"How come there's suddenly no one here?"
Nick frowned as he looked at the sparse opposition. This was a bit unusual. Could it be that they had retreated to one place, or were preparing to launch a surprise attack? Or perhaps they were preparing to withdraw? All of this gave the suspicious Nick a headache. After all, according to his previous understanding of Hydra, they were very likely accumulating power in the shadows to catch them off guard. But decades had passed, and no one could say whether the internal tenets of Hydra had changed.
"What kind of trick are these snakeheads playing?"
The Captain beside Nick was also puzzled. This was completely different from the Hydra he had fought before. Even if they fought to the last man, such a situation wouldn't occur; they would all hold their ground. But this evasive behavior was really giving people a headache. For the sake of safety, the Captain felt it was better not to launch an all-out war, but to find a few more capable hands to infiltrate with him first. The Captain told Nick his thoughts.
"Alright, Natasha and Barton, plus Agent May, will conduct the infiltration mission with you. These are all elite Special Agents; they definitely won't hold you back."
Nick expressed his support for the Captain's idea. Now, no one knew what the situation was inside, nor did they know what kind of smoke bomb Hydra was setting off. The Captain's action was undoubtedly the key to this battle. If possible, he didn't want the Captain to leave the front line, but since this situation had arisen, it was not time to act based on emotions.
"Captain, everything is in your hands. Stay safe."
Sighing deeply, Nick patted the Captain on the shoulder. Things had reached this point, and Nick could only say such a dry, polite remark. On the battlefield, no one could be sure if they would be 'eliminated' by the opponent in the next moment. The battlefield changing in an instant was no lie, but the experience of all who participated in the war.
"Leave it to me!"
Puffing out his chest, the Captain said firmly that even if his dearest, most in-sync best friend Bucky wasn't here, he could still cooperate with others to complete arduous missions. Besides, Natasha and the others were already excellent. He wasn't missing his best friend, he complained internally. Really, he wasn't thinking about Bucky at all, not even a little bit.
"Miss Artoria, long time no see."
The stark family was enjoying their time together, but Artoria soon saw an acquaintance. Stacy, dressed in a tight combat suit, found Artoria and spoke to her gratefully. When she was in her most difficult time, it was Artoria who helped Stacy. She would never forget this kindness in her entire life. After joining S.H.I.E.L.D., she finally saw her Father. Although he was already insane and dying, she still lived with her Father for a few days. This period was the happiest time of her life. She had finally found a home, although it was gone again, but Stacy was stronger now.
"Long time no see, Stacy."
After greeting her mother, Artoria looked at Stacy with some surprise. Honestly, Artoria didn't expect to run into Stacy at a time like this. Before, she only communicated with Stacy through messages, and they didn't exchange much. Artoria didn't ask, and recently the two hadn't really been in touch. It was possible that Stacy was busy with missions. She had never thought they would meet during something like this. When Stacy looked at Artoria with her parents, the envy in her eyes never disappeared. Artoria saw it, and felt a bit of heartache for this little girl.
"Come visit me often in the future, you can treat this as your own home too."
Gently placing her hand on Stacy's head, relying on her above-average height, Artoria easily adopted the posture of an older sister, making Stacy look up at her. A warm feeling flowed from Artoria's hand, slowly entering Stacy's heart, which was yearning for family affection. She stared quietly into Artoria's eyes, feeling her nose sting, and two lines of hot tears flowed down her cheeks uncontrollably. The feeling of being moved in her heart grew even stronger.
"At a time like this, we shouldn't disturb them!"
Howard intended to continue chatting with Artoria, but was pulled back by Maria. The atmosphere there was so good; you old geezer, don't go disturbing their conversation. Maria understood how to be considerate of others better than Howard, and it was because of this woman, Maria, that Howard, the playboy, was able to turn over a new leaf.
"I still wanted to have a good chat with my little princess! She's been acting spoiled with you, can't she act spoiled with her dad too!?"
Although he grumbled like that, physically, Howard obediently followed Maria's suggestion and did not continue walking towards Artoria and the other. He was just that kind of unromantic person. Usually, as a genius, he was a cut above the rest, and after becoming wealthy, he had the personality of a nouveau riche; everyone had to go along with his temper, otherwise, he could annoy them to Death. Only after meeting Maria did he truly restrain himself.
"What exactly happened to them?"
The Captain quickly began the operation, taking three Special Agents with extraordinary skills. The four of them quickly infiltrated the enemy area, but there were too few of them. Apart from some guys wearing Ninja outfits, there were only some miscellaneous soldiers left. Even Captains were rare. Such a situation was too abnormal, making the Captain have to act cautiously. They took care of a few guys and captured four prisoners, but whether they were Ninjas or Hydra guys, they all committed suicide, not even giving them a chance to interrogate them. It was really headache-inducing.
"It seems the only way to know what happened is to infiltrate the White House."
Based on the situation here, Natasha and Agent May discussed and analyzed it, feeling that there was a high possibility the enemy had fled. However, the Captain and Barton didn't think so. The two of them felt that Hydra might be gathering strength, so their main force wasn't here. A disagreement arose. This analysis was easy to resolve: infiltrate the White House occupied by the enemy, and then all answers would be known. Upon reaching this conclusion, none of the four objected.
"Then Natasha and I will infiltrate together. Barton and Agent May, hide at a concealed location near the White House. If anything happens, I will cover the retreat, Natasha will withdraw quickly, Barton will provide cover, and Agent May will report the situation to Nick and the others."
"Understood X3."
After determining the objective, the four began to act quickly. Along the way, strangely, they didn't encounter a single enemy. Relying on their rich experience, the Captain and Natasha began to infiltrate the blind spots of the White House. Still, they didn't find anyone's presence. The Captain's eyebrows were tangled together at this moment. What on earth was going on? There wasn't a single person. Was there a big surprise waiting in the back? The Captain's nerves were highly vigilant; he felt his heart was about to jump into his throat. The Captain quickly regulated his breathing.
"Move out!"
At the command, the Captain and Natasha, like two cheetahs, broke into the White House. The expected attack did not occur. Apart from the stinking corpses on the ground, there wasn't a single living person. Natasha held her pistol with both hands, looking around vigilantly. Then, her eyes widened. On the central pillar, Pierce was nailed to it, and a strange pattern was drawn on the pillar with blood, as if some kind of ritual was being performed.
"It's too late, there's no saving him."
After observing the surroundings and confirming there were indeed no survivors, the Captain stepped forward to check Pierce's body. Looking at the other's eyes, widened in terror, and his pained, twisted face, the Captain sighed. He was out of breath; that is to say, Alexander Pierce was dead. Hydra had retreated. Although they had won this victory, the Captain's brow did not relax. Who knew where these guys had hidden themselves again, and they were going to harm people from the shadows again. It was truly chilling.
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