Dazzling fire roared like a flaming dragon, swallowing everything in an instant!
A terrifying shockwave wrapped in searing heat swept outward in all directions.
Everything in the hallway was shredded to bits in a flash.
The entire skyscraper shuddered beneath the force of the blast.
The floor at the center of the explosion caved in, ceiling pipes ruptured, sending spurts of water and showers of sparks cascading everywhere.
Jack, taking the brunt of the strike, could no longer be described merely as “bad off.” The wall chunk he had just held up was vaporized into powder.
The raw energy of the detonation slammed brutally into his body.
Even with his enhanced, iron-hard constitution, he was no match for a weapon engineered purely for slaughter.
Screaming in agony, Jack was sent flying backward.
He crashed straight through the wall behind him, tumbling onto the adjacent hallway floor.
Mangled flesh covered Jack from head to toe, his tactical combat suit reduced to tattered ribbons.
Splintered bones were broken beyond count as blood gushed from his wounds.
Lying motionless amidst the rubble, it was impossible to tell if he was alive or dead.
Curiously, though…
While the explosion looked catastrophic, tearing an entire hallway apart…
Aside from the initial tremor, the skyscraper suffered no structural collapse.
In other words, the blast radius of the missile had been calculated with surgical precision beforehand.
It destroyed only the vicinity of the elevator shaft without compromising the core structure of the building.
Maximum lethal firepower delivered with minimal yield.
Without a doubt, this had been engineered in advance.
And engineered specifically for them!
The enemy had intended for them to die at step one.
The flames in the corridor gradually dimmed, leaving thick, choking black smoke filling the air.
The fire sprinkler system kicked in, pouring down streams of water.
Anyone stumbling upon the scene would think a war zone had erupted here.
Soon, amidst the chaos…
John’s figure reappeared at the edge of the collapsed floor.
Dust coated his tactical uniform, and his eyes burned with horror and fury.
Immediately after, a puddle of water on the floor began to ripple and surge.
Mark emerged from the water, taking human form once more, though his complexion was equally grim.
Standing at the edge of the destruction, they surveyed their surroundings with deadly serious expressions.
“Damn it!
Damn it all!!” John ripped off his tactical hood, exposing his enraged face.
“What the hell is going on?!
Why would a civilian hotel have a Stark Industries missile?!
This makes no damn sense!
We were played!” “Captain, it’s a trap.
That bastard Happy was acting!
The Stark brothers must’ve known we were coming to assassinate them all along, so they set up weapons specifically to ambush us!” Mark pointed toward the broken wall Jack had tumbled through, his face flushed with anger.
“Let’s check on Jack first.
That hit was brutal.” John gritted his teeth and nodded.
The corridor in front of them had caved in, turning into a crater billowing black smoke.
But that was no obstacle for them.
John took off in a speed-boosted leap while Mark trickled across as a stream of water.
Crossing the gap effortlessly, they arrived in the hallway on the other side.
Beneath a pile of broken rubble, they found Jack.
Seeing Jack’s horrific condition, both John and Mark sucked in a cold breath.
Calling Jack’s state ghastly was an understatement.
There wasn’t an unblemished inch of flesh left on his body, revealing shattered, pale bones beneath.
His left arm was completely blown off, and his face was charred black—he barely resembled a human being anymore.
And yet, his physical resilience was terrifying.
Even after taking such fatal trauma, Jack was still alive.
Relying on his enhanced physiology and passive recovery, he was breathing faintly, clinging to his final gasp of life.
Mark knelt down, examined Jack’s injuries, and finally shook his head.
“His internal organs are turned to jelly.
It’s a miracle he’s even breathing.
He won’t be standing up again.” Mark looked up at John with a grim expression.
“Captain, mission difficulty just spiked.
The targets aren’t just prepared—they’re extremely dangerous.” “What the hell is going on?
We haven’t even seen the targets yet, and we’ve already lost a teammate in a hallway.” Mark was beginning to hesitate.
Assassinating the President wouldn’t be this absurdly dangerous—at least the guy would just bob his head around to mess with your aim.
But assassinating a Stark?
You could lose your life before you even reached the door!
What kind of sane person installs missiles inside a hotel?!
“Captain, should we fall back for now?
Report to HQ and form a new plan?” Hearing Mark’s suggestion, John’s eyes flickered with uncertainty.
What should he do?
Retreat?
The answer was an absolute no.
This was their very first field mission.
If they failed before even laying eyes on the targets…
He could already foresee their fate.
Death, and nothing but death.
Thinking of this, he glanced toward the corridor behind the elevator shaft that led to the suite.
It was eerily quiet, as if some monstrous beast lurked in the shadows waiting to devour them.
John hesitated, torn on how to proceed.
But the reality remained.
Retracing their steps without fighting and returning to Hydra would guarantee a punishment worse than death.
They were synthetic mutants—disposable assets in the eyes of their superiors.
“No.
The mission continues.” John took a deep breath, his eyes glinting with ruthless resolve.
Pride refused to let him accept an ignominious defeat.
The mighty Hydra does not fail!!
“No matter what tricks they’ve pulled, they’re still just ordinary humans!” “The missile is spent.
Right now, they’re definitely cowering in their suite, trembling in fear.
I’m going to drag them out and make those Starks suffer a fate worse than death!” John made his call.
Then, he looked down coldly at the dying Jack.
“Your mission is over, Jack.” “You’re a liability now.
To the organization, you hold no further value.
Staying here will only compromise our tracks.” Hearing John’s words…
Jack unexpectedly cracked a fanatical smile.
Staring intently at John, he uttered with unshakable conviction: “Hail…
Hydra.” Having spoken his final words…
Jack gripped a jagged piece of rebar on the ground with his remaining right hand and plunged it into his throat without a moment’s hesitation!
*Squelch!* Blood gushed out in a torrent.
Jack twitched twice, his head slumped to the side, and his breathing ceased entirely.
He had committed suicide.
John and Mark watched Jack’s death with utter composure.
They saw nothing wrong with it.
Jack had done everything he could.
He had given his life for the organization, a sacrifice that was the ultimate honor.
“Let’s go.
To Stark’s suite.” John said coldly, turning to head deeper into the corridor.
Mark liquefied into a stream of water, following close behind.
No matter how perilous the road ahead, they were ready!
The organization would remember their sacrifice!
Hail Hydra!!!