In the cramped underground tunnel, the flamethrower proved even more devastating than energy weapons. The continuous, wide columns of fire scorched even the air to an unbearable heat.
Kyle frowned and backed away to a safe distance, using the recessed tunnel walls as cover against the flames.
Energy weapons would have been easier to deal with; he could directly block lasers with the Vibranium Bracer. But the flamethrower's wide-reaching blaze happened to limit the bracer's defensive capabilities.
More critically, there was Venom, which had transformed into Kyle's battle suit.
Venom, which feared neither bullets nor lasers—bullets could be blocked, while laser damage could be healed in its liquid form—now conveyed an instinctive terror to its host, Kyle, under the threat of the intense flames.
"All right, just endure it a little longer."
Kyle verbally reassured Venom, then prepared to throw the sword in his hand and kill the guard. Just as he raised his arm to gather strength, a disc-shaped object whistled past him from behind.
The round shield accurately struck the flamethrower-wielding guard in the head, severely injuring and knocking him out before swiftly arcing back.
"The Adamantium Shield?"
Kyle quickly turned around and saw a tall young man rushing forward to catch the disc-like shield. It was none other than Steve, who had hurried after him.
"Steve, weren't you supposed to hold back and clear out the guards?" Kyle asked in surprise.
"The soldiers can handle the guards," Steve answered firmly. "How can Schmidt be left for you to deal with alone?"
"Suit yourself. Then this time, let's see who takes down Hydra's leader first..."
Before Kyle could finish, he burst toward the end of the tunnel ahead of Steve.
"No problem... Hey, don't you dare cheat!" Steve shouted as he followed Kyle without slowing down.
The two raced through the final stretch of the underground tunnel, one after the other.
When they emerged from the tunnel, they found themselves facing a vast underground base plaza and hundreds of armed guards holding energy weapons.
"What a hassle." Kyle coolly raised his sword, while Steve resolutely lifted his shield. Neither feared facing hundreds of guards side by side, but if they were delayed too long, Hydra's leader, Red Skull, would escape.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Just then, large numbers of American soldiers carrying rifles poured in from underground tunnels on different sides of the plaza, immediately opening fire on the armed guards.
Leading one of the units was Fury, wearing an eyepatch over his left eye. He charged at the front of the group and waved at Kyle with a smile. "Kyle, need reinforcements?"
Kyle relaxed and nodded. "Perfect timing. As expected, you're the reliable one!"
As if she had heard him, a woman emerging from another tunnel with her own troops gave a cold snort. "Who isn't?"
Steve looked toward the cool, beautiful woman and joked, "Carter, you were almost late."
"You were already late," Kyle corrected him, making Carter glare at him with her beautiful eyes.
"Hahaha, am I the only one missing?" A familiar, irreverent voice sounded from behind them, only half a beat slower than the others.
As headlights lit up one after another, a sleekly crafted car drove over and stopped in front of Kyle and the others. Howard, seated in the driver's seat, waved to them with his usual gentlemanly poise.
"Why are you, the Strategic Science Reserve's logistics man, here too? And you even drove Schmidt's car into the base." Kyle raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Howard smiled. "This is the final battle of the European campaign. Of course I had to come. After all, we're a team!"
Us? A team...?
Kyle froze for a moment, glancing around at Fury, Carter, and Steve. At last, the corner of his mouth curled into a subtle smile.
That was right. At some point, they had become a team—a team of elite fighters who had never known defeat.
"Now isn't the time to chat. Schmidt is trying to escape by plane!" Steve suddenly warned, pointing toward the far end of the underground plaza.
A large transport fighter there was slowly starting up, accelerating as it taxied toward the base's exit. There was no need to guess that Red Skull was aboard.
"Get in! I'll take you two over there!" Howard said quickly.
Kyle and Steve did not hesitate. They jumped onto either side of the car, and Howard floored the accelerator. With the engine roaring, the car surged forward in pursuit of the massive aircraft.
"You have to win!" Carter clenched her fists with a hint of worry, watching the two men's backs until the car vanished into the far end of the underground plaza.
On the base's underground aircraft runway.
The transport fighter, with wings spanning thirty meters and a broad, elongated frame, taxied faster and faster. Not far behind it, a car carrying three people gave chase at full speed.
"The plane is about to take off. We can't catch it at this speed!" Steve frowned anxiously at the aircraft ahead.
Kyle was not worried in the slightest. He glanced at the still-composed Howard in the driver's seat and urged, "Stop holding out on us. If you have any Black Technology hidden away, use it already!"
"You saw through me again. As it happens, I gave this car a full refit." Howard smiled and pressed a button beneath the steering wheel. Blue flames and powerful jets immediately erupted from the car's rear exhaust pipes.
Already traveling at over a hundred kilometers per hour, the car's speed suddenly increased more than threefold. The powerful wind pressure forced both Kyle and Steve to grip their seats tightly.
The distance between the car and the transport fighter steadily closed. When they were less than ten meters apart, the area ahead suddenly lit up as bright as day, and the transport fighter's wheels began to leave the ground.
"The plane's taking off! Steve, get me up there first!"
Kyle spoke as he stood up on the speeding car. As if he knew exactly what Kyle intended, Steve crouched slightly on the seat and raised his shield at an angle with both hands.
"Here I go!" Kyle drew a deep breath, stepped onto the round shield, and leaped forward with all his strength.
Steve thrust the shield forward as well, adding force to the jump.
Whoosh!
Kyle soared high into the air, swiftly clearing the ten-meter gap. Just short of the aircraft's fuselage, he drove the sword in his left hand into the landing gear strut to secure himself.
"Kyle!" Steve shouted, then jumped after him. Kyle promptly reached out with his right hand and grabbed Steve's arm, and the two were pulled into the air along with the transport fighter.
On the base's aircraft runway.
Howard barely managed to brake the speeding car before the cliff. Looking up at the transport fighter flying into the sky and the two men standing by its landing gear, he softly said, "I hope you win this battle. When you come back, we'll raise our glasses and drink to our hearts' content!"
More importantly, you have to come back!
Before you continue