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The world fell silent.
But after a brief moment of stillness, a wave of tsunami-like insults surged forth.
The people in the vault erupted, shouting in rage.
"You executioner, you killed him!"
"What kind of hero are you? You're a murderer, a cold-blooded murderer!"
"You have no right to decide our fate!"
Their voices were filled with both tears and an indescribable mix of anger and panic.
At the same time, there were also voices in the vault praising Captain America and cursing the occupants of the opposing safe room.
"You vile adulterer! You deserve to rot in prison, you lewd woman!"
"Filthy reptiles, you should've died long ago! The Captain only did what had to be done!"
"At least when you meet God—no, when you meet Satan—you'll suffer less."
Hearing these words, the people in the vault began to argue and ridicule each other, escalating into a full-blown quarrel between the two sides.
Suddenly, it seemed like notions of good and evil no longer mattered. Everyone was more concerned with proving that their side was the one in the right.
In this twisted game, survival was the prize.
"How ridiculous! Why should our lives be in someone else's hands?"
"Why would you criminalize an innocent citizen who hasn't even been convicted?"
"Oh, and when has any murderer ever voluntarily admitted to their crimes?"
"Most of them hide it well, just like you."
"If it weren't for this cursed ruin, I'd be the first to find you and snap your neck!"
"Try it, and I'll show you what justice really looks like."
"Captain Steve, do you hear me? These thugs are still trying to kill us!"
...
...
Meanwhile, Captain America's mind was blank, his gaze unfocused, his arms trembling slightly.
In the end, he had chosen to take the life of a criminal Jackson Chen had judged to be guilty, in exchange for saving an innocent.
And Jackson Chen, watching from the monitor, smiled with satisfaction.
"Well done, Captain. A very good choice."
"Now, let's continue."
"The same question: the death of an innocent or a criminal?"
"This time, I'm shortening your decision time—fifty-five seconds."
"The clock starts now."
Jackson Chen's calm tone sent a shiver through Captain America, whose scattered eyes now flickered with the onset of madness.
Jackson knew exactly where the Captain's mind was—on the brink of collapse.
"No! Stop! Enough! This is too much!"
The Captain roared, but no matter how loud he screamed, the countdown continued.
The decision to kill didn't become easier, even after already making the choice once.
"Fifty."
"Forty-nine."
"Forty-eight."
As Jackson's countdown echoed, Iron Man and the others frantically raced toward him.
The numbers on the big screen tugged at their hearts.
Outside the ruins of the bank, Hulk, in full rage as Banner, let out a furious roar and smashed his fists against the crumbling structure.
"Bang!"
Just then, Iron Man swooped in and hit Hulk with a full-force punch.
Electricity sparked off Iron Man's suit as he was flung backward from the impact, his steel armor partially shattered.
Luckily, his armor was tough enough, and he flew back, albeit with a half-damaged suit.
"Are you out of your mind, Banner?" Iron Man shouted.
"If you keep hitting the building, everyone inside will die!"
"This structure is too unstable!"
"Think of something, Tony!" Black Widow yelled as she arrived on the scene. "If this keeps going, Steve will collapse mentally!"
Iron Man gritted his teeth. "Brute force won't work. We'll have to move the debris slowly. We can't risk it collapsing."
"That's going to take too long!" Black Widow retorted.
"Then stop wasting time and start working!" Thor, equally anxious, added.
"If we drag this out any longer, Steve won't be able to hold on!"
Meanwhile, beneath the ruins...
Jackson Chen's voice echoed in Captain America's ears as the timer hit "three."
Suddenly, an explosion rang out from the vault.
Captain America stood drenched in sweat, glaring at the monitor like a cornered animal.
"I swear, I'll make you regret this!" he shouted. "I'll rip off your head with my own hands!"
Jackson Chen raised an eyebrow, smirking. "Oh? That's quite the promise."
"But before that, congratulations—you made your choice eight seconds faster than the last time."
"That's improvement."
"Now, let's move on. This time, fifty seconds. Make your choice, Captain!"
Captain America's heart clenched in anguish.
Jackson Chen was relentless, forcing him to make this choice again and again, exploiting his vulnerability.
And with every choice, Captain America's internal wound deepened, growing wider and wider, leaving him powerless to stop it.
From the rooms on both sides, verbal abuse and pleas filled the air.
Some even confessed their sins to him, while others begged for fairness, suggesting that both sides should die.
But when Jackson's countdown began again, Captain America found himself once more lost in an agonizing struggle.
And when the countdown finally reached "seven," another familiar explosion echoed through the room.
At this point, Captain America appeared utterly drained of life. His eyes, bloodshot and vacant, stared numbly into the darkness.
The safe room had fallen silent.
No one dared to speak another word, as if they had accepted their fate, consumed by despair.
The only sounds were the heavy breathing and choked sobs of those struggling to hold on.
Outside, the ruins above the bank were being cleared bit by bit.
People around the world watched Captain America on their screens, now resembling a walking corpse.
This is the nature of people.
Making the decision to kill someone the first time is excruciating.
But once that decision is made, every subsequent choice no longer feels like a decision—it becomes a habit.
The sound of explosions continued to echo from the safe room, one after another.
The entire scene within the ruins was a portrait of utter madness and despair.
Across live broadcasts, barrages of comments and reactions poured in from viewers around the world.
"Steve has lost! He's not a hero anymore—he's a murderer!"
"You're talking nonsense! What would you do in that situation? Let both sides die?"
"No, he pressed the button! The explosion was his doing. He's killing people with his own hands!"
"We can't blame him. What other choice does he have in that situation?"
"No, he's still a murderer. Instead of playing these twisted games, he should've tracked down the madman behind the bombs and put an end to him!"
"Goodbye, Captain. You're not the hero I once admired. Everything is falling apart, and so are you."
As people stared at their screens, they saw Captain America slipping further into madness. Beneath his calm exterior lurked a frantic, unhinged mind.
A loud explosion boomed nearby, yet he remained indifferent, like a lifeless shell. His face was drained of all color.
Meanwhile, Jackson Chen watched it all unfold with a pair of cold, playful eyes and a faint, twisted smile at the corner of his mouth. He had become everyone's worst nightmare.
From that moment on, the very phrase "make a choice" would send chills down the spine of anyone who had witnessed this horrific spectacle.
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If you enjoy please support me on my patreon Future 80+ chapters at patreon.com/Phoenizbeelze
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