Rumble…
Rumble…
A chain of explosions thundered across the sky, and brilliant flames lit up the entire HYDRA base.
Hundreds of HYDRA soldiers, fully armed, launched a frenzied assault on Lynn.
But Lynn, seated comfortably inside the super tank, kept firing energy shells without pause.
Each blue energy blast detonated with enough force to turn entire squads into dust.
As the tall structures inside the base collapsed one after another, piercing alarms echoed nonstop throughout the compound.
Inside the tank, Lynn felt nothing but pure exhilaration.
"This is way more exciting than playing GTA on a computer!"
He slammed the firing button again, and a blue energy shell vaporized a HYDRA soldier who had been aiming a rocket launcher at his tank.
The launcher exploded with a roar before the soldier could even fire it.
The shockwave flung nearby HYDRA soldiers several meters into the air.
"Haha! Amazing! Sneaking in and stealing this super tank was definitely the right call!"
Laughing loudly, the suffocating pressure of being hunted that had lingered in his chest completely vanished.
He aimed at the experimental lab ahead and pressed the firing button, ready to blow it apart.
But after holding the button down for a while, nothing happened.
"Tsk. Out of energy already?"
With a hint of disappointment, Lynn stood up inside the now-silent super tank.
Outside, more and more HYDRA soldiers were closing in from every direction.
Lynn rose to his feet, drew a long sword from behind him, his eyes cold and his voice even colder. "The slaughter begins now."
The moment he finished speaking, the tank's hatch swung open, and Lynn shot out like a cannonball, charging straight into the mass of HYDRA soldiers.
...
Inside the Quinjet—
"What's happening down there?"
Explosions raged across the ground below, flames roaring, and HYDRA bodies scattered everywhere. Tony Stark stared down in disbelief.
"Don't tell me this last HYDRA base is having a civil war. That makes no sense."
"Uh… everyone, look southwest."
Following Natasha's voice, they all turned their eyes in that direction.
In the southwest, surrounded by HYDRA soldiers...
A figure dressed in black moved like a shadow, his long sword flashing again and again as he cut through the crowd like a phantom reaping souls.
Almost every swing of his blade claimed another HYDRA life.
His footwork was light and precise, letting him slip past bullets fired from every direction.
Every so often, twin beams of heat vision burst from his eyes, sweeping across entire clusters of enemies.
He was, without exaggeration, a one-man killing machine.
"Damn!"
Tony Stark stared, stunned. "Who is that? Someone that powerful, taking down an entire HYDRA base alone?"
"His offense is incredibly strong, and the way he dodges and tracks targets is pure instinct. That means he hasn't been through any formal elite combat training."
Natasha watched the magnified display inside the Quinjet. "And those two powerful energy beams from his eyes… even without them, that level of combat intuition and danger sense is far beyond what any normal person could have."
"Everyone… looks like this world is deeper than we thought."
Hearing Natasha's breakdown, Steve gripped his shield, his expression turning serious. "Whoever he is, at least his objective lines up with ours."
"Everyone, we need to back him up!"
The moment Steve said it, the cabin door slid open. Tony Stark launched himself out in full armor, blasting forward.
"Roar!"
With a thunderous roar, Dr. Banner transformed back into the Hulk and leapt out of the Quinjet with Steve in hand.
"Looks like we're the air support."
Standing at the open hatch, Clint Barton drew his bow, loose and steady, firing an explosive arrow straight into a cluster of HYDRA reinforcements.
Below—
As Lynn cut down HYDRA soldiers one after another…
Just as he was getting fully immersed in the thrill of the fight, Stark swooped in beside him.
A repulsor blast from Tony's palm sent several HYDRA soldiers flying.
"Hey, mysterious man in black, relax—we're here to help. I'm pretty sure even in Europe, you've heard of me."
"That's right, I am the most brilliant and greatest genius of this century, the very embodiment of the Avengers' might and financial backing—Tony Stark!"
Listening to Tony Stark attacking while boastfully praising himself...
Lynn flicked the blood from his long sword.
He was about to speak, but suddenly realized that he was still wearing a mask, so it was normal that Tony didn't recognize him!
At that moment, Hulk and Steve charged over to provide backup, while Natasha and Clint continued laying down fire from above.
With the Avengers joining the fight, the battle ended swiftly.
There may have been a lot of HYDRA soldiers, but they were still no match for the Avengers.
When the final HYDRA soldier hit the ground, Natasha's Quinjet descended and touched down.
Tony Stark walked up to Lynn, lifting his faceplate. "Hey, buddy. I introduced myself—are you sure you don't want to introduce yourself?"
The other Avengers all turned their attention to the masked figure.
Natasha studied him closely, her expression thoughtful. "I can't shake the feeling that you look familiar."
"Hm?"
Behind the mask, Lynn raised an eyebrow.
He hadn't expected her to recognize him after such brief contact.
Was she serious… or bluffing?
After all, plenty of people in the world had similar builds. It wasn't guaranteed she would..
"Oh! I know who you are."
Natasha stepped in close, instantly confirming Lynn's identity, and whispered in his ear, "Relax. I won't expose you. I recognized this mask from the 'future' I saw—otherwise I wouldn't have felt it looked familiar."
Hearing that, Lynn immediately thought of the scene she'd described from the New York suburbs—the one she saw after the resonator activated.
He lifted a hand and lightly tapped the cheap mask he'd bought for five dollars.
He'd worn it specifically to avoid drawing the attention of other groups—S.H.I.E.L.D., or anyone with satellites and too much free time.
But Natasha knowing didn't matter. The Avengers already no longer saw him as a normal NYPD detective.
"Don't worry. The usual rules apply. I won't file a report. As far as today goes, I never saw you."
She gave him a playful wink and slipped a piece of gum into his hand.
Lynn accepted it with a nod, glanced at the others, and turned to leave.
As soon as he walked off, Tony Stark stepped up. "Natasha, you know him? Who is he?"
Natasha only smiled at Tony's curiosity and didn't answer. Instead, she headed into the base.
There was research data inside that needed to be copied—S.H.I.E.L.D. would definitely want it.
_______
(づ￣ 3￣)づ
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