Winter Soldier's Lair

Following the signal, Li Congxin traveled about a li further and finally found the source of the life signal.

It was a towering iceberg. Unlike what he had imagined, he didn't find a frozen airplane here. Instead, he found a military fortress built by hollowing out the mountain.

However, it seemed this fortress had been abandoned for a long time.

Li Congxin circled the mountain and found the fortress's entrance in an inconspicuous spot.

It was two thick, red-painted iron doors. They looked like they should be electrically operated, but the control box for the doors was covered in a layer of solid ice.

Taking out his tools, Li Congxin chipped away the ice, only to discover, to his dismay, that the metal box contained a password input device.

This military base, whose age was unknown, actually used an electronic password lock?

Cracking password locks wasn't exceptionally difficult, nor was it simple. In the Avengers, at least half the members could handle it with ease. It was the kind of task that was hard for those who couldn't do it, but easy for those who could.

And Li Congxin happened to be one of those who couldn't.

But that didn't stop him.

After glancing at the old-fashioned password lock, Li Congxin decisively took out his satellite phone and dialed Old Pi. "Hello! Pym Uncle, I didn't find Captain America, but I found something else. I've run into a bit of trouble and need to open a password lock."

As expected of Old Pi, one of the smartest people in the Marvel world, after Li Congxin briefly explained the situation, he gave an answer almost without hesitation.

"That's simple. Your toolbox has the necessary equipment. Just do as I say..."

Three minutes later, the electric door slowly opened.

Entering, he was greeted by a long corridor. To Li Congxin's shock, it wasn't cold inside at all!

This secret base actually had a heating system, and it was still running perfectly!

Passing through the corridor, he entered a room that resembled a storage area. Piles of documents and literature were stacked here, but they were covered in dust and cobwebs, indicating that no one had touched them for a very long time.

He didn't know where the lighting switch was, so Li Congxin had to use his flashlight for illumination.

Soon, Li Congxin found a staircase leading upstairs between two bookshelves. Ascending the stairs, everything that met his eyes made Li Congxin gasp.

In the spacious hall, there were five large glass enclosures. Each enclosure was lit with an orange-yellow light. Inside, he could faintly see people sitting on metal chairs, enveloped in a cryogenic gas that drifted down from above, creating an ethereal scene!

The five glass enclosures were arranged two on the left and three on the right. In the center was a control console, covered with equipment Li Congxin couldn't understand.

Seeing this, Li Congxin finally knew what kind of place this was.

This was an abandoned Hydra base, the very same one where the big fight occurred in Captain America 3!

Eighteen years later, two centenarians would beat up the rich tycoon of New York here. The conflict between the proletariat and capitalism would escalate once more, directly causing the greatest superhero organization, the Avengers, to shatter like the Jiangnan Leather Factory!

Alright, those were future events. Whether they would happen or not after Li Congxin's interference was still uncertain.

The real question on Li Congxin's mind was, if his guess was correct, then the five glass enclosures before him contained five Winter Soldiers!

In 1991, Hydra sent the brainwashed Winter Soldier Bucky to assassinate the Howard couple and steal the Super Soldier Serum that had just been successfully developed. They injected it into several soldiers, but those soldiers became uncontrollable after receiving the serum. They could only be temporarily frozen until a method to control them was found.

Although the Winter Soldier wasn't the strongest, he was definitely not at the bottom of the Avengers. His combat power was certainly above Black Widow and the two "Eagle" characters!

He never expected this!

He hadn't found Captain America, but he had found the Winter Soldier's lair!

What is this called?

It's like trying to grow flowers with intention and they don't bloom, but planting willows without trying yields shade?

If he could control the power of these five Winter Soldiers, who in this period before Iron Man's appearance would be his match?

Thinking of this possibility, Li Congxin couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

Of course, these five Winter Soldiers were dangerous individuals that even Hydra couldn't control, so the possibility of him controlling them wasn't very high.

But what if he succeeded?

Regardless, he'd take them back first, and Old Pi could handle the follow-up issues. He should be more professional.

Stepping up to the control console, Li Congxin discovered that there were leftover rations on it, of various kinds, which looked like standard US military rations.

He touched them; they were still warm.

Wait...

These rations... are still—warm!

Realizing something was wrong, Li Congxin reacted like a startled cat, almost instinctively rolling to the side and diving behind the console.

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!..."

Just as Li Congxin dodged behind the console, several gunshots rang out. The military rations and a monitor on the console were shot to pieces.

This abandoned base was indeed guarded!

"Dong! ... Dong! ... Dong! ... Dong!..." The BGM of "A Man Should Better Himself" began, its tempo gradually increasing.

Li Congxin finally felt a little more settled. While cursing his carelessness, he calmly said, "Guess how many of us there are?"

"I'm not afraid to tell you the truth, you've been surrounded. Even if you kill me, you won't be able to escape from here?"

"I advise you to give up your futile resistance and surrender immediately!"

"Bang!"

A ruthless bullet answered Li Congxin.

Right in the center of the forehead!

Of course, the bullet didn't hit Li Congxin's forehead. Instead, it pierced the first glass case to his left and shot through the forehead of the Winter Soldier inside.

Alas, a powerful individual who could go toe-to-toe with Captain America met his precious end so easily, without even being conscious, thanks to a single bullet.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Three more gunshots followed. The second, third, and fourth...

Three more Winter Soldiers, who hadn't even begun to thaw, met their inexplicable deaths at the hands of the killer.

It turned out that after hearing Li Congxin say the place was surrounded, the other party had prioritized eliminating all the Winter Soldiers. Even if they had to kill them, they absolutely wouldn't allow these forces to fall into the hands of outsiders!

However, with the fall of four Winter Soldiers, the gunfire finally ceased.

The opponent was out of bullets. This was the moment!

Li Congxin seized this fleeting opportunity, stood up abruptly, extended his right arm straight, and pointed in the direction the gunfire had come from.

The instant he pinpointed the enemy's location, a metal rod the size of an ear pick shot out from his wristband, spinning towards the enemy.

As he made his move, Li Congxin finally got a clear look at the enemy's appearance.

Thanks to the book friend [Solitary Wanderer for Ten Thousand Years] for the reward of 100 Qidian coins!