Frank the Punisher stared fiercely at the flaming skeleton in front of him. His powerful body was like that of a grizzly bear, forming a sharp contrast with Robbie Reyes's thin skeletal frame, as if the two belonged to completely different styles of painting.
"Captain! Take Barton and go first. I'll hold him off!" Frank was like a mobile arsenal. The firearms in his hands continued to spit flames, restraining Robbie's movements. Against Frank's hail of bullets, the hellish chariot roared savagely. Its flaming wheels scraped sparks across the dry, hard ground, leaving thick black tire marks behind.
Seeing this, Frank quickly dodged to the side, but the hellish chariot seemed to have locked onto him. It chased after him like a cat that had smelled fish, tracking him with sharp precision as it rumbled forward.
Carter looked at Robbie, then at Frank. She gritted her teeth, clutched her broken shoulder, and ran toward Barton's charred body in the distance. The top priority was not figuring out how to defeat Robbie, but how to keep her men alive against such a terrifying warrior.
Carter threw the shield to Frank and shouted,
"Catch it, Frank! You must survive!"
Frank caught the shield, planted his feet on the hood of the Dodge muscle car, and vaulted over a tank in a few long strides. The spinning shield tore through the tank's tires, and raging fire scattered sparks. The vehicle dragged across the ground for more than ten meters before finally crashing into a large tree.
The sharp front end was like a blade slicing through a melon, easily cutting apart anything that blocked its path. Even hard steel plates could be cut through with ease.
Frank's mortal body could not block the impact of the chariot, even while holding the shield.
Robbie let out a chattering laugh, his upper and lower jawbones colliding with a harsh clacking sound. The sinister laughter echoed in Frank's ears, and hellfire wandered across the skeleton's entire body like a fire dragon, giving off a grinding, crackling sound.
The evil spirit crawling out of hell sneered and charged through the sea of gunfire. Frank's proud firepower looked extremely pale before that immortal body, and the strong man was knocked away after only a few exchanges.
"Damn it!" Frank cursed. He could not deal with an opponent of this level at all. To some extent, the Robbie in front of him was even harder to handle than the Hulk.
"Heh-heh-heh! Frank, you escaped last time. Do you really think you can leave alive this time?" Wanda's voice appeared again. Last time, Frank had sneaked into the red mist with the Thunder Agents. Iron Fist, Jessica, Luke Cage, Matthew... all those teammates had died in the red mist, while he had been saved by Renzo and survived alone...
Frank suddenly remembered that powerful man. In his most desperate moment, Red Hulk's fist had been only a dozen centimeters away from blasting his head apart, and that golden cloak had descended like a god from heaven, like a beam of light shining on him through layer upon layer of clouds.
A behemoth like the Hulk had exploded before his eyes like fireworks, naked and violent. He would never forget that gorgeous, cruel, and bloody sight for the rest of his life.
If he also had that kind of power, he should be able to defeat Ghost Rider easily. He could control both of them as casually as handling puppies.
Renzo could blow Hulk's head off in one strike, so this little skeleton frame certainly should not be a problem.
Frank smiled and rolled aside to avoid the flying chains, but the chariot slammed into him and sent him crashing heavily to the ground.
"The Punisher... who are you punishing? Me? Criminals? Your wife and children? Or... yourself?" Wanda's voice sounded again, trying to break him by confusing his mind.
This was the last trace of emotion she retained. If these heroes were willing to surrender to her, she did not like starting massacres.
Wanda used to be a gentle woman. After having children, her original emotions were forcibly suppressed deep in her heart. The restlessness and madness that came from the depths of her soul had gradually been restrained by maternal love. Her enormous love for her children made her forget the truth of what she had become.
Chthon's appearance had awakened Wanda's long-buried heart again. Like the stone from which Sun Wukong was born, the heavens changed, the earth shook, and the whole world seemed to wail and rage at the birth of the Scarlet Witch...
Wanda wanted to create a world ruled by her, a world without pain, sadness, or loneliness. A world where children of every class, age, and race could live happily forever... a better world without discrimination and war.
Wanda had almost succeeded. She had already killed a large number of heroes, captured many powerful ones in an instant, and made them her own.
The Frank in front of her was not actually part of her recruitment plan, but if he agreed, that would be fine too.
Robbie also made one last attempt, inviting Frank to join the Scarlet Kingdom and serve Wanda with him.
"Don't be stupid! Who do you think you are? If you weren't the mother of two children, my machine gun would have shot you hundreds of times over." Frank spoke tough, but from the corner of his eye, he caught sight of Captain Carter. She was dragging Barton's charred body with difficulty, gradually disappearing from view.
"I'm just playing with you. After all, I haven't seen such an amusing toy in a long time." Robbie certainly knew what Frank was thinking, but he did not care. After all, fewer and fewer people dared to challenge Ghost Rider. It was rare to encounter something fun, so naturally, he did not want to spoil it too quickly.
"Peggy Carter... are you worried about her? That's unnecessary. The person I'm determined to take cannot leave." Wanda controlled Robbie and spoke meaningfully. "Don't worry. Someone else will catch her."
Frank's eyes widened for an instant. At the same time, a burst of fierce fire suddenly appeared in the direction Carter had just fled, like an exploding furnace. The rising flames swept out with scorching heat, baking the surrounding earth until even the air became faintly dry.
A body covered in flames suddenly shot into the sky, and on his shoulder was Captain Carter, who had just left.
Frank's eyes nearly split as he roared and poured bullets toward the figure. Unfortunately, those small projectiles carrying kinetic force could not harm the burning man flying in the air. As if he had not even seen Frank, he carried Captain Carter away from New Jersey.
Yes, Wanda had never believed from the beginning that Robbie Reyes alone could defeat Carter's team. Although this was a hero organization made up of ordinary people, and each person's individual strength was not particularly powerful, they were comrades who had fought side by side for ten years. Their tacit understanding was not as simple as one plus one equaling two.
As she had expected, Ghost Rider alone could not defeat this team in a short time.
So she had sent the Human Torch to appear as a surprise attacker and capture Peggy Carter.
Boom!
A thunderous rumble sounded, and a thick chain instantly struck the shield behind the strong man. Frank was knocked to the ground by the sudden blow.
"Don't get distracted, Frank. Otherwise, I'll break your hands and feet, drag you down to hell, and let those shameless demons devour you greedily."
Robbie's arrogant laughter reached the man's ears, but Frank had no answer. He had no way to beat this monster-like enemy, even with the shield in his hand...
For the first time, Frank lowered his proud gun, looked at the fallen shield, and dropped weakly to his knees.
He gave up. He stopped struggling. The shield, which was clearly very light, felt unbearably heavy in his hands, so heavy he could not even lift it. He was not worthy of it at all.
"I thought you would be a decent opponent..." Robbie shook his head in disappointment. Seeing the loneliness of the one-eyed man in front of him, his aura of decadence was almost tangible, surrounding him completely.
"And you still have us..." Natasha's figure suddenly appeared. Her body was like a little wildcat that had wandered for a long time, secretly hiding in the darkness, pretending to be harmless while waiting for the moment her opponent revealed a flaw so she could deliver a fatal blow.
The dark electric baton struck Robbie's body. She pulled the pistol hidden in her boot, aimed at Robbie's head, and fired several shots until the magazine was empty, but it still caused no damage.
Robbie easily knocked the gun out of Natasha's hand. Their bodies were almost touching. At such close range, the hellish chain in his hand became a burden. Natasha headbutted him, but Robbie did not move at all.
"How ridiculous!"
"What's next?" Natasha suddenly smiled charmingly and slumped down.
Before Robbie could realize what she was doing, he was suddenly struck in the back of the head. His body was bound by a tough cable, pulling him up toward the sky.
"Sam! Let's go!" Natasha shouted to Falcon, who had regained consciousness. She glanced anxiously at Frank, who was kneeling on the ground, hesitated, then stepped forward, grabbed his hair, and said harshly,
"Wake up. Captain Carter's shield is with you. She didn't want it left behind. Do you understand what that means?" Natasha slapped Frank twice and shook out her dust-covered hair. "She acknowledged you. You'd better not let her down."
Natasha picked up the shield that had fallen to the ground and handed it to the dejected man. "If you really want to give up, then pretend I never said any of that. Pretend Carter saw the wrong person. Maybe you really aren't worthy of picking up this shield."
Natasha placed the shield in front of Frank. Without saying anything more, she jogged all the way toward the fighter jet. There were currently two wounded people on the plane. Both Barton and Speedster were seriously injured, and if they did not receive treatment in time, they probably would not last long.
She had no time to pay attention to a man who had lost his fighting spirit. If he wanted to die, he could die. If he did not, he could leave with her. It was a simple choice.
Sam released a large number of smoke bombs in the sky to confuse Robbie's sight and senses, although he could not figure out what those empty eye sockets were using to see so clearly.
"Come on!"
Sam flew low over Frank's head, but there was still no sign of movement. Natasha slowly shook her head, chose to start the fighter jet, and left.
Frank stared silently at the shield. It could be called the hardest weapon in the world. It symbolized the spirit of freedom and sacrifice, the rise of an era. It was a sacred object he had once worshiped and respected.
Captain Carter's experience had always inspired him to move forward bravely and strengthen his goals and beliefs, which was also why he had joined the military.
He became a strong soldier, followed his country's orders without hesitation, and participated in battle after battle. He had thought his life would be fulfilling and stable that way.
But fate played a joke on him. His tragic experience won no one's sympathy. The system did not avenge him, choosing instead to ignore it.
That had chilled him completely, so he chose to fight violence with violence and live by his own code.
Since no one would give him justice, he would take it himself.
Frank admired Captain Carter, but that did not mean he would become someone like Captain Carter. The person he would always become was himself—Frank, the Punisher.
Frank's unfocused eyes gradually sharpened, and he picked up the shield in front of him without hesitation. He wanted to bring this shield back to Captain Carter.
At that moment, the fighter jet behind him slowly rose. Natasha was piloting the Quinjet. Its metal surface was slowly covered by a special reflective layer. By reflecting sunlight at a precise angle, the aircraft displayed the same image as its surroundings, achieving a form of invisibility.
Natasha still had not given up on her comrade. She lowered the hovering ladder. Frank placed the shield on his back and threw down all the extra guns on his body to reduce his weight. He stepped onto the ruins of a collapsed house, and with his astonishing jumping ability, he reached the end of the hanging ladder.
Seeing this, Natasha hurriedly started the fighter jet and increased its altitude.
Boom!
But the roar of a chariot interrupted the joy of their escape.
Robbie drove his hellish chariot, racing madly in the direction of the Quinjet.
"Don't worry, he can't fly!" Sam joked.
Robbie clearly knew that too, but the skeleton's smile never disappeared. He did not continue chasing Natasha and the others. Instead, he drove toward a location within the New Jersey base.
"That direction is..." Frank narrowed his eyes and looked in the direction Robbie was heading. There seemed to be a small airstrip there, with nothing except a military fighter jet.
Wait... a military fighter jet?!
"Natasha! Go higher! Hurry!" Frank roared at the top of his lungs and climbed upward.
The moment Robbie touched the military fighter jet, the entire aircraft burst into flames. The front of the plane transformed into a skull shape, and hellfire erupted from its wings, as if countless undead souls were wailing within it.
"Sam! You'd better sew your mouth shut!" Natasha's expression was extremely ugly. While scolding Sam Wilson, she raised the fighter's altitude. The invisible fighter was not truly invisible. It was merely one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s many cutting-edge technologies, an ordinary fighter jet whose technological level was only a few decades ahead of conventional aircraft.
Sam had angered Natasha so much that she wanted to throw the steering wheel at his face.
Frank looked at the hellish fighter getting closer and closer. The scorching hellfire was drawing nearer and nearer, about to burn his backside.
The fighter jet, like an angel from hell, opened its huge mouth full of fangs, as if constantly calling to Frank: Come in. Come in.
Robbie stretched out his head, and flaming chains appeared out of thin air from his withered bone claws. They wrapped around Frank's waist and pulled him toward the hellish fighter.
"Punisher... then punish me!"
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