It turned out that Bucky had overheard Chen Mo's earlier remark and, connecting it to the rumors that had long circulated among the front-line troops, instantly guessed his identity — blurting it out in shock.
The surrounding soldiers, hearing Bucky's outcry, began gathering around.
"So he's from that legendary secret unit?"
"He's the commander of the special forces?"
"No wonder we escaped so easily — he must've been covering us from behind!"
"That explosion earlier — that was his doing, wasn't it?"
"Of course it was! Didn't you see? The moment he arrived, the whole Hydra base went up!"
"I heard he once destroyed an entire Hydra base by himself!"
"Even Hydra's super tanks were no match for him — they say he can slice a barrel clean in half with a single swing!"
…
The soldiers' voices buzzed with awe and excitement, their gazes fixed feverishly on Chen Mo — the man clad in pitch-black armor, a sword and shield strapped to his back, only a pair of razor-sharp eyes visible beneath his mask.
Steve couldn't help feeling a little envious; even he hadn't drawn this kind of crowd.
In America, Captain America was a household name, his fame reaching even the soldiers fighting across Europe. But among those very soldiers, Chen Mo's reputation ran even deeper.
Though his missions were officially classified, word always found its way to the trenches.
Whenever a Hydra regiment proved too strong — when Allied lines began to collapse and defenses could barely hold — a mysterious strike unit would arrive out of nowhere.
They were said to be ghostlike, every member clad in black tactical armor, led by a tall, imposing commander whose very presence carried an almost crushing authority.
The unit was based in its own restricted section of the camp, separate from regular troops. Despite the secrecy, soldiers stationed nearby had caught glimpses of them — returning from missions covered in smoke and dust — and then, as if by miracle, the Hydra forces that had been tormenting the front would vanish completely.
Soon, the "Special Operations Unit" became legend among the Allied ranks.
And soldiers — men who lived and died by strength — revered legends. They worshipped heroes who could fight and win where ordinary men could not.
The mystery surrounding the unit only made it more fascinating. Piece by piece, rumors grew into belief: the black-ops strike team had eliminated two full Hydra bases under the command of their superhuman leader. Hydra's offensives had waned ever since.
It was said the team was made up of the most elite soldiers from every Allied nation, formed to combat Hydra's growing threat. Under their commander's lead — a man stronger, faster, and smarter than any soldier alive — they had crushed Hydra armies that ordinary divisions couldn't even scratch.
Every soldier on the front dreamed of joining that unit.
Every one of them idolized its commander.
Chen Mo's unmatched combat strength, his fearless fighting style, and his dazzling string of victories had earned him an army of devoted admirers — without him even knowing it.
Even Bucky, now looking at him with barely contained excitement, was one of them.
From Steve, Bucky already knew that the man standing before him — Steve's mentor — was the very same dojo master he'd met once long ago, the one who'd left such a deep impression on him back in Brooklyn.
It was almost surreal. His personal idol, the living legend whispered about across the entire front line, turned out to be his best friend's teacher — a man he'd once shared a cup of coffee with and ridden to the World Expo beside.
Realizing this, Bucky felt a rush of pride and disbelief.
When he looked at the other soldiers, their eyes burning with excitement, a smug grin crept onto his face.
You guys worship him from afar, he thought. But I've actually fought alongside him.
While the camp buzzed with chaotic admiration for their "super commander," Chen Mo himself remained calm. The soldiers' fervent praise meant little to him.
After all, he was the secret master of Hydra — and Hydra's elite, fanatically loyal soldiers looked upon him with even deeper devotion than this.
They wouldn't shout or crowd around him like these young men; they would kneel.
To them, he was not a man — he was a god.
Still, the soldiers weren't wrong about one thing: without Chen Mo, they would never have escaped the base so easily.
His duel with Baron Strucker in the control room had tied up the enemy's command, leaving no one to organize a counterattack or activate the base's hidden defenses. That chaos was what allowed Steve and the prisoners to break out so cleanly.
Once he'd reunited with them, Chen Mo quickly took charge, leading the group toward Allied territory.
He'd memorized the terrain from the map he'd studied aboard the plane before the mission — every contour line, every frontline position, every unit deployment.
Right now, they were about thirty kilometers behind German lines, deep in mountainous terrain. The thick forests offered cover, but returning to the Allied side would mean breaking through the enemy's blockade — and that would be far from easy.
The sector ahead of them was one of the Wehrmacht's strongest defensive lines, guarded by armored divisions and tens of thousands of infantry.
Even with their captured Hydra tanks and heavy weapons, their hundred-odd men didn't stand a chance against that kind of force.
Even Chen Mo and Steve, for all their superhuman strength, couldn't simply charge through.
A direct assault would draw massed fire from artillery and machine guns — even if they survived, their men wouldn't.
So Chen Mo chose another path.
Using the mental map in his head, he identified a weakness in the German line — to the west, some thirty kilometers away.
Calling it a "weak point" was generous. It wasn't undefended, just difficult terrain: a narrow mountain pass where large formations couldn't maneuver.
The Germans had stationed only a single artillery detachment there — about 170 men operating four 150mm Krupp K39 cannons.
The position was naturally fortified, and in ordinary circumstances, it would have been enough to stop any small assault force cold.
But that was without factoring in Chen Mo.
With the plan set, the unit rested briefly before moving out under his command.
The mountain roads were rough and steep.
Even Hydra's advanced tanks and armored vehicles crawled forward at a sluggish pace.
Fortunately, the captured trucks carried plenty of rations, and there was no shortage of fresh water in the hills.
After a long day of grueling travel, they finally reached the outskirts of the German artillery camp — the next obstacle standing between them and home.