Dead End

Dead End

Boom!

The cabin door exploded into splinters.

Chu Hang was the first to be blasted out by the shockwave. He staggered, nearly falling over.

The freezing wind hurled snow pellets against his face. His body swayed as he tightened his grip on the old rifle in his hand, subtly controlling his muscles to make himself shiver even harder.

"Keep up! Protect him!"

Falsworth roared. The bearded man was like a wall, planting himself directly in front of Chu Hang and blocking most of the wind and snow.

The people inside rushed out after them. There were no screams, only harsh breathing and the clatter of equipment. The veterans automatically formed a circle the moment they emerged, their gun barrels sweeping the surroundings vigilantly.

Jones, the signalman with the worst stamina, was protected in the very center.

Chu Hang was surrounded at the core of the formation.

The soldiers' thinking was simple: the captain said this man was important, so he was more important than their own lives.

They're pretty loyal. Chu Hang kept up the appearance of someone about to freeze to death.

The snow was deep. One step would sink them up to their calves. Traveling in a place like this drained their strength rapidly.

The group trudged through the blizzard. All that remained around them was the crunch of boots in snow and ragged breathing.

Wedged in the middle, Chu Hang cooperatively coughed a few times.

Time to work.

Invisible sound waves spread outward from him.

Everything within five kilometers formed a three-dimensional map in his mind.

He immediately "heard" the Hydra forces down the mountain. Footsteps, tank treads, and engine noise blended together. Their movements were chaotic; they had clearly lost command.

Steve Rogers's voice rang directly in his mind.

"Chu Hang, we've drawn a large number of enemies. We're heading toward the cliff."

"Received." Chu Hang replied in a weak voice. "We've been spotted too. We can't move quickly with me along. The nearest enemies are one kilometer away. Contact in three minutes."

He added, "At your nine o'clock, a squad is trying to take a shortcut and block the cliff. Take them out."

"Got it. Be careful!"

Within his perception, the group moved slowly through the snow, making for an extremely obvious target.

The sounds representing the enemy were converging from every direction.

The encirclement was tightening.

The nearest squad was less than eight hundred meters away.

The men around him were still trudging forward with their heads down, completely unaware of the death closing in.

If I keep acting, we'll all get wiped out.

His ankle twisted, and he pitched forward, burying his face in the snow.

At the same time, he let out a hoarse scream. "Ahead!"

Without a second thought, Falsworth threw himself down as well, roaring at the top of his lungs, "Down!"

The entire group dropped flat at once.

The moment they hit the ground, several blue energy beams skimmed over their scalps.

The beams struck pine trees more than ten meters away. Their thick trunks were silently melted through, leaving smooth cuts that smoked faintly.

Everyone's backs were soaked with cold sweat.

They looked at Chu Hang struggling in the snow, and their expressions changed.

"Enemy attack! Nine o'clock, in the woods! Return fire!" Falsworth roared, setting up his machine gun and firing into the forest.

Gunfire tore through the snowy night.

Bullets sent splinters and snowflakes flying. The enemy fire was even fiercer, blue energy beams and bullets pinning them down so hard they could not raise their heads.

The situation was terrible. The enemy had numbers, superior firepower, and the high ground.

"Grenades!" Falsworth shouted.

Several grenades were thrown into the woods. The flames from the explosions temporarily suppressed the enemy.

Leaning against a tree, Chu Hang coughed while calmly observing the battlefield.

He counted heads in his mind. Fifteen. One officer, two energy machine gunners, and twelve infantrymen. This battered group would not last five minutes.

His gaze settled on Jones, the signalman who was close to breaking down. The kid was hiding behind a small rock, directly in the sights of two energy machine guns.

Chu Hang raised his index finger and pointed it at Jones from afar.

He distorted the space around the rock in front of Jones.

Another energy beam came flying in. Before it struck the rock, its trajectory twisted strangely, veering aside and grazing past it.

The Hydra machine gunner who had fired froze. He swore he had aimed right at him.

"Jones! The big tree on the right! Throw a grenade!" Chu Hang shouted hoarsely.

Half scared out of his mind, Jones instinctively pulled the pin, squeezed his eyes shut, and threw his last grenade.

Rookie. Chu Hang exerted force in secret.

An invisible force gave the grenade a push in midair, correcting its trajectory.

Boom!

The grenade exploded right in the blind spot behind and to the side of the machine-gun position.

The stunned machine gunner and his weapon were both blasted into the air.

A gap opened in the fire net.

"Great job, Jones!" Falsworth roared in delight. "Suppress the left side! Charge with me!"

The team immediately turned their guns and poured bullets into the machine-gun position on the left.

"Move!"

Falsworth hauled Chu Hang up and led the remaining men through the gap.

The Hydra officer in the woods panicked and raised his gun, aiming at the center of Falsworth's back.

Chu Hang's eyes turned cold.

Behind Falsworth, space rippled like the surface of water.

With a light ding, the energy round was deflected and shot into a snowbank.

The Hydra officer was dumbfounded.

In the instant he froze, a black shadow lunged out from the woods to the side. It was Logan.

Slash!

Three Bone Claws swept across him, cutting the Hydra officer's body into four pieces.

Then a figure holding the Star Shield appeared. Captain America, Steve Rogers.

With a flick of his wrist, the shield flew out, smashing into the heads of two Hydra soldiers in succession before rebounding into his hand.

He really knows how to put on a show.

"It's the captain!" The team's morale surged.

Dugan appeared too, a cigar clenched between his teeth as he sprayed bullets from a submachine gun.

Attacked from both front and rear, with their commander dead, the remaining Hydra soldiers broke down and turned to flee.

Logan darted through the trees. After several screams, the battle was over.

More than a dozen corpses lay scattered across the snow.

"Check the wounded and replenish ammunition!" Steve ordered, quickly stepping over to support the still-coughing Chu Hang.

"How are you?" He looked at Chu Hang's pale face, his eyes complicated.

"I won't die..." Chu Hang answered weakly, taking the opportunity to lean against the captain's shoulder.

Steve seemed to want to say something, then stopped. Jones's grenade, the deflected shot behind Falsworth... He knew Chu Hang's ability was more than mere perception.

But he did not ask.

"We need to move." Logan came over, frowning. "The smell of blood is too strong. I can smell dogs. A lot of them."

As soon as he finished speaking, dense barking rose from down the mountain.

The sounds rushed closer at high speed. The roar of truck engines and German shouts were growing nearer as well.

Hydra's main force had arrived.

"Move!"

Steve hesitated no longer. He hoisted Chu Hang up and sprinted toward the cliff.

Five minutes later, they burst out of the woods and reached the cliff's edge.

Before them was a bottomless abyss.

Behind them, countless flashlight beams lit up in the forest. The barking and shouting were already close at hand.

A dead end in front, pursuers behind.

"God..." Jones looked at the cliff, his legs giving out as he collapsed into the snow.

Listening to the team's despairing murmurs, Chu Hang, supported by Steve, curled his lips into a faint smile.

We're doomed?

This means the escort mission is complete. Prepare to teleport.