The Attack Helicopter's rotors had stopped spinning at some point, and a row of deep-blue energy jets sprayed from its base.
Supported by the auxiliary Atomic Engine, the Annihilator was like an eagle gliding through the darkness, its faint lights flickering as it silently lurked in the night sky.
Natasha and the others were clearly familiar with this routine. After putting on their Night Vision Goggles and opening the hatch, they leaped into the howling cold wind and plunged headfirst into the pitch-black sky.
Erica and the others followed one after another. John was last because he had to bring his beloved dog with him, so he was a little slower.
Once everyone had jumped out, Merlin in the pilot's seat opened his Notebook.
"Guys, can you hear me?" he called through the Headset.
"Copy!"
"Copy!"
Amid the sharp howl of the wind, Natasha and the others replied steadily through their Headsets.
"Good. First, remember to attach the Electromagnetic Signal Device to their computers."
"So let Erica take the lead and infiltrate first. Once I control all the surveillance cameras, you can make your move too."
"Of course, if anyone wants to add a little excitement for themselves, I won't mind."
"As for anyone who can't stand each other, settle it after the mission. It'll be nice entertainment for everyone." Merlin reminded them.
Among them, the most unstable was naturally Bullseye, that somewhat neurotic guy.
Merlin normally got along fairly well with him. They both liked having fun, except Bullseye enjoyed shooting people while Merlin preferred seeking thrills.
But with Bullseye's somewhat unhinged mind, if he ran into someone unfamiliar and exchanged a few insults, his itchy hands might toss something their way before he knew it.
"How about we compete to see who kills the most people?" Bullseye's voice suddenly came through the Headset.
"Such a cliché game..." Natasha remarked flatly.
"I think it's a good idea, but there should be a prize." Merlin suddenly said with interest.
Without waiting for their reply, he continued, "I can keep a real-time record of everyone you kill. The final champion will receive..."
Merlin paused. Hearing there was a prize, everyone became interested, so no one interrupted him.
"A... Buckingham Fury."
The Buckingham Fury was a fighter jet modeled after the A28B fighter jet. It came equipped with an onboard machine gun and rapid-fire guided missiles, and could also be fitted with countermeasure chaff and flares.
Its greatest feature could be summed up in one word—speed.
In the hands of a highly skilled pilot, even Hydra had to bow its head.
The Headset fell silent at once. No one had expected Merlin to be so generous, offering a fighter jet right from the start.
"Oh, guys, I'm already tempted." Natasha's voice came through the Headset, speaking everyone's thoughts.
Using a fighter jet as a prize undeniably made this mission much more interesting.
Who could refuse such a huge toy?
Some people wondered where Merlin would get a fighter jet, but if he could acquire an Attack Helicopter equipped with stealth technology, then Wildfire was no problem either.
"Of course, there's one more thing. Rescuing Tony Stark counts as ten kills."
There were nearly a hundred Ten Commandments Gang members in the base. Stark alone was worth more than a tenth of the total.
With everyone's abilities being roughly similar, that could open up the gap nicely.
"Whoever's joining, press one."
"1!"
"1!"
Everyone's voices sounded one after another through the Headset.
"Okay, guys. Good luck."
As they spoke, Natasha and the others had already neared the ground and opened their Parachutes.
After cutting loose their Parachutes, they quickly reached a small hill near the Ten Commandments Gang's Camp. Looking down at the patrolling guards and lights within the Camp, they were already itching to make a move.
Erica had vanished from where she stood at some point.
Natasha and the others were in no hurry and waited quietly.
Natal, the Ten Commandments Gang leader, sat in the Surveillance Room, eating rations while watching the camera feeds.
Tony Stark had only dozed off for a while that night. Now he was swinging a hammer and forging metal, while Yinsen constantly assisted him at his side.
The Deputy who had just changed shifts could not help praising Stark's diligence.
However, as Natal watched the components being made on the screen, he gradually sensed that something was wrong.
"These... seem to be parts for a suit of armor?" He stood up, leaned closer to inspect the feed, and spoke uncertainly.
Soon, a conspicuous Helmet entered his sight. As Tony Stark assembled the components one by one, a crude silver suit of armor appeared inside the cave.
How could Natal not realize that he had been played?
"Fuck!" he cursed, springing to his feet. He also kicked the Deputy beside him, who had just fallen asleep.
"Come with me! We've been played!"
The Deputy was still dazed after being abruptly woken up, but seeing his boss leave, he instinctively hurried after him.
Not long after the two left, Erica, dressed in red, silently appeared in the Surveillance Room.
"Not bad luck." She walked to the computer console, swiftly took out a magnetic circular electromagnetic device, and casually placed it on the computer. As the signal amplified, a wave of detection rapidly spread outward.
"Bzzz..." A current signal crackled through the Headset, followed immediately by Merlin's voice.
"Operation Start! Tony Stark is in a dangerous situation right now. Pick up the pace." Watching the surveillance footage on his computer screen, Merlin saw the Ten Commandments Gang leader leading a group of subordinates toward Stark and spoke in a low voice.
"Finally, we can begin!" Bullseye grinned excitedly and was the first to charge down from the hill.
Click!
Click!
John and the Punisher pulled back the bolts of their rifles and checked them.
"Woof! Woof!!! Grrr!!!" Bick let out a series of low growls as the green fur on his body grew even more lush.
"Go, Duke!" John gave the order, and Bick shot out like an unleashed beast.
The Punisher and the others quickly followed.
"What was that?" A patrolling guard suddenly heard a sound and instinctively turned to look.
Whoosh!
But in the next instant, a sharp whistling sound rang beside his ear, and a Bat Shuriken had already sliced into his throat.
Bang! Bang! Bang!!! The two men beside him holding AKs fell to the ground without another sound.
Rat-a-tat-tat-tat... Suddenly, a burst of dense gunfire rang out. The entire Camp erupted like a powder keg at that moment.
"Enemy attack!!!"
"There's an ene—"
The warning guard's voice came to an abrupt stop, but the Camp had already descended into chaos.
The Punisher and the others had infiltrated the Camp like ghosts.
"Number One, three o'clock."
"Number Two, six o'clock. Ammunition crate."
There were quite a few problems with the previous chapter, so I revised it.
Before you continue