Saving Private Bucky

Under the cover of the dark night, a Beechcraft UC-43 light transport plane flew into Austrian airspace.

The ground rumbled with incessant artillery fire, occasionally illuminating the dense forest below.

Rolling mountain ranges flanked them, shrouded in thick fog, making visibility extremely low.

Flying in such harsh weather demanded a high level of skill from the pilot.

"Hydra's barracks are in Klausburg, specifically located between two mountain ranges. There are about two munitions factories there, with a garrison of around six hundred men..."

In the rear of the cabin, Carter took out a map and patiently explained, her head bowed.

Although military topography included map reading courses, Luke and Rogers might not have learned them.

Their training at the Caspian Training Camp had focused more on high-intensity physical conditioning.

"Is the information accurate?"

Rogers couldn't help but ask, earning a glare from Carter.

This intelligence had been painstakingly intercepted from Hydra by the Strategic Scientific Reserve.

During World War II, Austria had been annexed by Nazi Germany, joining the fight against the Allied Nations.

To support the front lines and halt the continuous advance of Allied forces, Hydra had established a secret base in Klausburg specifically for manufacturing energy weapons and enhancing soldiers.

The results had proven to be quite significant.

A surprise attack by a 107th Infantry Regiment unit of over two hundred men had been utterly routed by Hydra soldiers led by a few enhanced warriors, resulting in a crushing defeat.

The Strategic Scientific Reserve's intelligence division believed that captured Allied soldiers were highly likely to be transported to Klausburg as laborers and experimental subjects.

"I thought you would report this to Colonel Phillips and have the Allied command issue orders to stop my rescue operation,"

Luke said with a laugh from the rear cabin.

"I'm not a cold-blooded person, Commodore Cavill."

Carter brushed a stray strand of hair from her face and looked up.

"I don't want to see soldiers sacrificed, but to win a war, one must consider the bigger picture and not be swayed by emotional sentiment."

Luke raised an eyebrow and softly asked, "Then why are you willing to help us, Miss Carter?"

The original plan was for him and Rogers to drive into Klausburg, raid the munitions factory, create chaos, seize an opportunity, and rescue Bucky or any captured soldiers.

However, Carter later decided to join, bringing along a genius scientist who could fly a plane.

Howard Stark!

"You said you are good at creating miracles. I want to know if that's true."

Carter replied coldly.

Rogers, sitting beside them, shifted his gaze uneasily. He felt a palpable tension between Luke and Carter.

Had they had an unpleasant misunderstanding before?

The naive Captain America looked confused, shrinking back slightly, deciding not to get involved.

"We're almost there! I'll drop you off near the base!"

Howard's voice came from the pilot's seat.

As an arms dealer, genius scientist, and renowned billionaire, it was perfectly normal and reasonable for him to be able to fly a plane.

"Howard, Miss Carter told me you're the best pilot she's ever met! I hope this transport plane doesn't get shot down by Axis artillery when we lower our altitude!"

Unlike Rogers, Luke didn't nervously fasten his parachute pack, preparing for a low-altitude jump.

He was relaxed, as if what he was about to do wasn't a high-risk rescue mission but an exciting outdoor adventure.

"Men of the Stark family are the best at everything they do; it's our family tradition."

Howard piloted the light transport plane, first climbing to fly above the clouds, then rapidly descending in a dive.

Performing such a showy maneuver in the extremely low visibility of the fog showed he had a big heart.

"Prepare for parachute deployment, Commodore! I sincerely hope I don't see you on the Allied casualty list."

Howard stabilized the aircraft. Below, the faint roar of artillery fire could be heard, like deafening thunder.

"Relax, Rogers. Our mission is simple: confirm if Bucky is alive and rescue the captured soldiers."

Opening the cabin door, a strong gust of wind rushed in. Luke comforted Rogers, who was stepping onto a battlefield for the first time.

This was Captain America's debut, and a little nervousness was understandable.

Boom, boom, boom!

The earth seemed to tremble, letting out a mournful cry. The flashes of artillery illuminated the night sky.

Seeing this scene, Rogers took a deep breath and said, "I'm ready!"

He pulled his parachute pack tight and leaped!

"Rogers is really impatient..."

Luke said jokingly, preparing to jump down.

"Hold onto the transceiver! The Allied Nations will find you by signal!"

Carter stood at the cabin door, shoving the transceiver into Luke's hand.

The latter said softly, "Miss Carter, the overall situation of a war is accumulated from local advantages. Perhaps those soldiers are insignificant and won't change anything, but the ones pushing the wheels of history are precisely these small people like them."

Luke put the transceiver in his pocket, slung his parachute pack over his shoulder, and leaned back.

Before falling, he even reached out and gave Carter a victory sign.

The whistling gale was like a knife, blowing against Luke's Kryptonian Battle Suit that had covered him.

The dark red cape flapped noisily, like a fluttering banner!

Luke plunged downwards rapidly, enduring the fierce artillery fire from below!

With this Kryptonian Battle Suit of astonishing defense, he was confident that he could survive a direct hit from an artillery shell and be unharmed!

On the devastated land, there was a dense, dark forest.

Artillery fire raged, shaking incessantly!

Soldiers on both sides shouted and fought, unleashing humanity's most primal violent impulses.

"Rogers! Open your parachute!"

Luke's voice was scattered by the wind, reaching Captain America's ears intermittently.

The latter obediently pulled open his parachute pack, and a small black flower bloomed.

His descent slowed, and taking this opportunity, Rogers turned his head to look at Luke.

He was horrified to discover that the other party had no intention of opening his parachute at all!

The current altitude was already close to seven hundred meters!

Normally, the minimum safe altitude for parachuting from a plane was five hundred meters!

This was something Carter had emphasized, stressing the importance of opening the parachute on time!

"Luke..."

Rogers shouted with all his might.

His anxious voice escaped his lips, immediately scattered by the fierce wind, torn into fragmented pieces.

When they reached an altitude of one hundred meters, the critical moment of rapid descent, Luke opened his parachute pack under Rogers' shocked gaze.

Taking advantage of this buffer, he drew the paratrooper knife from between his legs and cut the ropes.

The impact that should have at least crippled him had no effect on Luke whatsoever.

This made Rogers, who had safely landed, genuinely admire him.

No wonder Colonel Phillips regarded Luke as the finest Super Soldier, and the two leaders of the Allied Nations, President Roosevelt and Britain's Churchill, even called him "Superman."

Rogers might not have dared to attempt that kind of altitude himself – he might have been able to do it, but without any parachute training, he certainly wouldn't have been as relaxed as Luke.

"Head in this direction for two thousand meters, through the woods, and you'll find Hydra's base."

Luke was unaware of Captain America's thoughts. He took out a map, glanced at it, and then began to march rapidly.

As Superman, he should be able to fly, so what was a mere low-altitude parachute jump?

If he had known Rogers' thoughts, Luke would have certainly replied in his mind like this.

Taking advantage of the dense fog of the night, the two marched on.

Before long, they had penetrated the edge of the dense forest and saw a heavily guarded, massive base.

A tall wall of electrified barbed wire stood erect, with sentry posts behind it.

Beams of searchlights swept across, illuminating patrols of guards below.

These guards, wearing Hydra armbands, were equipped with technology a century ahead of the Allied Nations!

The infinite energy developed from the Tesseract had been applied by Hydra's Red Skull to various weapons, firearms, and cannons.

There were even giant multi-turret tanks, these meat grinder-like steel behemoths!

It could be said responsibly that if Captain America had not appeared, transforming into Steve Rogers and performing a feat of anti-German heroism, the timeline of this world would have taken a different turn.

Because the Axis Powers completely crushed the Allied Nations' armies in terms of technology, coupled with the enhanced soldiers Red Skull was developing, once deployed on the European battlefield, the currently advancing Allied Nations would likely collapse immediately!

"You go rescue the captured soldiers, and I'll see if I can find Hydra's leader, Red Skull!"

Luke gave the order. Red Skull and Dr. Zola should both be in this base.

If he could get his hands on the Tesseract in advance, that would be a good option.

Although in Luke's eyes, the six Infinity Stones might not have as much potential as the Superman Template.

However, the Tesseract's contained infinite energy truly piqued his interest.

ps: Thanks to Guan Tui Guan Huan for the 500-point reward, Regretting My Past Choices for the 500-point reward, Emperor Tian Wushuang for the 100-point reward, I Just Want a Name, It's So Hard for the 100-point reward, and 159888888 for the 100-point reward. Sending virtual hugs~

ps2: I'm not asking for the usual three-part praise, esteemed readers, please cast your monthly votes for your favorite authors, and leave your recommendation votes and collections for me~ (hands on hips.jpg)

ps3: See how considerate I am (ω)