◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews.
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones. or 500 Collections
◇ You can read 50 chapter ahead on P@treon of which 10 Chapters are free. if you're interested: patreon.com/Heroicverse
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"Die, bastard!"
The trio's 'Wind Eye' raised his hand and fired an air cannon.
But the instant his arm moved, the Winter Soldier was gone.
He leapt straight down, fast as a black cheetah.
Mid-air, he didn't adjust his posture; his mechanical left arm slammed into the container wall, using the rebound to change direction and dodge Wind Eye's follow-up blasts.
He landed and rolled.
Bang! Bang!
Two dull gunshots.
Wind Eye's thigh burst into a red mist; he shrieked and dropped to his knees.
Sonic Woman's amplifier was shattered by a pinpoint bullet; the feedback screech sent her rolling on the ground clutching her ears.
The Winter Soldier stepped over Wind Eye's body without expression.
No hesitation, no words.
He raised his gun to the forehead and prepared to pull the trigger.
"Haaah—!!"
At that instant a huge shadow slammed in with a gust of wind.
Bang!
The shot went wide, grazing Sonic Woman's scalp and sparking off the concrete.
Iron Arm Joe.
The man who usually flexed his biceps for the cameras now looked like a raging bull.
His right hand clenched into a fist and smashed the Winter Soldier's rifle.
The massive force shattered the M4A1 carbine into scattered parts.
The Winter Soldier's eyes narrowed; he instantly back-stepped, widening the gap.
He studied Iron Arm Joe.
The man whose left arm he'd broken and left howling was now intact—thicker than before.
An empty syringe lay at his feet.
T-VEX.
Iron Arm Joe had saved hero points for two whole months and snagged a Black-Friday first-buy discount at the VGD Store just for that single T-VEX.
He'd planned to keep it for emergencies or the next promotion exam.
"fuck you, mechanical-arm freak!"
Iron Arm Joe panted, white mist jetting from his nostrils—his core temperature spiking.
"Do you know how expensive that stuff is?! Huh?!"
He charged, the concrete cracking beneath his feet.
"I'm gonna rip that arm off and shove it up your ass!!"
Boosted by T-VEX, his speed and strength skyrocketed.
The punch tore through the air, aimed at the Winter Soldier's face.
Instead of blocking, the Winter Soldier leaned back, heel pivoting, executing a textbook Sambo evasion.
The fist's wind brushed his mask.
His mechanical left arm shot out, seizing Iron Arm Joe's wrist to apply a joint lock.
It didn't budge.
"Strength increased," the Winter Soldier judged.
"Get lost!!"
Iron Arm Joe roared and flung his arm.
The raw brute force hurled the Winter Soldier five meters into a container; the steel wall caved with a gong-like dent.
"Hahaha! See that? This is power—Vought power!"
Iron Arm Joe felt invincible; the drug's omnipotent rush left no room for fear.
He strode toward the Winter Soldier for a finishing blow.
But when he reached the container—
No one.
Only the dent remained.
"Where the hell is that masked bastard?!"
"Damn it—come out, coward!"
Joe smashed everything around him, trying to flush the assassin out.
Fwoosh—
A flash-bang grenade rolled to his feet.
"What?!"
Hearing the sound, Iron Arm Joe spun.
Boom!
Blinding light and thunderous noise stole his sight and hearing.
"Aaaah! My eyes!!"
Iron Arm Joe swung wildly; every punch ripped the air but hit nothing.
The Winter Soldier hung like a ghost in the shadows atop the container, coldly watching the rampaging Joe.
As HYDRA's perfect weapon, he never fought unprepared, let alone head-on with a drug-maddened monster.
He plucked a magnetic mine from his vest—originally meant for tanks.
He didn't attack Iron Arm Joe.
With a flick, the mine arced and landed beside Sonic Woman as she tried to stand.
Beep—beep—
Red light flashing.
"No!! Amy!!"
Iron Arm Joe went berserk; she was his goddess.
He instinctively charged toward her voice.
"Stay there!!"
He dived onto Sonic Woman, covering her with his drug-boosted body.
Boom!!!
The blast's fireball swallowed them.
Iron Arm Joe's back was shredded, yet T-VEX's regeneration visibly knitted the wounds.
"Cough... damn it..." He spat concrete dust and rolled behind cover with Amy.
"Don't go out... Joe... he'll kill us..." Sonic Woman sobbed.
"I know! I know!" Iron Arm Joe glanced at his watch.
Ten minutes of drug effect left.
And the damned assassin refused a straight fight.
Rattle-rattle-rattle—
M4 carbine rounds rained from above, pinning them down.
Whenever Iron Arm Joe stepped away, his teammates were instantly targeted.
The Winter Soldier kept shifting, using terrain, traps, and psychology to gnaw away the enraged bull's remaining time.
Two minutes.
Five minutes.
Eight minutes.
Iron Arm Joe's breathing grew ragged; the invincible high began to fade, replaced by bone-deep emptiness.
"Damn it... the boost's wearing off..."
His knees buckled; strength drained like a receding tide.
He staggered, nearly collapsing.
From the container's shadow the Winter Soldier emerged.
He sensed the prey's weakness.
Click.
He slapped in a fresh mag, mechanical hand gripping a tactical knife.
Harvest time.
He leapt from the height—this time not evading but rushing straight at the exhausted Iron Arm Joe.
Vrooom—!!!
An engine roared like thunder.
A blinding searchlight pinned the Winter Soldier from above.
Gale-force wind erupted.
A Vought "home-grown" Nightingale gunship hovered low, the huge VGD logo on its hull.
"Drop your weapons!!"
An authoritative command boomed from the loudspeaker.
The Winter Soldier squinted upward.
He didn't stop.
Instead, he accelerated, flipping the knife from stab to throw—blade aimed at Iron Arm Joe's eye socket!
Clang!!
A red-white-blue shield flew in a perfect arc, smashing the lethal dagger aside.
The shield rebounded, striking the Winter Soldier's chest.
He batted it away with his mechanical arm, forfeiting the kill.
Thud!
A tall figure dropped from the gunship, landing between the Winter Soldier and Iron Arm Joe.
Dust settled.
Steve Rogers caught the rebounding shield and rose, the star on his chest gleaming under the searchlight.