HYDRA Base. Not exactly top-tier, and definitely not where the Winter Soldier was being kept. That particular HYDRA stronghold—the one where they froze him—wasn't something you stumbled across. HYDRA knew how to stay hidden. No, this place was just a small-scale outpost, uncovered by following a trail of breadcrumbs. Still, for tonight, it would do.
Steve gripped the steering wheel as they approached, his brow furrowed.
"What's the objective for tonight?"
"To gauge their combat performance," came the reply.
"And who's the enemy?"
"HYDRA."
The name hit Steve like a punch to the gut. He swerved, nearly sending the car careening off the road. His head snapped around, a mix of shock and adrenaline lighting up his face.
"Seriously?"
"Dead serious."
"How'd you find them?"
"Long story short? It wasn't easy. I've been working on this for a while now. Tonight, we'll wipe out this nest… probably."
"'Probably'? It's gotta be 'definitely'."
"I'm more concerned about their combat coordination. It's probably a mess."
Steve's jaw tightened, his face flushing with determination.
"Tonight's operation has to be a complete success. If it's not, forget about you—I won't let them off the hook either."
"Should've been that way from the start," Hong Fei said with a faint smile. Watching the Avengers perform? Please. He had better things to do.
Tonight was about setting rules for these rookies. Rules mattered. Not just for Hong Fei's peace of mind over the next three months, but for the upcoming clash with the Dark Elves. And, of course, there was the matter of taking this group to Kunlun to face the dragon.
What he valued wasn't their strength—it was their status and what they represented. With the Avengers involved, everything had to look righteous. Even if it wasn't, the powers that be would spin it that way. They were good at that. A team needed rules. Without them, chaos reigned.
Earlier that day, Hong Fei had sensed someone itching to blow their top. Now, he was giving them the perfect opportunity to do just that—and feel justified doing it. By the time they were done, they'd understand exactly what rules meant.
Matt's shout echoed through the dense mountain forest, carrying an eerie weight in the stillness of the night. But the silence didn't last. In the next instant, gunfire erupted from all directions, shattering the calm.
Muzzle flashes lit up the dark forest, tracer rounds streaking through the air like unextinguished flames. The deafening barrage dispelled the eerie atmosphere, replacing it with something far heavier—terror. The Avengers reacted, each in their own way.
Steve raised his shield, crouching low and tucking himself behind its protective curve. Banner's clothes tore as he transformed into the Hulk, roaring as he shielded himself with his massive arms. Barton hit the ground and rolled behind the Hulk for cover. Rhodes, encased in his Iron Man armor, stood unfazed. Matt ducked behind Luke, while Sam unfurled his wings to shield himself.
Hong Fei stood still, bullets whizzing past him. He didn't flinch, didn't dodge.
Whenever the warheads with powerful kinetic energy were about to strike him, they met an invisible barrier. The air in front of him rippled like overlapping waves after a heavy rain.
Surveying the chaos, Hong Fei laughed—a stark, out-of-place sound in the midst of the battlefield.
"Heh, a pile of firearms has suppressed you so much that you are frozen in place and dare not poke your heads out. Is this the Avengers?"
Hearing this, Hulk was the first to get angry, but his way of venting anger wasn't to attack the enemy, but to turn his head and roar at Hong Fei. Hong Fei rolled his eyes and squinted, saying, "Don't roar at me. Was the free fall last time fun? How about next time I throw you directly into space?"
Hulk was stunned for a moment, then a look of realization suddenly appeared in his eyes. He saw him suddenly take a step back, and Barton, who was hiding behind him, also hurriedly shifted his position. At this time, Steve was the first to react.
He hid behind his shield, observed the opposite side, and then quickly said, "Hulk, rush up and attract fire; Rhodes, Luke, attack from the front; others, look for opportunities to counterattack; I'll flank them!"
Hearing this, Hulk shook his head with a muffled sound to face the enemy head-on, then stepped forward and ran wildly.
For a time, his huge physique and roaring sound really attracted the enemy's firepower. Seeing this, Steve also opened his legs and rushed to one side, preparing to flank. Rhodes was wearing his iron armor and didn't fear bullets; sparks were also flashing on Luke's skin. The two of them, one left and one right, rushed forward following Hulk.
Hong Fei: "Tsk, a thing like this requires on-site tactical planning to know how to act. What kind of 'Avenging' is this? Don't do it anymore, go home and retire."
For a moment, the faces of all the Avengers, including Steve, became somewhat ugly. But the battle still had to be fought. Hulk was brave and fearless.
After rushing into the mountain forest, he directly hammered the hidden pillboxes in the mountain, along with the people and guns, to death. Rhodes used his iron armor for precise counterattacks. By comparison, Luke was a bit awkward.
"Look what I found, a big dummy walking the runway on the battlefield. He tore off his clothes, why not take off his pants and underwear too? I want to see if the part below is also bulletproof."
Luke's black face turned even darker, and Matt couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth.
"This blind gentleman, stand aside. I'm afraid a stray bullet will fly over later and take your skull off."
Sam flew up and scouted downwards in the air with Rhodes.
With their support, Steve's flanking speed was faster, and the group extinguished the attack in front of them in the blink of an eye. The mountain forest suddenly became quiet. Hong Fei: "Audience friends, you didn't see wrong, the scene has gone cold. A group of Avengers are suddenly standing in place, staring at each other. They look like prisoners who are a bit at a loss after successfully breaking out of prison."
Hearing this, Steve hurriedly said, "Rhodes, scout it out, there must be a passage."
"Yes, Captain."
Rhodes operated his iron armor to scan the scene and quickly found the hidden passage. He extended his hands towards a part of the mountain.
After the Pulse Cannon was activated, the mountain vegetation and soil exploded simultaneously, revealing an alloy door. After lasting for several seconds, there was nothing else on the door except for scorch marks. As Rhodes stopped, Hulk rushed forward and slammed into it brutally.
Thudding muffled sounds came one after another, but the door showed no signs of breaking, other than being slightly deformed. Hong Fei: "Learned something. Next time I go home, I'll slam the door too." Steve hurriedly called out to Hulk. Rhodes and Sam landed, and the two of them started to hack it together. Before long, they looked at Steve. Steve understood and raised his shield: "Ready!"
With a clang, the heavy alloy door opened to both sides, and countless bullets instantly rushed out from inside again. However, this time everyone was prepared. Hulk couldn't wait and rushed straight in, with the others following behind. Hong Fei followed behind leisurely with his hands in his pockets. The interior of the mountain was undoubtedly a HYDRA Base.
The decoration here had a strong sense of science fiction, and the lights overhead shone so that every corner was like broad daylight. All the way inside, bodies were everywhere, and the sound of gunfire and roars gradually grew stronger. After turning through a corridor of several dozen meters, the view suddenly opened up.
Transparent laboratories were exposed before their eyes, and researchers in white lab coats were actually holding guns and resisting the Avengers' attack together with the combat personnel. Barton had already occupied the high ground at this time, and the commanding view allowed him to hit his targets with ease.
"What sharp archery, actually piercing the enemy's sole with one arrow and pinning him in place. If this arrow had been shot in the head, the enemy would have been dead as hell, right?"
Barton's eyelid twitched wildly, and the target he was aiming at quietly moved up to the head. Matt took off his coat, and his blind cane swung out to become a long staff.
Although he had lost his vision, the enemy's bullets couldn't get near him either. Furthermore, his speed and precision when attacking didn't diminish at all; he often knocked the opponent's weapon away with one strike, then knocked them unconscious with another blow.
"Not bad, a problem that can be solved with one stick, I insist on hitting twice. Hey, it's just for fun!"
In an instant, the speed at which Matt swung his staff became much faster. Luke's body was hard enough, and his strength was also strong. A punch from him could often send people flying directly, but the problem was that the enemy who was sent flying could still force themselves to endure the pain and shoot at him, so he was forced to dodge.
"Impressive, my strongman, may I ask where to buy tickets?"
Luke gritted his teeth and punched another enemy who ran out from a corner. Pop! That head was much nicer to watch when it shattered than a watermelon. Rhodes was in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy.
"What bullets, what Pulse Cannon, fist-to-flesh is a man's romance. Iron armor? It's clearly a suit of armor!"
With a swoosh, Rhodes broke free from the enemy and rose into the air. At this time, a figure suddenly appeared sneakingly from behind Hong Fei. He quietly raised his muzzle, and his index finger slowly reached for the trigger. The next second, there was only a low, shallow dragon roar and a flash of golden light that appeared and disappeared suddenly.
This person instantly flew out and stuck to the wall, and a huge hole suddenly appeared in his chest. Looking back, Sam was flying in the sky. His high-tech goggles assisted him in releasing attack drones one after another, quickly causing a series of continuous explosions in the laboratory below, with extremely high attack efficiency.
"Oh my, what a beautiful explosion, but can you guess what HYDRA is actually researching here?"
Hearing this, Sam quickly put away his drones and turned to shoot with his small pistol, biu biu. As soon as the words fell, Steve's voice sounded in Hong Fei's earpiece: "Is it my turn?"
Hong Fei: "..."