Who Told You It Was Evenly Matched?

Having made up her mind, Melina no longer hesitated.

She reached up and yanked off the earpiece on her left ear, then raised her gun and shot out the distant surveillance camera.

Then she looked at Natasha with a resolute expression.

"Natasha, you were right. I was a coward who dared not resist, an unworthy mother."

"But now I want to try walking your path. Are you willing to trust me?"

Although she had only formed a temporary family with Alexei, Natasha, and Yelena for the mission,

those three years in Ohio had been the only happy and fulfilling time in her life.

There had been no killing or betrayal, only a husband who loved her and two adorable daughters.

Even though it had all been fake, her feelings had been real.

Even after nearly six years, those scenes still often appeared in her dreams.

Now, Dreykov not only wanted to kill Alexei, but also her eldest daughter, Natasha.

Combined with Natasha's formidable strength and her earlier accusations, Melina finally found the courage to resist.

"My path?" Natasha froze for a moment, but quickly became wary.

"What trick are you trying to pull now? Don't think I'm Yelena, who'll always believe you!"

"It doesn't matter if you don't trust me. My actions from here on will prove everything I've said."

Melina wiped at the slightly damp corners of her eyes, quickly composed herself, and returned to being the capable female agent she had once been.

"We have to leave this place quickly. Dreykov has probably already noticed my betrayal, and he'll send more people soon."

As she spoke, she stepped forward and tried to take Natasha's hand. "And I know where Yelena is. We'll find her first."

"Wait." Natasha avoided Melina's hand, her expression utterly speechless.

"First, you're no longer my mother, so don't speak to me in that commanding tone. Second, why should I trust you?"

"Because of this." Melina pulled a syringe from her waist, containing a drop of pale golden liquid.

"This is Dreykov's latest research: an extract that can boost someone's strength to that of a super soldier for three minutes. The side effects are losing one's sanity, followed by the deterioration of every organ once the time is up."

"It comes from the blood of those mutated plants and insects outside. The technology isn't mature enough for mass production yet. If it can be further refined, Dreykov can use it to create an army of super soldiers, though their duration would be short."

"And just now, Dreykov wanted me to inject this into Alexei, strengthen him, and have him go berserk and kill you."

Melina's candid confession made Natasha believe her seventy or eighty percent.

"I'll trust you for now. No matter how many arrogant idiots like Alexei come, they won't be able to keep me here, even if they go berserk!"

With Body Tempering Stage Four cultivation, along with a technique that allowed her to fight above her level,

super soldiers like Alexei, whose physical strength was roughly at the Body Tempering Third Stage, were useless no matter how many there were.

Even if there were too many to defeat, no one could stop Natasha if she wanted to run.

"Alexei is indeed foolish, but his feelings for all of you were real. He was only swept along and deceived by Dreykov's will."

Melina offered a brief explanation for Alexei, then stopped trying to take Natasha's hand and headed straight for the other end of the corridor.

"Let's leave first. We don't need to worry about Alexei for now. As long as you're not here, Dreykov won't do anything to him."

Just as the two were preparing to leave, find Yelena, and then destroy the base, two gunshots rang out.

Bang! Bang!

"Careful!"

The quick-reacting Natasha pulled Melina aside, dodging the shots.

At the same time, she swiftly drew the pistol from Melina's thigh and fired twice in an instant, taking out the two soldiers who had ambushed them.

"Oh no, it's the Berserker Serum. Alexei!"

Seeing the bullets embedded in the wall, Melina's face changed. She quickly turned to look at Alexei, who was slumped against the wall.

Alexei, who had been unconscious with his eyes rolled back, now had bloodshot eyes and ragged breathing. The veins all over his body bulged like green snakes.

"Damn it, the serum has already taken effect." Melina's face went pale, and she spoke to Natasha as if she had made up her mind.

"Yelena is in the children's training area on the far right side of the base. Follow the right corridor all the way to the end, then cross the square and the church to reach it. I'll hold him off here!"

By then, Alexei had already sprung up from the floor in a kip-up. He glared at them with a ferocious expression, ready to charge at any moment.

"Go! He has no consciousness now, only the purest desire to kill and destroy. If I hold him back, he won't chase you!"

Melina drew the weapon from her thigh and stood alone in front of Natasha.

She had already prepared herself to die, as atonement for the past.

"No need. I said I'd handle everything. I won't break my word like you people."

Although Alexei looked terrifying now, he had not reached the point where Natasha feared him.

Natasha shoved the obstructive Melina aside, formed a sword-finger gesture with one hand, and recited an incantation.

"Nine Heavens Spirit Edict, heed my command. Golden Armored Warrior, come forth!"

Golden light flashed once more. When it faded, a three-meter-tall Golden Armored Warrior blocked more than half the corridor.

"A three-meter-tall musclebound giant!? God, Natasha, what exactly have you been through these past two years?"

Melina, who had not seen the warehouse surveillance footage earlier, nearly had her eyes pop out.

She had never imagined Natasha possessed the ability to conjure living beings out of thin air, and it looked incredibly powerful!

"That's a secret. Just shut up and watch."

Like a child showing off her achievements to her parents, Natasha's lips curled into a smug smile.

"Roar!"

On the other side, the berserk Alexei roared when he saw the Golden Armored Warrior suddenly appear.

Then, with bloodshot eyes, he kicked off the ground and leaped up. Interlocking his fingers into a hammer, he brought both hands down toward the Golden Armored Warrior's head.

Smack!

Faced with that heavy blow carrying a fierce gust of wind, the Golden Armored Warrior crossed its arms before itself and blocked it firmly, without moving a single step.

When the attack failed, Alexei landed and began throwing punches at machine-gun speed, raining them down across the Golden Armored Warrior's entire body.

But the Golden Armored Warrior was no pushover either. It swung its fists just as quickly, steadily striking every punch Alexei threw.

Smack! Smack! Smack!

The fist winds collided, and terrifying air currents howled through the corridor. The shockwaves from their clashes shook cracks across the surrounding walls, as though they might collapse at any moment.

Enhanced by the Berserker Serum, Alexei's physical strength was almost equal to that of the Golden Armored Warrior Natasha could currently summon.

"Amazing! It can actually fight berserk Alexei on equal footing!"

While shocked, Melina was also worried. "Natasha, if this continues as an even fight, Alexei's body will definitely collapse after it ends."

"We should leave quickly. Once we're far away, dismiss this ability of yours. Maybe Alexei can still survive!"

"Who told you it was evenly matched?" Natasha tilted her head at Melina and formed the sword-finger gesture again with one hand.

The next second, golden light flashed behind Alexei, and another Golden Armored Warrior over three meters tall appeared.

"A... a second one!" Melina could scarcely believe her eyes.

Against Natasha's terrifying summoning ability, the Red Room and Dreykov were truly finished this time!