Gunfire roared through the shelter, muzzle flashes tearing the dim air into stuttering strips of light.
Bullets hammered into Steve Rogers' body.
Yet the zombie Captain America did not fall.
His body jerked with each impact, military boots grinding against broken concrete, but he kept advancing. The tattered remains of muscle and sinew beneath his torn uniform absorbed the rounds with horrifying resilience. A low, guttural growl rumbled from his throat.
The survivors' formation collapsed instantly.
"Reload! Reload!"
"Fall back!"
"Get behind cover!"
Panic spread faster than the gunfire.
Steve suddenly moved.
Not the stiff shuffle of an ordinary zombie—but a burst of speed.
He vanished from where he stood and reappeared amid the crowd like a phantom in motion. One massive hand clamped around a man's throat and lifted him clear off the ground.
"Crack."
The sound of a neck snapping was crisp and final.
Blood sprayed.
Screams followed.
"Damn it!" Barney Ross cursed, flicking away his cigarette and drawing his revolver. "Caesar! Suppress him!"
The M2 machine gun roared from behind cover, its heavy rounds finally staggering Steve backward. Concrete exploded around him as sparks danced off the shield embedded in the wall nearby.
But even under the barrage, Steve did not retreat.
He reached out—
—and the shield embedded in the rubble trembled.
Then, as if pulled by an invisible thread, it ripped free and flew straight into his hand.
The moment his fingers closed around it, something changed.
Even as a zombie, with half his face torn and one eye cloudy with decay, there was an unmistakable presence.
The presence of a soldier.
"Clang!"
He charged forward, shield raised.
Heavy machine gun rounds slammed into the vibranium surface and ricocheted wildly, tearing into walls and ceiling. Survivors dove for the ground.
Christmas fired his P90 in controlled bursts.
"Headshots! Aim for the damn head!"
Bullets chewed into Steve's skull, exposing bone—
—but the zombie kept coming.
Gunnar muttered in disbelief, "That's not scientifically reasonable…"
Li Jie watched quietly from behind a collapsed pillar.
His eyes were calm.
This wasn't just an ordinary infected.
The serum that once made Steve Rogers humanity's peak physical specimen had mutated within the virus. Instead of weakening him, death had perfected him—removing hesitation, removing pain, removing restraint.
A super soldier without limits.
Interesting.
Steve hurled the shield.
It sliced through the air like a spinning guillotine.
"Down!" Barney shouted.
The shield smashed into the machine gun nest, cleaving through the M2 mount and sending Caesar sprawling. Before anyone could react, it ricocheted off a steel beam and returned cleanly to Steve's hand.
The fake Captain America, who had been crawling desperately toward an exit, froze.
Steve's head turned slowly.
One remaining eye locked onto the imposter.
A low growl vibrated from his chest.
The fake screamed and scrambled backward. "No—no, I'm not him! I'm not—!"
Too late.
Steve moved like a missile.
He crossed the distance in a blink and slammed the shield forward.
"Boom!"
The imposter was crushed against a concrete pillar, bones folding like paper. The shield pinned him there for a moment before Steve yanked it free, leaving behind a red smear where a symbol once stood.
Silence fell for half a second.
Then chaos resumed.
Steve turned back toward the crowd.
Li Jie finally moved.
He stepped out from behind cover and walked calmly toward the battlefield, as though strolling through a park.
Barney noticed him first.
"Li! This isn't the time to show off!"
Steve charged.
Li Jie didn't dodge.
At the last instant, the shield came smashing down toward his skull—
—and Li Jie raised one hand.
"Bang!"
The impact exploded like a cannon blast.
Shockwaves rippled outward, cracking nearby walls.
But the shield stopped.
It stopped inches from Li Jie's face.
Held firmly in his palm.
The entire shelter went silent.
Steve pushed harder, muscles bulging grotesquely, veins blackened by infection.
Li Jie tilted his head slightly.
"So this is the real Captain America."
His fingers tightened.
With a sharp twist, he wrenched the shield out of Steve's grasp.
For the first time since entering the shelter—
Steve Rogers staggered.
A faint, almost nostalgic smile touched Li Jie's lips.
"Let me show you what real strength looks like."
....
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