Hearing his words, Natasha’s brow furrowed imperceptibly.
She halted her next attack, her sharp gaze sweeping over Lin Xuan once more.
*It’s true.*
In their brief exchange, though his strength and speed were astonishing, his moves were raw and unrefined—more like someone relying on instinct and physical prowess than trained combat skills.
His reaction time and power were certainly not those of an ordinary Hydra soldier.
A flicker of doubt crossed Natasha’s mind.
*Could he be telling the truth?*
Suddenly, the screech of tires echoed from outside the warehouse.
The sound was followed by the roar of engines and the rhythmic, heavy thud of boots.
The noises grew louder, rapidly encircling the abandoned warehouse.
*Swish!
Swish!
Swish!*
*BOOM!*
A deafening explosion shattered the silence.
Through the billowing dust, a tall, imposing figure strode in.
His left arm gleamed with a cold, metallic luster, each joint seemingly imbued with destructive power.
Beneath his shoulder-length brown hair, his eyes were hollow and indifferent as they swept across the warehouse interior.
It was the Winter Soldier.
Following closely behind, several Hydra soldiers in dark green tactical gear stormed in, their movements swift and precise.
They quickly seized advantageous firing positions, their rifles trained on the center of the warehouse.
The moment she saw the figure with the metal arm, Natasha Romanoff’s pupils constricted sharply.
For the first time, her face, which always wore a hint of amusement, displayed an expression of utmost gravity.
Natasha’s gaze swept quickly over the Winter Soldier, returned to Lin Xuan, and then shifted to the Hydra soldiers who had their rifles trained on them.
She recalled her previous mission to protect the nuclear project in Iran—the very mission that had failed because of the Winter Soldier.
In a flash, she made her assessment.
Anyone who could draw the Winter Soldier out for a personal hunt must be of immense importance.
Furthermore, his skills—on par with her own—were precisely what S.H.I.E.L.D. desperately needed.
Natasha’s voice was barely a whisper, her lips moving slightly to convey her message, but her tone carried an unquestionable decisiveness.
“It seems they’re after you.”
“Come with me. We can’t stay here!”
In an instant, she abandoned her original mission to infiltrate and investigate the Hydra base.
Now, safely escorting this “fugitive”—who might hold crucial Hydra secrets—back to S.H.I.E.L.D. had become the highest priority.
His value was simply too great.
Lin Xuan also felt it was best to leave first and figure things out later.
S.H.I.E.L.D.
For a moment, their minds met in perfect agreement.
***
Meanwhile, in a concealed high-rise building not far from the abandoned warehouse, Baron Strucker watched the events inside the warehouse through a high-powered telescope in a dimly lit room.
A screen displayed real-time infrared footage transmitted by a drone.
The Winter Soldier’s intrusion, the Hydra soldiers’ deployment, and the standoff between the two inside the warehouse were all clearly visible.
When he saw Natasha Romanoff, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Black Widow, appear and seem to be preparing to take Lin Xuan away, his brow furrowed slightly.
*S.H.I.E.L.D. intervened?
That is unexpected.*
*But it doesn’t matter.
Many people within S.H.I.E.L.D. are my own.*
*You cannot escape my grasp.*
Yet Baron Strucker remained completely calm.
He picked up the communicator beside him and issued orders in a voice devoid of any emotion.
“Winter Soldier and strike team, retreat.”
“Avoid direct conflict with Natasha.”
“Do not let a single test subject jeopardize our more important plans.”
“HY-15’s strength far exceeds our experimental estimates.”
“However…”
“You will never escape my grasp.”
His voice was cold and decisive.
Inside the warehouse.
The tension was so thick it felt tangible.
Bucky’s cold gaze swept between Lin Xuan and Natasha.
His metal arm was slightly raised, poised to strike with thunderous force at any second.
The Hydra soldiers’ muzzles were locked on, fingers resting on triggers, awaiting the command.
Lin Xuan’s muscles were taut, his heart pounding wildly as adrenaline surged through his veins.
Facing Bucky, several armed soldiers, and the Black Widow—whose allegiance remained unclear and whose strength was immeasurable—he felt trapped in a desperate, inescapable situation.
Just as the situation reached its breaking point, Bucky’s movements suddenly faltered.
He seemed to have received a message through his built-in communication device.
A faint, almost imperceptible ripple of emotion flickered in his vacant eyes, only to vanish instantly.
He fixed Lin Xuan with a deep stare.
“HY-15, I’ll remember you.”
His gaze remained cold and hollow, devoid of any human emotion, yet it carried the weight of a predator marking its prey.
Then, he glanced at Natasha, who was still on high alert.
Under their stunned gazes, Bucky turned and walked away without hesitation.
“Retreat.”
Their footsteps quickly vanished into the night outside the warehouse, as if they had never been there at all.
*What’s going on?*
*They’re just leaving?*
*What happened to that ruthless attitude they had just a moment ago?*
*Is Hydra’s style of operation really this… casual?*
But Natasha was clearly not as “optimistic” as Lin Xuan.
Her frown only deepened.
Hydra, and Bucky in particular, would never abandon a target without good reason.
This abnormal retreat must be hiding a deeper motive—perhaps even a conspiracy.
But now was not the time for analysis.
They needed to leave immediately.
“This way, follow me!”
Natasha didn’t relax for a second.
She grabbed Lin Xuan’s arm, her voice urgent and commanding.
Her hand wasn’t large, but her grip was surprisingly strong, pulling Lin Xuan along with her.
Natasha was clearly intimately familiar with this area.
She led him through a concealed side door at the back of the warehouse, entering a more complex and shadowed labyrinth of back alleys.
The two moved swiftly through the narrow alleys and the shadows of corners piled with debris, Natasha’s movements agile and sure.
Lin Xuan followed closely, relying on his enhanced physical capabilities.
The surroundings blurred past as they ran, and the city’s hustle and bustle seemed to fade away.
After running for about ten minutes, Natasha led Lin Xuan to the edge of an abandoned pier, having confirmed there were no signs of pursuers behind them.
Crouched in the shadows just ahead of them was a sleek silhouette.
Even without seeing it clearly, Lin Xuan could guess what it was—a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
The Black Widow’s usual ride.
Only then did Lin Xuan’s tense nerves relax slightly.
*It seems we’ve actually escaped Hydra’s direct pursuit for now.*
Just as the thought crossed his mind, the cold system prompt finally arrived in his head.
[Ding!]
[Mission Completed: Escape]
[Mission Description: Successfully escape the vicinity of the Hydra underground laboratory base and survive the subsequent pursuit.]
[Mission Reward: +20 Tech Points.]
“Phew…” Lin Xuan let out an imperceptible sigh of relief.
*At least it wasn’t a complete waste of time.*
Natasha stopped and glanced back at Lin Xuan.
Her gaze remained scrutinizing and probing, showing no sign of letting her guard down.
“Get on the bike.”
Lin Xuan didn’t hesitate to mount the motorcycle.