There were only a few hundred Hydra soldiers stationed in the entire base, most of them concentrated inside the main building.
Caught completely off guard, the soldiers outside were quickly wiped out by Steve and the freed Allied prisoners who had suddenly stormed out.
By the time Baron Strucker in the control room realized something was wrong and hit the alarm, large groups of Hydra troops were already flooding out of the base.
But Steve was an unstoppable force on the battlefield. With a sword in hand, he charged headlong through the hail of bullets, cutting down Hydra soldiers one after another.
Meanwhile, more and more freed prisoners were arming themselves. The gunfire became fierce and balanced—the battle had turned into a full-scale firefight around the perimeter of the base.
Soon, when the Allied prisoners seized the unattended tanks and armored vehicles parked in the yard, the tide of battle completely shifted.
Hydra soldiers pouring out of the buildings were now being torn apart by their own weapons.
Shells exploded across the ground, ripping apart trucks and walls. Flesh and debris scattered through the air, and flames engulfed everything left behind.
Machine guns howled through the night, mowing down Hydra soldiers one by one. The losses on Hydra's side mounted rapidly until they were being completely suppressed.
Realizing the situation was slipping out of control, Baron Strucker slammed his fist onto the console, his face dark with fury.
"Damn it! How did those people escape?!"
The factory supervisor beside him stood frozen in terror, not daring to answer.
Through the monitors, they could clearly see Hydra troops being pushed back by the rampaging prisoners—especially the towering figure with the shield and sword, cutting through soldiers like a reaper. No one could stop him.
Seeing that his men were no match and the base was on the verge of collapse, a cold gleam flashed in Strucker's eyes. He spun toward another console and began flipping a series of switches.
"No! What are you doing?!" The factory supervisor, realizing he was activating the base's self-destruct system, finally overcame his fear and rushed forward to stop him.
"Our soldiers are finished! You'd rather let them take the base?" Strucker snarled, shoving the man aside and continuing to arm the self-destruction sequence.
The supervisor stumbled, his eyes darting to the monitors—at the powerful figure in black tactical armor, wielding a sword among Hydra's collapsing ranks. A chill crept up his spine.
If the base fell, he'd be next. He didn't want to know how it would feel to be on the receiving end of that razor-sharp blade.
Panicking, he turned to run—
And then the heavy iron doors of the control room were blasted inward by a tremendous force. The entire steel door ripped off its hinges and crashed violently onto the floor before them.
The terrified supervisor froze, backing up step by step until he hit the console, eyes wide with fear as he stared toward the shattered doorway.
Baron Strucker glanced at the door lying on the floor. The thick steel was bent inward—at its center, a deep dent shaped like a boot print.
Whoever had done this had kicked the door clean off its frame.
He slowly lifted his gaze—
A tall, broad figure stepped through the doorway, clad in a black combat suit. The hilt of a long sword jutted from his back.
In an instant, Strucker realized he'd seen that silhouette before—on the surveillance feed moments ago.
"You… you were downstairs! That's impossible!" The panicked supervisor blurted out the words Strucker himself was thinking.
The intruder wore a mask, leaving only a pair of hawk-like eyes exposed. His gaze swept coldly across the control room, and wherever it passed, the air itself seemed to freeze.
When his eyes met the supervisor's, the man nearly collapsed in terror.
Finally, the masked man's gaze stopped on the row of monitors.
"Is that who you were talking about?"
A deep, cold voice echoed from behind the mask.
Both men turned instinctively to the screens—where another figure, dressed exactly the same, was cutting down Hydra soldiers with lethal precision.
Clearly, the man standing before them was someone else—but definitely on the same side.
Strucker's expression hardened. Murder flared in his eyes as he reached beneath his coat, drawing a slender, ornate rapier.
His boots shifted, and with blinding speed he lunged forward, thrusting the blade straight toward the intruder's chest.
It was a weapon of aristocratic craftsmanship: a beautifully engraved guard, a blade thin but strong, diamond-shaped and deadly—perfect for both thrusting and slashing.
Baron Strucker was a true German noble by blood — a man born and trained to fight.
He was a master swordsman, his attacks swift, precise, and merciless.
Chen Mo didn't rely on his alloy armor's defense. Seeing the rapier darting straight toward his heart, he twisted sideways, dodging just in time.
He was about to counterattack when the blade, having missed its mark, suddenly snapped sideways, turning the thrust into a sweeping slash.
Caught off guard by the baron's reflexes, Chen Mo didn't completely evade. The sword tip ripped across his chest, slicing through the outer layer of his combat suit and exposing the black armored layer beneath.
Pulling back to widen the distance, Chen Mo steadied himself, eyes narrowing as he studied the baron's stance and blade.
Since arriving in this world, Chen Mo had always been in control — guided by his foreknowledge of movie events and his extraordinary physique.
Every battle, every plan had gone smoothly.
Even the most powerful enemies — the Hydra leader Red Skull or the Brooklyn mob bosses — had all fallen before him with ease.
But this long streak of victories, coupled with his ever-growing power, had changed something within him.
He'd become overly confident — even arrogant — seeing no one as his equal.
He remembered the old days, when every move was meticulously planned.
He'd once set traps in a church to cripple Red Skull, who had been stronger than him back then, never giving the villain a chance to recover.
Later, he'd trained Steve, joined the Strategic Scientific Reserve, and eventually rose to become one of the leading figures of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Now, with two of the world's greatest secret forces under his control — Hydra's advanced technology, the super-soldier serum, and even Adamantium itself — Chen Mo held power enough to alter the course of history.
And yet… standing before this cold-eyed baron, blade glinting in the dim light —
He realized for the first time in a long while…
he might actually be in for a real fight.