Punching Hydra

Minutes ago.

Red Skull stood in the command center of the base, envisioning the future and sketching out blueprints.

He spoke at length about how to rebuild the Third Reich from the ashes of the post-war ruins.

And then, using the power controlled by Hydra, to take the entire world into his grasp.

And his only listener was one person.

Hydra's chief scientist, Dr. Arnim Zola.

Possessing the Tesseract, Red Skull firmly believed he was a divinely chosen son of destiny, the future ruler of this planet!

"Mr. Schmidt, the Fuhrer wishes for us to provide more weapons to create opportunities for victory on the front lines. He is no longer content with merely repelling the Allied Nations' advance; he wants to sound the horn of counterattack!"

Dr. Zola said cautiously.

In fact, the Fuhrer in Berlin had, in a commanding tone, forced Hydra to increase its efforts in manufacturing more powerful energy weapons to arm the Axis Powers' soldiers.

If he had repeated the Fuhrer's exact words, Red Skull, who already harbored independent ambitions, would likely have become enraged again!

Dr. Zola felt that ever since obtaining the Tesseract, the leader of Hydra's ambition had grown more and more, almost to an uncontrollable extent.

"The Axis Powers' momentum is lost! Hitler, due to disagreements over wealth and religion, launched a large-scale massacre of Jews, and he also provoked the Soviet Union, that red bear. Then he made Italy, that fool, his ally, and America joined in... The Third Reich is becoming the public enemy of the world. The outcome of this war is already decided, Zola!"

Red Skull's tone showed no respect for Hitler.

He had indeed once worshipped the Fuhrer fanatically, joining the Schutzstaffel (SS) for that reason and even becoming a loyal confidant like Heinrich Luitpold Himmler.

However, later, Schmidt, before becoming Red Skull, entered the military's research and development department and met Abraham Erskine, learning of the existence of the Super Soldier Serum.

In pursuit of his own power and perfection, coupled with his loyalty to the Fuhrer, Schmidt volunteered to be the first test subject. Due to the side effects of the first-generation serum, he transformed into Red Skull.

Unfortunately, Hitler later felt that the "disfigured" Schmidt no longer fit his ideal image of the "Aryan."

Under the guise of establishing an external intelligence department, he reassigned this former confidant to the nascent Hydra.

"Hitler's ship is sinking, and even if I provide the Axis Powers with a large quantity of weapons, it will be the same. Zola, do you want to be buried with him?"

Red Skull sneered.

"Long live Hydra!"

Dr. Zola raised both his hands, shouting the slogan to express his loyalty.

"That is the choice of a smart person. When the Valkyrie Project succeeds and half the world is reduced to ruins, I will personally establish an unprecedented Hydra empire!"

Red Skull's voice rose. He had long since gained complete control of Hydra, transforming it from an external intelligence department into an independent and autonomous secret organization.

If it weren't for the Allied Nations' relentless pressure, the Fuhrer of the Third Reich in Berlin would surely have slammed his desk and shouted in fury, then moved to eliminate this unwieldy and colossal organization!

"By the way, Dr. Zola, how is the preparation for the Valkyrie Project coming along?"

Red Skull got down to business. The so-called "Valkyrie" was a missile warhead embedded with Tesseract energy blocks.

Their destructive power was not inferior to the hydrogen bombs that America had not yet developed.

"All research institutes are cooperating actively, and targets have been confirmed. New York, Berlin, London, Moscow... 'Valkyrie' is enough to flatten all these cities, leading countless people to meet death!"

Dr. Zola replied tremblingly.

In his opinion, Red Skull was simply a madman.

He not only wanted to destroy the Allied Nations but also wanted to obliterate the Axis Powers.

From the devastated ruins, he would establish a new era belonging to Hydra.

"That's good. What Superman, what Mutant! Under 'Valkyrie,' all beings are equal! The Tesseract is the future!"

Red Skull's eyes burned with fanaticism as he continued, "One day, I will..."

A piercing alarm interrupted the Hydra leader's words. On the command center's monitoring screen, a tall, upright, blurry figure appeared.

The intruder wore a combat suit resembling iron armor, and a dark red cape, as if stained with blood, was extremely conspicuous!

"One person?"

Red Skull seemed to feel the gaze of the intruder and looked at Dr. Zola with some uncertainty, "Is it that Superman from the Allied Nations?"

The latter shook his head; the image on the monitoring screen was too blurry for him to identify.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The blurry figure shot out like an arrow, its speed exceeding the capture limit of the surveillance camera.

Hydra soldiers carrying energy firearms were sent flying effortlessly, like stationary sandbags!

Within a few breaths, an entire squad of guards had fallen!

And it looked like they wouldn't be getting up again.

"Did Erskine develop the second-generation enhanced serum?"

Red Skull harbored doubts.

Judging solely by his combat performance, this intruder, suspected to be an Allied Superman, completely surpassed the Super Soldier!

At least, Red Skull felt it would be difficult for him to take down so many people simultaneously.

The guards opened fire with submachine guns, but their bullets had no effect on the armor that looked like a steel battle suit.

"What should we do?" Dr. Zola asked, a hint of panic in his voice.

The Hydra soldiers clearly weren't a match for this intruder.

"He's just one man! We have all these guns and soldiers, plus our enhanced warriors! What are you afraid of!" Red Skull snapped angrily.

Just then, on the monitor screen, a massive tank rumbled to life, like a roaring steel beast. Its turret swiveled, constantly adjusting its position.

"Heh, Superman! Even with a body of steel..." Red Skull sneered.

But—

The next moment!

His voice cut off abruptly! The words of mockery he was about to utter were swallowed back!

"How is this possible?! Erskine must have developed a new generation of serum! Damn it! I was the first super soldier, and he gave the best to someone else!" Red Skull roared in impotent fury.

On the monitor screen, the giant tank's cannon barrel was wrenched off by sheer force. Then, the intruder grabbed the broken barrel with both hands, like wielding a thick club, and flipped the tens-of-tons tank onto its side.

This terrifying sight completely crushed the morale of the other Hydra soldiers, who wished they could surrender like the French and raise a white flag.

"Mr. Schmidt?" Dr. Zola called out softly.

"Retreat! Back to headquarters! We're no match for this Allied Superman right now!" Red Skull, having quickly regained his composure, took a deep breath and pressed the switches for the self-destruct sequence one by one. He had no intention of leaving the "Valkyrie" in the munitions factory as spoils of war for the Allied Nations.

As for the captured soldiers and the Hydra guards? Red Skull didn't care! They were just making a small sacrifice for the birth of the Hydra Empire.

"Even the strongest super soldiers can be injured, can die," Red Skull gritted his teeth and said hatefully. "Superman, you just wait and see!"

The Tesseract was extracted from its metallic containment and placed into a box. Once he returned to the underground base in the Alps, he would activate "Valkyrie" and destroy both the Allied Nations and the Axis Powers. What good would Superman be? He'd still die in the bombing!