Deep within the shadows of the abandoned warehouse, Lin Xuan leaned against the cold, rough brick wall, his chest heaving violently.
Every breath felt searing and exhausted.
Sweat trickled down his forehead, soaking the combat undershirt that clung to his skin.
The brief yet harrowing clash with the Winter Soldier had nearly drained the strength he had only just begun to recover.
He gasped for air, struggling to calm his racing heart and the turbulent energy surging through his veins.
The Super Soldier Serum’s formidable regenerative power was already taking effect, but the physical exhaustion and massive energy drain were very real.
He scanned his surroundings warily.
The warehouse was filled with discarded wooden crates and dust-covered mechanical parts, the air thick with the scent of rust and grime.
Faint moonlight filtered through the broken windows, slicing the floor into a patchwork of light and shadow.
*Safe for now.*
But Lin Xuan knew this safety was only temporary.
Hydra’s pursuers, especially the Winter Soldier, would never give up easily.
He had to get out of here as quickly as possible and find a truly safe place.
Just then, a faint sound came from above.
It was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, almost imperceptible.
If not for his Super Soldier Serum-enhanced hearing, Lin Xuan would never have caught it.
Alarm bells rang in his mind, and he snapped his head up.
A lithe black shadow, like a weightless cat, dropped silently from the overhead beams.
Her movements were light and swift, landing without a sound and coming to a steady halt just a short distance in front of Lin Xuan.
It was a woman.
She wore a black tactical suit that perfectly outlined her graceful yet powerful curves.
Her fiery red hair was tied back in a practical ponytail, and in the dim light, her features appeared sharp and coldly beautiful.
But the most striking thing was her piercing gaze, which was now locked onto Lin Xuan.
Her eyes immediately fell upon his dark, Hydra-style tactical undershirt.
*Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff.*
Lin Xuan’s heart skipped a beat again.
She must have mistaken me for a Hydra agent.
*That’s strange,* he thought.
*Is S.H.I.E.L.D. running an operation against Hydra right now?*
*Sigh.*
*I just escaped the wolf’s den only to run straight into one of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s top agents.*
*I really don’t want to deal with them right now.*
*What kind of day is this?
Did I forget to check the lunar calendar before leaving the house?*
Natasha’s gaze instantly turned bone-chillingly cold.
From her perspective, S.H.I.E.L.D. had been monitoring the movements of the former Hydra organization, but all their covert operations had come up empty.
To think she would encounter a Hydra operative here.
This young Asian man, wearing a Hydra undershirt in such a secluded warehouse, was almost certainly a Hydra remnant hiding out.
Without warning or wasted motion, Natasha sprang into action.
Her speed was astonishing, a black streak of lightning skimming the ground as she lunged at Lin Xuan.
Her hands were slightly curved, fingers pressed together to form lethal claws, aiming straight for the vital point at his throat!
The strike was both swift and brutal, brimming with deadly intent!
Almost the exact moment Natasha launched her attack, Lin Xuan’s Super-Soldier Senses screamed a sharp warning!
His body’s instinctive reaction had already surpassed the speed of his own thoughts.
He lunged half a step to the left, his right arm snapping up like lightning to block.
*Thud!*
A dull impact echoed.
Natasha’s clawed hand was caught firmly against Lin Xuan’s forearm.
The massive force left his arm tingling, and his mind reeled.
*So fast!
And what a vicious angle!*
Her eyes flashed with surprise as her strike failed to land, but her movements never faltered.
Using the recoil from the collision, she twisted her body with fluid grace, her left leg whipping out in a low sweep toward Lin Xuan’s lower body.
Simultaneously, her right elbow drove upward, aiming straight for his ribs!
The attacks were relentless, creating a suffocating sense of pressure.
Lin Xuan dared not slacken.
He dropped his center of gravity, stepping back half a pace with his left leg to stabilize himself, and pressed his left hand down to block Natasha’s sweep.
Leaning back slightly, he narrowly evaded the bone-shattering elbow strike.
The two clashed in the dim warehouse, a brief but fierce exchange of blows.
Natasha’s attacks were like a sudden storm—each move concise, efficient, and lethal.
Throat locks, groin kicks, eye gouges, elbow strikes…
She unleashed a relentless barrage of vicious and ruthless strikes, each infused with the precision and efficiency of a master agent.
Every blow was aimed squarely at the body’s most vulnerable points.
Her combat skills seemed forged in fire, honed through a thousand battles until they were etched into her very bones and instincts.
Lin Xuan, by contrast, was relying entirely on the raw power, speed, and reflexes granted by the enhanced Super Soldier Serum.
He lacked any refined technique.
Every block he made was a heavy, forceful impact; every counterattack tore through the air with a whistle.
Though his movements were unpolished and lacked finesse, they were brimming with primal power and raw combat instinct.
*Thud!
Crack!
Boom!*
The dull echoes of fists and feet colliding reverberated through the warehouse.
In just a few seconds, they had already exchanged over a dozen blows.
With each passing strike, Natasha grew more alarmed.
The man before her possessed physical attributes that defied human limits.
His speed was astonishing, and his strength was utterly monstrous.
Her attacks, which would have crippled an ordinary man, felt like mere scratches against him.
Yet, every time he blocked or struck back, the force left her arm numb.
*This is no ordinary Hydra soldier,* she realized.
*He’s on par with the enhanced super-soldiers I’ve fought before.*
Lin Xuan found himself in a dire predicament.
Natasha’s combat skills were simply terrifying.
Every strike aimed for a vital point, launched from an unpredictable angle, and timed with flawless precision.
Several times, he had nearly been hit in a vulnerable spot.
If not for the Super Soldier’s lightning-fast reflexes, he would probably be lying on the ground by now.
This feeling of dancing on the edge of life and death kept his nerves taut.
After their brief but intense exchange, they both leaped backward at the same time, creating distance between them.
They each took a corner of the warehouse, warily watching the other.
The air was thick with tension.
Natasha’s chest heaved slightly, her gaze grim.
She realized this man was a tough nut to crack, far beyond what she had anticipated.
Lin Xuan was also panting heavily, fine beads of sweat covering his forehead.
He knew he couldn’t keep fighting.
A prolonged struggle against an agent of Black Widow’s caliber would bring him no advantage.
Besides, who knew when Hydra’s pursuers would arrive?
He had to clear up this misunderstanding immediately!
“Wait!”
Seizing the brief stalemate, Lin Xuan urgently spoke up, his voice slightly hoarse from the fierce fight.
“I’m not with Hydra!”
He pointed to his dark combat undershirt, which bore no Hydra insignia, though its style was similar.
His voice carried a hint of desperation.
“I escaped from their lab! I stripped this from one of their soldiers!”
At his words, Natasha’s brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
She halted her next attack, her sharp gaze sweeping over Lin Xuan once more.
*He’s right.*
Their brief skirmish had revealed that while his strength and speed were astonishing, his moves were raw and unrefined, relying more on instinct and physical prowess than the systematic combat training of a Hydra agent.
His attacks had been primarily defensive, parrying and blocking without ever striking a lethal blow.
He showed no true intent to kill.
Most importantly, his reaction time and power were far beyond those of an ordinary Hydra soldier.
A seed of doubt planted itself in Natasha’s mind.
*Could he be telling the truth?*