"I can't just sit here and do nothing."
"Colonel Phillips won't approve of this." Peggy walked in, but her tone was not one of dissuasion.
"I know."
Steve shrugged nonchalantly, a slight smile on his face. "But this is much more interesting than the previous performances. At least this time, I know what I'm doing."
He showed no signs of nervousness, not wanting anyone, especially Peggy, to worry about him.
"It seems the circus clown finally wants to be a real soldier?"
A voice filled with harsh mockery rang out.
Steve turned to see Dio leaning against the doorframe, a contemptuous smile playing on his lips.
"This is none of your business," Steve said with a slight frown.
Rosen approached, his voice low. "Everyone on the front line is just waiting to die, Rogers. We don't need propaganda; we need action. Since you've finally decided to do something real, I don't mind helping."
Steve paused, looking up at Dio in complete surprise. "You want to go with me?"
"Don't get me wrong. I'm not doing it for you. I just hate HYDRA a little more than I hate you."
Steve looked at Carter, a question in his eyes.
Carter stepped forward. "Steve, although Dio's... personality is unique, he is indeed one of the finest soldiers I have ever seen. With him along, the success rate will be much higher."
"Whatever you say," Dio shrugged. "The problem is, do you have transportation? Something that can get us to that damn HYDRA base?"
A cunning glint flashed in Peggy's eyes. "I can take care of that."
An hour later.
Steve and Dio were seated in a small military plane.
In the cockpit, Howard Stark skillfully handled the controls.
"You have ten minutes to prepare," Howard said without turning around. "I can only circle over the target area once. You have to get the jump right on the first try."
"Understood!"
Steve replied. Although he had basic parachute training, this was his first real combat jump.
"Scared, Captain America?" A mocking smile crept onto Rosen's lips.
Steve glanced at Dio but ignored his taunt.
"Get ready!" Howard's voice came through. "Three! Two! One! Jump!"
The hatch was yanked open, and a blast of cold wind rushed in.
Without hesitation, Steve leaped into the darkness. Dio followed close behind, and the two figures quickly disappeared into the night.
The intense wind pressure made Steve squint, but he could still see the ground rapidly approaching.
Snap!
The parachute cord tightened instantly, his descent was brought to a sharp halt, and then he began to land slowly.
After landing, Steve quickly gathered his parachute and slipped into the nearby bushes.
A few seconds later, Dio landed silently not far away.
Dio lay on the ground, staring at the distant base. "More guards than the intel suggested. They've recently strengthened security."
Steve looked at him in surprise. "You can see that in this darkness?"
Dio replied nonchalantly, "Spend enough time on the front lines, and your eyes naturally adapt to the dark."
The two used the cover of night to approach the perimeter fence. Dio suddenly put out a hand to stop Steve, pointing to two patrolling guards ahead. "You take the left, I'll take the right."
Steve silently approached the guard on the left, striking the back of his neck precisely with the edge of his shield.
With a dull thud, the guard collapsed without a sound.
Dio, on the other hand, appeared behind the right guard like a flash of lightning. He covered the man's mouth with one hand while plunging a dagger into him with the other.
The guard struggled violently, his legs kicking wildly. A hint of excitement appeared on Dio's face until the man's convulsions gradually ceased.
Steve frowned but said nothing.
The two scaled the fence and dropped into the base. Dio whispered, "Looks like you're good for more than just stage tricks."
...
Meanwhile, deep inside the base.
Clank!
The heavy steel blast door slowly opened, and the Red Skull strode into the underground laboratory.
The lab was lit by a pale, harsh light, and various instruments emitted a low hum.
The Red Skull stood before a pane of reinforced glass. The vampire resurrected from the cave was firmly secured to a vertical frame with metal rings.
Despite being restrained, it struggled continuously, letting out low snarls.
"What's the progress, Dr. Zola?" the Red Skull asked, his hands clasped behind his back.
Dr. Zola held up a vial of dark red liquid, his fingers trembling slightly. "The blood extraction was successful, my Führer. Its cellular activity exceeds our expectations."
The Red Skull turned to the other side of the lab. "Then, let's begin the experiment."
A muscular HYDRA soldier was strapped tightly to another operating table, his eyes showing a mixture of fear and fanaticism.
Zola carefully drew the blood, filled a syringe, inserted the needle into the soldier's vein, and pushed in the serum.
"Hail HYDRA!"
In less than three seconds, the soldier's body began to convulse violently, his face contorting into a mask of agony.
Aaaargh—!
His scream transformed into a bestial howl.
His muscles bulged at a visible rate, his skin turned greyish-white, and bluish-black veins writhed beneath it. The whites of his eyes turned blood-red.
Snap!
The leather straps couldn't withstand the force and broke one by one.
The mutating soldier shot to his feet. He had now become a monster nearly two meters tall, with muscles knotted like armor and fingers as sharp as knives.
The surrounding soldiers immediately raised their weapons, red dots aiming at the monster.
"No need to be alarmed," the Red Skull waved his hand. "Let's see the power of our new weapon."
The mutated soldier stepped off the platform, the ground trembling slightly beneath his feet.
He grabbed a nearby metal rod and easily twisted it into a pretzel shape.
"Excellent!"
A crazed light shone in the Red Skull's eyes. "This is a true super-soldier!"
Just then, the ghoul on the other side of the lab suddenly became agitated, letting out a scream that pierced the eardrums.
Its body convulsed violently, and the metal rings binding it began to deform.
Clang!
A thick metal bolt was sent flying, shattering an instrument on the opposite side and sending shards of glass everywhere.
The Red Skull's expression changed. "Activate the electric grid!"
The guards immediately pressed the emergency button. The ceiling above opened, and several electric nets shot out, precisely covering the ghoul.
Blue electricity arced wildly across the metal nets with a sizzling sound, and the smell of burning filled the air.
But the ghoul continued to stare deadly at the Red Skull, its eyes filled with pure hatred.
It spat out a string of ancient and hoarse words, its voice like sandpaper on stone, utterly chilling.
The Red Skull frowned, pressing his face closer to the reinforced glass. "What is it saying?"
"I'm not sure, sir."
Beads of sweat formed on Zola's forehead.
"It's an ancient language, older than Latin. I can only try to analyze a part of it with our translation equipment."
"Then hurry up!" the Red Skull waved his hand impatiently.