Wang Ye looked at Father Elton, who had collapsed on the sofa, eyes rolled back, limbs twitching—just short of foaming at the mouth.
He shook his head helplessly, hoisted the old man onto his back, and carried him upstairs to rest in a bedroom.
After settling Elton, Wang Ye returned to the living room, picked up his beer, and took a leisurely sip. But then he noticed ripples in the liquid and felt a distinct vibration beneath his feet.
"They're here."
On the main road of the town, a gigantic war tank, nearly three stories tall, roared its engine as it rolled forward.
Wherever it passed, the stone-paved road shattered under the crushing weight of its treads. Even the nearby homes shook as if in an earthquake, teetering dangerously.
The tank passed through the town square and headed straight for the church.
Just then, a figure darted out from an alley near the church, panicked and flustered, and rushed into the building.
"Father Elton! They're here—we need to escape! They're monsters!"
But no one answered.
Before he could call out again, the rumbling outside suddenly stopped. It was as if the entire world went silent.
Then—BOOM!—a deafening explosion. The church's massive wooden doors, along with the surrounding stone walls, were blasted inward, sending clouds of dust into the air.
The militia member, standing too close to the door, had no time to react and was instantly crushed beneath the rubble—lifeless.
At that moment, Wang Ye walked out, having heard the shouting.
Before the dust could settle, a squad of heavily armed soldiers stormed in, boots thundering on the floor.
They moved with practiced precision, quickly taking up defensive positions around the church interior—it was clear this wasn't their first time raiding a place.
A squad leader, accompanied by three soldiers, made his way to the center of the hall where the stone sarcophagus lay. He ordered them to open it, but despite their combined effort, the lid didn't budge an inch.
Wang Ye, still holding his beer, was completely ignored—but he didn't mind. He just kept drinking.
Then, a sleek, six-wheeled black armored SUV pulled up smoothly outside the church.
The door opened, and a tall, imposing figure stepped out.
Heavy military boots struck the stone ground with ominous thud-thud sounds.
His face was cold, almost mask-like in its rigidity. His eyes were icy and flickered with hints of madness and cruelty.
The officer entered the church.
The soldiers snapped to attention and saluted. He simply nodded and turned his gaze toward Wang Ye, who was still calmly sipping his beer.
There was a flicker of surprise in his eyes. Then he said in a low voice:
"You're much younger than I imagined."
He removed his cap and handed it to a soldier behind him, his expression emotionless.
"I've searched the world, pored over countless ancient texts, and spent years of effort to find this place.
I must say—you've done well."
He smirked slightly and walked toward the sarcophagus, signaling the three soldiers to step back. Then he placed both hands on the lid, braced his legs, and—with a burst of strength—lifted it effortlessly. The very same lid that three soldiers couldn't move.
A nauseating stench burst forth from the ancient tomb.
But the officer didn't flinch—he simply waved away the odor and inspected the contents.
Inside wasn't treasure or riches—just a tall, desiccated corpse, mummified by time: likely the legendary King Arthur.
On the corpse lay a single-handed longsword, and clutched tightly in both hands was a transparent crystal cube.
"You came prepared,"
he said, examining the cube. Then—he let it drop to the ground, where it shattered into pieces, shocking the soldiers nearby.
"I've found many similar fakes before. This one was the closest.
But clearly, just a keepsake. No real treasure would be left somewhere so obvious."
Wang Ye downed his beer in one gulp, set the cup on a nearby candelabra, and strolled over to a wall relief of Yggdrasil, the World Tree.
The officer didn't stop him. After all, who would fear a kid facing over a dozen armed soldiers?
Wang Ye studied the relief carefully, then pressed the eye of the giant serpent Nidhogg at the base of the tree.
"Click!"
A mechanical sound echoed—and a hidden compartment popped open in the seamless wall, revealing a delicately carved wooden box.
Wang Ye retrieved it and slowly opened the lid.
A dazzling blue light burst forth, casting his face in a ghostly hue.
Inside lay the legendary artifact of Odin—the Tesseract.
The officer hurried forward, snatched the box from Wang Ye, and stared greedily at the cube, his face contorted with madness.
"That idiot Führer is still digging in the desert like a fool—
and I've already found the real treasure!"
Wang Ye narrowed his eyes and smiled mockingly.
"Mr. Schmidt—or should I say, Red Skull.
I've given you what you wanted.
Now, shouldn't you grant me a small request in return?"
This man was none other than Johann Schmidt, aka Red Skull, the infamous warlord and leader of the terror organization Hydra.
Red Skull let out a cold laugh. He pulled out his pistol, disengaged the safety, and pointed it at Wang Ye.
His eyes were filled with scorn—as if Wang Ye were already a corpse.
"You've done well.
But I don't like people negotiating with me.
Still, you're lucky today.
I'm in a good mood, so I'll let you live—"
"Bang! Bang!"
He fired two shots.
"—as a whole corpse."
Confident, he holstered his gun and turned to leave—until he glanced back.
To his shock, Wang Ye was standing upright, completely unharmed, despite two clear bullet impacts on his forehead. The bullets lay at his feet, crushed and mangled from the impact.
His eyes still held that same mocking contempt.
The soldiers, alarmed, immediately raised their weapons.
"Since you won't give it to me willingly," Wang Ye said, "I'll just take it myself."
He tapped his toe to the floor. In an instant, the space around him shattered, pulling the soldiers into a whirlpool of spatial destruction.
Red Skull, stunned, fell backward onto the floor. He was so terrified, he didn't even notice the box slipping from his hands.
After eliminating the soldiers, Wang Ye calmly pulled out a cigar—a vintage from Father Elton's stash—lit it with a kerosene lighter, took a deep puff, and grinned.
In Red Skull's stunned, broken gaze, Wang Ye spoke with casual contempt:
"I just wanted to join Hydra and get an easy desk job.
Was it too much to offer the Tesseract in exchange?
And instead, you shot me?
Rude."
Red Skull, momentarily regaining composure, acted on pure instinct.
Driven by his ruthless nature, he raised his gun again and fired multiple rounds at Wang Ye's head—he refused to believe anyone was truly bulletproof.
If two bullets weren't enough, he'd just shoot more.
But the death he expected never came.
Suddenly, Red Skull sensed danger.
He watched in horror as the bullets he'd just fired froze mid-air, then spun rapidly—right in front of his face, just a centimeter from his forehead.
Even someone as arrogant as Red Skull collapsed to his knees in terror.
Wang Ye approached, placed a hand on Red Skull's head, and copied his memories.
Then, without any visible action, Red Skull's eyes lost their luster, and he crumpled to the ground—lifeless.
Wang Ye snapped his fingers.
In an instant, he was now wearing Red Skull's uniform and mask, while Red Skull's body was dressed in Wang Ye's oversized tracksuit, revealing his grotesque red skull face.
"Damn, this ability is too convenient.
The clothes fit perfectly—though the pants are a little tight."
Snap!
Another finger snap—and Red Skull's corpse disintegrated into glowing blue particles.
Thus ended the tale of a once-feared tyrant—just like that.
With Red Skull dealt with, Wang Ye removed the spatial barrier around the church.
Immediately, dozens of soldiers stormed in.
When they saw the familiar silhouette in the center of the hall, they saluted in unison:
"Leader!"
Wang Ye nodded and, in Red Skull's voice, said:
"The target has been secured. Begin withdrawal."
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers didn't question him at all. They filed out in order.
Outside, more soldiers saluted. Wang Ye responded with cold nods, then walked straight to the six-wheeled SUV.
A soldier rushed forward to open the door. He shot Wang Ye a reverent look before bowing his head and stepping aside.
Wang Ye entered, placed the box with the Tesseract beside him, adjusted his seating position, and ripped off the mask.
Noticing the soldier staring, Wang Ye smirked and said:
"Got a question, soldier?
Good. Drive."
The soldier trembled with excitement and immediately obeyed:
"Yes, Leader!"
"Try not to scratch my car."
~
Though Wang Ye was new here, having absorbed all of Red Skull's memories, he now knew that those soldiers who died in the church had been Red Skull's guards and trusted aides.
With them gone, it was the perfect time to promote someone new—someone already fanatically loyal.
After all, no big shot drives himself.
The soldier drove expertly through the mountain roads, eventually turning into a hidden forest path.
About 15 minutes later, they arrived at Hydra's secret base garage.
The soldier jumped out, rushed to the rear door, and respectfully opened it for Wang Ye—his eyes full of fanatic devotion.
Thanks to Red Skull's cult-like leadership, no one questioned Wang Ye's new appearance.
After all, "cut off one head, two more shall take its place." In Hydra, you don't ask questions.
Everyone saluted as Wang Ye passed in the customized uniform only Red Skull was allowed to wear.
Wang Ye handed the box to the soldier:
"Take this to my office."
"Yes, sir!"
The soldier accepted the Tesseract with both hands and headed off cautiously.
Wang Ye followed slowly, observing the base's interior.
After a couple of turns, they arrived at Red Skull's office.
The soldier placed the box on the desk and stood quietly awaiting orders.
Wang Ye strolled in, sat naturally in the plush chair, and said with an approving tone:
"Soldier, you've done well. Now, loudly state your name!"
"Jon—Jon Brad! Leader!"
The young soldier was visibly thrilled.
"Jon, excellent. From now on, you're my adjutant.
You'll help manage internal affairs and coordinate my commands.
For now, go summon Dr. Zola. I need to speak with him."
Wang Ye stood up, and patted Jon on the shoulder, smiling with genuine approval.
Jon was almost overwhelmed with excitement and admiration.
"Yes, sir!"
He saluted and left the office with purpose.
Once he was gone, Wang Ye opened a hidden temperature-controlled wine rack embedded in the wall. He selected a decent-looking bottle of red wine, poured a glass, and slowly walked to the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing out at the snow-covered mountains.
He fell into thought.