Chapter 7 These aren't German soldiers, they're Hydra!
After a crisp "crack," the entire forest seemed to fall silent, even the wind stopped. Only Chu Hang's own unruly heart continued to pound "thump, thump, thump" in his chest, so loudly that he found it annoying.
His body reacted instinctively in an instant.
He gripped the M1A1 submachine gun tightly, its cold stock pressed against his shoulder, the muzzle steadily pointed in the direction of the sound, his index finger already resting lightly on the trigger.
Friend or foe?
The thought flashed through his mind.
He didn't dare to move, even his breathing slowed to a minimum. In this environment, any superfluous movement could turn him from a hunter into prey.
The snow was the fairest judge; it would record the footsteps of every visitor and expose anyone attempting to hide.
He cocked his ear, his hearing, enhanced by his Healing Factor, allowing him to pick up subtle sounds imperceptible to ordinary people.
"Shhh... shush..."
That was the sound of feet treading on thick snow. The sound was light, cautious, and there was more than one person. It sounded like at least three to four people, moving in a loose formation, searching in his direction.
Chu Hang's heart sank little by little.
The Howling Commandos were all fierce and untamed individuals. Even if they were cautious, they would never produce such disciplined footsteps. Especially Logan, his walking created enough noise to alert anyone within a kilometer of his presence.
Therefore, it could only be enemies.
Damn it, his luck was truly exceptional. He had just fallen from the sky, hadn't even caught his breath, and immediately ran into a German Army patrol.
What to do?
Run? Don't be ridiculous. Running in this snow would leave incredibly obvious footprints, and with a few bursts of bullets from the enemy, even with his Healing Factor, being riddled with holes would still hurt for a long time.
Fight head-on? They had more men, and they definitely had automatic weapons. Although his physical capabilities far exceeded those of ordinary people, he was still flesh and blood; a headshot would kill him just the same.
Chu Hang's brain raced at that moment, just like when he debugged code in his previous life, frantically analyzing all possibilities, trying to find the only solution to survive.
He quickly scanned the surrounding terrain. His current position was in a relatively flat clearing in the woods, with no decent cover. About ten meters to his left, a huge pine tree, toppled by wind and snow, lay across the snow, like a natural breastwork.
That's the spot!
He made a decision instantly.
Without hesitation, he immediately crouched down, almost hugging the snow, crawling on all fours towards the fallen tree. His movements were extremely light, trying not to make any sound.
He covered the short distance of ten-odd meters in less than ten seconds. He silently hid behind the thick tree trunk, only his eyes peeking through the gaps in the branches, staring intently ahead.
Soon, several dark figures appeared in the dim forest.
There were four of them. They wore German Army white snow camouflage uniforms, each carrying an MP40 submachine gun, their muzzles vigilantly pointed in different directions, forming a standard diamond search formation, slowly advancing.
Their movements were professional, maintaining a distance that allowed for mutual support, clearly indicating they were well-trained elites.
Chu Hang's heart beat even faster. He hunched his body lower, not daring to even breathe deeply.
The four German Army Soldiers drew closer. Chu Hangcould even hear their heavy breathing from the cold and their hushed, brief exchanges in German.
Although he couldn't understand what they were saying, Chu Hang sensed that they seemed to be looking for survivors of the plane crash.
An opportunity.
Chu Hang's eyes narrowed slightly. He knew he couldn't hide like this forever. This area was only so big; they would eventually discover his footprints and the parachute he had previously snagged on a tree. He had to preempt them before he was discovered!
He would stage an ambush!
His gaze fell on the Soldier at the very back of the formation. Taking out the leader first was foolish in this situation; the best approach was to start from the back, silently eliminating them one by one.
He drew the K-BAR military knife from his waist, gripping it in a reverse grip. The cold hilt instantly cooled his palms, which had become somewhat heated from tension.
The four-person squad passed by the fallen tree where he was hiding, coming within less than five meters of him at their closest point. Chu Hang could clearly see the frost on their gun muzzles and their red noses from the cold.
His heart was in his throat; he felt every heartbeat was like a drum.
The first three had already passed, and the last Soldierwas about to walk past his hiding spot.
Now!
The moment the last Soldier's back was fully exposed to him, Chu Hang moved!
His body, like a fully drawn bow, instantly shot out! There was no sound, only a gust of wind mixed with snowflakes.
The German Army Soldier seemed to hear the rush of wind behind him and instinctively tried to turn around.
But it was too late.
Chu Hang's left hand shot out like lightning from behind, clamping tightly over his mouth, preventing him from making any sound. Simultaneously, the cold military knife in his right hand silently and precisely plunged into the back of his neck, then slashed forcefully!
"Ugh..."
The Soldier's body stiffened abruptly, his eyes wide like brass bells. All struggles and sounds were stifled by Chu Hang's iron-vice-like hand. Warm blood spurted out, splashing onto Chu Hang's hand.
Chu Hang didn't let go; instead, he used his body to brace the Soldier, slowly lowering him to the snow. The entire process made no unnecessary sound.
Killed in one blow!
Just as he was about to let out a sigh of relief, the three German Army Soldiers in front almost simultaneously stopped.
Discovered?
Chu Hang's heart tightened abruptly.
The one who looked like the squad Captain, walking at the very front, raised his hand to signal a halt, then vigilantly scanned his surroundings. They had clearly noticed their comrade hadn't kept up.
"Hans?" the Captain whispered in German.
No response.
In the forest, there was only the sound of the wind.
The three Soldiers immediately gathered back-to-back, raising their submachine guns, muzzles pointed at the surrounding darkness. The atmosphere instantly became extremely tense.
Chu Hang knew he had been exposed. There was only one chance for a surprise attack; now, he had to fight head-on!
Without the slightest hesitation, at the moment when the three opponents were most tense and their attention most divided, he suddenly stood up from behind the fallen tree, and the M1A1 submachine gun in his hand let out an angry roar!
"Da da da da da!"
Orange-yellow flames carved a deadly fan shape in the darkness! Bullets rained down!
The three German Army Soldiers reacted extremely quickly, diving to the ground the instant the gunshots rang out, simultaneously returning fire.
"Tutututu!"
Three MP40s fired at once, bullets whizzing past Chu Hang's head and body, striking the tree trunks behind him, sending wood chips flying.
After firing one burst, Chu Hang immediately ducked back behind the tree trunk. He wasn't stupid; standing and exchanging fire with three submachine guns was no different from suicide.
A bullet grazed his arm, tearing open a gash. Intense pain flared, but his Healing Factor immediately began to work. A tingling and itching sensation spread through the wound, and the bleeding quickly stopped.
This damn ability, while life-saving, didn't lessen the pain at all! Chu Hang grimaced in pain, cursing inwardly.
He was now suppressed by firepower and couldn't even lift his head. He knew this couldn't go on; the enemy would soon flank him.
His mind raced, and an idea struck him.
He unclipped a grenade from his web belt, pulled the pin, counted two seconds in his head, then aimed in a direction and suddenly threw it from behind the tree trunk.
The grenade arced through the air, landing in a patch of snow about ten meters to the right of the three Soldiers.
"Boom!"
A loud explosion! The grenade detonated, kicking up snow and dirt everywhere, the flash of light momentarily illuminating half the forest.
The three Soldiers were clearly startled by the sudden explosion. Their firing paused involuntarily, and they instinctively looked towards the direction of the blast.
This was the opening!
Chu Hang suddenly darted out from the other side of the tree trunk, and his submachine gun roared again!
"Da da da!"
This time, he wasn't spraying bullets, but firing precise bursts!
Two splashes of blood instantly erupted from the chest of a German Army Soldier who was just getting up. He fell backward without even a chance to cry out.
Another Soldier reacted, just turning his gun, when Chu Hang's third bullet accurately pierced his head.
Only the Captain remained!
The Captain was also a tough character; he didn't panic but rolled behind a large tree, simultaneously raising his gun and wildly spraying bullets in Chu Hang's direction, trying to suppress him.
Chu Hang emptied his magazine. He quickly retreated to cover, swiftly pulling a new magazine from his pouch and reloading. The entire process was fluid, completed in less than three seconds.
Just then, he heard the enemy's gunfire also stop. Clearly, the enemy was also reloading.
Opportunity!
A cold glint flashed in Chu Hang's eyes. He didn't choose to engage in a shootout but suddenly charged out from behind cover, like a tiger unleashed, rushing straight towards the large tree where the Captain was hiding!
He wanted close combat!
The Captain had just reloaded his magazine, and as he looked up, he saw a dark figure charging towards him at an incredible speed, scaring him out of his wits. He hastily raised his gun, but it was too late.
Chu Hang's speed was too fast! He covered the thirty-plus meters in what felt like the blink of an eye!
The moment before the Captain pulled the trigger, Chu Hang delivered a fierce kick to his gun-wielding wrist.
"Crack!"
A crisp sound of bone cracking rang out. The Captain's MP40 submachine gun flew from his grasp, and he let out a painful scream.
Chu Hang gave him no chance, closing in and delivering a brutal elbow strike, smashing it hard into his Sun Temple.
"Bang!"
The Captain's head, like a rotten watermelon, slammed heavily against the tree trunk behind him. Without even a groan, he slid limply down, completely lifeless.
The battle was over.
Less than a minute had passed.
Chu Hang stood in place, panting heavily, adrenaline still surging through his body. He looked at the four corpses on the ground and the chaotic, snow-covered surroundings. There was no joy of victory, only the exhaustion of having survived a great ordeal.
He walked over to the Captain's body, squatted down, and began to search him. Magazines, grenades, chocolate... these were all good things, not to be wasted.
Just as he was about to search the next corpse, his gaze inadvertently fell on the Captain's uniform collar tab.
It wasn't the German Army's Iron Cross, nor the SS skull.
It was a small, yet incredibly sinister metal emblem.
A black skull, connected below by several twisted, octopus-tentacle-like appendages.
Chu Hang's pupils instantly constricted to pinprick size.
His breathing also stopped.
He yanked open the Captain's collar and saw a tattoo on his neck, the same design, only larger, clearer, and with an eerie red tint.
"HYDRA..."
Chu Hang unconsciously uttered these three words.
He suddenly stood up and rushed to the other corpses, checking them one by one.
Every single person had the same emblem or the same tattoo in the same location.
He finally understood why they had deviated from their flight path. He also finally understood why they had so coincidentally encountered a patrol here.
This was not some ordinary German Army occupied territory at all.
Their parachute jump had landed them, precisely and without deviation, directly within the Vigilance range of a secret HYDRA Base!
This was HYDRA's lair!
Chapter 8: Now their equipment has been upgraded from slingshots to cannons.
Damn it, what kind of situation is this?
Chu Hang stood in the snow, looking at the bodies of the HYDRA Soldiers on the ground, his heart a mix of emotions, like a overturned spice rack.
Fear was definitely there. He was alone now, surrounded by an unknown number of HYDRA Soldiers. The gunfire just now must have alerted more people.
But after the fear, a stronger emotion slowly surged from the bottom of his heart.
It was excitement.
A morbid excitement, mixed with tension and greed.
Where was this? The HYDRA stronghold!
What did HYDRA have? Black technology that surpassed this era!
In the movie, what kind of weapons did Red Skull's Soldiers use? Those blue energy guns could turn a person into a pile of ashes with one shot, far superior to the "Da da da" submachine gun he held.
Although these few in front of him still seemed to be ordinary patrol Soldiers, using conventional weapons, this was HYDRA! Their equipment must be better than those ordinary German Soldiers outside, right?
As the saying goes, the bold thrive, while the timid starve. Since he had already fallen to this point, there was no use in being indecisive. Whether he lived or died, he had to at least gain something first.
Once this thought emerged, it could no longer be suppressed.
Chu Hang's eyes began to glow. He no longer hesitated, immediately squatted down, and began his first "looting" operation since his transmigration.
He first rushed towards the squad Captain he had taken down with an elbow. The higher the rank, the more good stuff they surely had; that was common sense.
He quickly searched the Captain's body. First, weapons: a well-maintained MP40 submachine gun, and three fully loaded magazines. Chu Hang unceremoniously tucked all the magazines into his embrace. He also unhooked two German-made long-handled grenades from the opponent's webbing. These things had great power and could be thrown far, excellent for assault.
Then, food. He pulled out a dark, oil-paper-wrapped object from the opponent's upper pocket. Opening it, he saw it was a high-energy compressed biscuit, smelling of meat and nuts, much better than the dry military biscuits in his own backpack. Next to it was a small tin box containing several pieces of chocolate.
"All good stuff," Chu Hang mumbled indistinctly, popping a small piece of chocolate into his mouth and feeling the sweet energy melt into his body. Sweets could quickly replenish energy and relieve tension; these were life-saving items.
Just as he was about to flip the body over to see if there was anything on the back, his hand, in an inner pocket, touched something hard and square.
His heart stirred, and he pulled it out to see a small leather-bound notebook.
He opened the notebook, and by the reflection of the surrounding snow, he saw what was inside.
It was a hand-drawn map!
Although the map was crude, the key locations were clearly marked. He immediately spotted a place marked with a large red pencil 'X', with "Fabrik" annotated in German next to it. He recognized this word; it meant "factory."
And around the factory, several routes were marked with dashed lines, along with times and numbers. This was clearly the patrol routes and schedule for this area!
I'm rich!
Chu Hang's heart pounded so hard it almost leaped out of his throat.
This item was worth more than a hundred submachine guns! With this map, he would no longer be blind in this perilous forest. He could avoid enemy patrol routes and find the safest path. More importantly, he knew in which direction the HYDRA factory was!
He carefully folded the map and tucked it into his innermost pocket, close to his body. This was his talisman.
He suppressed the wild joy in his heart and continued to search the Captain's body. Soon, in a small pocket, he discovered a strange item.
It was a palm-sized, black metal box with a red button and a few short antennas. It looked like a walkie-talkie, but its design was much more compact and precise than any World War II communication device he had ever seen.
"This must be HYDRA's internal communicator," Chu Hang weighed the box in his hand. Although he didn't know the frequency and couldn't understand German, the item itself represented HYDRA's technological level. He thought for a moment and decided to keep it, just in case it might come in handy later.
After searching the Captain, he quickly turned to the other three bodies. These three ordinary Soldiers didn't have as many good things; apart from ammunition and some food, there were no other special discoveries. However, Chu Hang, adhering to the principle of "even a small mosquito is meat," stripped them of all their magazines and grenades.
By the time he finished searching the last Soldier and stood up, he was completely transformed.
He discarded his M1A1, which had run out of bullets, and replaced it with a 90% new MP40. His body was laden with bulging magazines, and his webbing held six long-handled grenades. His backpack was stuffed with chocolate and high-energy biscuits, and he carried a map pointing the way and a future-tech communicator close to his chest.
This was truly an upgrade from a shotgun to a cannon.
He felt his sense of security instantly increase by several notches. Indeed, a man's greatest sense of security comes from ample firepower and supplies.
Just as he was about to leave this dangerous place, his gaze inadvertently swept over the Soldier whose throat he had slit first with his military knife.
That Soldier's backpack had fallen open when he collapsed, scattering its contents on the ground.
Chu Hang hadn't paid attention initially, but his eyes were drawn to a faint blue glow in the snow.
What was that?
He walked over curiously, kicked away the snow with his foot, and saw the blue glowing object.
It was a translucent blue cube, only the size of a fist, looking like a crystal, but inside, it seemed to have flowing light slowly rotating, emitting a faint yet pure energy fluctuation. It lay quietly in the snow, its blue glow appearing particularly mysterious in the darkness.
Chu Hang squatted down, extended his hand, hesitated for a moment, then picked it up.
The cube was cold to the touch, but not bone-chilling; instead, it had a warm, smooth texture. He could clearly feel a faint but extremely pure energy emanating from this small cube.
This is... an energy block?
Chu Hang's mind instantly recalled the energy weapons used by HYDRA in the movie. Weren't the energy sources for those weapons the Tesseract? And this small blue cube, both in color and the texture of its energy, bore a slight resemblance to the feeling the Tesseract gave him.
He immediately understood that this thing was very likely the standardized energy source that HYDRA created after extracting energy from the Tesseract! It was the "battery" for those energy weapons!
Chu Hang's breathing suddenly became rapid.
He carefully tucked this energy block into his embrace, feeling his heart almost working overtime.
First the map, then this energy block. Heavens, are you afraid I won't die fast enough, so you sent me so many treasures, so I can drag HYDRA down with me?
He was still immersed in the immense surprise when a faint sound suddenly drifted over on the wind from a distance.
"Woof! Woof woof!"
It was dog barking! And more than one!
Chu Hang's face instantly changed.
He knew it must be that the gunfire had attracted a larger search party, and they even brought military dogs!
In this snowy terrain, a human's nose might fail, but a dog's nose would not lie. The smell of blood on the ground was the most obvious roadmap for him.
Must leave immediately!
He no longer lingered, took one last look at the bodies on the ground, silently said "Thanks for the gear, old pals" in his heart, then turned and plunged into the deeper darkness in one direction.
He did not choose the closest path to the factory marked on the map, but instead, based on the patrol routes on the map, chose an opposite, seemingly most desolate path.
Going to the factory now would be tantamount to walking into a trap. He had to find a place to hide first, weather this storm, and then plan further when daylight came.
The wind and snow seemed to have intensified, and soon, they re-covered his footprints on the snow, along with the four bodies.
The entire forest returned to silence. It was as if the brief and bloody battle just now had never happened.
Only a black Shadow, with brand new equipment and a burning heart, was rapidly and resolutely traversing the dark, snow-covered forest.
Chapter 9 First, let's find a place to hide.
The wind was like a stepmother's child, lashing his face with stinging pain.
Chu Hang could no longer feel the pain at all, or rather, he no longer had time to care about the feeling on his face. All his attention was focused on two things: first, moving his legs; second, not falling down.
His lungs were like a broken bellows, each breath accompanied by a strange wheezing sound, and the air he inhaled was cold and hard, like countless ice needles piercing his trachea, all the way to his lung lobes, bringing a searing, burning pain. The Healing Factor did give him far greater endurance and recovery than ordinary people, but this thing didn't come with after-sales service; it was only responsible for restoring his body, not caring whether he was uncomfortable or not. If it were Chu Hang from his previous life, who sat in a cubicle until his butt grew calluses, he would probably be foaming at the mouth now, lying spread-eagled in the snow, waiting for the big wolves behind him to start their feast.
But now he couldn't stop, and he didn't dare to stop.
The barking of the dogs behind him was like the drumbeat of the King of Hell urging him to his death, each bark louder than the last, each one closer. "Woof! Woof woof woof!" The sound carried an excitement like seeing a meaty bone, with extremely strong penetrating power, traveling far in the silent snowy forest.
"Damn it, they're a bunch of Beasts!" Chu Hang cursed inwardly, not knowing if he was cursing the dogs or the HYDRA Soldiers leading them. Using dogs to track was practically cheating, completely against martial ethics.
He didn't dare to run in a straight line; that would be purely making himself a living target. He could only rely on his vague impression of the map in his mind, deliberately choosing difficult paths to navigate. A patch of half-human-high bushes appeared in front of him, covered with thick snow. Without thinking, he plunged into it. The sharp dry branches "crackled" against his military greatcoat, even tearing his pants and leaving streaks of blood on his legs. The Healing Factor quickly took effect, and a tingling itch came from the wounds, but this cursed itch mixed with the biting cold felt more like torture.
Running out of the bushes, he stepped into a deep pit covered by snow, instantly losing his balance and falling face-first in a messy heap, eating a mouthful of icy snow.
"Ptooey! Ptooey!" He spat out the snow, not bothering to check if he was injured, and scrambled to his feet, continuing to sprint forward. He could feel his stamina draining at an alarming rate, and his limbs were becoming increasingly heavy, as if filled with lead.
Running like this was definitely not a solution. A person couldn't outrun a dog, especially in such complex snowy terrain. He had to find a way to completely shake off the pursuit.
What to do?
His brain was working at high speed. Climb a tree? No, the target would be too obvious, and the dogs would keep barking under the tree, making him a sitting duck. Dig a snow cave? Too late, by the time he finished digging, they would have already surrounded him.
The only way was to find a place that could completely block scent and tracks.
A river or... a cave!
A river! His eyes lit up. There seemed to be a small stream with thin ice not far away. He immediately changed direction, rushed to the bank, and stepped in without hesitation. With a "crunch," the thin ice shattered, and the icy cold stream Water instantly submerged his calves. The chill felt as if it wanted to drill into his bone marrow through his bone seams. He gritted his teeth, enduring the freezing cold that could stiffen a person, and ran downstream along the stream for about a hundred meters.
This should temporarily disrupt the dogs' sense of smell.
He climbed out of the stream, dripping wet, his pant legs already frozen stiff, making a "clack clack" sound as he walked. He knew he had to find a place to hide before his body completely froze.
As he ran, he frantically scanned the surrounding terrain with his eyes. The moonlight and the reflection from the snow allowed him to see the outlines of most objects in the dark night.
Suddenly, his gaze was drawn to a black rock face about two hundred meters to his left. Most of the rock face was bare, but near the ground, there was an area that looked somewhat unusual. A particularly dense clump of low bushes grew there, and the snow piled on the bushes formed a slightly outward-curving arc, making it look as if the rock face had a small belly.
In a natural environment, this shape was a bit illogical.
There's a way in!
A huge hope rose in his heart. He no longer hesitated, using his last bit of strength to rush towards the rock face.
The closer he got, the stronger his premonition became. When he breathlessly reached the clump of bushes, he pushed aside the snow-laden branches, and a dark, narrow crevice, just wide enough for one person to squeeze through sideways, appeared before his eyes.
The entrance was perfectly hidden by the bushes and snow. If he hadn't observed carefully enough, even if he walked past it a hundred times, he would never have discovered this secret entrance.
He didn't immediately go in; who knew if there were any hibernating bears or a family of wild wolves living in the cave. He pressed his ear against the cold rock face, held his breath, and carefully listened for any movement inside the cave.
All was silent.
Except for a few drops of Water dripping from the rock face, making a faint "drip, drip" sound somewhere, there was no other sound. He put his nose to the entrance and sniffed. A damp smell of earth and rock mixed together assailed him, without the peculiar musky odor of wild Beasts.
It should be safe.
He didn't delay any longer; the barking of the dogs behind him seemed to be a little closer. He held his MP40 submachine gun tightly in his arms, then turned sideways and, like a mud loach out of Water, laboriously squeezed himself little by little through the narrow crevice.
The moment his body fully entered the cave, an air completely different from the outside enveloped him. The temperature inside the cave was significantly higher than outside, and the bone-chilling cold instantly dissipated by more than half.
Chu Hang was about to breathe a sigh of relief when his foot suddenly slipped, and he fell uncontrollably inwards. With a "thud," he landed hard on the ground, almost dropping his submachine gun.
Only then did he realize that the ground at the entrance of the cave was a smooth slope, covered with a thin layer of ice due to seepage, making it wet and slippery—a natural trap.
Ignoring the pain in his butt, he struggled to get up and cautiously walked about ten meters further in, supporting himself against the rock face. After turning a corner, the space before him suddenly opened up.
This was a fairly spacious natural karst cave, estimated to be about half the size of a basketball court. The ceiling was very high, with many strangely shaped stalactites hanging down, appearing like the skeletons of some ancient giant Beasts in the faint light filtering in from the entrance.
He could finally stop.
Chu Hang sat down on the ground, leaning his back against a huge, cold rock. He felt as if his bones had been removed, completely collapsing. He gulped down the damp and turbid air in the cave. The feeling of relief after escaping danger, like warm seawater, immersed his entire being.
He pulled out the high-energy compressed biscuit, smelling of meat, that he had confiscated from the HYDRA Captain from his backpack, and bit into it hard with all his strength. The biscuit was dry and hard, hurting his gums, but the rich aroma of grains and meat made him feel it was the most delicious thing he had ever eaten in his life. He wolfed down more than half of it, then unscrewed his Water bottle and took several big gulps of icy snow Water. Only then did he feel the Fire burning in his chest gradually subside, and his lost stamina slowly begin to recover.
The scrapes and cuts on his body, caused by tree branches, had stopped bleeding and were beginning to scab under the action of the Healing Factor, leaving only an irritating itch.
He fumbled in his pocket for his lighter, and with a "click," a small orange flame flickered in the darkness, dispelling a small patch of the unsettling darkness around him, and bringing a touch of warmth and security.
By the faint light of the flame, he eagerly pulled out the precious map from his embrace and carefully spread it out on the dry ground.
The map was crudely drawn, but no key information was missing. The "Fabrik" (Factory) marked with a large red X in the center, like a venomous spider nestled in the center of a spiderweb. From it, dozens of dense dashed lines extended, covering the entire mountainous area, with German words and time digits marked on each line. This was clearly HYDRA's patrol network in this area. Chu Hang carefully identified his escape route and realized that he had precisely passed through the largest gap between two patrol routes.
"Damn it, I truly am destined for this." Chu Hang looked at the map, unable to help but break out in a cold sweat again. Only now did he understand how incredibly lucky he had been. It was like a precise game of chess, and he, the uninvited guest, had by chance stumbled upon the only path to survival. If he had deviated even slightly, he would have been like a fly hitting a spiderweb, plunging straight into another patrol team's arms.
From another pocket, he carefully took out the glowing blue cube.
In the flickering Firelight, this fist-sized energy block appeared even more mysterious. The seemingly flowing light within it, illuminated by the flame, seemed to become more active and profound. He could clearly feel that a pure, ultimate power, as if from the very beginning of the Universe, was confined within this small space.
How exactly was this thing supposed to be used?
Chu Hang turned it over and over several times, even trying to press an imaginary switch on it as if turning on a TV, but it was, of course, useless. He also tried to concentrate, hoping to establish some kind of mental link with it, as written in novels, but besides making himself dizzy, the energy block didn't even bother to react to him.
"Damn it, high-tech product, not even an instruction manual, bad review!" He grumbled in a low voice, shaking his head helplessly. It seemed he would have to slowly figure out how to use this thing later.
He carefully wrapped both the energy block and the map in oilcloth and tucked them into his innermost pocket. These were his greatest assets for survival now, far more valuable than the MP40 submachine gun.
Just then, faint shouts and dog barks could be heard from outside the cave. He immediately went to the crevice at the entrance and peeked out. He saw several beams of flashlight light moving back and forth in the distant forest. The sounds seemed much further away and were moving in the opposite direction from him.
It seemed the stream tactic had worked. They had lost his trail.
Chu Hang let out a long sigh of relief, completely relaxing.
He was safe, at least for now.
An indescribable sense of exhaustion, like a burst dam, instantly swept over his entire body. He felt his eyelids were as heavy as if two pieces of iron were hanging from them, and he just wanted to lie down and sleep for three days and three nights.
No, absolutely no sleeping!
He pinched his thigh hard, and the sharp pain instantly sobered him up considerably. Falling asleep in this godforsaken place, far from any village, was no different from sticking out his neck and waiting for someone to chop it off. The pursuers outside could return at any time, and who knew what unknown dangers might be hidden deep within this cave.
A strong will to survive overcame his exhaustion. He struggled to his feet, deciding to thoroughly explore the cave and confirm it was one hundred percent safe before resting.
He held the loaded MP40 submachine gun in one hand and the small lighter in the other, cautiously walking deeper into the cave by the tiny, flickering flame that could go out at any moment.
The cave was very deep, and the ground became increasingly uneven, with gravel (crushed stones) from the ceiling everywhere. The air also became increasingly damp and cold, and the clear sound of dripping Water echoed in the empty cave, amplified into an eerie rhythm that pounded on his tense nerves.
He walked for about fifty or sixty meters, and then a corner appeared ahead, blocking his way. He stopped, pressing his body tightly against the cold rock face like a gecko, slowly and little by little, he peered around the corner.
Beyond the corner, the cave space became even wider, like a huge underground hall, with the darkness in the distance seeming bottomless.
Just as he was about to step forward, his ears suddenly caught an extremely unusual sound.
The sound was very soft, very faint, almost completely obscured by the "drip, drip" of dripping Water.
But Chu Hang's body instantly froze. He was one hundred percent certain that it was definitely not the sound of wind, nor the sound of Water.
It was a... dragging sound of a heavy metal object on a rough rock surface.
"Hiss... scrape..."
The sound was intermittent, filled with a certain teeth-grinding quality, as if someone was slowly moving, dragging a rusty, incredibly heavy iron chain in the deep darkness of the underground hall ahead.
Chu Hang's body instantly stiffened like a stone. The lighter in his hand fell to the ground with a "snap," extinguished by a drop of Water falling from above, and the last trace of light disappeared.
Around him, an suffocating, pure darkness instantly enveloped him.
His heart once again began to pound uncontrollably, each beat like a heavy hammer, fiercely striking his chest.
There was... someone else in this cave!
Chapter 10 There are living creatures in this cave!
Damn it!"
Chu Hang's mind buzzed, a complete blank.
That crisp "click" was like the God of Death pressing the switch on his life's countdown. The last sliver of light vanished, and the entire World was utterly swallowed by boundless darkness and cold.
He couldn't see anything.
His eyes became the most useless organ in this environment; no matter how wide he stared, all he saw was a pure, unsettling black. Yet, his other senses were magnified countless times in that instant.
He could clearly hear his heart pounding "thump, thump, thump," the sound so loud it was as if someone was beating a drum next to his ear, making his eardrums ache. He could feel the cold air rushing in from all directions, greedily sucking away the last bit of warmth from his body. He could also smell the damp, earthy, almost tomb-like scent in the air.
But the most dreadful thing was that sound.
"Hiss… scrape… hiss… scrape…"
That damned metallic scraping sound of something heavy being dragged hadn't stopped with the disappearance of the light. On the contrary, in this deathly dark, it became clearer than ever, as if someone was dragging a rusty saw right next to his ear, sawing at his nerves, one stroke after another.
The sound continued, and… it seemed to be getting closer!
Chu Hang's body stiffened like a piece of wood frozen in ice; he could even feel the hairs on the back of his neck standing on end.
No way, Sir? Just escaped HYDRA's encirclement, only to stumble into some prehistoric monster's lair? This cave isn't some perverted killer's secret Base, is it? Isn't that how it always plays out in movies, a madman isolated from the World, who loves to turn unfortunate trespassers into all sorts of strange artworks on his own territory?
Or… is HYDRA conducting some secret experiment here, raising a monster that can't see the light of day?
Countless horror movie tropes flashed wildly in his mind, each enough to make him wet himself on the spot.
He clutched the MP40 submachine gun in his hand tightly; the cold, metallic texture was his only reliance at the moment. But he knew very well that in this pitch-black darkness, this thing was no different from a burning stick. He couldn't just close his eyes and spray bullets into the darkness, could he? That would only expose his position and be utterly useless.
What to do? What to do?
A strong will to survive forced his almost halted brain to start thinking again.
Calm down! I must calm down!
He took a deep breath; the cold air made him cough, but he forcibly suppressed the sound in his throat. He tried hard to control his pounding heart, commanding all his muscles to slowly relax from their stiffness.
He gave up trying to see with his eyes, instead focusing all his attention on his ears.
He carefully distinguished the sound.
"Hiss… scrape…"
The sound was heavy, very regular, but the rhythm was slow, and… it seemed to be mixed with an extremely faint, suppressed gasp.
It was human breathing!
This discovery slightly eased Chu Hang's tense nerves. It wasn't a monster, which was good; as long as it was a person, there was always a way to deal with it.
But then, an even more unsettling thought popped into his head.
Would a normal person be dragging heavy iron chains around in this godforsaken place?
Just as he was lost in thought, the scraping sound suddenly stopped.
The entire cave once again fell into a deathly silence.
Chu Hang's heart immediately jumped into his throat again. He held his breath, not daring to even gasp, standing motionless like a statue awaiting judgment.
The unknown is always the most terrifying.
Time seemed to stretch infinitely in that moment, each second as long as a century.
Just as Chu Hang was about to be driven mad by the suffocating silence, a hoarse, weak voice, clearly filled with pain, suddenly echoed from the darkness not far ahead.
"Who… who's there?"
It was English!
Chu Hang trembled all over, almost crying out.
He almost instinctively wanted to answer, but he swallowed the words back down. He didn't know who the other person was, whether they were friend or foe. What if the other person was a HYDRA captive? Wouldn't speaking expose himself?
But if he didn't answer… if the other person had a weapon and fired randomly in the dark, he would die too unjustly.
Take a gamble!
Chu Hang quickly made a decision. He lowered his voice, also in English, and cautiously replied, "A friend. I'm just… looking for a place to hide."
His voice echoed slightly in the empty cave.
There was silence in the darkness for a few seconds.
Then, Chu Hang heard a sigh of relief, followed by a crisp "clank," as if some metal object had fallen to the ground.
"Friend…" the hoarse voice repeated, filled with exhaustion and a hint of unbelievable surprise, "Thank God…"
As soon as the words fell, Chu Hang saw a faint spark burst out with a "fzz" sound in the darkness ahead.
Immediately after, a small, flickering orange flame lit up, dispelling a small patch of darkness around it.
It was an old-fashioned kerosene lamp.
Under the faint light, a familiar Black face, covered in sweat and pain, came into his view.
"Gabe Jones?" Chu Hang cried out in surprise.
The person lying on the ground, struggling to light the kerosene lamp, was none other than Gabe Jones, the Black teammate from the Howling Commandos whom he had only met once in the barracks!
Gabe Jones was clearly also surprised to see Chu Hanghere. His big eyes were filled with shock and wild joy. He opened his mouth and exclaimed excitedly, "Chu? My God, it's really you!"
"Why are you here?" Chu Hang asked, hurrying over.
As he got closer, he saw Gabe Jones's miserable state.
His left leg was caught tightly in a huge, rusty bear trap! The thing looked like a steel mouth full of fangs, its sharp serrated teeth deeply embedded in his calf. The military trousers around it were already stained dark red with blood, a shocking sight.
Next to him, a thick iron crowbar lay discarded.
Chu Hang understood instantly.
That "hiss, scrape" metallic friction sound earlier wasn't an iron chain at all, but Gabe Jones dragging this damned bear trap, or trying to pry it open with that crowbar!
"Damn it, what inconsiderate bastard put a bear trap here!" Chu Hang cursed, immediately crouching down to check Gabe's injury.
"I don't know either," Gabe Jones grimaced in pain, his forehead covered in cold sweat. "After I parachuted, I got separated from you guys. I wanted to find a place to hide, but as soon as I entered this cave, I stepped on this cursed thing. I've been here… for almost two hours already."
Chu Hang looked at the simple but incredibly sturdy bear trap, his brows furrowed tightly. This thing closed with immense spring power; once it bit down, it was almost impossible to pry open with mere human strength unless you had a specialized tool. Gabe Jones lasting two hours with a crowbar was already the mark of a tough man.
"Bear with it!" Chu Hang said in a deep voice.
He put his submachine gun aside and grabbed the two "iron jaws" of the bear trap with both hands.
"Chu, don't bother," Gabe saw his movements and shook his head weakly. "This thing… it's too tight, I've tried, it's impossible…"
He stopped mid-sentence, his eyes wide as saucers.
Chu Hang took a deep breath, and the muscles on his arms instantly bulged like gnarled old tree roots. A terrifying strength, far beyond ordinary people, transferred from his waist and abdomen to his arms, then burst forth from his fingertips!
"Hmph!"
Accompanied by a low roar, his peak human strength exploded without reservation!
With a sickening metallic screech, the bear trap that even Gabe Jones couldn't budge with a crowbar was actually pried open, inch by inch, by Chu Hang's bare hands!
Gabe Jones watched this scene dumbfounded, his mouth agape enough to fit an egg. He even forgot the searing pain in his leg. He had always thought Chu Hang was just an Eastern kid with good marksmanship and luck, but the strength he was displaying now… this was simply not something a human could possess!
"Click!"
With a final crisp sound, the bear trap's spring was forcibly pulled to its limit and locked into place.
Chu Hang, drenched in sweat, released his hands, panting heavily. His arms ached terribly, almost dislocated. The force of this thing was even greater than he had imagined.
"Quick, take your leg out!" he shouted to Gabe, who was still in a daze.
Gabe snapped out of it, hurriedly and clumsily pulling his bloody left leg from the steel fangs.
The very next second after he pulled out his leg, Chu Hang, exhausted, released his hands, and the two iron jaws slammed shut with a "bang," the loud sound echoing in the cave, making one shudder just by hearing it.
Gabe looked at his still bleeding leg, then at the terrifying bear trap on the ground, and finally turned his gaze to the panting Chu Hang, his eyes filled with gratitude and… awe.
"Chu… you…"
"Don't say so much for now," Chu Hang waved his hand, taking out a first-aid kit from his backpack. "I'll treat your wound first. It's not safe here; we need to leave as soon as possible."
He tore open Gabe's pant leg, and the deep, bone-visible wounds made him gasp. He rinsed away the blood with clean Water, sprinkled on some hemostatic powder, and then tightly wrapped it with bandages, layer after layer.
After doing all this, he himself was exhausted and sat down on the ground.
He took out the remaining half of a compressed biscuit and his canteen from his backpack, offering them to Gabe: "Eat something first to regain your strength."
Gabe didn't stand on ceremony, taking them and devouring them ravenously.
Inside the cave, a temporary calm settled, broken only by the sounds of their chewing and panting.
The joy of surviving a disaster didn't last long; a more severe problem lay before Chu Hang.
Gabe's leg was too severely injured; let alone fighting, even walking was now an issue.
Meanwhile, in his mind, the cooldown countdown for the superpower copier was clearly displayed—Remaining time: 3 days 3 hours.
He had to find Captain America and "touch" him within three days.
But now… Chu Hang glanced at Gabe Jones, who couldn't even stand next to him, then at the bottomless darkness outside the cave.
Damn it, this was great.
The original single-player stealth survival mode had now forcibly turned into a two-player escort-the-wounded mode. The difficulty of this game had more than doubled.
Chapter 11 Plans Can't Keep Up with Changes
Chu Hang looked at Gabe Jones, who was leaning against the rock wall, his face as pale as paper, and felt a mix of emotions.
He didn't dislike Gabe for being a burden; after all, they were comrades and had just shared chocolate on the plane.
He couldn't bring himself to abandon a friend in need.
What bothered him was that this incident had completely messed up his already unreliable plan.
"Chu... you..." Gabe Jones clearly hadn't recovered from the shock.
He looked at Chu Hang, his eyes filled with gratitude, but even more with a kind of bewildered amazement, as if looking at a monster.
"Your strength... what exactly is going on with it? I swear, I used all my might with that pry bar just now, and the thing didn't budge an inch."
It came, as expected.
Chu Hang sighed inwardly, but his face remained impassive.
He couldn't very well say, "Buddy, I'm cheating; I've copied the Healing Factor, and my strength has increased along with it."
As he packed the first-aid kit, he casually said in a half-joking, half-serious tone, "I don't know either.
Maybe it's because I was bombed so many times on the battlefield before, and a wire in my brain got crossed.
Anyway, sometimes I feel like I have endless strength, but other times I'm just like an ordinary person.
It comes and goes; it's all about luck."
This ambiguous explanation was the best excuse he could think of at the moment.
It explained his extraordinary strength while leaving him enough room to maneuver.
If he ever performed less impressively in the future, he could always claim, "Bad luck today, it didn't work."
Gabe Jones nodded, half-understanding.
Although he found the explanation a bit far-fetched, war was a place where anything impossible could become possible.
He had seen people survive a bullet through the heart, and tough men turn into fools from sheer terror.
Compared to those, one person suddenly gaining great strength didn't seem so hard to accept.
He struggled to stand up, but as soon as he put pressure on his left leg, a searing pain made him groan and fall back down heavily, a fresh layer of cold sweat instantly breaking out on his forehead.
"Don't move!" Chu Hang quickly held him down.
"Your wound is too deep.
Although it didn't hit the bone, the muscles and blood vessels are torn.
If you move around more, the blood that just stopped will start flowing again."
"But we can't stay here forever," Gabe panted, his face filled with anxiety.
"HYDRA patrols could return at any moment, and... Captain America and the others are waiting for us."
He was right.
Although the cave was temporarily safe, it was definitely not a place to stay for long.
The animal trap was the best proof; this place was likely a trap zone set by a hunter or the German Army.
Chu Hang spread the captured map on the ground again, studying it carefully under the dim light of the kerosene lamp.
"Look," he pointed to a spot on the map, "we are roughly at this position now.
This is a junction of several patrol routes.
Although we just evaded one wave, after dawn, they will certainly conduct a more thorough, comb-like search.
It's only a matter of time before we are discovered."
Gabe also leaned over to look, his face growing even more solemn.
The dense dashed lines on the map were like a giant spiderweb, and they were two small flies already caught in it.
"So what should we do?"
"We must leave, and we must get as far away from this area as possible before dawn," Chu Hang's tone was unequivocal.
He slowly moved his finger across the map, his mind racing.
What he needed to do was find the safest path, through this Death network, to the outskirts of the factory.
His finger finally stopped in an area in the northeast corner of the map, where a simple wooden cabin icon was drawn, labeled "Jägerhütte" in German next to it, meaning 'hunter's cabin'.
"Here," Chu Hang pointed to the small cabin, "you see, this place is far from all major patrol routes, and the surrounding terrain is relatively complex, making it an ideal hiding spot.
We'll go here first, let you recover, and at the same time, we can observe the activity at the factory before deciding our next move."
The plan sounded reasonable, but Gabe looked at his uncooperative leg and gave a wry smile: "The plan is good, but Chu, like this... I'll only drag you down.
How about you hide me here, leave me some food and Water, and you go alone.
You're stronger than me; you have a better chance."
Chu Hang looked up at him, his gaze calm but carrying an undeniable resolve.
"Don't talk such nonsense; I don't have a rule about abandoning my comrades."
In his previous life, he was a selfish corporate drone, always prioritizing maximum profit.
But for some reason, after coming to this cursed World, experiencing artillery fire, and witnessing Death, some cold things in his heart seemed to be slowly melting.
Perhaps it was Logan's "Kid, I like you," or Dugan's "Welcome to the team," or perhaps, it was seeing Captain America's almost naive persistence.
He found himself starting to think like a true Soldier.
Gabe Jones looked into Chu Hang's eyes and froze.
In those black pupils, he saw something very familiar—a light that could only be seen in the eyes of Captain Steve Rogers.
He nodded heavily, saying nothing more, simply clutching his M1 carbine tightly to his chest.
"Alright, let's go!"
Saying 'let's go' was one thing, but how to go was a big problem.
Chu Hang tried to put one of Gabe's arms around his neck, letting him hop on one leg.
But after only two steps, Gabe was drenched in sweat from the pain, almost fainting on the spot.
The wound on his leg was too severe; every jolt from hopping felt like a knife carving into his flesh.
"No, we won't get far like this, and your wound will get a secondary infection." Chu Hang stopped, his brows tightly furrowed.
Carrying him on his back?
Even worse.
The mountain path was rugged, the snow slippery.
Carrying a strong man weighing 170-180 pounds, even Chu Hang wouldn't get far, and they would be too conspicuous.
He had to find a way.
Chu Hang's gaze swept around the cave, finally landing on the bushes he had pushed aside at the entrance.
His eyes lit up; he had an idea!
He walked to the entrance, selected the two strongest and most flexible main branches from the thick bushes, and cut them down with his military knife.
Then, he took out all his spare ropes and bandages from his backpack and began to work.
Gabe watched him curiously, not knowing what he was doing.
Chu Hang placed the two thick branches parallel on the ground, then used shorter branches as crossbeams, tying them firmly together with rope to form a simple frame.
Next, he took off his military greatcoat, spread it over the frame, and secured it with rope.
A crude but seemingly sturdy snow sled was thus formed.
"My God..." Gabe watched, dumbfounded, "Chu, how does your mind even work?"
"Less talk, get on and lie down quickly." Chu Hang wiped the sweat from his forehead and urged him.
Gabe carefully lay down.
Although it was a bit bumpy, compared to hopping on one leg, this was like heaven.
Chu Hang wrapped the rope from the front of the sled around himself a few times and tried to pull it forward.
It was heavy, but with his abnormal strength, the sled steadily glided over the snow.
"Done, let's go!"
Just as they were about to leave their temporary shelter, Chu Hang's nose suddenly twitched.
He smelled a faint, somewhat pungent herbal scent.
He stopped, and by the light of the kerosene lamp, he carefully searched the crevices of the rock wall near the cave entrance.
Soon, among a clump of inconspicuous weeds, he discovered several green plants with thick leaves and serrated edges.
"This is..." He picked a leaf, smelled it under his nose, then chewed it in his mouth.
A bitter, pungent taste instantly exploded on his tongue, but immediately, a cool sensation spread.
He remembered!
In his previous life, when watching a documentary about wilderness survival, it mentioned a plant called "arnica" that grew in the Alps.
Local hunters used it to treat bruises and sprains, as it had strong effects in promoting blood circulation, reducing swelling, and relieving pain.
This thing in front of him looked exactly like the arnica in the documentary!
Heaven never seals off all exits!
He immediately picked a large handful, returned to the cave, and used two stones to crush them into a dark green paste.
"What are you doing?" Gabe looked at the sticky, strange-smelling concoction with a wary expression.
"Good stuff, just bear with it." Chu Hang didn't explain further, unfastened the bandage on Gabe's leg, and thickly applied the cold paste to his bloody wound.
"Ow—!"
An indescribable, hot and cold stinging sensation instantly spread throughout Gabe's body, making him cry out "Ow!" and jump up.
"Don't move!" Chu Hang held him down firmly.
"Good medicine tastes bitter.
If you don't want this leg to be crippled, stay still!"
Strangely, the intense stinging sensation lasted for less than a minute before being rapidly replaced by a cool, comfortable feeling.
Gabe could clearly feel the burning pain in his wound diminishing at an astonishing speed, replaced by a tingling, numb sensation, as if countless tiny ants were crawling on it.
He tried to wiggle his toes and found that the original agonizing pain had reduced by seventy to eighty percent.
"My God..." Gabe looked at the green paste on his leg, then at Chu Hang, his eyes no longer just respectful, but as if looking at an omnipotent wizard, "Chu, how many more abilities do you have that we don't know about?"
Chu Hang smiled, re-bandaged him with clean bandages, and said, "A qualified Soldier always needs to know some miscellaneous skills to save his life, doesn't he?"
In his heart, however, he thought, 'Knowledge is power,' that statement is truly a damn great truth.
With everything ready, Chu Hang blew out the kerosene lamp, settled Gabe onto the sled, then pulled the rope, dragging his comrade slowly out of the cave, disappearing into the vast night.
They walked for about an hour, and Chu Hang's physical strength was almost depleted.
He stopped, leaning against a large tree, breathing heavily.
Just as he was about to take out his water bottle for a drink, his gaze was suddenly drawn to a point of light on the distant horizon.
It was a continuous, dim yellow glow, illuminating the sky in that area with a hazy light.
In the center of that glow, several towering, black-tower-like silhouettes could vaguely be seen.
Chu Hang's heart suddenly constricted.
He took out the map, looked at the distant light again, and reconfirmed the direction.
That direction was indeed where the factory was marked on the map!
They... were already this close!
But then, an even more unsettling thought emerged.
According to the map's distance, they still had at least half a night's walk.
Why could they see it now?
Unless... Chu Hang's pupils suddenly contracted.
He thought of the only, and most terrifying, possibility.
Unless, that map was wrong!
Chapter 12 This map definitely has a problem.
Damn it, I've been tricked!"
These three words were like a basin of ice water poured directly over Chu Hang's head, chilling him to the bone.
In that instant, everything—HYDRA, Captain America, the damn mission—vanished from his mind. All that remained was a cold fury from being fooled and toyed with, followed by a tidal wave of immense fear.
He wasn't an idiot.
In his previous life, he had at least been a seasoned veteran, having worked his way up in society for several years, seen too many word games in contracts, and heard too many empty promises from bosses. He had an almost Beast-like intuition for the word "trap."
The distance drawn on the map and the distance he saw with his own eyes were too far apart!
According to the map's scale, their current location was at least seven or eight kilometers from that factory, separated by several mountain peaks. On a snowy night like this, let alone seeing lights, even if the other side set off fireworks, you'd only see a faint glow on the horizon.
But now?
Not only did he see the continuous stretch of lights, but he could even vaguely make out the outlines of the tall buildings in the factory. This meant that their direct distance from the factory was definitely no more than two kilometers!
This was like, literally, putting his face right in front of their surveillance cameras!
Why was this happening?
The only explanation was that this map was fake! Or rather, this map was never intended for "their own people" from the beginning.
Chu Hang's back was instantly drenched in cold sweat.
He remembered now; he had found this map on the HYDRA squad leader he had killed. At the time, he was so happy, thinking he had struck gold, and didn't think deeply about it at all.
Now, looking back and pondering carefully, there were too many suspicious points!
What kind of unit's patrol map would be drawn so "artistically"? The lines were crooked, the scale was vague, and key locations were just simple sketches. This was clearly not a military map for Soldiers to use on the battlefield!
What did it resemble more? It was more like… a piece of false intelligence deliberately leaked to lure and mislead the enemy!
Those HYDRA guys must have captured Allied prisoners or spies more than once. It was entirely possible for them to intentionally let prisoners see such a wrong map "accidentally" through various channels, or simply place it on an officer who was destined to be discovered.
Then, those unfortunate souls who had barely escaped, or who thought they had obtained crucial intelligence, would, like him, take this map and presumptuously follow a "safe" route.
But they would never realize that this so-called "safe route" was precisely the Death trap HYDRA had meticulously prepared for them!
That place marked "Hunter's Cabin" might not be a hiding spot at all, but an observation post riddled with landmines and surveillance! If they had really dragged Gabe straight there, they would probably be the brightest star in the sky by now.
"Chu… what's wrong?" Gabe, on the trailer, also sensed that something was amiss. He saw Chu Hang frozen in place, staring intently at the distant factory, his face terrifyingly pale.
Chu Hang didn't answer immediately. He suddenly crouched down, pulling the trailer behind several thick spruce trees. The dense foliage and snow temporarily concealed their figures.
Only then did he lower his voice, almost whispering, "Gabe, we've been played. This map is fake."
Gabe Jones was also an experienced veteran. He was startled at first, then followed Chu Hang's gaze to the distant factory. With just one look, his face also instantly turned white.
As a Soldier, he understood the relationship between distance and visibility better than Chu Hang. At such a close distance, they had just dragged the trailer for so long in the open, which was no different from strolling right under their noses.
"You sons of bitches, Nazi bastards!" Gabe cursed under his breath, cold sweat beading on his forehead. He instinctively tightened his grip on his carbine, warily scanning the surrounding darkness.
"We just… weren't discovered, were we?" he asked nervously.
"I don't know," Chu Hang shook his head, also unsure. "But we can't gamble. From now on, we must assume that a search party is already heading our way."
Fear, like an invisible hand, tightly gripped both their hearts.
At this moment, Chu Hang truly understood what war was. It wasn't a movie, not a game; there was no chance to reload. One wrong step, a trivial oversight, could lead to eternal damnation. His pitiful, movie-derived foresight was as fragile as paper in the face of brutal reality.
What to do?
Go back? Back to that cave? No, it would be discovered sooner or later.
Continue towards the "Hunter's Cabin"? That was even more suicidal.
For a moment, they seemed to be caught in a dead end.
"Chu, listen to me." Gabe's voice suddenly became unusually calm. He grabbed Chu Hang's arm, his eyes filled with a Soldier's unique resolve. "Leave me here, find a place to hide. You go alone, you'll be a smaller target, easier to evade them. Go find Captain, complete the mission. Don't worry about me, that's an order!"
It was this again.
Chu Hang looked at him, feeling both annoyed and amused, and a hint of indescribable emotion.
He patted Gabe's hand in return, shaking his head: "Save it, Gabe. First, you're not my Commander, you can't order me. Second, the Howling Commandos don't abandon any teammate. I don't want to say that a third time."
He paused, took a deep breath, forcing his wildly beating heart to calm down.
The more dangerous the situation, the calmer one must be. This was the only useful thing he had learned from countless overtime shifts and being harassed by his boss.
"The map is fake, but our brains aren't." Chu Hang's eyes sharpened again. "HYDRA wants to play with us, so let's play with them."
He crumpled the cursed map into a ball and stuffed it into his pocket. Then, he closed his eyes, concentrating all his attention on his hearing.
The superpower copier's ability was essentially derived from the X-gene. After copying it, in addition to the maximum Healing Factor, Chu Hang's body was comprehensively strengthened. Although the improvement was not significant, at least his hearing was far more acute than that of an ordinary person.
The sound of the wind, the rustling of snowflakes on leaves, the distant crack of branches breaking under the weight of snow… countless subtle sounds, like trickling streams, flowed into his ears, sketching an invisible sound map in his mind.
Gabe watched Chu Hang, who had his eyes closed as if listening to something, and did not interrupt. He felt a calmness and reliability beyond his age from this young Eastern comrade. This feeling gradually calmed his own frantic heart.
A few minutes later, Chu Hang suddenly opened his eyes.
"Follow me!"
He no longer hesitated, pulled the trailer, and turned to walk in a direction completely opposite to the original plan.
It was a lower-lying hollow, with denser trees.
"Where are you going?" Gabe asked, puzzled.
"To find a truly safe place." Chu Hang explained as he struggled to drag the trailer through the deep snow. "Listen, do you hear the sound of Water flowing in the direction of our upwind?"
Gabe listened carefully, and sure enough, in the gaps between the wind, he could hear an extremely faint "whooshing" sound.
"That river!" Gabe instantly reacted, "The river we jumped into when we were escaping the pursuers!"
"Exactly!" A curve formed at the corner of Chu Hang's mouth. "HYDRA's map led us to the high, open trap area. What does that mean in reverse? It means this lower-lying area, closer to the Water source, is their weak point in defense. Because in their view, no one would be foolish enough to run towards a river in winter."
"Moreover, a river means there are riverbanks. Riverbanks are constantly scoured by Water flow, making them most likely to form natural caves and rock crevices. That's much safer than any artificial Hunter's Cabin!"
Gabe listened, dumbfounded. He couldn't understand how, in just a few short minutes, Chu Hang's mind had turned so many corners and immediately formulated a brand-new, damn viable plan.
He watched Chu Hang dragging the trailer ahead, that not-so-particularly-burly back, at this moment, appearing incredibly tall and reliable.
The road ahead was much harder than before.
The snow in the hollow was deeper, and every step Chu Hang took required immense effort. The trailer also occasionally got stuck on tree roots or rocks, requiring him to stop and clear it. His physical strength was rapidly depleting, sweat streamed down his forehead, quickly forming a layer of White frost on his eyebrows.
But his steps never stopped, nor was there any sign of panic.
After walking a bit further, they finally heard the clear sound of flowing Water. Pushing aside the last patch of bushes, a river about seven or eight meters wide, not completely frozen, appeared before them.
The river Water steamed with White mist in the cold air, and the riverbanks, as Chu Hang had predicted, were covered with rocks and crevices of all sizes, scoured by the Water flow.
Chu Hang's gaze quickly scanned the area, and soon, he locked onto a target.
It was an inconspicuous corner of the riverbank, beneath a huge rock, where a dark cave entrance was hidden by vines and dead grass. The entrance wasn't large, just big enough for one person to bend down and crawl through.
"That's it!"
He pulled the trailer to the cave entrance, first cautiously poking his head in to check for wild Beast or any other strange things. Only then did he signal for Gabe to come down.
Working together, they managed to get Gabe into the narrow but unusually dry and warm rock cave.
The rock cave wasn't large, less than ten square meters, but for two fugitives desperately needing a hiding place, it was like a five-star President suite.
Chu Hang moved all their equipment inside, then gathered some dead branches and vines from outside, skillfully camouflaging the cave entrance. From the outside, no one would ever discover that a cave was hidden there.
After all this, Chu Hang finally breathed a sigh of relief. His entire body felt like it was falling apart as he sat down against the cold rock wall, not wanting to move a single finger.
He was exhausted.
Not just physically tired, but also mentally highly stressed and drained.
Gabe looked at his exhausted appearance, his eyes filled with gratitude and guilt: "Chu, thank you. If it weren't for you…"
"It's alright, don't say anything more." Chu Hang waved his hand, interrupting him. "We're temporarily safe now. You rest well, heal your leg. I need to… I need to calculate how much time we have left."
He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into his mind.
That cold countdown was still ticking tirelessly.
[superpower copier]Cooldown remaining: 2 days 19 hours.
Time was running out.
He didn't know how Captain America was doing now, nor where the rest of the Howling Commandos were. He only knew that he had to reach that damn factory within two days.
But now, he hadn't even figured out the factory's true location, and he was carrying a severely injured person.
Chu Hang opened his eyes and glanced through the disguised crack of the cave entrance at the deep, seemingly endless night sky. For the first time, he felt a hint of wavering about this mission.
Perhaps, Gabe was right.
Perhaps, he really should… go alone?