At Colonel Phillips's words, Peggy couldn't help but smile.
"That depends on when our distinguished commander decides to come back."
"This brat's taking longer than usual. If it were before, he'd have wiped out a Hydra base already and made me treat him to dinner."
Phillips's tone sounded like a complaint, but anyone who knew him could hear the pride in his voice. It wasn't scolding — it was praise.
Agent Carter, watching her commanding officer speak so fondly of Chen Mo, couldn't help but feel a twinge of sympathy for Steve.
She knew Steve wasn't as overwhelmingly strong as Chen Mo, but with the super-soldier serum running through his veins, his combat power far exceeded that of any ordinary man. He was certainly not as inadequate as the colonel often made him sound.
He was righteous, intelligent, and brave — even willing to risk his life for his friends. Peggy felt that Steve simply hadn't yet had the chance to prove himself. She hoped this mission would change the colonel's opinion of him.
Just as the two were discussing the missing men inside the temporary command tent, a commotion suddenly erupted outside. Soldiers were shouting and running past the entrance.
"They're back!"
"Unbelievable!"
…
"What's going on out there?" Phillips frowned, his tone sharp. Without waiting for Carter's reply, he stood and strode out of the tent toward the noise.
Peggy, equally curious, followed close behind.
At the camp gate, dozens of soldiers had gathered. The rumble of engines and the synchronized tramp of boots echoed from the road beyond. As the sound grew louder, the crowd instinctively parted — revealing the sight beyond the gates.
Marching down the road was a group of ragged soldiers, weapons in hand. But at their head walked two towering figures, clad in matching black armored combat suits, their presence calm, powerful, and commanding.
Phillips recognized them instantly — the men were survivors of the 107th Infantry Regiment, who had been captured by Hydra. Nearly a hundred of them. And leading them were none other than the two who had vanished deep behind enemy lines days ago: Steve Rogers and Chen Mo.
The returning soldiers looked worn and battle-stained, yet their faces radiated pride and confidence. Their steps were firm, their spirits high.
Behind them trailed a convoy of spoils — more than a dozen black-painted tanks, trucks, and armored vehicles, all bearing the Hydra insignia.
That night, after Chen Mo had broken free of the base, he had unleashed his full speed and quickly caught up with Steve and the liberated prisoners several kilometers away.
But instead of fugitives, he found a victorious army. Their morale was soaring. Far from fleeing in panic, they looked like soldiers returning triumphant from war.
And in truth, they were.
Under Steve's command, the freed men had seized Hydra's heavy weaponry — tanks, armored vehicles, and artillery that had been left largely unguarded.
With that firepower, they easily overpowered the remaining Hydra troops stationed outside the base.
If not for Steve's insistence on retreating as Chen Mo had ordered, they might have stormed the entire Hydra complex and wiped it out completely.
But Steve didn't know Hydra's full strength. He had no idea how many more soldiers and weapons might still be inside. And Chen Mo had been clear — once the prisoners were safe, they were to leave immediately.
Steve had always obeyed his mentor without question.
He followed that order to the letter, focusing only on getting his men out alive, not on turning back to fight.
The rescued prisoners, newly freed from their cells, wanted nothing more than to escape.
They followed their savior — the indomitable Captain America — as fast as they could, only stopping several kilometers away at Steve's command.
And it was a good thing they had.
Moments after Chen Mo caught up, before he could even speak, the Hydra base behind them erupted in an earth-shattering explosion.
A blinding fireball lit up the night sky, climbing higher and higher until it formed a small mushroom cloud.
The first thing they felt was the ground trembling beneath their feet, as if struck by an earthquake.
Tanks and armored vehicles rocked violently; many men lost their footing and fell.
Then came the thunderous boom — followed by a wave of pressure that tore through the trees.
Even several kilometers away, with forest cover to absorb the impact, the shockwave was strong enough to send men stumbling backward.
Only Chen Mo and Steve managed to remain standing.
Everyone else was thrown flat to the ground.
If it was this powerful here, what must it have been like at ground zero?
The Hydra base had been completely obliterated.
The sight left everyone shaken. If they hadn't followed Chen Mo's order to evacuate when they did, none of them would have survived.
Steve and the rescued soldiers exchanged glances, silent gratitude in their eyes.
When the roar faded, it took them a long while before anyone dared stand. They all looked toward the horizon, where half the sky was still burning red.
"Master… how did you know the base was going to explode?" Steve asked, stepping closer.
During the battle, he had believed himself untouchable — between his enhanced physique, the armored combat suit Chen Mo had given him, and his alloy shield, he'd felt unstoppable.
He had charged headlong into gunfire without hesitation, tearing through Hydra ranks like a living weapon. His suit was shredded by bullets, but beneath it gleamed the same black alloy armor Chen Mo wore.
It had been his first true battle — and he had saved hundreds of men, crushed Hydra soldiers by the dozens, and felt, for the first time, what it meant to be a hero. A part of him had swelled with pride.
But the explosion's shockwave had humbled him.
For all his strength and endurance, he realized now that he wasn't invincible.
A single misstep, and he could have been vaporized along with the base.
Power without respect for danger was just arrogance.
Chen Mo couldn't read Steve's thoughts, but he noticed the look in his protégé's eyes — steadier now, more confident yet tempered, sharp but not reckless. It pleased him.
"I've destroyed two Hydra bases before," Chen Mo said calmly. "Both had self-destruct systems. This one was no exception."
He hadn't needed to explain it earlier. He trusted Steve to follow orders exactly — and he had.
Just then, a startled voice broke through their conversation.
"You… you're the commander of that secret special forces unit, aren't you?!"
It was Bucky, standing behind Steve, staring wide-eyed at Chen Mo — the black armor gleaming under the moonlight.