As the Winter Soldier departed and his figure vanished from sight, Kent finally breathed a sigh of relief. No longer able to support himself, he collapsed to the ground, his transformation automatically disengaging.
That final Rider Kick had squeezed every last drop of energy from his body; he truly had no strength left to fight. Earlier, he had only been propped up by sheer willpower, facing down the Winter Soldier to make the Shocker organization believe he still had strength in reserve, hoping to deter them.
Fortunately, after being struck by the Rider Kick, the Winter Soldier didn't seem to have much fight left in him either, ultimately choosing to retreat. Once the threat was gone and Kent let out that held breath, his body naturally gave way.
In reality, Dr. Zola had chosen to withdraw primarily out of concern that the Winter Soldier might break free from his control.
Although the divine lightning power within Kent's Rider Kick had bypassed the vibranium armor's defense and caused significant internal damage, a normal human—even an enhanced one like Captain America—would have been incapacitated by such a strike to their internal organs.
On Earth, no matter how strong a biological being's muscles and bones are, the internal organs remain relatively fragile. Any internal damage typically has a massive negative impact on the entire system.
However, the Winter Soldier was a Shocker cyborg—a product of mechanical and biological engineering merged with a human frame. Internal damage did not hinder his physical capabilities as severely.
Furthermore, while Kent hadn't unleashed a vast amount of it, the divine power containing fragments of universal laws was no ordinary force. Despite the massive energy output of the Extremis Virus inside the Winter Soldier, it couldn't simply extinguish that small spark of divine power.
Both his biochemical genetic modifications and the Extremis Virus granted the Winter Soldier incredible self-healing abilities. Consequently, his internal state became a battleground: the divine lightning power caused destruction, and his regenerative factors immediately followed behind, repairing the damage.
Observing the Winter Soldier's retreat, Francis Angle immediately ordered his agents to transport the wounded for medical treatment. Simultaneously, he grabbed his communicator to report to his superiors.
"Unknown enemy has departed. Requesting satellite surveillance to track his destination."
At S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, Nick Fury contacted the support teams on the ground while fast-tracking the authorization for satellite monitoring.
"Director, we are in position. We can see Agent Angle's convoy. There are many wounded; should we land to provide assistance?" an agent aboard a supporting Quinjet reported.
"Ignore them for now. Scour the surrounding area immediately for any sign of the armored man," Fury replied, his voice firm and calm.
"Copy that," the agent replied. The Quinjet began patrolling the perimeter, searching for any trace of the Winter Soldier's path.
"Director, satellite authorization has been granted. We are beginning a full-spectrum scan of the surrounding region," Maria Hill, the Deputy Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., reported as she entered Fury's office.
Fury looked up at Hill—the deputy placed in the agency by the US government—and nodded slightly. "Analyze the satellite imagery. Notify me the moment you find anything."
Hill nodded and exited the office.
After his injuries had stabilized somewhat, Kent took a S.H.I.E.L.D. vehicle back to the Ryan household, accompanied by several agents.
"I've come to say goodbye, Mr. Ryan," Kent said, bowing slightly to the older man.
"What happened?" Ryan asked, his brow furrowed as he looked at the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents standing behind Kent.
Kent gave a wry smile. "On the way back, I encountered an enhanced warrior sent by Shocker to capture me. After a hard-fought battle, I managed to drive him off for now. But since Shocker knows my location, I really can't stay here anymore."
"Are you going with the S.H.I.E.L.D. people?" Ryan asked with a slight nod.
"To be honest, I just wanted to live a quiet, steady life in this town," Kent sighed, his gaze hardening. "But it's clear now that Shocker won't let me go so easily. No matter where I go, they will eventually find me. Unless I find Shocker and destroy them completely, I'll never truly have peace."
Ryan stared at Kent for a moment before speaking in a cryptic tone. "So, you intend to cooperate with S.H.I.E.L.D. to find the organization that modified you? You haven't... joined them, have you?"
"I've accepted Director Nick Fury's invitation to join a special advisory squad. I wouldn't say I'm joining as an agent; it's more of a partnership," Kent explained, nodding and then shaking his head slightly.
Ryan's eyes flickered. "Since you've made your decision, I won't try to talk you out of it. However, you must be careful. S.H.I.E.L.D. is... very complicated. Do not place too much trust in them. Or rather, do not hold unconditional trust for anyone. That is the only way to ensure your safety." Ryan lowered his voice.
Years ago, Ryan had chosen to walk away from the S.H.I.E.L.D. training academy because he had sensed an undercurrent of something wrong within the agency. Though he didn't know the specifics of the shadows lurking inside, his intuition told him it was dangerous—extremely dangerous.
Kent's expression turned solemn as he nodded, indicating he understood the warning.
Ryan thought of his daughter away at university and sighed. "Have you told Leah about this?"
Kent froze and shook his head. "Not yet. I'll have to trouble you to tell her, Mr. Ryan."
The corner of Ryan's mouth twitched. He could already envision how much Leah was going to give him a hard time over this.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters
Nick Fury stared at the satellite imagery on the screens, rubbing the bridge of his nose. He turned to the technicians: "Can anyone tell me why the satellite can't find a single trace of that Shocker cyborg?"
"The subject might be equipped with an optical camouflage device, allowing him to evade satellite monitoring."
"Perhaps he went underground."
The staff offered various guesses. Fury shook his head. "I don't want to hear guesses; I want a lead that will find this guy."
The staff looked at each other in silence. Fury snorted in dissatisfaction and turned to leave.
"Hill, arrange for teams to conduct a comprehensive ground search in the area where the subject vanished," Fury said to Hill as she followed him out.
Deputy Director Hill nodded silently.
Back in his office, Fury contacted Coulson via a classified channel. "How is our old-timer from the Second World War doing?"
Coulson's excited voice came through: "It's incredible. Even after sixty years, the Captain is still full of life. It's likely the Super Soldier Serum combined with the cryostasis in the ice. We are ready to wake him up now!"
"Be careful. It's been sixty years; the world has changed completely. The Captain's cognitive adjustment needs to be a primary concern," Fury reminded the eager Coulson.
"Understood," Coulson replied, toning down his excitement slightly.
"An old senior from WWII, plus this Kent... the candidates for the Avengers squad are becoming more complete," Nick Fury murmured to himself, alone in his office.
(End of Chapter)