Chapter 120: The Death of Schmidt
"BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!"
The ground shook violently.
A voice crackled through the laboratory's communication system.
"Dr. Zola, our base has been compromised. Bring the Tesseract to the main control center. I need to evacuate you!"
Schmidt knew that with his current forces, he could only mount a desperate last stand against the Allied attack. He had already prepared an escape route, and all the weapons he'd manufactured were loaded onto the aircraft.
Mason grabbed the microphone.
"Mr. Schmidt, I'm afraid I can't allow that. The Tesseract is now in my possession. If you want it, come and get it yourself."
"Who are you?"
Mason smiled but didn't answer. He shut down the communication device, then opened the laboratory door and released the other operatives.
Since the first explosion, the entire base had been trembling continuously. The Allied forces outside had clearly launched their full assault.
With the addition of the nine enhanced operatives Mason had released, the entire facility descended into chaos.
Shortly after, Schmidt appeared in the laboratory with a cold expression and several soldiers. The soldiers, heavily armored and equipped with flamethrowers, blocked the exit.
Mason carefully placed the Tesseract in a containment case; it was an extremely volatile object, and he didn't dare touch it directly.
Upon seeing Mason, Schmidt was initially surprised, then his face darkened as he said, "It's you. Tell me, what do you want?"
"I want your life!"
Schmidt's expression hardened, and he raised his weapon to fire. A ghostly blue beam shot from the gun; the weapon, powered by the Tesseract, was extraordinarily dangerous, instantly disintegrating anyone struck, leaving no trace.
Mason had been watching Schmidt's movements and easily evaded the attack. Just as Schmidt prepared to fire again, Mason suddenly threw the case containing the Tesseract at him.
Ignoring Mason, Schmidt fired several wild shots, then lunged to catch the case. As soon as he landed, Mason closed in, kicking the weapon from his hand.
"Even without a gun, I can easily defeat you!" Schmidt grinned maliciously, his right hand protecting the Tesseract, while his left fist drove toward Mason's throat.
Mason shifted, raising his hand to block Schmidt's attack, then delivered a devastating punch to Schmidt's chest.
"BANG!"
The impact to his chest was tremendous, sharp pain shooting through him, the Tesseract flying from his grasp, and Schmidt was launched backward like a projectile.
Mason caught the case mid-air, placed it behind himself, and kicked it into a distant corner. He glanced at the fallen Schmidt, not pressing his advantage.
"Tsk tsk, the infamous Red Skull is nothing special!"
That dark blue Tesseract was crucial to his plans, and Schmidt couldn't be allowed to reclaim it under any circumstances.
"Who do you think you are? Just a pathetic experiment from some forgotten lab." Schmidt wiped the blood from his mouth. "I'll show you the difference between a man and a god!"
Although all three had undergone transformation with the Super Soldier Serum, their results were quite different.
Schmidt possessed immense strength, reinforced skeletal structure, and remarkable durability, while Steve had incredible endurance, making him ideal for prolonged engagements. These differences were largely influenced by their individual physiologies.
Although the serum Mason received had higher potential than the others, his overall capabilities seemed somewhat inferior for the moment.
Immediately after receiving the enhancement, Mason's physical attributes broke through 3.5. He didn't rest for the next two weeks, training intensively. Not only did his combat experience increase rapidly, but his physical attributes also improved significantly.
By the time he entered this reality, he had reached 3.8.
According to his assessment, Schmidt and Steve should be around 4.0. Steve's advancement to 4.0 was understandable, given that he was first treated with a genetic stabilization formula to optimize his physiology before receiving the super soldier serum.
Logically, the serum Schmidt received was the prototype version, not as refined as Steve's.
However, the original super soldier serum was perhaps too powerful, with severe side effects, granting Schmidt tremendous strength while simultaneously disfiguring his appearance.
Dr. Erskine's later modified version was much more stable.
Although his physical stats were inferior, Mason felt no fear. His close-combat skills had reached an advanced level, even showing masterful technique.
Moreover, he possessed his ace in the hole: Limit Burst.
His first experience using Limit Burst wasn't optimal, only increasing his strength by about 10%. Mason later analyzed that this was likely because he hadn't received the energy enhancement initially, limiting his baseline attributes and resulting in a less significant increase.
Now that he had broken through the first threshold, using Limit Burst again would grant him a terrifying power boost!
"Don't you know that all those who call themselves gods eventually fall?"
Mason nimbly advanced, engaging Schmidt in combat. Schmidt's fighting techniques were rather straightforward, purely aggressive military style.
Even with Mason wearing reinforced gauntlets, Schmidt could trade blows without flinching. Mason quickly analyzed his attack patterns and began to maneuver around him.
Intense gunfire erupted outside; clearly, the Allied forces had breached the base's defenses and were infiltrating. Schmidt, frustrated by the prolonged engagement, was growing increasingly impatient.
"Is all you can do is dodge?!"
His face contorted with rage as he ignored Mason's strikes and launched a powerful punch.
"As you wish!"
Mason took a deep breath, drawing his right fist to his waist, then channeling energy from his core to unleash a devastating counter.
"Limit Burst!"
The world before him slowed instantly; it felt as if an explosion had detonated in his chest, as tremendous energy surged into his limbs, a boost that instantly increased Mason's power by 20%!
His current physical attributes definitely exceeded 4.6!
"BOOM!"
The two fists collided.
The ferocity on Schmidt's face vanished completely, a sickening crack echoed from his hand, and Schmidt barely suppressed a scream.
"Your time is up!"
Mason slightly opened his palm, extending a sharp blade from his gauntlet. He stepped forward, driving it viciously through Schmidt's armor, then lifted him high and slammed him to the ground!
His fists, like sledgehammers, relentlessly pounded Schmidt's face. The entire reversal was too sudden; by the time the soldiers in the distance moved to intervene, Mason had already plunged the blade into Schmidt's throat!
Red Skull, Johann Schmidt, was dead!
Chapter Unlock Conditions
500 Power Stones → 1 Chapter
10 Reviews → 1 Chapter
30+ advance chapters on P4treon: DarkFoxx