A distance of 100 meters might seem far, but for Su Che—now at peak physical condition—it took only seconds to close the gap.
Though his combat skills were still ordinary, his enhanced physique allowed him to swiftly overpower the attacker, slamming him hard to the ground.
With two sharp cracks, he dislocated the man's arms.
The adrenaline of nearly being shot now morphed into cold fury.
Eyes blazing, Su Che unleashed a barrage of punches—
Rain-like blows pounded into the assailant.
He'd been an ordinary person before all this.
Even with system simulations, this was his first brush with death.
His skills were rudimentary; his strength alone was peak human.
If he didn't disable this man completely, who knew what backup plans he might have?
After a dozen heavy strikes, Su Che forced himself to stop—
Any more would have been lethal.
The attacker now lay limp, face bloodied and battered.
Su Che raised a hand.
Moisture coalesced from the air into a dense water sphere, trapping the man firmly—only his head was exposed.
To prevent any tricks, Su Che bound the man's limbs with water tendrils, suspending him in a spread-eagle position.
"Talk. Who sent you?"
Su Che's voice was low, eyes dark as he stared at the bruised, bleeding figure.
If he hadn't reacted quickly earlier, that bullet would have taken his head off.
"Ah…"
The trapped man groaned, stubbornly silent despite his injuries.
"Not talking?"
Su Che's palm tilted slightly.
Inside the water sphere, a vortex formed—needle-like streams targeting the man's wounds, piercing like sharp sutures.
Agony contorted the man's features; sweat beaded on his forehead.
Su Che crossed his arms, thinking coldly.
Since arriving in this world, he'd made no enemies.
The "enemies" in his diary were fabrications.
So who was behind this?
Only three people knew about his diary: Natasha Romanoff, Nick Fury, and Wanda.
And diary holders couldn't reveal its contents to outsiders.
That ruled them out…
Wait.
He studied the man's pained expression.
A possibility surfaced.
"You're HYDRA," Su Che stated flatly.
The man's eyes flickered—a tell.
Bingo.
This wasn't some high-level HYDRA operative or trained agent—just cannon fodder.
Otherwise, he'd have better control.
"Are you one of HYDRA's moles inside S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
Su Che watched him closely.
The man's surprised reaction confirmed it.
"No? Not quite?" Su Che mused. "I saw the Maximoff twins today. They were supposed to be in Sokovia—but here they are."
"So this is about them, isn't it?"
The man's tense expression said it all.
"Those twins didn't come to New York on their own. HYDRA didn't send them either."
"The only explanation is that S.H.I.E.L.D. brought them here—on Nick Fury's orders."
"Don't ask how I know. With the right intel, it's not hard to guess."
Su Che lowered his hand.
The water sphere descended, bringing the man eye-level with him.
"As the most overlooked assets in HYDRA's Sokovian base, suddenly getting personal attention from Director Fury…"
"You're curious why he wants them. And worried they'll expose your HYDRA ties."
"Today, the twins showed up at my café. Wanda couldn't take her eyes off me—seemed unusually interested."
"Plus, the famous Black Widow was there too."
"So you felt threatened. Thought I was S.H.I.E.L.D., getting close to Wanda to extract your secrets."
"You even assumed I'd been to Sokovia, discovered the twins' potential, and reported back to Fury—prompting him to retrieve them."
Su Che's voice turned icy.
"Am I right?"
The man's grimace was answer enough.
"So," Su Che concluded, "you're one of the 'cleaners,' sent to tie up loose ends."