The moment they detected the robot's appearance, the S.H.I.E.L.D. agents hurriedly turned their guns in unison and fired at the thing.
But it was useless. Their weapons obviously couldn't hurt it. The dense bullets only crackled and sparked continuously on the robot's outer shell, and the deformed warheads fell tinkling densely at the robot's feet like beads, causing no damage whatsoever.
Instead, the machine soldier raised its arm, and the machine gun barrel hanging on the side of its arm spun rapidly. A continuous rain of bullets poured out like a tide.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents were all experienced; at the first instant, they immediately leaped and dived, each finding cover within the control room to hide behind.
One of them moved slightly slower, and seeing that he was about to be hit by the firepower the robot was turning towards him before he could dive into cover, a round flying shield arrived just in time, smashing with a clang into the web of the robot's hand holding the machine gun.
The force of that shield throw was heavy and powerful; even the mecha's arm was knocked askew, instantly losing its aim. The team member was thus lucky enough to escape into cover.
Captain America strode forward. The shield that had left his hand bounced off the robot's hand, and using the rebound force, flew back into Cap's hand as precisely as if it were auto-guided.
Borrowing his momentum, Cap leaped off the ground, spun 360 degrees in the air, and used the centrifugal force to smash the shield right into the robot's forehead. Sparks flew immediately from that iron skull upon impact, and the robot's body was knocked back half a step by the shield bash.
The agents who had retreated watched in shocking awe as Cap went up to fight the mecha in hand-to-hand combat with his flesh and blood body. While secretly amazed at the Captain's astonishing Super Soldier physical fitness, they couldn't help but worry privately.
Unfortunately, their weapons were just scratching the itch of this mecha. Plus, with the Captain currently engaging the opponent in close quarters, firing their guns risked accidental injury to their teammate. They were increasingly anxious but powerless to help.
Although Cap had beautifully spun and bashed its head, his own movements momentarily stiffened upon landing. And although the opponent was knocked back, a machine feels no pain after all. While adjusting its balance, it swung its arm to counterattack, the steel arm banging right into Cap's steel helmet.
Although protected by the helmet, the power-assisted arm still struck Cap so hard he saw stars and spat blood, nearly unable to stand steady for a moment.
But he took a step sideways, forcibly steadying himself.
He couldn't fall.
He was the Captain, the spiritual pillar for everyone.
The spirit cannot be defeated.
The machine soldier raised its arm to lock on. Cap half-anticipated and ducked to avoid the opponent's machine gun fire line. With beautiful footwork, he completed a maneuver to get behind it, swinging his shield to violently grapple the opponent's vital throat area.
He held the shield with both hands, the shield in front of the opponent's windpipe, while his own body hung on the robot's back. Using the shield to lock the throat, he desperately wrenched back the robot's slender neck from behind.
Immediately, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent reminded him aloud: "Captain, it's a robot, it doesn't need to breathe! A chokehold won't work on it..."
But before the voice fell, Steve was heard letting out a clear whistle of "Hah!". Following that was a crisp "crack" sound.
Immediately after, everyone present stared dumbfounded as the robot's steel neck was forcibly snapped by Cap's arm strength. The metal head, sparking with electricity, spun several times in the air before rolling onto the ground with a rumble.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. agents opened their mouths wide one by one.
This... this works too?
If anyone previously thought Cap was just an outdated antique eliminated by the times and increasingly evolved modern technology, then at this moment, at least the team members present admired him prostratingly.
Snapping a mecha's neck with bare hands... well, maybe borrowing the Vibranium shield doesn't count as completely bare-handed. But even so, this scene was impactful enough for them.
What terrifying monstrous strength!
Cap picked up his shield and stood up, panting, wiping the blood from the corner of his mouth.
Having been bombarded by rockets and swept by the mecha's arm to the head in succession, even Cap felt a bit unsteady on his feet at this moment.
But at least he won, the mission should be complete...
BOOM—
A sudden explosion; the wall on the corridor side of the room was abruptly blown open. The blast shockwave sent everyone flying again, defenseless.
Steve happened to be standing next to the exploding wall, bearing the brunt of it. He flew almost across the entire room, his body crashing into the huge suspended monitor in the control room.
The screen shattered behind him with a crisp crack, the image disappearing, glass shards falling with him. upon landing, he felt as if every bone in his whole body was screaming.
When he opened his eyes again, he saw this despairing scene.
Machine soldiers, robots just like the one he had just defeated, only in much greater numbers.
It looked like more than ten, maybe twenty... he wasn't sure.
A large number of mechas, all outside that blasted-open wall, glaring at this team like tigers watching their prey.
Steve took a deep breath.
This was the grimest situation he had ever faced in his life. Even during the war, he had never—but then again, in his era, it was impossible to have such advanced gadgets.
Steve had to admit, he kind of missed the era when he was the most advanced technological creation on Earth.
Reason told him he couldn't win.
But even so...
Steve clenched his fists and propped himself up again.
He took off his fragmented helmet, letting it fall to the ground and roll aside. Holding his shield, facing the army before him that he knew was impossible to defeat, he showed no fear.
"I can do this all day." He lifted his shield and articulated clearly.
It was incredible, as if by some invisible magic, when he stepped forward, when this figure stood tall in front of everyone, the fear in the hearts of the other team members miraculously dissipated a little.
As if he were a lighthouse on the sea, a flag on the battlefield.
As long as the flag does not fall, they are fearless.
The agents who could still move stood up one by one, raised their guns, regarding death as a return home.
Maybe the odds of winning were indeed zero, maybe none of them would live past today.
But at least they would fight to the death.
All the combat robots also locked onto their targets. They raised their arms in unison, the pitch-black gun barrels like the Grim Reaper about to deliver a cold sentence.
"Intruders detected... Terminate..."
BOOM!
Another explosion.
Still as sudden, but this time it came from above. The laboratory ceiling was blasted through, and everyone instinctively raised their arms again to protect their faces, dazzled by the sudden influx of sunlight that made it hard to keep their eyes open.
This time, descending from the hole in the ceiling was a suit of red and gold battle armor.
Like a descending god, sunlight poured down like molten gold. The mechanical steel body hovered in a vortex of dust and light beams, the armor emitting an arc of light like the arrival of a saint.
Steve Rogers looked up, watching the figure descend on radiance with a metallic roar, and for a moment, he stared blankly.