Red Skull

Inside the sarcophagus lay a decayed skeleton.

A longsword rested on its body, while its hand clutched a transparent crystal cube.

Suddenly, the officer's eyes narrowed. The sarcophagus was not only filled with those items—it was packed with explosives!

The officer had just pushed open the sarcophagus and was leaning over it. Before he could react, the explosives detonated.

Boom— With a deafening blast, the entire church shook violently as fierce flames and smoke burst out from within.

Though he tried desperately to dodge, he was caught squarely in the explosion. The sarcophagus shattered instantly, and the blazing flames engulfed him. His rigid face cracked beneath the tongues of fire, exposing red skin beneath. Then, the powerful shockwave hurled him away and tore his mask apart completely, revealing a blood-red skull-like face. He was none other than Johann Schmidt, Red Skull—the greatest villain in the film and leader of the mysterious organization HYDRA.

Red Skull crashed heavily to the ground. Fragments of the sarcophagus carried by the blast tore his body apart, and blood continuously poured from his wounds, quickly pooling beneath him.

As the flames had barely faded, a figure suddenly dropped down from above the church. With two swishes, silver flashed as two steel throwing knives shot toward Red Skull's eyes and throat.

Red Skull, who had been blasted away and lay motionless on the ground, suddenly rolled aside to evade the fatal attack. But perhaps his injuries from the explosion were too severe. Though he avoided the vital points, one throwing knife still struck his neck, and blood gushed out.

Barely holding on already, Red Skull felt the dizziness in his head intensify. Massive blood loss, coupled with the violent dizziness and weakness brought on by the explosion, left him unable even to stand. He propped himself up on both hands, glaring viciously with his savage blood-red skull face at the figure standing before him. This man had set the trap, intending to kill him—and he was about to succeed.

At a closer look, Red Skull was shocked. The man before him was dressed exactly like him: black military uniform, trench coat, knee-high leather boots. Most terrifying of all, even his face was identical to Red Skull's former appearance.

Red Skull immediately realized that this man intended to kill him and take his place.

But realizing it was useless. Chen Mo, disguised as Red Skull, flicked his wrist and sent two more throwing knives flying at him.

Chen Mo had planned this for a long time. How could he possibly give him a chance to turn things around?

Red Skull was already at the end of his rope. Faced with the rapidly approaching knives, he tried to dodge, but a violent wave of dizziness struck his brain. His movements slowed, and the two knives instantly plunged into his eye sockets. The twenty-centimeter blades sank nearly halfway in, piercing directly into his brain.

The greatest villain in this world had only just appeared and had not even spoken a few words before Chen Mo killed him with such ease. It was not that Red Skull was too weak, but that Chen Mo knew the plot well and had deliberately laid a lethal trap against an unsuspecting opponent.

No matter what, Schmidt could never have expected that the remote church he had painstakingly found, the one hiding the Cosmic Cube, would contain a bomb trap prepared specifically for him. Even so, it had failed to kill him outright. Chen Mo had still needed to strike with all his strength while he was severely injured, using two rounds of throwing knives to finish him off.

Filled with deep unwillingness and resentment, Red Skull's body slammed heavily onto the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust. The curtain fell on a formidable figure of his generation. From now on, Chen Mo would write his future in his stead.

Ever since Chen Mo had discovered that Howard Stark in the newspaper looked exactly like he did in the film, he had boldly guessed that the other major characters would be the same. Knowing the plot inside out, Chen Mo came up with this daring plan: kill Red Skull outright and replace him.

Chen Mo had made thorough preparations for this. He had designed and specially commissioned the clothes from sketches drawn from memory, learned German, imitated the voice, and made a mask. Even if his appearance differed somewhat, Chen Mo could put on the extra Red Skull mask he had prepared.

During that brief period earlier, Chen Mo had hidden upstairs and observed in secret. He had already mastered Schmidt's voice and manner of speaking. Who could have imagined that the leader they worshipped like a god would be killed and replaced in such a short time? Compared to the truth, they would be more willing to believe in that skull face.

After storing Red Skull's corpse in his space, Chen Mo checked the place once more. Everyone in the church was already dead. No one would know what had just happened.

As the smoke from the explosion gradually dispersed, a group of HYDRA soldiers rushed in.

The moment they saw Chen Mo standing in the middle of the church, they immediately stood at attention and saluted. No one asked what had happened. Red Skull held immense authority within HYDRA. If he did not speak, no one dared to ask. They only needed to carry out orders.

Chen Mo nodded in satisfaction. Schmidt had trained HYDRA well, saving him a great deal of trouble.

Ignoring the soldiers, Chen Mo turned and surveyed the church. The violent explosion had reduced it to a wreck, even cracking the murals on the walls.

Fearing that the Serum-Enhanced Red Skull would survive, Chen Mo had placed all the explosives he had stolen from a nearby German forces camp over the past few days into the sarcophagus. The facts proved that his caution had not been misplaced. Even such a violent explosion had only seriously injured Red Skull, and he had still been able to evade Chen Mo's throwing knives. The serum's enhancement of the body was truly powerful. Chen Mo looked forward to it even more now.

Arriving before the World Tree mural, Chen Mo found the giant serpent Nidhogg coiled around the roots. He pressed its eye, and with a click, a wooden box popped out.

Chen Mo slowly opened the box, and a dazzling blue light shone out from within.

Inside the box rested a blue cube. The brilliant light came from it. The interior of the cube glittered as if it contained an endless starry sky. It was beautiful and resplendent, yet seemed to contain boundless mysteries, drawing one's gaze in so deeply that it was impossible to look away.

This was the Cosmic Cube, possessing endless energy and the power of space. Chen Mo recovered from his shock. Seeing it in person was far more awe-inspiring than in the film. It truly deserved to be called a treasure of the gods from legend.

After putting away the box, Chen Mo turned to leave. Suddenly, a flash of silver crossed the corner of his eye.

Chen Mo turned his head and saw a gleaming silver longsword deeply embedded in a stone pillar near the wall. Its tip had pierced through the pillar and emerged from the other side, reflecting silver light in the firelight.

Walking over to the pillar, Chen Mo gripped the hilt and pulled hard. With a swish, he drew the sword from the stone pillar. The blade hummed through the air, clear and lingering.

If Chen Mo remembered correctly, this sword should have been the King's Sword buried in the sarcophagus. Its once-rusty exterior had fallen away in the explosion, revealing its true form: a gleaming, sharp treasure sword.

It was a two-handed broadsword, with a blade nearly a meter long and a hilt over twenty centimeters in length. It had a crossguard and a round, engraved pommel. The blade was broad, thick, and razor-sharp. Chen Mo did not know what material it had been forged from, but it was much heavier than an ordinary two-handed sword. Still, it felt exceptionally natural in his hands.

Chen Mo swung the sword one-handed at the stone pillar. The long, silver blade sliced through the gray stone with ease, severing it cleanly.

It seemed this King's Sword was no ordinary burial object either. It likely had an extraordinary history. He would have to study it carefully when he had the time.

Having successfully replaced Red Skull, obtained the Cosmic Cube, and gained an unexpected bonus, Chen Mo walked out of the ruined church in high spirits.

Looking at the enormous war tank before him, like an Iron Fortress, Chen Mo could not help marveling at how far HYDRA's technology surpassed this era. In many aspects, even the modern age could scarcely match it. But now, all of this would belong to him.

The old Chen Mo had devoted all his energy to improving his own abilities, overlooking the value of power and influence. It was not until Chen Jingde was seriously injured that Chen Mo came to this realization.

Personal strength was the foundation, and that was true. But before he became powerful enough to act as he pleased and intimidate everyone, power and influence could help him achieve that goal more effectively. If Chen Mo had possessed some influence back then, how would Zhou Tianhao have dared to act that way?

Thus, the idea of building his own faction had long taken root in Chen Mo's heart. This was also the main reason he had been able to come up with the idea of replacing Red Skull.

Taking control of HYDRA would be of enormous help, whether for his plans ahead or for building his own faction after returning to the real world.