coma.

Without special high-pressure treatment within ten minutes, they'd suffer permanent nerve damage, becoming vegetables!

But the expected scene didn't appear.

Not even the gas enveloping the targets was seen.

Strucker and List saw the gas suddenly gather, forming ghostly, sinister creatures, flying towards hidden squads in hazmat suits!

Gunfire resumed.

But weapons effective against flesh were laughable now.

Bullets passed through the gas ghosts, causing no harm, instead producing sharp laughter!

Terrified screams erupted!

HYDRA soldiers, being ordinary humans, turned to flee!

But the gas ghosts caught them, strangling them in the air.

"Machine guns"

"Raise the machine guns"

Strucker shouted without hesitation.

Two 30mm Gatling guns rose, spitting out a terrifying storm of bullets!

But the bullet storm, strong enough to make Hulk retreat, instantly turned to molten metal near the target, hitting an invisible barrier and dropping to the ground.

Strucker felt a chill down his spine.

But this was just the beginning.

He watched as the blonde man led Wanda, surrounded by red molten metal, walking calmly towards the base.

The next second, the nuclear blast-proof door was torn apart by an invisible force.

Special squads with advanced weapons stood behind the door.

They didn't even get a chance to attack, burning into charred remains, screaming.

Wherever they went, no HYDRA soldier survived.

They died in various ways: burning, freezing, vaporizing, electrocuting... some even strangled by their shadows or killing each other!

**Command Room!**

The level-three intrusion alert on the screen turned deep red SSS, alarms blaring.

But no one was left!

Everyone alive in the base was fleeing, screaming.

Strucker, more terrified than ever, ran with Dr. List and an elite squad guarding Pietro.

"Monsters!"

"How can such monsters exist, this is impossible!"

He ran towards the underground hangar, screaming in terror.

The screams behind grew closer, deathly voices seeming to penetrate his soul!

Strucker's legs trembled, collapsing with a thud.

He couldn't walk!

At that moment, the hallway lights went out with a snap, darkness enveloping them!

0.1 seconds later, emergency power was activated.

A dim red light flickered!

He saw the demonic blonde man before him, Wanda Maximoff by his side!

Strucker screamed:

"No! Spare me!"

"I have Wanda's brother."

His last bargaining chip.

A chuckle sounded:

"Take another look?"

Strucker hesitated, then looked behind the blonde man, trembling.

Bodies littered the ground.

The elite squad was silently killed in the 0.1-second darkness.

Pietro, drugged and unconscious, floated mid-air, held by an invisible force.

"Don't kill me!"

"I know many SHIELD secrets, and the Tesseract's location, the true treasure of this world!"

Balder said nothing, raising Wanda's hand.

He felt her soft hand tremble but then steady.

Wanda hesitated for a few seconds, then decided without doubt:

"You deserve to die."

A red energy burst from her palm, engulfing her inner demon!

---

**SHIELD, Triskelion.**

In the top-floor room, Alexander Pierce watched the transmitted footage grimly.

The entire HYDRA base is in flames, the blurry blonde man with incomprehensible power!

Even through the footage, he felt fear!

After pondering, he made a call:

"Fury, I need you to come up."

"Yes, now."

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**PS:**

Paralysis bullets appeared in "Agents of SHIELD."

Though the timeline diverged from the MCU, it's assumed HYDRA also has them here.

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