Sam proved why he was an ace pilot. In the Falcon suit, he owned the airspace above the carrier deck.
"Whoo! Little close, guys!" he yelled, banking hard. "You're gonna make me scratch the paint!"
"Seriously, did you miss me?" he shouted, weaving through a storm of enemy fire. "Because you keep trying to get my attention!" The sheer volume of incoming bullets quickly wiped the smirk off his face.
Over the years, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by countless HYDRA agents. These operatives were well-equipped and possessed considerable combat skills. The moment Falcon appeared, he was met with a storm of anti-aircraft fire. Thanks to his small size and exceptional piloting skills, he managed to evade the worst of it.
"Carrier A replacement complete," Steve's voice crackled through the comms.
Falcon, currently being pursued by a fighter jet, cursed under his breath. "You're really one step ahead of me in everything, Captain."
Hearing Agent Hill's urging, he accelerated, dodging a missile fired by the jet with a series of nimble maneuvers. He successfully entered the Helicarrier's internal structure. He inserted the replacement targeting blade and reported, "Carrier B replacement complete."
With that, he leaped from the carrier, his wings carrying him toward the third and final target.
Meanwhile, loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel were also trying to support Steve. They had just boarded a transport when the Winter Soldier, an uninvited guest, appeared and wiped out their entire team with brutal efficiency. The assassin then seized a fighter jet and headed for the third Helicarrier.
When Falcon and Steve arrived at the final carrier, the Winter Soldier was already waiting for them.
First, he kicked Steve away with a powerful blow, then tore off Falcon's wings with his metal arm. Thanks to Falcon having a parachute, the two-on-one advantage was now gone.
Steve didn't fall off the Helicarrier; instead, he used his incredible grip to hang from the edge. After pulling himself up, he truly envied superheroes who could fly.
Knowing that a direct confrontation with the Winter Soldier was unwise, Steve chose to go replace the targeting blade first. Unfortunately, as his former friend, the Winter Soldier had anticipated this. When he arrived, the assassin was already waiting there.
Seeing his dear friend, Steve could only sigh helplessly. "A lot of people are going to die, Bucky."
Between human lives and his former friend, this man who had inspired America in its darkest hours made his choice. The Winter Soldier didn't care about so-called human lives. In his current world, orders were everything.
The two began to fight.
Steve had been injected with the super-soldier serum, but the Winter Soldier had also undergone HYDRA's modifications, plus he had that terrifying metal arm. They were evenly matched.
The metal left hand sent the shield flying with a punch. Steve also took a knife wound. He squeezed his muscles to stop the bleeding and hastily re-entered the fight. The Winter Soldier, relying on his brutal metal arm, hammered Steve relentlessly.
Steve, who had initially held back due to their friendship, now had to go all out.
Fist to fist, Steve caught a glimpse of the fallen targeting blade. This subtle movement was caught by the Winter Soldier, who immediately shifted his focus, intending to destroy it. Grabbing the blade first, the Winter Soldier was about to crush it when Steve stepped forward to stop him.
A new round of fighting began.
Steve had lost his shield, but his grappling skills played a crucial role. Though the Winter Soldier had a metal arm, his neck and other hand were still mortal flesh. Seizing an opening, Steve forcefully choked his opponent. The feeling of suffocation made the Winter Soldier's strength wane. Finally, he passed out.
Panting heavily, Steve picked up the targeting blade and went to reinstall it.
While the battle raged here, the situation on the ground was no less intense.
Sam was kicked away. He looked up to see Rumlow across from him, taking off his jacket. As the captain of the S.H.I.E.L.D. strike team, Rumlow's strength was undeniable.
"Sorry, this isn't personal," Rumlow said, getting into a fighting stance.
Sam caught his breath, straightened up, and said, "Does destroying the world give you a sense of accomplishment?"
"We're not destroying the world," Rumlow clenched his fists. Thinking of something, he said, "Wait."
Under Sam's confused gaze, he took a capsule from a tactical pocket on his back. Twisting it, he put the orange-glowing capsule in his mouth. He winked at Sam and swallowed it.
His eyes were instantly covered in an orange-red glow, which then spread down his body. Orange-red veins became visible, and Rumlow let out a comfortable moan.
"This is the taste of power," he twisted his neck and grinned menacingly. "Now we can begin."
Sam felt something was wrong. This situation didn't seem like something he could handle.
Empowered by the capsule, Rumlow struck first, delivering a flying triple kick to Sam. Sam felt like he had been hit by a truck, three times. He slid backward, and as he looked up, a large foot came down like a battle-ax. Without hesitation, he pushed off the wall with his legs, sliding away again. He rolled to his feet and turned to run.
"Don't run, Black Hawk!"
"Damn it, it's Falcon!"
As Sam ran, he grabbed something and threw it behind him. Rumlow was hit, but the wound on his face healed quickly. Seeing this, Sam ran even faster.
Steve was almost at the top when his all-American backside took a bullet. He looked down to see the Winter Soldier was already back on his feet. It seemed HYDRA's modifications had not only strengthened his experience but also given him extraordinary recovery abilities.
Steve wasn't Thor; he couldn't withstand bullet attacks. Another shot hit him in the side. Steve struggled to climb up. The targeting blade was within reach.
The HYDRA agents on the ground had already locked on. Dense red dots appeared on the screen, all of them were people who posed a threat to HYDRA according to Zola's algorithm. With a single command to fire, all these people would be dead within minutes. The three Helicarriers revealed their cannons.
The Winter Soldier fired again, this time hitting Steve in the back. Seeing that three shots couldn't take Steve down, he aimed at Steve, preparing to pull the trigger for a fourth shot.
As Steve struggled to climb up and make the replacement, a huge iron ball shot up from the ground toward the sky. Just as the targeting blade in Steve's hand was about to make contact, a violent shake caused the blade to fall.
An iron ball had pierced through the Helicarrier.
Then, it sped toward the other Helicarriers. The compressed iron ball, like a water droplet, ruthlessly pierced through them again. The three Helicarriers, as if made of paper, were damaged.
Steve saw it. At the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, a mass of black substance floated toward the sky. The three Helicarriers were enveloped.
"Carrier control lost," Agent Hill watched in astonishment as all signals were cut off. It wasn't just her; the HYDRA side was the same.
The three carriers floated in the sky. With the arrival of the dark substance, everything on their decks quickly decayed and rusted.
"What is that?" Steve contacted Agent Hill. But all signals were gone, including the communicators.
At that moment, the Winter Soldier, who was about to fire, seemed to be affected by something and clutched his head in pain.
"Bucky!"
Debris from the hole pierced by the metal droplet fell, trapping the Winter Soldier. Steve anxiously jumped down to rescue him.
But the darkness didn't stop. It continued to expand, enveloping the entire area. The people in the S.H.I.E.L.D. building were terrified, hiding inside and watching the rampaging dark substance outside. They had the same question as Steve.
What is that?
The same question was shared by the people standing at the pinnacle of the world inside the building. The World Security Council representatives looked at the substance, a sense of dread rising in their hearts.
Fury looked at Alexander and saw the same astonishment on his face. Natasha's pupils contracted sharply. She recognized what it was. She had seen it before. The terror of that thing.
"What have you done?!" a council member demanded loudly.
Alexander shrugged. "I haven't done anything."
He pressed a button on his phone, and the badge on the member's chest activated, burning a hole straight through his heart. As he fell, he never expected this move. The other members met the same fate, except for Natasha. Alexander needed to keep a pilot for himself.
Alexander looked at the gun pointed at him and said calmly, "Don't move, unless you want a two-inch hole burned in your chest."
He brandished his phone and said, "This thing was activated the moment you put it on."
"See? This is the flaw that exists in the world," Alexander said lightly to Fury. "HYDRA had contact with wizards long before S.H.I.E.L.D. did."
"Look at you, what can you do to stop a monster like that?"
Fury looked at Alexander calmly and said, "Why should I stop it?"
"Right, you want to destroy more than just HYDRA," Alexander nodded and said to the captured Natasha, "Take me away, female council member."
He was feeling pleased with himself when his phone screen went black. It lit up again, and a red dot appeared on the camera.
"Miss Romanoff, I believe you've run into some trouble."
The voice from the phone stunned everyone present.
"Deactivated."
The badge Natasha was wearing stopped working. She immediately tore it off and threw it away.
She asked uncertainly, "MOSS?"
MOSS replied, "It's a pleasure to see you again, Miss Romanoff."
Natasha smiled. "It's a pleasure for me too."
Seeing things were not going well, Alexander was in a bad situation. Fury decisively fired his gun, the bullet piercing Alexander's body and knocking him down.
The shaking of the building made Fury sense that things were not good.