Bab 32: Chapter 32 - Winter Soldier's Lair (Edited)
Following the signal, Clark walked about a kilometer and finally found the source of the life signal.
It was a towering iceberg, but contrary to what he had expected, he didn't find a frozen airplane but a military fortress that seemed almost hollowed out of the mountain.
However, the fortress appeared to have been abandoned for a long time.
Clark circled around the mountain and found the fortress's entrance in an inconspicuous place.
It was a pair of thick red-painted iron doors, seemingly controlled electronically, but the control box for the doors was covered in a layer of solid ice.
After chiseling away the ice with his tools, Clark frustratingly discovered that inside the box was a keypad for entering a code.
An electronic keypad lock on a military base that had been there for who knows how long? Cracking a keypad isn't necessarily hard but isn't straightforward either. At least half of the people in the Avengers could easily do it. It's one of those tasks that's difficult for those who don't know how but easy for those who do.
And Clark was among those who didn't have a clue.
But that didn't stop him.
Looking at the old-fashioned lock, Clark decisively took out his satellite phone and called Hank Pym: "Hello! Uncle Pym, I didn't find Captain America, but I found something else. I've run into a bit of trouble and need to open a keypad lock."
True to his reputation as one of the smartest people in the Marvel universe, Hank Pym almost instantly provided a solution after hearing Clark's brief explanation.
"This is simple. You have the necessary equipment in the toolbox I gave you. Just do as I say…"
Three minutes later, the electronic doors slowly opened.
Entering, Clark was greeted by a long corridor, and to his surprise, it was not cold inside!
This secret base still had a functioning heating system! Walking through the corridor, Clark entered a room resembling a storage area. It was filled with a large amount of documents and literature, all covered in dust and spider webs, indicating they had been untouched for a long time.
Not knowing where the light switch was, Clark had to use a flashlight for illumination.
Soon, he found a staircase between two bookshelves leading upstairs. Reaching the top, what he saw made him gasp.
In the spacious hall, there were five large glass capsules, each illuminated with an orange-yellow light. Inside, he could vaguely see a person seated in a metal chair, enveloped in falling low-temperature gas, like something out of a dream!
The five glass capsules, two on the left and three on the right, were centered around a control panel filled with devices Clark couldn't understand.
Seeing this scene, Clark finally understood where he was.
This was an abandoned Hydra base, the very arena from "Captain America: Civil War"! Eighteen years later, two centenarians would beat up a New York tycoon here, escalating the conflict between the proletariat and capitalism, leading to the disbandment of the Avengers, much like the Jiangnan Leather Factory!
Well, that was the future, and with Clark's involvement, it was uncertain whether that would happen.
What truly concerned Clark was that, if he was correct, the five glass capsules contained five Winter Soldiers! In 1991, Hydra sent the brainwashed Winter Soldier, Bucky, to assassinate Howard Stark and his wife to steal the newly developed Super Soldier Serum, which was then injected into several soldiers. However, these soldiers became uncontrollable, so they were frozen until a way to control them could be found.
The Winter Soldiers might not be the strongest in the Avengers but are definitely not the weakest, with combat abilities surpassing Black Widow and the two Hawkeyes!
Unexpectedly, instead of finding Captain America, Clark stumbled upon the Winter Soldiers' lair! What does this mean? Does it mean that while intending to plant flowers makes them not blossom, planting willows makes them grow into shade?
If Clark could control the power of these five Winter Soldiers, who could stand against him before Iron Man appears?
Thinking of this possibility made Clark's blood boil.
Of course, these five Winter Soldiers were dangerous individuals even Hydra couldn't control, so the likelihood of Clark being able to control them wasn't high.
But what if he succeeded? Regardless, he decided to take them back first and leave the rest to Hank Pym, who should be more knowledgeable in this area.
Approaching the control panel, Clark noticed leftovers from various types of rations, seemingly standard-issue military rations from the US Army, still warm to the touch.
Wait…
The rations were still warm!
Realizing something was wrong, Clark, like a startled cat, instinctively rolled to hide behind the control panel.
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!…"
As Clark took cover, shots rang out, shredding the rations and a monitor on the control panel.
This abandoned base was indeed guarded! "Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!..." The stirring melody of "Men Should Strengthen Themselves" played, its tempo accelerating.
Clark then calmed down a bit, cursing himself for his carelessness while trying to sound composed: "Guess how many of us are here?"
"You're already surrounded. Even if you kill me, you won't be able to escape."
"I suggest you give up your futile resistance and surrender immediately!"
"Bang!"
Clark's bluff was met with a merciless bullet.
Straight to the forehead!
Of course, the bullet didn't hit Clark but went through the forehead of the Winter Soldier in the first glass capsule.
A powerful being, capable of standing toe-to-toe with Captain America, was effortlessly killed in his unconscious state by a single bullet.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Three more shots followed, targeting the second, third, and fourth capsules…
Three Winter Soldiers, yet to be thawed, met their end at the hands of an unseen assailant.
It turned out that upon hearing they were surrounded, the assailant chose to eliminate all the Winter Soldiers first, refusing to let such power fall into the hands of others.
But with the fall of the four Winter Soldiers, the gunfire finally ceased.
The assailant had run out of bullets. Now was the moment!
Seizing this fleeting opportunity, Clark stood up swiftly, his right arm extended straight towards the direction of the gunfire.
Identifying the enemy's location, a metal rod the size of an earpick shot out from his wristwatch, spinning towards the attacker.
As he acted, Clark finally saw the face of his enemy.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone