Chapter Forty-Seven: The Ascending Fighter Jet

The flamethrower, in the narrow underground tunnel, unleashed a destructive power even more terrifying than energy weapons. The continuous jet of flames scorched the air itself, making it unbearably hot. Kyle frowned, retreating to a safer distance and using the concave wall of the tunnel as cover to shield himself from the burning fire.

If it were energy weapons, it would be manageable—he could use his vibranium bracers to deflect the lasers directly. But the sweeping flames from the flamethrower neutralized the bracers’ defensive advantage. Even more concerning was the Venom symbiote, which had transformed into his battle suit. Venom, which feared neither bullets nor lasers (bullets could be blocked, and lasers would heal thanks to its liquid form), now conveyed a primal fear to its host, Kyle, under the threat of the intense heat.

“All right, just bear with it a little longer,” Kyle muttered to reassure Venom, intending to hurl his sword and take out the guard. Yet, just as he lifted his arm to gather strength, a disc-shaped object whistled past from behind, soaring ahead of him.

The disc-shaped shield struck the guard wielding the flamethrower squarely in the head, instantly knocking him out, then arced back through the air to its thrower. “The Adamant Shield?” Kyle glanced back quickly and saw a tall young man rushing forward to catch the shield, which resembled a disc—none other than Steve himself, who had hurried to catch up.

“Steve, weren’t you supposed to handle the guards?” Kyle asked in surprise.

Steve replied firmly, “The soldiers can deal with the guards. As for Schmidt, why should you handle him alone?”

“Suit yourself. This time, let’s see who gets to the Hydra leader first…” Kyle didn’t finish his sentence. He surged forward, racing toward the end of the tunnel.

“No problem—hey, no cheating!” Steve shouted, matching Kyle’s stride without slowing.

One after the other, the two of them swiftly crossed the final section of the underground passage. Emerging from the tunnel, they found themselves in a wide underground base plaza, where hundreds of armed guards wielding energy weapons awaited them.

“What a nuisance,” Kyle said coldly, raising his sword. Steve, resolute, lifted his shield. The two stood side by side, undaunted by the massed guards. But if they were delayed much longer, the Hydra leader, Red Skull, would surely escape.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Just then, from various directions in the underground plaza, squads of American soldiers armed with rifles poured in through other tunnels, opening fire on the guards as soon as they appeared. At the head of one unit, wearing a black eyepatch over his left eye, was Fury. He led his troops from the front, waved at Kyle with a grin, and called out, “Kyle, need a hand?”

Kyle let out a breath and nodded. “Perfect timing. As expected, you’re always reliable.”

As if on cue, a woman leading another squad emerged from a tunnel and snorted, “Who isn’t?”

Steve glanced at the striking woman and joked, “Carter, you nearly missed the show.”

“Correction—she’s already late,” Kyle interjected, earning a glare from Carter’s dazzling eyes.

“Hahaha, I suppose you’re just waiting for me, then?” A familiar, irreverent voice sounded from behind, only half a beat behind the others. As headlights flashed on, a sleek, expertly crafted car rolled up and stopped in front of Kyle and the others. At the wheel, Howard greeted them with his usual gentlemanly wave.

“How did the logistics officer from the Scientific Strategic Reserve end up here—and driving Schmidt’s car right into the base?” Kyle raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Howard chuckled. “This is the final battle in the European campaign, after all. Of course I had to be here. We’re a team, aren’t we?”

A team…?

Kyle was momentarily taken aback. He glanced around at Fury, Carter, and Steve, then a subtle smile curved his lips. Yes—at some point, they had become a team, a battle-hardened elite unit that never lost.

“Now’s not the time for chit-chat—Schmidt’s about to escape by plane!” Steve suddenly reminded them, pointing to the far end of the underground plaza.

There, a large transport aircraft was slowly powering up, rolling down the runway toward the exit of the base—Red Skull aboard, no doubt.

“Get in! I’ll drive you two over!” Howard urged.

Kyle and Steve didn’t hesitate. They leapt into the car, one on either side, and Howard slammed the accelerator to the floor. The engine roared as the car shot after the massive aircraft.

“You’d better win!” Carter called, clenching her fists in concern as she watched them go, not relaxing until the car vanished at the far end of the underground plaza.

On the aircraft taxiway beneath the base—

The massive transport plane, with wings spanning thirty meters, picked up speed as it taxied. Not far behind, a car carrying three people chased after it at full throttle.

“The plane’s about to take off. At this speed, we’ll never catch up!” Steve frowned anxiously at the receding aircraft.

Kyle, however, was unfazed. He glanced at Howard, who was still calm behind the wheel, and urged, “Stop holding out on us! If you’ve got any black tech hidden in here, now’s the time!”

Howard smiled. “Spotted again, have you? As it happens, I gave this car a little tune-up.” He pressed a button below the steering wheel. Instantly, blue flames and a powerful jet burst from the exhaust.

Already traveling at over a hundred kilometers per hour, the car’s speed tripled in an instant. The wind was so fierce that Kyle and Steve had to grip their seats tightly.

The car closed in on the transport plane. With only about ten meters left between them, a sudden burst of white light illuminated the area ahead as the aircraft’s wheels began lifting off the ground.

“The plane’s taking off! Steve, get me up there first!” Kyle called out, standing up on the speeding car. Steve, anticipating Kyle’s move, crouched on the seat and raised his shield at an angle.

“Go!” Kyle inhaled deeply, planted his foot on the round shield, and leaped forward with all his might. Steve helped by pushing the shield, adding to the force of the jump.

Whoosh!

Kyle soared high through the air, quickly bridging the ten-meter gap. As he neared the plane, he stabbed his sword into the aircraft’s landing gear with his left hand, anchoring himself.

“Kyle!” Steve shouted, then leaped after him. Kyle reached out his right hand in time, grabbing Steve’s arm so they both clung to the transport as it took off.

On the base’s runway—

Howard braked the speeding car just before the cliff’s edge. He gazed up at the transport plane climbing into the sky, with two figures perched by the landing gear, and whispered, “May you both succeed in this battle. When you return, we’ll drink to our hearts’ content!”

Most importantly—come back alive!