The wind and snow suddenly intensified in the valley. Hydra's defenders spotted the squad on the high ground, and a shrill alarm instantly pierced the blizzard.
The heavy machine guns in all three bunkers opened fire at once, sweeping the entire snowfield with a dense web of gunfire. Bullets struck the rocks in showers of sparks and blasted the snow into flurries that sprayed through the air.
Compared with the earlier single-player stages, this battle was noticeably harder. There were more enemies with better equipment, including considerably more armored vehicles and squads carrying special weapons. Besides frontal assaults, attacks also came from more routes.
And beyond the endless waves of enemy soldiers and the three impregnable bunkers, there was a threat from nature itself-
A blizzard.
The game's environmental feedback was impressively detailed. Knee-deep snow made every step a struggle, swirling flakes obscured most of their vision, and the fierce wind and low temperatures steadily sapped their body heat and stamina.
Everyone understood.
No wonder this stage required two players. One person simply could not cover multiple fields of view and attack routes.
This was not merely a contest of combat skills, but a test of the two players' coordination and trust.
But Steve and Bucky barely needed any time to settle into working together.
Steve raised his shield and pushed forward, steadily absorbing all the suppressing fire from the front. Bullets hammered the shield's surface with a relentless series of dull thuds. His steps were measured as he advanced, holding the line firmly for the man behind him.
Bucky held the high ground at the rear, his rifle trained steadily on their blind spots. He fired calm, precise shots, picking off enemies trying to flank them and those who exposed their heads through the bunker openings. One guarded the