Steve and Wang Ye were crouched in the roadside grass, quietly waiting for the vehicles to approach.
After a while, three trucks drove by one after the other. As the last truck came close, Wang Ye's coiled body suddenly sprang into action. With a swift step for leverage, his figure darted like lightning into the truck's cargo area.
Steve mimicked him, pushing off the ground and leaping into the cargo area.
By the time Steve entered, the truck bed was already strewn with eight Hydra soldiers lying lifeless, their necks broken.
"Throw them all off the truck!"
Wang Ye dusted off his hands and sat atop one of the cargo crates.
The truck was loaded with supplies, and Wang Ye's quick, silent actions ensured that the front driver remained unaware of what had transpired in the back. The sounds of the forest masked any potential noise.
Steve glanced at his master, internally marveling. The master is indeed the master!
He efficiently tossed the bodies out and curiously opened one of the crates, discovering high-precision components used for manufacturing missiles. However, these components were notably larger than standard ones.
Wang Ye also took a look inside the crate and frowned.
"It seems they're capturing prisoners to make missiles for them. But why do they need so many missiles? Judging by the contents here, they could produce enough to destroy the entire world!"
"Destroy the world?" Steve was stunned, staring at Wang Ye.
"Surely they're not that insane. This is madness. We must stop them!"
"Yes, we need to investigate further. If this is true, we'll deal with it along the way. Now, lie low—we've arrived!"
Wang Ye motioned for Steve to crouch. They concealed themselves in the truck bed and successfully passed through security, entering Hydra's base.
The truck eventually stopped in front of a warehouse, where unloading began.
The Hydra soldiers responsible for transporting the cargo were swiftly knocked out by Wang Ye's rifle butt and dragged into the truck bed.
Seizing a moment when the patrolling soldiers weren't looking, Wang Ye and Steve sneaked forward, eliminating their enemies without a sound.
After ensuring the area was clear, Wang Ye led Steve toward the base building nearby.
Between the warehouse and the base building was an open yard filled with tanks and specialized armored vehicles. Each vehicle bore Hydra's dark red insignia, appearing sinister and menacing in the night.
The presence of so much heavy machinery suggested the base was equipped with a substantial and powerful mechanized force.
Seeing this, Steve couldn't help but feel a twinge of anxiety.
Wang Ye and Steve silently dealt with every Hydra soldier they encountered along the way.
Finally, after eliminating the last soldier, they entered the base building.
The first sight to greet them inside was a colossal workshop, towering dozens of meters high.
The workshop was outfitted with mechanical arms transporting heavy items. Nearby, massive steel components were being machined.
Among the workers were over a hundred individuals in pristine white lab coats, assembling high-precision components into large steel parts.
These workers appeared well-dressed and in good spirits, even chatting and joking as they worked. Clearly, they weren't prisoners.
"These seem to be Hydra's internal staff. Prisoners handle the heavy labor, while they focus on easier, more precise tasks," Wang Ye speculated from their hidden corner.
"It looks like they're building highly destructive missiles—and in considerable numbers."
"Missiles? Such enormous ones?" Steve's voice trembled as he stared at a six-meter-long missile in the corner.
Even without understanding its specifics, its sheer size indicated terrifying power.
"For now, let's focus on finding the prison and freeing the captured Allied soldiers and Bucky. Once we escape, we'll destroy all of this!" Wang Ye said.
"But this place is huge—where do we even start?" Steve looked up at the towering base building, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
"Prisoners are usually kept on the first floor or in the basement for easier management," Wang Ye explained. He glanced around before turning to Steve.
"You free the prisoners. I'll infiltrate the top-floor control room to disable the alarms and prevent reinforcements."
Steve nodded, slinging his shield onto his back. He quickly headed toward the basement stairs, eliminating every Hydra soldier he encountered on the way.
This was Wang Ye's teaching: the perfect infiltration leaves no witnesses—either those who see you or those you see.
The base's control room was located on the top floor, and Wang Ye was the only one left standing there.
He watched the surveillance footage, where Steve was locked in fierce combat with Hydra soldiers while freeing some of the prisoners.
On the floor behind Wang Ye lay seven or eight unconscious individuals. The only one still conscious was Major Leiters, the base's commander, who was kneeling in fear.
"Leader, I know I was wrong! I shouldn't have betrayed Hydra—I truly regret it!" Major Leiters pleaded, his head bowed so low that blood dripped from his forehead onto the floor.
But Wang Ye remained indifferent, watching the surveillance screen. The lack of response chilled Leiters to the core.
"The future of Hydra is bright and unstoppable. Yet you, as the base's chief officer, chose to betray and side with Satis. Your path is doomed," Wang Ye said coldly, turning to look at Leiters, whose face was pale and trembling.
"But your plan has inadvertently been very helpful to me."
With that, Wang Ye swiftly raised his gun and shot Leiters, ending his life.
"Here's a quick death for you."
Leiters' brief smile froze as his lifeless body fell backward.
Wang Ye turned to the control console, flipping several switches marked with red danger signs. He then activated a clearing device, initiating a 10-minute countdown on the timer above.
After finishing this, Wang Ye noted Steve's location on the monitors and quickly moved to rendezvous with him.
By this point, Steve had successfully freed all the prisoners.
Bucky had also been found in a laboratory, along with a map marking all abandoned Hydra bases.
The freed prisoners, now armed with energy weapons, began counterattacking Hydra soldiers. But time was running out.
(To be continued)
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