Baron Strucker

Golden sparks spun and blossomed in the laboratory air.

The two Hydra soldiers whirled around, their energy rifles instantly aimed at the suddenly appearing portal.

"What..."

The tall soldier's cry was cut short.

Two crimson Heat Vision beams shot from the portal, piercing both men precisely through the forehead.

Their bodies did not even have time to fall before the heat carbonized them, leaving behind two charred statues.

Xiao Han stepped through the portal, his black combat boots striking the metal floor with a dull echo.

His cape stirred without wind, and the S emblem on his chest gleamed with a cold golden light beneath the laboratory's stark white lamps.

Wanda curled up inside the glass enclosure, her scarlet eyes widened to their limit.

Her lips trembled as Chaos Magic flickered uncontrollably at her fingertips, bathing the entire enclosure in blood-red light.

"Stand back."

Xiao Han's voice was calm, yet carried unquestionable force.

Wanda instinctively shuffled backward, pressing her back tightly against the cold glass wall.

The next second, Xiao Han's eyes lit up with terrifying red light again.

Sizzle!

Heat Vision sliced through the reinforced glass as if cutting butter, and the container shattered at once.

Wanda felt the world spin as Chaos Magic surged out of her body like a burst dam.

A scarlet energy storm swept through the laboratory. Equipment was torn to pieces, metal tables warped and twisted, and the ceiling lights exploded one after another.

"No... I can't control it..."

Wanda clutched her head in agony as crimson energy formed a violent vortex around her.

Xiao Han frowned slightly and instantly spread his Biofield, confining the out-of-control energy within a limited area.

He strode toward Wanda and placed a hand on her shoulder.

The instant they touched.

Wanda's vision was suddenly flooded by countless fragmented images.

She saw Xiao Han floating above New York, destructive Heat Vision blazing from his eyes as he cut alien creatures in half.

She saw him carrying a nuclear bomb into outer space, where it destroyed an alien warship.

She saw him wearing the Infinity Gauntlet, wiping out an alien fleet with a snap of his fingers.

Those images coursed through Wanda's mind like electricity, bringing a sharp stab of pain.

She screamed, and Chaos Magic suddenly erupted, knocking Xiao Han back half a step.

"Who... who are you?" Wanda collapsed onto the floor, her voice so hoarse it barely sounded like her own.

Alarms blared throughout the base, and red warning lights stained the corridors blood-red.

Heavy footsteps came from every direction as Hydra reinforcements assembled.

Xiao Han did not immediately answer Wanda's question.

He turned toward the laboratory doors, listening to the approaching footsteps as a faint curve lifted at the corner of his mouth.

"Breathe in," he suddenly said.

Wanda froze, then instinctively took a deep breath.

Xiao Han's chest expanded slightly, then—

Whoosh!

Freezing Freeze Breath burst from his mouth, a white torrent of cold sweeping through the entire corridor like a blizzard.

The first six Hydra soldiers to rush in were instantly frozen into ice statues, terror still locked on their faces.

The cold current continued to spread. Thick ice formed over the walls, alarms froze and burst apart, and even the moisture in the air turned into tiny ice crystals.

"God..."

Wanda murmured, her breath condensing into white mist before her.

She had never seen power like this. It was elegant, yet lethal.

Xiao Han turned and held out a hand to her. "Can you still walk?"

Wanda hesitated for a second before tremblingly placing her hand in his palm.

Xiao Han gently pulled her up and shielded her behind him.

"Stay close."

They stepped out of the laboratory, where the corridor was already packed with fully armed Hydra soldiers.

The hum of charging energy weapons rose and fell, while red targeting lasers wove a net across Xiao Han's chest.

"Fire!"

Dozens of energy beams shot out at once, only to stop eerily a few centimeters from Xiao Han's skin, as though they had struck an invisible wall.

Red light flashed in Xiao Han's eyes. Heat Vision swept across the corridor, and the soldiers in the front row were cut in half before they could even scream.

Wanda clutched Xiao Han's cape tightly, watching everything in terror.

She had imagined someone coming to destroy this hell in her nightmares, but she had never imagined it happening in such a bloody way.

Every flash of Heat Vision brought down another group of soldiers.

He also possessed abilities similar to hers. Wanda saw Xiao Han merely raise a hand, and every bullet turned around and flew back toward Hydra.

Xiao Han moved through the base like the Grim Reaper, leaving only shattered corpses and twisted metal in his wake.

"Baron Strucker..." Xiao Han's Super-Sight pierced through layer after layer of obstacles.

"So he escaped by helicopter."

"North."

Xiao Han looked back at Wanda. "Close your eyes."

The moment Wanda shut her eyes, she felt weightless. Xiao Han's Biofield wrapped around her.

Then—

Boom!

The ceiling was blasted open with a massive hole, concrete and steel reinforcement crumbling like paper.

Wanda felt herself rising at breakneck speed as cold wind howled past her cheeks.

When she finally gathered the courage to open her eyes, the entire Hydra base had become a tiny point of light beneath them, with flames from explosions burning within it.

That base, which had harmed countless people, had been completely destroyed.

"Hold on tight."

Xiao Han's voice remained clear in the wind.

Wanda felt her heart skip a beat. They were flying at an unimaginable speed!

Clouds raced past them, and the scenery below blurred into patches of color.

A few seconds later, she saw a small black dot moving through the sky in the distance.

"That's Strucker's helicopter," Xiao Han said with icy certainty.

His eyes glowed red again, and two Heat Vision beams tore through the sky, striking the helicopter's tail rotor with precision.

Black smoke immediately poured from the fuselage as the helicopter began spiraling downward.

"Please don't kill him. I want to do it myself!" Wanda suddenly gripped Xiao Han's arm.

Xiao Han nodded, then changed course and dived toward the falling helicopter.

Just before it struck the ground, he held up the fuselage with one hand and gently set it down in an open field.

Baron Strucker crawled out of the twisted cabin, his face covered in blood.

The moment he saw the black figure standing before him, his face turned deathly pale.

"Su... Superman..."

His voice trembled so badly it was nearly inaudible. "This has nothing to do with you... This is Hydra's internal—"

Xiao Han gave a cold smile and seized him by the throat, lifting him into the air. "When you used me as an experiment, why didn't you think of that?"

A sly glint flashed in Strucker's eyes. "Let... let me go... I'll tell you all the secrets..."

Crack.

Xiao Han snapped his right arm without hesitation.

Strucker let out a pig-like howl.

"Next will be your left arm."

Xiao Han's voice was terrifyingly calm. "Then your legs. You have one chance."

"Don't think you'll get anything out of me!" Strucker wailed, tears and snot streaming down his face.

"Hail Hydra!"

Xiao Han held him in place with Telekinesis, then turned to Wanda. "I rescued everyone else within seconds. They went through my portals directly to where they needed to go. As for him, he's yours."

Wanda froze, tears shimmering in her eyes beneath the moonlight. "Is it... finally going to end?"

Wanda controlled Chaos Magic and ended Baron Strucker's life.

Xiao Han said nothing. Two hair-thin beams of Heat Vision shot from his eyes.

They precisely ignited the helicopter. A massive fireball rose into the sky, illuminating half the heavens.

"Let's go."

Xiao Han wrapped Wanda in his Biofield again and flew toward New York.

New York

The lights of the Long Island villa seemed especially warm in the night.

When Xiao Han landed on the terrace with Wanda, the smart home system automatically adjusted the indoor temperature and lighting, while soft piano music flowed from hidden speakers.

Wanda stood barefoot on the soft carpet, unable to believe her eyes.

The spacious living room, the Atlantic Ocean beyond the floor-to-ceiling windows, the priceless artwork on the walls.

Everything stood in stark contrast to the Hydra cage where she had spent three years.

"Is this... your home?" she asked softly, her voice hoarse from disuse.

"For now, it's yours too."

Xiao Han pressed the S emblem on his chest, and the nano armor receded like a tide, revealing the black combat suit beneath.

"There are empty rooms on the second floor. You can choose whichever one you want."

Wanda warily looked around. "Why... why did you save me?"

Xiao Han walked to the kitchen island and poured two glasses of water. "I heard you calling for help."

"Thank you." The images of corpses cut apart by Heat Vision surfaced in Wanda's mind again, and her stomach twisted painfully.

Xiao Han handed her a glass of water. "Those people experimented on children. They deserved to die."

Wanda took the glass, her hands still trembling slightly.

The feeling of warm water sliding down her throat was so unfamiliar that she realized how long it had been since she had taken a sip of clean water.

"You saw my memories," Xiao Han suddenly said. "The instant we touched."

Wanda abruptly looked up. "Were those all real? You really defeated aliens? Carried a nuclear bomb?"

Xiao Han nodded. "I've been to other places. Here, I choose to do what I want."

He paused. "Including saving you."

Gratitude flashed in Wanda's eyes. "Thank you. Without you, I don't know when I would have been able to escape."

Xiao Han pointed upstairs. "You need rest tonight. There are clean clothes and toiletries in the bathroom."