Undercurrents of Aftermath, Winter Soldier Program Activated

Inside the Thunder Temple's control room, Lin Ye processed the startling information and stern warning brought by The Ancient One. "Endless Bone Graveyard," "Ancient Dead," "Dimensional Taboo"... These terms had opened a door to deeper, more dangerous truths of the universe. For the first time, his belief in the supremacy of power had been challenged by "knowledge" and "reverence."

"Remy, continue monitoring the Sahara blast site and all anomalous spatial fluctuations worldwide, especially energy signatures related to 'death,' 'bones,' and 'souls.' Top priority," Lin Ye ordered gravely. He had to seize the initiative, or at least know when danger was coming.

"The monitoring network has been deployed. Seventeen weak anomalous fluctuations have been detected. Their energy signatures show an 11.3% similarity to the description of the 'Endless Bone Graveyard,' but their intensity is extremely low and they do not currently pose a direct threat. Observation is ongoing."

Lin Ye nodded, feeling somewhat reassured. The Ancient One's concerns were serious, but the situation had not yet reached the point of becoming immediately unmanageable. Kamar-Taj truly was expert at handling this sort of problem.

His gaze shifted to another window on the holographic display—it showed engineering robots carefully clearing the ruins of the Sahara explosion.

"How is the recovery operation progressing?"

"Three suspected high-risk storage sites have been located. Their outer structures are severely damaged, and internal conditions are unknown. Engineering robots are attempting non-destructive entry. A small number of surviving data storage devices have been found and recovered. Decryption and toxicity/curse scans are underway."

"Speed it up. Focus on information related to the Void Hand, other holy artifacts, and the Hermit, High Priestess, and Hanged Man." Lin Ye remained wary of the forbidden knowledge collected by the Inheritors... and held a faint, barely perceptible interest in it. He knew it was dangerous, but high risks often came with high rewards. The key lay in control.

Meanwhile, on the other side of Earth.

Siberia, within a top-secret Hydra base even more concealed than the "Sky Hammer" observation station, buried deep beneath the permafrost.

In the base's deepest cryogenic hibernation zone, dozens of frost-covered life-support pods stood in rows. Most were empty or damaged, but the indicator light on the innermost pod still emitted a faint, ghostly green glow.

Inside the pod, the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes, slept silently. After a period of treatment at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s rehabilitation center and Steve Romanoff's patient companionship, his condition had stabilized considerably, but complete recovery remained far away. The complex brainwashing protocols and psychological trauma would require a long time to heal. This base had been one of several backup safehouses established during Pierce's reign. It had escaped S.H.I.E.L.D.'s previous purge, and Bucky had been secretly transferred here for deeper—and more dangerous—"stability" assessments and... potential modifications.

The base's current director was Dr. Dragovich, a Hydra scientist fiercely loyal to Pierce and Garrett who had narrowly survived the purge. He believed the Winter Soldier was Hydra's most perfect weapon and could not be abandoned so easily.

At that moment, Dragovich stood before the main console, staring at the screen displaying Bucky's brainwave activity and physiological data, his brow deeply furrowed.

"Sergeant Barnes's subconscious resistance remains strong, especially the barriers around certain trigger words... Steve Rogers's existence is like a poisoned thorn, buried deep in his cognition..." he complained to the assistant beside him. "Conventional reconditioning has been producing poor results."

Just then, a secondary communications channel on the main console suddenly received an extremely weak garbled signal with an absurdly high encryption level. The signal vanished in an instant, nearly filtered out by the system as background noise.

But an inconspicuous wristband shaped like a Hydra emblem on Dragovich's wrist suddenly warmed and vibrated faintly!

His expression changed sharply. He immediately waved the assistant away, then hurried alone into a completely soundproof sealed room.

He activated the wristband, which projected a fragmented stream of information that seemed heavily disrupted. After arduous decryption by his personal equipment, intermittent words appeared:

"Inheritors... exposed... headquarters... destroyed... execute... 'Winter Soldier Program'... highest compatibility subject... awaken... 'Black Wolf' Protocol..."

The message stopped there, and the source vanished completely.

Dragovich's heart pounded wildly, cold sweat beading on his forehead. "Inheritors"? That ancient, mysterious organization known to only a tiny handful even within Hydra? They had been destroyed too? By S.H.I.E.L.D.? Or...

He had no time to consider the source. The final portion of the message filled him with both fear and excitement!

The "Winter Soldier Program"... This was the ultimate concept he had been studying, based on Dr. Zola's and early Hydra's data on Bucky's modifications—not simple brainwashing and control, but a deeper "ascension" combining the latest biotechnology with mystical forces! An attempt to create a perfect war machine that was absolutely loyal, absolutely powerful, and required no trigger words for control!

The "Black Wolf Protocol" was the most radical and dangerous part of the plan. It involved a berserk serum discovered in ancient ruins, capable of greatly unleashing biological potential while severely eroding the mind!

And the "highest compatibility subject" undoubtedly referred to Bucky Barnes in the cryogenic pod outside!

This was an order from a higher level, one that demanded action at any cost!

Madness flashed in Dragovich's eyes. He knew it was risky. Bucky's current condition was unstable, and forcibly implementing the Black Wolf Protocol could completely destroy his personality or even cause physical collapse. But... this was also his best chance to realize the dream of his lifetime of research! And the order had already been issued...

He emerged from the sealed room, calmness restored to his face, though obsessive fire burned deep in his eyes.

"Prepare every reagent and piece of equipment required for the Black Wolf Protocol immediately!" he ordered the assistant waiting outside, his voice carrying unquestionable resolve. "Wake up Test Subject B-01, Bucky. We will proceed with the final stage of 'optimization.'"

The assistant jumped in alarm. "Doctor! His condition is still unstable! Forcibly injecting the Black Wolf serum is far too risky! Shouldn't we—"

"Execute the order!" Dragovich growled. "This is the highest directive from the Heritage Committee! We have no time!"

S.H.I.E.L.D., Triskelion Headquarters.

Steve Rogers had just finished a briefing on the remaining Hydra forces, his face marked by exhaustion and concern. He walked into the lounge and instinctively took out his phone. On the screen was an old photograph of him and Bucky in their youth in Brooklyn. Since Bucky had been transferred to that supposedly "more professional, more secluded" facility, his requests to visit had been declined several times on the grounds that Bucky was in a critical stage of treatment and should not be disturbed. Unease had always lingered in his heart.

Just then, his encrypted line rang. It was Natasha.

"Captain, there's something I think you should know." Natasha's voice sounded serious. "We've detected anomalous low-intensity energy fluctuations and communication signals at that former Hydra Winter Soldier Program main base in Siberia. They're well concealed, but the pattern resembles some of the encrypted signals from Pierce's era."

Steve's heart sank. "Wasn't that base abandoned?"

"Theoretically. But you know Hydra—they're like cockroaches. They always show up again where you thought you'd cleaned everything out." Natasha paused. "I've already sent people to investigate discreetly, but it'll take time. You should prepare yourself."

Steve gripped the phone tightly, his knuckles turning pale. "I understand. Thank you, Natasha."

After hanging up, the unease in his heart suddenly intensified. He was almost certain Bucky was there! And he might be facing some danger Steve knew nothing about!

He abruptly rose to his feet and grabbed the shield beside him. He could not wait for S.H.I.E.L.D.'s procedures any longer! He had to go to Siberia immediately! Right now!

Thunder Temple.

Lin Ye received Remy's report on the anomalous Siberian signal—what Natasha had detected—as well as S.H.I.E.L.D.'s, or Captain America's, unusual movements. These pieces of information seemed unrelated to the Inheritors incident he was dealing with, but his powerful intuition and Mind Network faintly caught an extremely subtle, ominous connection.

"Winter Soldier... Bucky Barnes..." Lin Ye murmured. He was no stranger to that name. The Inheritors' final message—"highest compatibility subject"... Could it be...

"Remy, cross-reference the time the Inheritors' final message was sent, the time the anomalous signal began at the Siberian base, and all known intelligence on the Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes."

"Cross-reference complete. The time points overlap closely. Bucky Barnes fits the description of a 'compatibility subject' with high value, modifications, and a special condition. Correlation probability has risen to 71%."

Lin Ye's eyes narrowed. So there really was a connection! Those lingering Inheritors had actually left something like this behind at the very end? What did they want to do to that old soldier?

He held no ill will toward Bucky and even somewhat admired his resilience. More importantly, he would never allow any Inheritors plot to succeed, even if they had already been destroyed!

"Lock onto the Siberian base's coordinates. Monitor Captain America's movements. Report to me at any time," Lin Ye ordered. For the moment, he would remain still and observe the situation. If Steve Rogers could resolve it, Lin Ye would be happy to save himself the trouble. If not...

He would not mind stretching his limbs again and completely crushing every remnant connected to the Inheritors.

Across the global chessboard, the destruction of the Inheritors and their final contingency stirred the winds and clouds once more. A new storm seemed to be quietly gathering around the warrior who had been frozen for seventy years.