Lin Xiao stood in the center of the office, the cold glow of the display casting alternating shadows across his face. Nightingale and Wolf had already left to resume their work. Su Ying remained in the room. She walked over to Lin Xiao's side without speaking, simply standing there quietly. The clock on the wall read 2:17 a.m., and the ticking of the second hand was especially distinct in the silence. Lin Xiao's gaze rested on the main display, where the search results for the keyword "Project Insight" were still listed. Every term was like a lock, sealing away Hydra's darkest secrets. He knew he had just pried open a crack in one of those locks. But he did not yet fully know what lay behind the door. He only knew that from this moment on, every step had to be taken with greater caution. In this game, one wrong move could mean total elimination.
Su Ying gently placed a hand on his shoulder. Her palm was warm, its steady heat seeping through his shirt.
"Go get some rest," she said softly. "You've been standing for an hour."
Lin Xiao did not move.
"I was thinking," he said, "about what Mr. White said before he left. 'We'll meet again somewhere more important.' Now I know what he meant."
"Project Insight," Su Ying said.
"Right." Lin Xiao turned to look into her eyes. "That insane plan to control the world with Helicarriers. And I, someone trying to establish a New Order within Hydra, have entered their sights."
"Is that a good thing or a bad thing?"
"I don't know," Lin Xiao said. "It might be an opportunity, or it might be a trap. Either way, we need more information."
He walked to the workstation and sat down again. Data continued scrolling across the screen—the monitoring program Nightingale had set up, constantly scanning the base network for anomalous signals. Lin Xiao pulled up the program logs and began reviewing them line by line. Network traffic in the early hours was low, mostly routine communications from system maintenance processes. A few encrypted data packets occasionally flashed past, but they all fell within the normal range of internal communications.
Time passed second by second.
The simulated daylight system outside began activating, and the strips of ceiling lights gradually brightened, imitating the faint glow of dawn. But there were no windows on the second underground level, only the faint sound of air moving through the ventilation ducts, carrying the damp, metallic smell unique to the underground.
4:03 a.m.
The workstation suddenly emitted a sharp alarm.
Lin Xiao snapped upright. Su Ying sprang from the sofa in the rest area, one hand already on the grip of the gun at her waist.
"What is it?" she asked.
Lin Xiao stared at the screen. The alarm had come from the deep-monitoring program Nightingale had configured—a subroutine designed specifically to capture anomalous encrypted signals, set to react only to dynamic encryption and multi-hop relay patterns of a particular kind. At that moment, glaring red warning symbols flashed across the program interface.
"There's a signal," Lin Xiao said, his fingers racing across the keyboard. "The encryption level is extremely high. It uses at least seven layers of dynamic encryption and more than three relay jumps. The source... is very weak. It's decaying rapidly."
He opened the signal analysis interface. The waveform jumped on the screen like a dying snake struggling in its final moments. The encryption algorithm was so complex that even the analysis software could identify only partial characteristics—it was an encryption protocol used only for Hydra's highest-level communications, normally reserved for top-secret contact between headquarters and core projects.
"Should we notify Nightingale?" Su Ying asked.
"Wait," Lin Xiao said, his eyes fixed on the constantly advancing decryption bar. "The signal is too weak. It might only be a fragment. If we interrupt the process to get her, we could lose critical data."
The progress bar crawled forward.
Seventeen percent.
Thirty-four percent.
Fifty-one percent.
Lin Xiao could hear his own heartbeat, especially clearly in the silent room. The rush of air through the ventilation ducts, the hum of the equipment cooling fans, and Su Ying's faint breathing all blended into a strange backdrop. His fingers hovered over the keyboard, ready to enter auxiliary decryption commands at any moment.
Seventy-eight percent.
The signal waveform began fluctuating violently, its decay accelerating.
"It's disappearing," Lin Xiao said, his voice taut.
Ninety-two percent.
The progress bar turned red, and the warning symbols flashed again—the signal strength had fallen below the minimum threshold needed to sustain decryption.
Lin Xiao's fingers flew over the keyboard as he entered a string of emergency stabilization commands. But it was too late. The waveform on the screen shuddered violently several times, then went completely flat, becoming a dead, silent line.
The signal vanished.
The decryption progress froze at ninety-seven percent.
The room fell silent.
Lin Xiao stared at the screen, drew a deep breath, then slowly let it out. He opened the decryption results file—a text fragment only a few kilobytes in size. Most of it was gibberish, with only a few barely legible lines in the middle.
He opened the file.
Words appeared on the screen.
"...Winter Soldier... activation procedure... test location... Siberia..."
Lin Xiao stopped breathing.
His heart pounded violently in his chest, every beat like a heavy hammer striking his ribs. Blood rushed to his head, and a sharp ringing filled his ears. For an instant, the world before his eyes blurred, then snapped back into focus. But those words were still there, flashing on the screen like burning brands seared into his retinas.
Winter Soldier.
Bucky Barnes.
Captain America's best friend, a member of the Howling Commandos during World War II. After falling into an icy ravine, he had been found by Hydra and remade into the ultimate brainwashed killing weapon. A metal left arm, cryogenic sleep, mission execution, memory wiping, then freezing again, waking again, and carrying out another mission. Seventy years of cycles. Seventy years of darkness.
Memories from Lin Xiao's previous life surged through his mind.
He remembered the Winter Soldier unleashing carnage on the streets of Washington. He remembered that metal arm tearing through cars. He remembered Nick Fury lying near death in the safe house. He remembered Captain America gripping the railing aboard the helicarrier and shouting at Bucky, "I'll stay with you until the very end."
He remembered even more.
He remembered the Hydra base in Siberia, the cryogenic chambers holding the other Winter Soldiers. He remembered the footage Baron Zemo played, Howard Stark and Maria Stark lying in pools of blood while the Winter Soldier stood nearby, expressionless. He remembered the battle on the ice, three super-soldiers fighting to the death, the clash of shield and metal arm echoing through the empty base.
And now.
It was now 2011.
The Winter Soldier was still in cryogenic sleep.
But the activation procedure had already begun.
Test location: Siberia.
"Lin?" Su Ying's voice came from behind him, filled with confusion and concern. "What's wrong? You're so pale."
Lin Xiao did not answer. His fingers trembled. He clenched his fists, and his nails dug into his palms again. The pain cleared his mind a little. He drew a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
"Nightingale," he said hoarsely. "Get Nightingale here immediately. And Wolf too."
Su Ying looked at him without asking further questions, then turned toward the communicator. Three minutes later, Nightingale and Wolf rushed into the office. Nightingale was still wearing pajamas beneath a coat, her hair disheveled. Wolf's eyes were bloodshot, clearly having been dragged out of bed as well.
"What happened?" Nightingale asked, her voice still hazy with sleep.
Lin Xiao pointed at the screen.
Nightingale leaned in to look. The instant her eyes touched those words, they widened. Her drowsiness vanished at once, replaced by shock and focus.
"This is..." she murmured.
"The signal fragment you just intercepted," Lin Xiao said. "Can you trace its source?"
Nightingale immediately sat at the workstation, her fingers rapidly tapping the keyboard. The interface switched to the complete logs and packet records from the signal capture. She began analyzing the signal path, trying to reverse-trace the relay nodes.
Wolf leaned closer as well, looking at the words on the screen.
"Winter Soldier..." he murmured. "I've heard that name. Hydra's legendary weapon. Supposedly, it has existed for decades and carried out dozens of top-level assassinations. But everyone thought it was only a legend."
"It isn't a legend," Lin Xiao said, his voice terrifyingly calm. "It's real. And he is about to be activated."
Nightingale's fingers paused over the keyboard.
"I can't trace it," she said, frustration in her voice. "The signal used at least three anonymous satellite relays, and each relay node maintained a connection for less than half a second. The final node was above Siberia, but the exact coordinates... after transmitting that fragment, the entire communication channel self-destructed. Physical self-destruction—I detected electromagnetic pulse characteristics unique to burned-out hardware."
"They're cautious," Wolf said.
"Not merely cautious," Lin Xiao said. "This is standard security protocol. The highest classification of top-secret communication: one-time encryption, destroyed after use. Whoever sent that signal is either at Hydra's highest level or a core operative directly in charge of the Winter Soldier Program."
The room fell silent again.
The simulated daylight outside had fully brightened, and the light strips cast a soft white glow that illuminated every corner of the room. Yet no one felt warm. The air seemed frozen, carrying the underground chill and seeping into everyone's skin.
Lin Xiao walked to the center of the room and looked at his team members.
Nightingale was still seated at the workstation, staring at the untraceable signal data on the screen, her fingers unconsciously tapping the desk. Wolf stood beside her, his brows tightly drawn and a complicated glint in his eyes—the instinctive excitement of an intelligence operative facing a major lead, mixed with clear awareness of the danger represented by what lay behind it. Su Ying stood by the door, her body still tense, but this time her gaze was not fixed outside. It rested on Lin Xiao as she awaited his orders.
"Gather everyone," Lin Xiao said. "Anna, Grey Falcon, and all the captains of the Rapid Response Team. Meeting here in one hour."
Su Ying nodded and left.
Nightingale raised her head. "Do we need to prepare any materials?"
"No," Lin Xiao said. "I only need them here."
For the next hour, Lin Xiao stood before the window—if that alloy wall could be called a window. His fingers touched the icy metal surface, feeling its bone-deep chill. In his mind, memories of his previous life and the reality of this one intertwined, forming an image that was chaotic yet clear.
What did the Winter Soldier's activation mean?
It meant Hydra's core conspiracy was steadily advancing.
It meant the preliminary preparations for Project Insight had entered a critical stage.
It meant a greater storm was gathering on the horizon.
And he himself, a reborn man trying to establish a New Order within Hydra, now stood at the edge of the storm's eye. He possessed the Prophet's knowledge. He knew the Winter Soldier's future, the ending of Project Insight, and every disaster that was about to unfold. But he also knew that every intervention he made could trigger a butterfly effect and send the future down an unpredictable path.
What should he do?
Stop the Winter Soldier's activation in advance?
Infiltrate Siberia and destroy that base?
Or...
"Everyone's here."
Su Ying's voice interrupted his thoughts.
Lin Xiao turned around. The room was already full. Anna Koch wore a white lab coat and held a data tablet, her face bearing the concentration unique to a researcher. Grey Falcon stood beside her in combat gear, his equipment belt loaded with all manner of tools. The three Rapid Response Team captains—Black Bear, Hound, and Lynx—stood side by side on the other side of the room, backs straight and eyes sharp.
Together with Nightingale, Wolf, and Su Ying, they were all the core members of Lin Xiao's team.
Nine people.
Lin Xiao's gaze swept across their faces. He could see confusion, curiosity, and a trace of barely perceptible tension in their eyes. They did not know what had happened, but they could feel the gravity in the air.
"Lock the door," Lin Xiao said.
Su Ying pressed the control button on the wall. The airtight door slowly closed, its locks striking home with a heavy sound. The room was completely cut off from the outside world.
Lin Xiao walked to the center of the room and surveyed them all.
"One hour ago," he began, his voice especially clear in the silent room, "we intercepted a fragment of encrypted communication from Hydra's highest level. The signal was weak. We only decrypted a few broken phrases."
He paused, letting the weight of those words sink into everyone's minds.
"One of those phrases contained a name," Lin Xiao said. "Winter Soldier."
A collective gasp sounded through the room.
Anna's fingers tightened, leaving indentations from the edge of the data tablet in her palm. Grey Falcon narrowed his eyes. The three team captains all tensed at once—as field operatives, they understood better than anyone else what the name "Winter Soldier" represented within Hydra.
"That isn't a legend," Black Bear said in a low, rough voice. "I've heard of it. East Berlin, in the seventies. There was a mission... the target was a defecting scientist. Twelve of us went. Only I came back alive. Everyone else died. They died at the hands of a man with a metal arm. The mission report said, 'Encountered an attack by unidentified armed personnel,' but I knew... I knew what it was."
Hound and Lynx looked at him, shock in their eyes.
"I've heard stories too," Grey Falcon said. "South America, in the nineties. A senior official of a military regime was assassinated under heavy protection. Metal fragments were left at the scene. Analysis showed that they did not belong to any known alloy. Some guessed it was an experimental Soviet weapon, but the word circulating internally was... Winter Soldier."
As Lin Xiao listened to them, complex emotions welled up inside him. Those stories, those rumors, had been movie plots in his previous life. But here, in this real world, they were bloody history—terrifying legends proven by countless lives.
"The Winter Soldier is real," Lin Xiao said, his voice calm but powerful. "His real name is Bucky Barnes. He was Captain America's wartime comrade during World War II and a member of the Howling Commandos. After falling into an icy ravine in 1945, he was found by Hydra and turned into a brainwashed killing weapon. Metal left arm, cryogenic sleep, mission execution, memory wiping—this cycle has lasted seventy years."
The room went deathly quiet.
Only the hum of the cooling fans and several people's heavy breathing could be heard.
"The signal we intercepted showed," Lin Xiao continued, "that the activation procedure has begun. The test location is Siberia. That means the Winter Soldier will soon be awakened once again to carry out a new mission."
He paused, his gaze passing over every face.
"What I want to tell you," Lin Xiao said, his voice filled with grave solemnity, "is that everything we faced before—whether it was factional conflict inside the base, Mr. White's review, or even the Project Insight investigation we are conducting now—was only the tip of Hydra's massive iceberg above the surface."
He walked to the display and pulled up the iceberg diagram—the illustration he had previously used to explain his ideas to Fletcher. Now, the portion beneath the waterline had been deliberately enlarged. That dark, enormous shadow filled the entire screen.
"Beneath the surface," Lin Xiao said, pointing at the darkness, "there are things far darker and far more powerful. The Winter Soldier is one of them. There are more that we do not know about, or have only heard rumors of: the Zola Algorithm, the Centipede Project, Project Clairvoyant, and... the true purpose behind Project Insight."
He turned to face them.
"Our road toward a New Order," Lin Xiao said, each word driving into the air like a nail, "will be harder and more dangerous than we imagined. Because we will not merely be fighting Hydra's extremists. We will not merely be advancing new ideas. We will also be facing these... these monsters hidden deep in the darkness."
The room fell silent again.
But this silence was different. The previous silence had been shock and fear. This one was heavy contemplation, clear-eyed recognition.
Su Ying spoke first.
She walked to Lin Xiao's side and stood shoulder to shoulder with him, her gaze sweeping over everyone in the room.
"No matter how hard it is," she said clearly and firmly, "it's better than blindly serving as someone else's blade."
Black Bear raised his head, a nearly feral expression appearing on his rugged face.
"I didn't join this team to keep being Hydra's dog," he said, his voice scraping like sandpaper. "I joined to do something different. If monsters like the Winter Soldier are what we have to face... then we face them."
Hound and Lynx nodded at the same time.
"Our teams are ready at any time," Hound said.
Anna adjusted her glasses, and the data tablet made a faint click in her hand.
"From a scientific perspective," she said with a researcher's distinctive composure, "the Winter Soldier's modification technology, particularly the metal arm and cryogenic sleep technology, has extremely high research value. If we can obtain relevant data, even samples... it would be enormously beneficial to our own technological development."
Grey Falcon smiled, a trace of coldness in that smile.
"The Siberian base," he said. "If we are going, we'll need a detailed infiltration plan. Climate, terrain, defensive layout, personnel deployment... all of it needs reconnaissance in advance."
Nightingale and Wolf exchanged a glance.
"Signal tracing failed," Nightingale said, "but I recorded all packet characteristics and encryption patterns. If a similar signal appears again, I'm confident I can decrypt it faster, and perhaps even reverse-insert a tracking program."
Wolf added, "I can try searching historical communication records for clues. The Winter Soldier Program has been operating for decades. It cannot have left absolutely no traces. As long as there were communications, there will be records—even deleted records."
As Lin Xiao listened to them, warmth rose in his chest.
This was his team.
Not a disorganized rabble crushed by fear, but warriors who clearly understood the danger and still chose to move forward. They each had their own specialties and personalities, but at this moment, they stood on the same front.
"Good," Lin Xiao said, his voice carrying a resolve unlike anything before. "Then from this moment on, our priorities change."
He walked to the whiteboard and picked up a marker.
"First," he wrote on the board, "continue monitoring all anomalous signals, especially keywords related to the Winter Soldier, Siberia, and activation procedures. Nightingale is responsible."
"Second, dig through historical data for every clue regarding the Winter Soldier Program. Wolf is responsible, with Grey Falcon assisting—I need the precise location of that base, its defenses, and possible infiltration points."
"Third, technical preparation. Anna, I need you to study all available materials on human modification, mechanical prosthetics, and cryogenic technology. We do not necessarily need to replicate the Winter Soldier, but we need to understand him—understand his weaknesses."
"Fourth, operational preparation. Black Bear, Hound, Lynx, your teams will begin extreme-environment combat training. Winter temperatures in Siberia can drop to minus fifty degrees Celsius. I want you to be able to survive, fight, and complete missions in that environment."
"Fifth," Lin Xiao paused, his marker hovering over the whiteboard, "expand the intelligence network. We need more eyes and ears—not only in this base, not only in this country. The Winter Soldier is Hydra's highest secret, but secrets always leak. We need to find the cracks where those leaks emerge."
He set down the marker and turned around.
"Any questions?"
No one spoke.
Only nine pairs of eyes gleamed with determination beneath the lights.
"Then get to work," Lin Xiao said.
The meeting ended. Everyone gradually left the room, each face carrying grave focus. Anna recorded something on her data tablet as she walked. Grey Falcon and Wolf quietly discussed technical details of data mining. The three team captains had already taken out their communicators and begun arranging training plans.
Su Ying was the last to leave.
She walked to the door, stopped, and looked back at Lin Xiao.
"You knew all along, didn't you?" she asked softly. "About the Winter Soldier. About all of this."
Lin Xiao looked at her, neither denying nor admitting it.
"I know," he said. "More than you can imagine. But the more I know, the more clearly I realize how much I still don't know."
Su Ying fell silent for several seconds.
"Will you take us to Siberia?" she asked.
"If necessary," Lin Xiao said. "But not now. Going now would be suicide. We need preparation, intelligence, and... timing."
"When will that time come?"
"When the Winter Soldier is activated," Lin Xiao said. His gaze drifted into the distance, as if it could pierce through layers of walls and see the frozen wilderness of Siberia. "When that man with the metal arm opens his eyes again, that will be our time to act."
Su Ying nodded and turned to leave.
The airtight door slowly closed.
Lin Xiao was the only one left in the room.
He walked over to the workstation and pulled up the decryption record of that signal fragment. Those lines still flickered across the screen: "...Winter Soldier... activation protocol... test site... Siberia..."
His fingers touched the screen, and an icy chill seeped into his fingertips.
Images from his previous life surfaced in his mind once more.
The Winter Soldier sprinted through the streets of Washington, his metal arm reflecting a cold gleam beneath the sun. Captain America fought him atop a building, the clash of shield and metal deafening. And there was the base in Siberia, those cryogenic chambers, those sleeping super-soldiers...
But this time.
This time, everything would be different.
Because he was here.
Because his team was here.
Because they already knew the storm was coming, and they had decided not to hide from it any longer.
Lin Xiao switched off the screen, and the room sank into darkness.
Only the airflow within the ventilation ducts continued to whisper, like some ancient prophecy slowly flowing through the dark.
Before you continue