Under the harsh, scorching desert sun, a long line of black, heavy-duty vehicles barreled across the desolate Gobi desert. Their passage kicked up billowing, choking clouds of smoke and fine, yellow dust. The rapidly rolling rubber tires mercilessly crushed the ancient, sun-hardened sand beneath them. Hidden desert iguanas and scorpions scattered frantically, fleeing the intrusion.
Not long after, the convoy's roaring engines sputtered and fell silent as they arrived at the designated rendezvous location. The terrain was a vast, undulating field of enormous sand dunes, their curves soft yet formidable in the heat. As the rubber tires braked hard, they threw up one last wave of gritty sand and dust.
Heavy, armored, bulletproof car doors opened swiftly. One by one, hardened agents wearing sleek black combat uniforms and matching black masks stepped out of the temporary coolness of the vehicles. They strode without hesitation into the shimmering heat wave of the desert.
These sturdy, disciplined agents were fully armed and equipped for combat. Almost every man carried a powerful automatic rifle. Their tactical vests were weighed down with enough ammunition to sustain a small, localized war, and dark-cased high-explosive grenades hung menacingly from their web belts. Some of the men, clearly elite operatives, also carried heavy individual rocket launchers strapped to their backs.
Once all the agents from the convoy had assembled, a tall, long-haired man, whose metal left arm was starkly branded with a mottled red star, stepped out of the lead black vehicle. His heavy combat boots sank deep into the dry, yielding yellow sand.
A nearby agent immediately stepped forward and handed a specialized rifle to the silent man. The long-haired man took the weapon casually. He smoothly pulled the bolt back, skillfully checking the action and chambering a round.
A low, hoarse voice broke the silence of the desert.
"Each team, check communications."
"Team One goes in ahead of time to clear any possible witnesses or immediate threats. Team Two stays with the convoy, responsible for outer perimeter security. Teams Three and Four follow me to conduct the primary assault!"
"According to intelligence, our enemies will be arriving soon. This operation needs to be resolved quickly... Hail Hydra!"
"Hail Hydra!"
The long-haired man had barely finished speaking before the silent crowd immediately shouted the slogan in chilling unison. Even with black fabric masks covering their faces, the fanaticism burning in their eyes could not be concealed.
As if stimulated by the shouted affirmation, the skin around the long-haired man's eyes, which were smudged with black combat paint, suddenly twitched violently. His bloodshot eyes narrowed slightly, and he clenched his teeth tightly beneath the mask, enduring what appeared to be some severe, internal pain.
He subconsciously raised his gloved, flesh-and-blood hand and pressed his palm hard against his temple.
At that moment, another agent standing nearby glanced nervously around the group. He cautiously approached the long-haired man and whispered, "Mr. Winter Soldier, are you alright?"
"Ah... Are you Bob? I'm fine. Everyone, continue the mission!"
The long-haired man, code-named the 'Winter Soldier', violently shook his dizzy head, trying to clear the mental fog. He took a deep, ragged breath of the hot, dry air. The metal arm holding the gun suddenly snapped up in a sharp arc, then swung down decisively.
The Hydra Agents responded instantly, quickly splitting into their assigned teams. They began running, weapons at the ready, climbing over the huge, nearby dunes with practiced ease.
A few minutes later, hidden in the large, welcome shadow cast by the towering dunes, three large, nondescript buildings appeared. These structures were clearly positioned on the desolate edge of the desert. The Hydra Agents rushed down the steep side of the dunes with surprising agility and quickly entered the main central building.
The Winter Soldier lay flat and expressionless on the hot sand at the dune's summit, watching until the last Hydra agent's back disappeared inside the building. He began silently counting the elapsed time in his head.
However, five minutes dragged by. The designated communication channel remained absolutely silent. No one from Team One emerged. The buildings standing silently in the shadows were still, unnervingly motionless, like a desert mirage.
"Damn, I'm almost fried out here... What in hell are those bastards in Team One doing?" Bob, lying near the Winter Soldier, complained bitterly.
The Winter Soldier, normally strict and quick to reprimand during operations, did not correct him. His brows furrowed slightly, and a flicker of deep uneasiness flashed in his bloodshot eyes.
About a minute later, the Winter Soldier seemed to register something wrong with the environment. He took a deep breath, pushed himself up from the hot sand, and dropped onto one knee. He raised his rifle with one hand and neatly chambered a fresh round. His mechanical arm, with its mottled red star, gleamed dangerously in the sunlight.
"Something is wrong. Team Two, abandon the vehicles and join the assault! Form up!"
"Everyone, follow me!"
Before the words were fully out, the Winter Soldier launched himself down the dune. His heavy body slid to the bottom in a swift cascade of sand and gravel. He regained his footing instantly and began running toward the building's entrance. The nearby Hydra Agents stood and followed, scrambling down the loose yellow sand to catch up.
The air temperature in the shadow of the dunes offered a noticeable, if slight, coolness. The Winter Soldier pressed his back against the thick concrete wall of the building. The unobstructed entrance was just a few feet away.
According to the mission intelligence, the target Compound V was hidden in a well-stocked underground laboratory beneath the sand. The only secure entrance was located inside this building. The other two structures were mere disguises and storage warehouses.
The Winter Soldier frowned deeply, blinking. He couldn't hear any movement from inside the structure. There were only the shuffling footsteps of his own men and the faint, low sound of rolling gravel outside. Otherwise, the air was filled only with a profound, deathly silence.
His unease growing, the Winter Soldier subconsciously flexed his mechanical arm, which responded with a low, barely audible hum of whirring gears. Under the mounting pressure, his breathing became rapid and shallow. He violently shook his head again, trying to forcefully clear the broken, jumbled memories flooding his mind and the excruciating, swelling pain in his brain.
As if to suppress his crushing anxiety, the normally cautious Winter Soldier chose to forgo tactical caution and force immediate entry. He moved suddenly, darting into the dimly lit building alone. He rushed toward the known entrance of the underground laboratory without sparing a glance back at his men.
Thud. Thud. Thud!
At that exact moment, heavy, unconcealed steps thundered through the structure. A towering figure, clad in strange, custom armor, suddenly materialized directly in front of the line of Hydra teams filing in behind the Winter Soldier!
"Enemies encountered! Fire!"
Dozens of Hydra Agents, breaking into the building in groups, instantly raised their rifles. Countless bullets spewed from their barrels, forming a dense stream that completely enveloped the terrifying, tall figure.
Then, the Hydra Agents who had emptied their magazines stared, their eyes wide and frozen in utter shock. They stood motionless, momentarily forgetting the vital need to reload.
Every rapidly spinning bullet was instantly stopped by an invisible barrier humming faintly around the figure. The air became densely saturated with flattened, useless metal slugs, which then clattered loudly onto the concrete floor. The terrifying figure stood completely and utterly unharmed.
Even more frighteningly, as the final slugs struck the ground, the tall figure calmly raised a huge, red-armored gauntlet.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The next second, the deafening, bone-shattering roar of a heavy weapon echoed violently through the building. Uncontrollable howls of pain erupted as broken limbs and shredded pieces of metal armor flew everywhere. Exploding flesh and shrapnel ripped from the concrete walls tore the fragile human bodies apart.
In the blink of an eye, dozens of Hydra Agents were reduced to scattered, bloody pieces of meat by the terrifying, indiscriminate power of the explosive rounds. Blood began to flow rapidly across the floor like a spreading river.
The next moment, bullets slammed like a heavy shower of rain against the Refractor Field surrounding the Hunting Lord's armor, yet they were blocked just as easily as before.
Realizing that conventional bullets were useless, several veteran Hydra agents threw high-explosive grenades from the shadows. They bounced off the wall, landing with terrible precision at the terrifying figure's feet. A violent, massive explosion instantly enveloped the tall figure, who showed no intention of dodging the blast.
But the Winter Soldier, hiding behind a thick structural wall, had no time to capitalize or even launch another attack.
THUD, THUD, THUD!
Accompanied by the ground-shattering roar of the heavy boots, the terrifying figure charged forward like a maddened wild bull, bursting straight through the flames and smoke that had not yet fully dissipated.
With another earth-shaking roar, the one-foot-thick concrete wall directly in its path shattered into a million pieces. As dust and heavy gravel exploded violently outward, a massive red gauntlet slammed down with inescapable force toward the Winter Soldier, who was still squatting behind the now-destroyed wall, with no time left to escape.
In this sudden, life-or-death crisis, the Winter Soldier's blood-red eyes snapped open wide, and he let out a guttural roar. He subconsciously swung his mechanical arm up with every ounce of his ingrained strength, colliding directly with the huge red gauntlet. He managed to partially block the terrifying attack.
A horrifying sound of grinding, twisting metal and internal breaking gears erupted. The Winter Soldier's heart seized tight in his chest. A mist of blood burst violently from his mouth and nose as his body was flung backward, slamming with punishing force onto the gravel-covered floor.
The Winter Soldier lay staring up, letting out a ragged, desperate gasp. The tearing, agonizing pain throughout his body seemed to make him go completely limp. Countless broken, agonizing memories flashed chaotically before his eyes. A familiar figure with a gentle, youthful smile seemed to briefly touch the soft, human heart still beating erratically in his chest.
His lips quivered slightly. He subconsciously let out a vague, unintelligible murmur.
The severely injured Winter Soldier vomited more blood, and his vision became hazy and profoundly blurred.
At the same time, the broken, chaotic memories drowned out his immense physical pain like a surging tide, causing him to let out a series of short, low moans.
Then, the Winter Soldier, his mind and spirit close to collapse, vaguely registered the heavy, echoing footsteps of the terrifying figure. The massive figure stopped nearby and leaned down slightly. The figure looked directly at the Winter Soldier through the opaque, sealed helmet. "Bucky Barnes, congratulations on surviving one of my attacks... Welcome to join my team!"