Chapter 73: Total Annihilation

Chapter 73: Chapter 73: Total Annihilation

Somewhere in Siberia.

The three of them stepped out of the aircraft. Tony immediately shivered. Outside, the world was nothing but endless snow and ice. They had rushed here in their determination to help Tony get revenge, and he was still wearing the same suit he’d had on earlier that day.

Daniel and T’Challa, naturally, weren’t bothered by the cold. Both of them were already wearing their combat suits. In fact, when T’Challa had changed into his Black Panther suit aboard the aircraft, Tony had been left staring in surprise. At the time, T’Challa had simply explained.

"I am both a prince and a warrior."

After that, Tony hadn’t said another word. Of course, his mood was far too terrible right now. Normally, he would have definitely made some sarcastic remark.

"Stay close to me," Daniel said to Tony.

At the same time, he began releasing heat from his body. His cells functioned like living solar batteries. He could absorb sunlight and heat, and naturally, he could release that stored energy as well.

Tony just stepped closer and immediately, the freezing cold disappeared. The warmth radiating from Daniel felt like standing beside a blazing furnace.

The three of them walked toward what looked like a cave entrance. Soon, a massive steel door came into view. It was thick, heavy, and obviously reinforced.

"This is the place," Daniel said, then he casually kicked the door.

Boom!

The thick steel door flew inward like it had been struck by a missile. Instantly, alarms erupted throughout the Hydra base. Warning sirens blared from every direction.

The three stood at the entrance, staring into the winding underground tunnel, none of them rushed forward.

"So, what’s the plan, Tony?" Daniel asked. "Right now, T’Challa and I are just enforcers."

Tony was silent for a moment. Then he looked at both of them and sincerely said.

"Thank you."

The gratitude in his voice was genuine, but a second later, his expression turned cold.

"We walk in slowly."

"When we see people, don’t kill them."

His eyes darkened.

"Cripple them."

"Leave them lying on the ground."

"And when everyone is down..."

A frightening smile appeared on his face.

"I’ll have Stark Industries launch missiles here."

"I’ll make sure they know what’s coming. I want them to go to hell knowing exactly what’s about to happen. I want them to die in fear."

Daniel glanced at him. Tony’s usual arrogance was gone, what remained now was grief and rage. Still, Daniel understood it perfectly well, if he had been in Tony’s position, he might have done the same or something even worse.

"Alright."

Daniel agreed immediately. To him, crippling someone wasn’t much harder than killing them. Normally, a slight jab was enough, and he would just need to hold back a little. As for T’Challa, he simply nodded, there was no objection to the plan.

"Stay behind us," Daniel said to Tony.

As long as Tony remained behind him, nothing could happen.

Bullets moved so slowly in Daniel’s eyes that they might as well have been frozen in air, so intercepting them would be effortless.

They hadn’t even walked fifty meters before they encountered the first squad of armed soldiers. The moment the Hydra troops saw them, they opened fire, there were no warnings, no questions... just bullets.

Rrrat-tat-tat-tat...

Gunfire filled the tunnel. Daniel and T’Challa didn’t even bother dodging; they simply kept walking forward.

Step by step, their synchronized pace created a pressure that was almost suffocating. The Hydra soldiers were surprisingly disciplined. Even after witnessing the bullets doing absolutely nothing, nobody panicked, nobody ran. They continued retreating while firing, as every one of them were brainwashed.

Daniel and T’Challa deliberately chose not to rush forward and finish them off. After all, the most terrifying feeling wasn’t dying. It was believing you were about to die every second and still being unable to escape. Even brainwashing couldn’t erase that human emotion.

Daniel refused to believe these people felt no fear. If he could make them suffer a little longer... then it was worth it.

More Hydra soldiers appeared, wave after wave. Numerically, the difference was absurd. Hydra vastly outnumbered them, yet the scene unfolding in the tunnel was bizarre. The heavily armed side was retreating, the side with overwhelming numbers was retreating.

Bullets continued flying, some soldiers had already emptied their magazines without realizing it. Their fingers still desperately squeezed the triggers.

Click.

Click.

Click.

Daniel noticed, as a faint smile appeared.

"So..." His voice echoed clearly through the tunnel. "You people can feel fear after all."

"I thought every one of you was fearless."

No one responded to him, as gunfire and smoke continued to fill the air. Bullets slammed into Daniel and T’Challa endlessly. The sound that followed, however, wasn’t flesh being torn apart, it was metal hitting the ground.

Clink.

Clink.

Clink.

That sound gradually became a nightmare. The tunnel that Hydra personnel normally traversed in minutes suddenly felt endless. Every step backward seemed to take forever, it felt as though an entire century had passed.

Eventually, they reached the end and there was nowhere left to retreat. No orders were issued, yet almost simultaneously, the gunfire stopped.

Silence, there was a suffocating silence. The confined underground space became so quiet that it felt like a mosquito could be heard buzzing, even though there were no mosquitoes here.

For several moments, both sides simply stared at each other. Finally, a voice emerged from Hydra’s side.

"Who are you?"

The question came first in Russian. Then in English.

At that moment, Tony stepped past Daniel and T’Challa. He moved to the front, but he didn’t answer. He simply stared at them coldly. The moment the Hydra personnel saw Tony Stark, they understood everything.

One of them suddenly screamed.

"Open fire! Open fire!"

His voice cracked with panic.

The instant the shooting resumed, Daniel pulled Tony behind him. Then he glanced at T’Challa.

"You or me?"

"I’ll do it."

T’Challa rolled his shoulders.

"If you go, there won’t be anyone left."

Daniel laughed.

It was fair enough, so he stepped aside.

T’Challa exploded forward. Like a hunting panther sprinting at full speed. He crashed directly into the crowd; there were enemies everywhere, so he didn’t bother with elegant martial arts anymore.

Punches, claws, elbows, every strike carried brutal force. Anyone hit either collapsed immediately or suffered horrific injuries. Less than three minutes later, everyone in sight was down. Only a handful of stragglers had managed to flee deeper into the base.

Daniel scanned the area, then he noticed something. There were hidden chambers farther inside and plenty of people were still hiding there.

The people lying on the ground were merely the lower level personnel. The real leadership was still tucked away behind reinforced walls. At that moment, Daniel heard someone shouting from deeper inside.

"Hurry!"

"Hurry!"

"Hurry!"

"Release them!"

Without hesitation, Daniel kicked through a wall.

Boom!

The concrete wall exploded, and the three continued forward. Soon, they entered an area resembling a containment facility. Several men and women stood inside, the moment he saw them, T’Challa charged again.

"I’ve got this."

This time, however, things weren’t as easy. Unlike the ordinary Hydra soldiers, these individuals were exceptionally dangerous. Their combat skills were extraordinary. Their strength, speed, and reflexes weren’t weaker like ordinary humans, as they had definitely been enhanced.

And they had numbers on their side. If not for the Black Panther suit absorbing damage, T’Challa would have been in serious trouble, but even then, his clear advantage was his speed.

The battle immediately turned into a fierce melee. Daniel observed for a few moments. T’Challa would probably win eventually thanks to his powers and equipment advantage.

But it would take several minutes. Daniel sighed, he still hadn’t thrown a single punch today and this would be his first, after all, T’Challa wasn’t getting the job done fast enough.

With a blur, Daniel entered the battlefield. He appeared beside a bald, muscular giant, then he threw a punch.

Boom!

The man’s entire body exploded. Blood and flesh splattered everywhere and the entire battlefield froze.

Daniel just blinked.

"...Oops."

He rubbed the back of his head.

"Used too much force."

After that, he adjusted his strength. Then,

Punch.

One down.

Punch.

Another down.

Punch.

Another.

It was just one hit, one knockout and within seconds, every enhanced fighter was lying on the ground. T’Challa just stared at this bizarre situation.

"That one was mine. I was about to win."

Daniel grinned, "You were too slow." Without waiting any longer, he rushed deeper into the base, a few more punches later, nobody remained standing, not even a single Hydra member.

The only people left on their feet were Daniel, Tony, and T’Challa. Daniel finally dusted off his hands.

"Tony."

"Launch the missiles and flatten this place."

Tony nodded.

"I already gave the order. They’ll arrive in five minutes."

"So, let’s head outside."

The three exited the base. They stopped roughly two hundred meters away and quietly watched. The snowstorm continued.

Five minutes passed. Then, a missile streaked across the sky.

Boom!

The impact landed directly on the Hydra base. A deafening explosion erupted. The shockwave swept outward, tossing snow into the air and ruffling their hair.

The ground trembled beneath their feet. Flames and debris shot toward the sky, as the entire mountain seemed to collapse inward.

The hidden Hydra facility disappeared beneath fire and rubble, the three watched silently. For a long moment, nobody spoke, finally, Tony broke the silence.

"Let’s go."

His voice sounded calmer than before.

"We’re heading back."

"There are still tons of things waiting for me at Stark Industries."

The three turned and boarded the aircraft. As they departed, Daniel thought he caught sight of something deep within the collapsing ruins.

A cryogenic chamber.

A frozen coffin like a pod.

It shattered beneath the explosion and vanished beneath tons of earth and snow. Daniel only glanced at it before looking away.

The aircraft soon rose into the sky. Inside the cabin, Daniel placed a hand on Tony’s shoulder, his voice was steady.

"It’s over."

Tony remained silent as Daniel squeezed his shoulder.

"You don’t have to carry everything by yourself." He looked at his friend. "You’re not alone anymore."

"You’ve still got us and we’ll be right here with you."

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