Parachuting? I've Never Practiced That!

The night was already deep.

At this secret Allied airfield on the Austrian border, the temperature had dropped below freezing, making everyone who had just collected their gear and was still flushed with heat shiver in unison.

Not far away, a C-47 transport plane sat quietly at the end of the runway. Its two massive propellers had begun to turn slowly.

Dugan stood beneath the boarding stairs, his trademark cigar clenched between his teeth. He did not urge them on. He merely watched as his men approached one by one, each carrying heavy equipment, their faces lit by the transport plane's dim glow, each wearing a different expression.

Chu Hang walked in the middle of the group, bundled up like a dumpling.

He glanced at Logan, who was walking at the front. The guy still looked completely fearless, wearing nothing but a thin leather jacket left open to reveal his solid chest.

Monster. Chu Hang muttered to himself, tightening his collar again. Comparing physical fitness with someone inhuman like that was simply asking for trouble.

"Listen up!" Dugan's voice was not loud, but it carried clearly over the roar of the plane. "This operation is codenamed Hell's Kitchen.

"Our mission is to cause enough chaos around the target factory to draw out all of its guards.

"Remember, we're bait, not suicide troops! I need every single one of you to come back alive!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping across every face. "The Captain has already gone ahead. Our operation is to buy him time and create an opportunity for him. Once we hear three consecutive explosions from inside the factory, that means the Captain has succeeded. We immediately cover each other and withdraw west to rendezvous at the designated point. Is that understood?"

"Understood!" everyone answered in unison, their voices especially loud in the frigid night.

"Good. Board!"

At Dugan's order, the men began climbing the narrow boarding stairs one after another.

Chu Hang found a seat near the middle and placed his heavy pack at his feet. He could feel the engine's vibrations traveling through the metal floor and pulsing through his entire body.

The men took their seats in turn. The cabin door slammed shut heavily, and the atmosphere inside instantly became stifling and tense.

No one spoke.

Some closed their eyes to rest, trying to save even a little more strength before the operation began. Others repeatedly checked their guns and magazines, fingers stroking the cold metal as if it could offer them a trace of comfort.

Logan had claimed the farthest corner as soon as he boarded. With his combat knife laid across his knees, he had closed his eyes as though asleep. But Chu Hang knew that at the slightest hint of danger, that beast would be the first to spring up and strike.

Chu Hang looked around. He could feel the tension in the air, nearly solid enough to freeze. These men were all veterans who had crawled out of piles of corpses, but when facing the Nazis, no one dared let their guard down.

He sighed. He knew he had to do something.

Dugan sat at the very front of the cabin without saying a word, but he had watched Chu Hang's every move.

He saw Chu Hang handing out food. He saw the calm on his face, so out of place amid the surrounding tension. He saw how just a few words from him eased the men's taut nerves. Without realizing it, Dugan's opinion of the Eastern kid rose another notch.

Before setting out, everyone had a string drawn tight in their hearts. At a time like this, a seemingly casual gesture, a little shared food, could quietly ease their pressure and bring them closer together.

This kid did not seem like a rookie. He seemed more like a natural-born battlefield leader.

"Chu, you don't seem scared at all?" Dugan suddenly asked, turning his sharp gaze on Chu Hang.

Chu Hang was chewing chocolate. Hearing the question, he swallowed and grinned, showing a row of white teeth. "Of course I'm scared. Scared to death. But what's the use of being scared? German guns won't turn into water pistols just because you're afraid.

"When you're hungry, your limbs go weak. When you're cold, your reactions slow down. Those are the things that will kill you on the battlefield. So, sir, before the enemy kills me, I'd rather die with a full stomach first."

His words were half true and half false. They sounded like crooked wisdom from a hardened soldier who had survived countless brushes with death, yet they carried an open-minded acceptance of life and death.

The mood in the cabin visibly relaxed after his joking remarks. Even Jimmy Morita, who had kept a stern face the whole time, could not help smiling as he adjusted his glasses.

Dugan gave him a long look and said nothing more. He merely pushed his cigar farther into his mouth, though the appreciation in his eyes deepened.

But Chu Hang was groaning inwardly.

How could I not be scared? I'm fucking terrified!

The reason he appeared so calm was, first, to reassure his teammates. Better team morale meant better odds of survival. Second, he knew he had the Healing Factor as his greatest trump card. As long as he was not blown to pieces or shot in the head, he could always survive.

His only concern was that his ability was still on cooldown.

[Remaining cooldown time: Three days and nine hours...]

Before meeting Captain America, he had to make sure he remained alive and kicking.

Just as his thoughts ran wild, the plane suddenly jolted!

Violent turbulence shook the cabin so hard that everyone was thrown from side to side.

Then a piercing alarm rang throughout the cabin! Red emergency lights flashed continuously.

"Anti-aircraft fire! It's a German anti-aircraft position! They've spotted us!" the pilot shouted from the cockpit, his voice warped with terror.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of muffled impacts came from outside the fuselage. Those were the shockwaves from anti-aircraft shells exploding around the plane.

Chu Hang's heart leaped into his throat.

Fuck, this wasn't in the plot! In the movie, the Captain infiltrated alone in a small plane, and the Howling Commandos only joined him later. So why was their transport plane getting used as target practice halfway there?

Was it a butterfly effect caused by me, the variable? Or did the movie just never show this part?

Boom!

A deafening blast erupted from the plane's right side, and the entire cabin tilted sharply. Through the window, Chu Hang clearly saw thick smoke and flames billowing from the root of the right wing, like a struggling fire dragon.

"The right engine is on fire! We're losing altitude! The controls are failing!" The pilot's voice was full of despair, nearly breaking into sobs.

"Prepare to jump! Everyone! Check your parachutes! Prepare to jump!" Dugan reacted instantly. He grabbed the overhead support bar to steady himself and roared with all his strength.

Parachuting?

Chu Hang's mind buzzed blank.

He had not even tried bungee jumping in his previous life, and now he was about to take on the extreme sport of skydiving? On a battlefield filled with bullets and artillery? Jumping from a plane that was about to fall apart?

He instinctively touched the heavy parachute pack on his back. Dugan had indeed taught them how to use the thing before departure, but that had only been theory! He had never actually practiced!

"Don't fucking panic! Check your parachutes! Wait for my order!" Dugan roared as he staggered toward the rear of the cabin and kicked open the heavy door.

"Whoosh—"

Freezing wind instantly poured in, mixed with snowflakes and the heavy stench of gunpowder. It blew so fiercely that they could barely open their eyes or breathe.

Through the open door, Chu Hang could see nothing but an endless expanse of dark, rolling snow-covered mountains and forests below.

"We're off the planned route! Unknown mountains below! After you jump, gather toward the factory lights to the east! Remember, finding Captain America is the top priority!" Dugan shouted his final orders into the gale, half his body outside the cabin.

"Go! Go! Go! Jump!"

He took the lead, leaping out through the door without hesitation. His figure was instantly swallowed by the boundless darkness.

Gabe, Jimmy, and the other men followed, gritting their teeth, clutching their guns, and jumping after Dugan one by one.

Soon, only Chu Hang and two young soldiers remained in the cabin, their faces pale and their bodies trembling.

The plane fell faster and faster. The creaking of its fuselage made their teeth ache, as though it might break apart in midair at any moment.

"Jump! Are you fucking waiting to die?" Chu Hang shouted at the two soldiers, who were nearly scared senseless.

He himself was terrified, his legs shaking like sieves, but he knew staying meant certain death. Jumping might offer them a sliver of hope.

His shout jolted the two soldiers awake. As though infused with their last bit of courage, they looked at each other, then screamed and scrambled toward the door before jumping with their eyes shut.

Now, Chu Hang was the only one left in the entire cabin.

He clutched the icy edge of the doorway and watched the black mountain shadows rush past below. His heart pounded so violently that it felt ready to burst from his chest.

He took a deep breath, and the cold air made him cough violently. He frantically encouraged himself in his heart. What the hell am I scared of? Chu Hang, what the hell are you scared of? I've got the Healing Factor! Even if I break my legs, they'll grow back! Even if the parachute doesn't open, as long as I don't land face-first and turn into a pile of mush, I can still be saved! That's better than staying here and getting blown to ashes!

With that thought, he steeled himself, gritted his teeth, shut his eyes, and jumped!

Suddenly, a massive fireball exploded in the night. The light and heat that burst forth briefly illuminated half the sky—and Chu Hang's face, filled with terror.

Chu Hang's heart sank to the bottom along with that blaze of exploding fire.