The End of Chaos and the Rewards

The sound of the Turret turning was exceptionally clear in the silence after the explosion.

The barrel of the 30mm Autocannon slowly moved through the smoke, aiming not at Blood Axe, nor at Fletcher—but at the crates of chemical reagents piled deep inside the warehouse. The armored vehicle's headlights pierced the swirling dust, casting two deathly pale beams through the warehouse like searchlights of judgment.

"Drop your weapons."

The voice came from the armored vehicle's loudspeaker, cold and mechanical, carrying unquestionable authority.

"All personnel, drop your weapons, put your hands behind your heads, and kneel where you are. I repeat, this is an order from Headquarters' Special Action Unit. Those who resist will be eliminated on the spot."

Lin Xiao's ears were still ringing.

He lay prone on the ground, gripping three vials in his left hand while his right hand pressed against Su Ying's back. Her body was taut beneath him like a fully drawn bow, but her fingers had already loosened from the dagger—she understood that the situation had changed.

Directly under Headquarters.

The weight of those words was heavier than the cannon fire just now.

Fletcher was the first to react. He threw away the pistol in his hand—not set it down, but hurled it directly onto the floor with a sharp clatter. Then he raised his hands and slowly, flawlessly, dropped to both knees and placed his hands behind his head.

"Do it!" he roared at his men.

The eleven soldiers exchanged looks, but none dared disobey. Weapons hit the ground one after another, metal striking concrete in a chorus of clanging. Everyone knelt down, like a row of wheat suddenly cut down.

Blood Axe was still standing.

He gripped his AK-74U, his gas mask turned toward the armored vehicle. The loudspeaker kept repeating the order, but he did not move.

"Captain Petrov." The voice from the armored vehicle's loudspeaker changed, replaced by a steadier, older male voice. "Drop your weapon. This is your last chance."

Blood Axe's breathing came through his mask's speaker, heavy as a bellows.

Then he laughed.

"Headquarters?" His voice was dripping with mockery. "Which Headquarters? Berlin Headquarters? New York Headquarters? Or... Doctor Zola's 'digital Headquarters'?"

Silence fell inside the armored vehicle.

Three seconds.

Five seconds.

Ten seconds.

"Drop your weapon." The older voice sounded again, but this time it carried a faint, barely perceptible killing intent.

Blood Axe slowly, agonizingly slowly, lowered the muzzle of his AK-74U toward the ground. But he did not kneel. Instead, he bent over and gently placed the gun by his feet—the movement was filled with ceremonial defiance.

"Happy now?" He straightened and spread his hands. "Can you tell me which big shot has arrived and used an autocannon to blast his own warehouse?"

The armored vehicle's rear hatch opened.

Six fully armed soldiers filed out. Their equipment was completely different from that of the Hydra soldiers at the base—black heavy body armor, full-coverage tactical helmets, and dark bulletproof visors that concealed their faces. Their weapons were not AKs either, but German-made HK416s equipped with holographic sights and tactical flashlights.

They quickly spread out and took control of the warehouse's tactical positions. Their movements were clean and precise, without a trace of waste, like six finely tuned killing machines.

The last person to step out of the armored vehicle was a man in his fifties.

He wore Hydra Headquarters' standard officer uniform—dark gray, perfectly tailored, with a colonel's insignia on his epaulets. He wore no helmet. His graying hair was meticulously combed, and a pair of gold-rimmed glasses rested on his face. Behind them, his eyes were pale blue, like an icy lake in a Siberian winter.

He held a folder in his hand and walked into the warehouse at an unhurried pace. His boots crunched over broken glass and chunks of concrete.

"Major Fletcher." He looked first at Fletcher, kneeling on the ground, his voice calm. "Stand up. Have your men stand as well."

Fletcher rose and brushed dust from his knees. His face looked terrible, but not from humiliation—it was fear. Lin Xiao could tell that the fear came from the depths of his bones.

"Colonel Wolfgang." Fletcher's voice was somewhat dry. "I didn't know you would come personally..."

"Of course you didn't." Colonel Wolfgang cut him off, turning his gaze to Blood Axe. "Captain Petrov, your question just now was interesting. Which Headquarters? I can answer that—it is the 'real' Headquarters. An order personally signed by Doctor Zola."

He pulled a sheet of paper from the folder and held it up.

The Hydra emblem was printed on it, beneath which was a complex digital signature—Doctor Zola's unique encrypted mark, recognized by every officer at the base.

"In light of the numerous security incidents that have recently occurred at this base, as well as the extreme danger posed by Red Snow Project derivative sample RS-7," Colonel Wolfgang read from the document, his voice echoing through the empty warehouse, "Headquarters has decided that its Special Action Unit will assume control over all related materials, personnel, and subsequent handling authority. The base's former commander, Major Fletcher, will assist with the investigation. The former Blood Axe Squad leader, Captain Petrov..."

He paused, his gaze falling on Blood Axe.

"...is hereby arrested on suspicion of initiating an unauthorized operation and attempting an illegal transaction with outside forces."

Before his words had faded, two black-clad soldiers moved.

They were astonishingly fast, reaching Blood Axe in three strides. Blood Axe tried to resist—Lin Xiao saw his muscles tense—but one soldier's rifle stock had already slammed into his abdomen.

A dull impact.

Blood Axe grunted and doubled over. The other soldier seized his arm and used a standard takedown hold to wrench it behind his back, then snapped handcuffs around his wrists. The entire process took less than five seconds.

"You..." Blood Axe raised his head. Behind the lenses of his gas mask, his eyes were bloodshot red. "You have no evidence!"

"Evidence?" Colonel Wolfgang closed the folder. "Captain, in Hydra, when Headquarters needs evidence, evidence will naturally appear. Take him away."

The two soldiers dragged Blood Axe toward the armored vehicle. He struggled, but it was useless. He was hauled across the warehouse, his boots leaving two trails across the floor. As he passed Lin Xiao, he suddenly stopped and turned his head toward him.

Behind the gas mask lenses, those eyes locked onto the vials in Lin Xiao's hand.

Then he smiled.

"Kid." His voice was low, audible only to Lin Xiao. "You think you won? Just wait... this is only the beginning."

The soldiers dragged him away.

The armored vehicle outside the warehouse roared to life, carrying Blood Axe and four soldiers away. The remaining two black-clad soldiers stayed in the warehouse, standing behind Colonel Wolfgang like two black statues.

Colonel Wolfgang finally turned his attention to Lin Xiao.

His gaze first settled on the vials in Lin Xiao's hand for three seconds, then moved to his face. Behind the lenses of his gold-rimmed glasses, those ice-blue eyes swept over every detail of Lin Xiao like scanners.

"You are Lin Xiao," he said. It was not a question, but a statement.

"Yes, sir." Lin Xiao stood up but continued gripping the vials. Su Ying rose as well, standing half a step beside him with her body slightly inclined forward—a posture ready for battle at any moment.

Colonel Wolfgang noticed the detail, and the corner of his mouth lifted slightly.

"Relax, ma'am," he said. "If I wanted to kill you, the autocannon would not have only blasted the gate just now."

He walked toward Lin Xiao with light steps. He stopped two meters away and extended his hand.

"Give me the samples."

Lin Xiao did not move.

"Sir." He tried to keep his voice steady. "The stability of these samples has already been compromised. According to A.I.M.'s report, improper transfer could result in..."

"I know what the report says." Colonel Wolfgang interrupted him. "I also know that these samples have an eighty-seven percent chance of self-detonating if stored for more than forty-eight hours in temperatures above twenty-five degrees Celsius. I also know that you used this information to threaten Captain Petrov just now."

He paused, narrowing his eyes behind his glasses.

"A clever strategy. But Headquarters has taken over now. Professional containers and temperature-controlled transport equipment are already on the way. Give me the samples. That is an order."

Lin Xiao's mind raced.

Handing over the samples meant losing his most important bargaining chip. But refusing meant defying a Headquarters order—in Hydra, the consequences of defying Headquarters were usually worse than death.

He glanced at Su Ying.

Su Ying gave a slight nod—the signal to hand them over. She had read the situation clearly: Headquarters' intervention had changed the rules of the game, and resisting was meaningless.

Lin Xiao took a deep breath and handed over the three vials.

Colonel Wolfgang accepted them with extreme care. He did not grasp them directly with his hands. Instead, he took a pair of specially made shockproof gloves from his pocket and put them on before taking the vials. He raised one toward the lights on the warehouse ceiling and examined it.

The blue liquid flowed slowly through the glass tube, with more bubbles on its surface than before.

"They are indeed unstable," he said quietly, then handed the three vials to one of the soldiers behind him. "Put them in the specialized container. Transfer them immediately once the transport vehicle arrives."

The soldier accepted the vials and headed toward the armored vehicle.

Only then did Colonel Wolfgang look back at Lin Xiao, his gaze carrying a hint more scrutiny.

"You saved these samples," he said. "You also saved everyone in half this warehouse. If Petrov had forcibly taken the samples away just now and they exploded on the road... the consequences would have been unimaginable."

He turned to Fletcher.

"Major, your men performed well. Especially this..." He checked the document in his hand. "Private Second Class Lin Xiao. And the woman beside him... Su Ying, former S.H.I.E.L.D. agent. As well as that intelligence officer cowering in the passageway."

Wolf heard his name and nearly jumped. He was supporting Anna Koch, his face deathly pale.

Colonel Wolfgang walked to the entrance of the passageway and examined Anna Koch's injuries. The female researcher had already passed out. The bandage on her left shoulder was soaked through with blood, and her breathing was weak.

"She needs treatment immediately," Colonel Wolfgang said, then waved to the other soldier. "Send all the wounded to the infirmary. Treat this female researcher first. She is a technical backbone of A.I.M. and possesses critical data."

Two soldiers stepped forward, carefully lifted Anna Koch, and carried her out of the warehouse. Wolf tried to follow, but Colonel Wolfgang stopped him.

"You stay," he said. "And you two as well."

He meant Lin Xiao and Su Ying.

Only five of them remained in the warehouse: Colonel Wolfgang, Fletcher, Lin Xiao, Su Ying, and Wolf. Along with the two black-clad soldiers standing like statues.

Colonel Wolfgang walked to the center of the warehouse, where a table had been overturned by the cannon blast. He set it upright, pulled several more sheets from his folder, and laid them out across its surface.

"Major Fletcher." His voice returned to its icy calm. "Given that the former leader of the Third Action Squad was killed in the attack just now, the squad commander position is now vacant. Based on your performance in this incident, as well as Headquarters' personnel deployment considerations..."

He raised his head and looked at Lin Xiao.

"Private Second Class Lin Xiao, effective immediately, you will serve as acting commander of the Third Action Squad. You are promoted to corporal."

Lin Xiao froze.

It was not joy, but vigilance.

The promotion had come too suddenly and too easily. In Hydra, there were no free lunches, much less promotions falling from the sky.

"Sir." Fletcher spoke, with an almost imperceptible tension in his voice. "Although Lin Xiao has performed admirably, he has been with the organization for a short time, and his seniority..."

"Seniority is not important." Colonel Wolfgang cut him off. "Ability is. In a situation like that just now, he kept a clear head, judged the situation, used every bargaining chip at hand to maneuver, and protected important materials—such ability is worth more than ten years of seniority."

He looked at Lin Xiao.

"Do you have any objections, Corporal?"

Lin Xiao stood at attention. "No, sir."

"Good." Colonel Wolfgang nodded, then turned to Su Ying. "Ms. Su Ying, in consideration of the combat proficiency you displayed during this operation, as well as your assistance to Corporal Lin Xiao, Headquarters has decided to formally accept you as an outer member of Hydra and assign you to the Third Action Squad."

Su Ying's expression did not change, but Lin Xiao saw her clenched fist loosen.

"Wolf." Colonel Wolfgang looked last at the trembling intelligence officer. "Your surveillance equipment played a vital role at a critical moment, providing Major Fletcher's reinforcements with accurate coordinates. Starting today, you are formally transferred to the Third Action Squad as intelligence support."

Wolf opened his mouth as if to say something, but in the end, he merely nodded.

Colonel Wolfgang closed the folder.

"The appointments take effect immediately. After the Third Action Squad is reorganized, your first priority will be assisting Headquarters in investigating the movement of Red Snow Project derivative samples and tracking the remaining forces of A.I.M.'s Radical Faction. Major Fletcher will relay the specific mission details to you."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across their faces.

"Remember, this promotion is not a reward. It is responsibility. Headquarters is watching you. Doctor Zola is watching you. Do not disappoint him."

With that, he turned and headed toward the armored vehicle. The two black-clad soldiers followed behind him like two shadows.

The armored vehicle outside the warehouse started up again and carried Colonel Wolfgang away. Only Fletcher, Lin Xiao, Su Ying, and Wolf remained amid the wreckage covering the warehouse floor.

Fletcher let out a long breath.

He walked up to Lin Xiao and patted his shoulder. The gesture was forceful and carried a complicated emotion.

"Congratulations," he said, though there was no smile on his face. "You're squad leader now. You have..." He looked at Su Ying and Wolf. "Two people under you. A bit few, but better than none."

Lin Xiao looked into his eyes. "Sir, this promotion..."

"It was Headquarters' decision." Fletcher cut him off. "And mine. You saved my life, and you saved those samples—though those damned things nearly blew us all up. But regardless, you proved your worth."

He turned and headed out of the warehouse.

"Come with me. There are some things I need to tell you alone."

Lin Xiao glanced at Su Ying. She gave a slight nod, signaling him to follow. Wolf was still standing where he was, staring at the bodies and bloodstains on the ground, his face still pale.

The three followed Fletcher out of the warehouse.

The scene outside was even more horrific.

The warehouse gate had been completely blasted down by the autocannon, its steel twisted into grotesque shapes. Two destroyed jeeps sat near the entrance, still belching black smoke. Seven or eight bodies lay on the ground. Some belonged to Blood Axe's men, some to Fletcher's, and two were unlucky people caught in the autocannon fire just now.

The air reeked of gunpowder and blood.

Fletcher did not stop. He headed straight for the base's main building. His office was on the second floor, its window facing the training ground. The office door was made of heavy solid wood, carved with the Hydra emblem.

He pushed the door open, went inside, then turned to look at Lin Xiao.

"You come in alone," he said. "They can wait outside."

Lin Xiao looked at Su Ying. She leaned against the hallway wall with her arms folded, her eyes on the window—that was a sentry's posture. Wolf crouched in the corner, still trembling.

Lin Xiao entered the office, and Fletcher closed the door.

The office was not large, but it was tidy. One desk, two chairs, and a filing cabinet. A world map hung on the wall, marked with red pen at the locations of Hydra's various outposts.

Fletcher did not sit down. Instead, he went to the window and looked out at the training ground.

"Lin," he said in a low voice. "You're a smart man. Smarter than Petrov, and smarter than most people at this base."

Lin Xiao said nothing and waited for him to continue.

"So you should understand that the promotion just now was not because you're so outstanding." Fletcher turned around and looked Lin Xiao in the eye. "It was because Headquarters needed someone to fill the power vacuum Petrov left behind. And I need someone to consolidate my influence in this region."

He walked behind the desk, sat down, and took a box of cigars from the drawer. He pulled one out, lit it, and took a deep drag.

Smoke spread through the office, carrying a rich tobacco scent.

"Petrov has someone backing him," Fletcher said. "Not someone at this base—someone higher up. He dared to launch the Red Snow operation and challenge Headquarters because he had support. He's been arrested now, but the person behind him is still out there."

He took another drag on the cigar.

"That person will not let this go. He will find a new proxy, or... come directly after you."

Lin Xiao finally spoke. "Why me?"

"Because you're squad leader now." Fletcher smiled, his smile full of irony. "In Hydra, the higher your position, the more enemies you have. You took Petrov's place, so you inherited his enemies too. Including the person behind him."

He flicked away some ash.

"But you don't need to worry too much. As long as you follow me and do your job, I'll protect you. After all, I promoted you. If something happens to you, I lose face as well."

Lin Xiao understood.

This was not protection, but binding. Fletcher had tied him to his own war chariot. They would rise together and fall together.

"I understand, sir," Lin Xiao said.

"Good." Fletcher nodded, then lowered his voice. "There's something else you need to pay special attention to."

He rose to his feet, walked over to Lin Xiao, and lowered his voice further.

"When Doctor wakes up, I think there are some things she has to say about those 'blue bottles' that you should hear."

Lin Xiao's heart suddenly skipped a beat.

"What things?"

"I don't know yet," Fletcher said. "But before she lost consciousness, she kept muttering things like 'not samples,' 'they're bait,' and 'they are testing.' As for the details, ask her yourself when she wakes up."

He patted Lin Xiao's shoulder.

"Go. Take your people to the infirmary and check on them. Remember, you're a squad leader now. Start learning how to manage your subordinates, gather intelligence, and... survive in the cracks."

Lin Xiao stood at attention. "Yes, sir."

He turned and walked toward the door. The moment his hand closed around the doorknob, Fletcher's voice rang out again.

"By the way."

Lin Xiao turned back.

Fletcher sat behind his desk, cigar smoke obscuring his face.

"Watch out for Blood Axe," he said. "That man... won't let this go so easily."