Inside the mountain's massive hangar, the Valkyrie Bomber rested.
Although this super bomber had been hastily constructed for a staged act, it incorporated many of Hydra's cutting-edge technologies. Its weaponry was formidable, and its sheer size was staggering. The wingspan alone measured nearly 100 meters, giving it a sleek, flat appearance reminiscent of a giant seagull in flight.
In the bomb-laden cargo hold, ripples formed in the air as Wang Ye's figure materialized.
After dispatching several Hydra soldiers along the way, he swiftly reached the control room.
Setes, clad in a red leather jacket and sporting a brutish face, was engrossed at the console, setting the autopilot course for New York. So focused was he on his task that he failed to notice Wang Ye silently approaching from behind.
As Setes completed the route configuration, he exhaled in relief and turned to instruct his subordinates to prepare for takeoff—only to come face-to-face with Wang Ye, dressed in white camo gear, casually waving at him!
Setes: Σ(°△°|||)︴
Startled, Setes stumbled back several steps before regaining composure, his eyes narrowing at Wang Ye.
"Schmidt! I didn't expect you to change your face again. But listen—I'm Hydra's leader now. What are you doing here? Are you here to beg me to put in a good word for you?"
Wang Ye ignored him and calmly walked to the center of the control room. Opening a miniature space portal, he retrieved the Tesseract. Setes watched in stunned disbelief as Wang Ye placed the Tesseract into the energy extraction device without hesitation.
After finishing, Wang Ye turned and flashed a grin at Setes.
"You seem nervous. Haven't seen me in a while—don't you want to chat, 'Leader'?"
"You... how did you... what are you—"
Setes pointed a trembling finger at Wang Ye, unable to form a coherent sentence.
Wang Ye was about to reply when a dozen Hydra soldiers arrived as reinforcements. Shaking his head in exasperation, he drew his pistols and unleashed a barrage of gunfire, mowing them down like a machine gun.
"Why bother?" Wang Ye blew the smoke from the gun barrels and holstered his weapons.
Setes, meanwhile, had collapsed onto the ground in terror. Was this really Schmidt? Since when had he become this powerful? But Setes wouldn't have much time to ponder further.
Wang Ye had already pressed an AK-47 against his forehead, a cigar dangling from his lips as he smirked slightly.
"You could've stayed safe as an agent trainer. Why'd you have to wade into these murky waters? Now look—you've learned too much, seen things you weren't supposed to see—"
Bang!
Before Wang Ye could finish, he pulled the trigger. A clean hole pierced Setes' forehead, and he fell lifelessly to the ground.
Slipping the gun onto his back, Wang Ye approached the control panel to start up the Valkyrie Bomber.
A Familiar Scene
Just as the aircraft powered up, an urgent alert sounded from the console.
Wang Ye glanced at the monitor and saw Steve speeding after the bomber on a motorcycle, aiming to board via the landing gear. The scene mirrored the original storyline almost exactly.
Due to the bomber's immense size, it accelerated slowly at first. Steve quickly caught up, leaping heroically to grab the landing gear. As the plane began ascending, it retracted the gear, allowing Steve to enter the aircraft's interior and make his way to the control room.
Hydra soldiers obstructed him at every turn. After dispatching them, Steve finally arrived at the control room, only to find Wang Ye staring grimly at the console. The room behind him was littered with corpses.
Wang Ye turned to Steve, his expression heavy with emotion.
"Steve, you really shouldn't have come on board."
"But Master, I'm already here!"
"This place is dangerous!"
"If my master is in danger, how can I just stand by and do nothing?"
"You little fool! This giant bomber's autopilot has been locked, and we can't override the course!"
"Where is it headed?"
"New York. At this speed, we'll reach it in an hour!"
In a few brief sentences, they clarified their dire situation.
Wang Ye approached the device holding the Tesseract.
"Before I killed Setes, he mentioned this was an energy extraction device. If I remove the energy core, manual control should be restored. I'll give it a try."
Gesturing at Setes' corpse, Wang Ye began unlocking the device.
"Master, no! What if it's a trap? Let me do it!"
Steve glanced at Setes' corpse and stepped forward to stop Wang Ye, but Wang Ye held him back.
"Stay put. If there's danger, I can retreat instantly. Trust me."
"But Master..."
Before Steve could finish, Wang Ye removed the Tesseract.
A dazzling blue light illuminated the control room.
Suddenly, a deep blue beam enveloped Wang Ye, engulfing him in an instant. When the light faded, Wang Ye was gone—leaving only the Tesseract and his faint, ethereal voice behind.
"Wait for my return."
"Master!!! No!!!"
Steve's face contorted in anguish as he screamed and lunged toward the spot where Wang Ye had vanished. But he fell heavily to the ground, grasping at nothing.
The Tesseract lay quietly on the floor, radiant and tempting.
Steve stood in a daze, tears streaming down his face. He stared at the Tesseract, unmoving, as though his world had collapsed.
Back to Reality
"Hello? Hello? This is Agent Carter. Can you hear me? Steve, if you're on that giant bomber, respond! Repeat..."
The communicator on the console crackled with Agent Carter's voice.
Devastated, Steve snapped out of his trance and rushed to the console, grabbing the microphone.
"This is Steve. I'm on the bomber."
"Steve, have you found General Wang Ye? Is he with you?"
"I found my master, but he... he's gone!"
Steve began to choke up.
"Steve, calm down. What happened to your master? Is he injured?"
"He's dead! Right in front of me. I could've saved him. I could've stopped it!"
"Steve, calm down. Your master wouldn't die so easily! Who could even kill him?"
"It wasn't a person. It was a strange glowing cube. The moment he touched it, he disappeared!"
"..."
The other end of the line fell silent.
"Wait, my master said the bomber was locked on autopilot. Let me check if I can switch to manual mode!"
Steve fiddled with the controls and discovered the bomber could now be manually operated.
"It works! My master was right!"
"Steve, stay calm! Your priority is to pilot the bomber back to base and land safely. If your master were here, that's what he'd want you to do!"
Steve wiped away his tears and clenched his jaw.
"Yes!"
(End of Chapter)
Want to read the chapters in Advance? Join my Patreon
https://patreon.com/Glimmer09