Some scientific studies have shown,
In that instant before danger strikes, when adrenaline surges, it can grant a person speed and strength far beyond the norm. But the price afterward is often death.
Yvette's situation clearly belonged to this category, except for one crucial difference. The power she displayed completely surpassed the scope of an adrenaline burst or a dying person's will to survive.
This was truly and completely an infringement upon the realm of the gods, the great power to control time.
Everything comes with a price.
By infringing upon the gods' domain with a mortal body, Yvette had, after her outburst, exhausted every ounce of her soul's strength. It was as if she had run tens of thousands of meters, her body was drenched in sweat, and she collapsed into unconsciousness on the spot.
"Yvette!"
Old John caught the fainted girl, and the instant he touched her, he realized her body was burning hot, like a blazing furnace.
Her eyes were shut tight, her brows deeply furrowed, her lips bitten hard enough to leave deep teeth marks. It seemed that even in her coma, she was enduring some intense pain.
Her skin, usually fair, was now red as a boiled shrimp, radiating a terrifying heat, so hot it burned to the touch.
At such a temperature, a normal person would likely already be dead.
But aside from the pain etched on her face, her breathing and vital signs were still relatively stable. That discovery allowed Old John to breathe a small sigh of relief.
But only slightly, because he knew the danger wasn't over yet.
Dozens of tank barrels were still trained on them. One more volley, and not a single person here would survive.
Ignoring his own injuries, Old John staggered to his feet, a look of grim resolve in his eyes, ready for one last desperate stand.
Escape was impossible.
There was no way back. A man's legs could never outrun tanks, let alone the shells they fired. The only hope of survival was to defeat these enemies right here.
The tanks were just about to open fire and obliterate everyone and everything in sight, when a familiar voice rang out.
"Everyone, stand down!"
Old John's expression shifted slightly at the sound. Following the voice, he saw a monster, skeletal, with a blood-red hide, wearing a tattered trench coat, slowly walking out from the ruins.
That was… Johann Schmidt!
Though his appearance had changed drastically, the cold, familiar voice and the cruel, violent glint in his eyes left Old John certain, this monster was indeed Johann Schmidt.
To think this man had survived a direct punch to the head, it shocked Old John.
After all, as an Asgardian, his strength far surpassed that of Earth's humans, a casual punch could reduce a man's body to pulp. Yet Schmidt was still alive.
"That really hurt…"
Schmidt's eyes gleamed with cruelty, his voice cold and hoarse like a viper hissing,
"Never thought that in a small town of just a few thousand, there'd be superhumans like you. If I hadn't injected the Super Soldier Serum in advance, I'd probably be dead already."
The earliest version of the Super Soldier Serum had severe side effects, turning him into this neither-man-nor-ghost state, but it had enhanced every aspect of his body to an epic level.
Thanks to the serum's regenerative effects, he had survived Old John's punch.
Even so, he had nearly died, his skull caved in, the nerve-shattering pain making him even more violent now.
"You're not from Earth, are you?"
Schmidt, enduring the agony, his eyes gleaming with malice, ground out through clenched teeth,
"Looks like I was right. The lost treasure of Odin… you must be the one guarding it, aren't you?"
At this point, even if Old John wanted to deny it, there was no hiding his inhuman physique. He had no choice but to admit,
"I'm indeed not from Earth, but as for this 'Odin's treasure' you speak of, I have no idea where it is!"
"You don't know… heh…"
Schmidt's laughter carried no clear meaning. The nerve pain twisted his already hideous features into something even more terrifying.
"I'll give you one last chance, tell me where the Cosmic Cube is. Otherwise… no one here leaves alive!"
With that crimson skull face and his earlier brutal display, Schmidt's threat carried even more weight. The crowd immediately fell into chaos.
"Old John, please, just tell him!"
"Yeah, John! Are you going to watch them kill us all? Don't forget, Yvette is only fourteen!"
"That's right! Even if not for us, think of Yvette, and the children!"
"John, I'm begging you, my baby is only a month old!"
One after another, pleas rang out from the crowd. Everyone pinned their hopes for survival on Old John.
Anyone with eyes could see that Old John was already running on fumes, his glory days gone. There was no way he could rescue them from this demon's grasp, let alone stand against dozens of tanks.
Their only hope of survival now lay in the "Cosmic Cube" that the demon before them had mentioned.
"I…"
The veins on Old John's forehead bulged as his bloodshot eyes locked onto Schmidt, as if he wanted nothing more than to smash this bastard's head with a single punch!
But unfortunately, Schmidt had already taken precautions. He stood behind the tanks, keeping a relatively safe distance. Even if Old John lashed out again, Schmidt could dodge in time.
"Have you thought it through?"
Schmidt's facial muscles twitched as he endured the skull-splitting pain. "As long as you hand over the Cosmic Cube, I can promise to let you live."
"Old John!"
"Hurry and agree to it!"
"Yeah, what are you waiting for?!"
"Are you really going to just stand there and watch us be slaughtered by these demons?!"
"Don't forget Yvette, she's only fourteen years old! You can't put some stupid cube above all our lives!"
"Yeah, why should we die for some magical trinket?!"
The crowd's voices shifted from desperate pleading to suspicion, and then to insults and accusations. The noise was overwhelming, like countless sharp blades stabbing into Old John's heart.
Old John suddenly felt tired, more tired than he had ever been before. The violence and killing intent in his eyes faded, leaving only deep disappointment.
"Are you sure… if I hand over the Cube, you'll let us go?" he rasped, his hunched figure looking like a decaying old tree.
"Of course, my friend."
Schmidt rubbed his dented skull, the corner of his mouth curling into a twisted grin. "Think about it, there was never any need for us to fight in the first place. Just give me the Cosmic Cube, and I'll let you go. That's my promise… from one friend to another."
Old John was silent for a moment. His dim eyes swept over the crowd, faces filled with tension, resentment, fear, and panic. Each gaze stabbed at his heart.
"…Alright… I'll give it to you."
His mind felt hazy, as if his spine had been ripped out. Moving like a walking corpse, he slowly raised a hand and pointed toward the collapsed church. His voice was hoarse, "Behind the old World Tree mural in the church, there's a wooden box. Inside… is what you want."
Schmidt waved his hand, and a fresh squad of soldiers stepped forward. They cleared away the mountain of rubble and crawled through a narrow tunnel. After a while, they emerged, covered in dust, carrying a palm-sized wooden box, which they quickly brought to Schmidt.
Schmidt opened it. A dazzling blue light instantly flooded the entire square. Inside the box lay a deep-blue cube, resting quietly.
The Cosmic Cube.
He needed no further proof. The overwhelming surge of energy told Schmidt this was indeed the Odin treasure he sought, the Cosmic Cube!
"You've got what you wanted…" Old John said bitterly, his voice heavy with exhaustion. "Now can you leave this place?"
"Of course."
Schmidt tucked the box away, satisfaction flashing across his face, then he smiled cruelly. "But before that… I'm taking the girl with me."
Old John's pupils shrank sharply.
"Hahaha, I saw it all!"
Schmidt's expression twisted with feral glee, his eyes shining with cruelty. "Unbelievable… a human who can manipulate time actually exists in this world!"
When Yvette had unleashed her power, there had been two people who saw the miraculous slow-motion phenomenon.
Old John had noticed it because of his Asgardian bloodline, he could still sense the slowing of time even while within that field.
Schmidt, on the other hand, had gotten lucky.
Blasted hundreds of meters away by Old John's punch, he had lain in the rubble and clearly seen the transparent field emanating from Yvette, its radius less than a hundred meters. He had been just outside of it, and thus witnessed everything.
Such a girl…
He had to take her back for study. If he could master that power, Hydra would be unstoppable!