บท 12: Aftermath
*Rumble*
A powerful tremor reverberated through the night, accompanied by a massive eruption of flames that illuminated the surrounding area. In the distance, two figures could be seen swiftly moving away from the base. These figures were none other than the notorious mercenaries, Bloodscream and Roughhouse. If anyone were to witness Bloodscream in his current condition, they would undoubtedly question his infamous reputation and whether he truly deserves it.
As Noah looted the base, Roughhouse emerged to find Bloodscream severely injured. He hastily woke him, and together they extracted life force from a nearby HYDRA soldiers to speed up Bloodscream's leg recovery. They wisely chose to leave the base quickly, unwilling to risk encountering the kid monster any longer.
Unbeknownst to them, Noah had already pinpointed their location using his Observation Haki. However, he choose not to pursue them for two reasons. Firstly, as mercenaries, they held no personal vendetta against him, and one of them had not even engaged in combat with him. Secondly the major reason being, by allowing the mercenaries to escape, Noah cleverly utilized them as inadvertent publicity for his organization while also diverting HYDRA's attention for a while. This decision has both pros and cons but Noah still decided to go along with it.
Although his body was steadily regenerating the wounds, it would still take some time for Bloodscream to fully heal. He had never expected his opponent to treat him like a mere toy to play with. In Bloodscream's defense, Noah proved to be his perfect foil. With the ability to transform his body into light, Noah effectively nullified Bloodscream's prized ability, making his lifeforce extraction useless.
"The kid really roughed you up, huh," Roughhouse grumbled with his gravelly voice.
"Yeah, the kid's a real monster. His power is impressive—turning into light, incredible reaction speed. I could have handled that much, but what surprised me most was his experience. Despite being a kid, he fights like he's been at it for decades. And the scary part? He was getting better even as we battled."
"Well, I guess than it's us who bit more than we can chew."
"Yeah, let's stick to conflicts at the Wolverine level for now. I'm in no rush to fight with a freak like that kid anytime soon."
"Agreed. Let's take a break for a while."
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
[Red room]
In the Information Hub room, a mature red-headed woman reading a classified information file. There, she meticulously recorded the activities of HYDRA's current nemesis, the White Reaper. It wasn't entirely unexpected for someone associated with the Red Room to be aware of HYDRA's existence, given their previous cooperation. However, the extent of HYDRA's recent setbacks without any corresponding successes did surprise her.
"I suppose that's where I should lay low for cover. With so many eyes watching, even the Red Room will struggle to deploy their manpower too openly," the redhead murmured to herself. She was on the brink of executing her plan; eliminating Dreykov would pave the way for both her and her fellow sisters to gain freedom from this life.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
After a week since the explosion, the site of the base was heavily guarded by agents maintaining vigilant surveillance of their surroundings. Scientists were busy conducting tests to uncover any clues left behind, meticulously inspecting the 'mark' similar to the 'mark' found at a location they had investigated two months earlier.
Inside one of the tents, an agent popular as Beginner Guide was reporting the incident to the one-eyed master spy frowning at the screen.
"So, Coulson, did you find anything substantial this time?"
"No, sir. It's a repeat of the situation from two months ago. According to our database, this site was listed as an abandoned factory, but as we've confirmed, it was actually a functional base for some time, much like the previous one. However, one thing is certain: the 'Eclipse' group is responsible once again."
"Motherfu****. With the World Council breathing down my neck, I couldn't dispatch people to investigate sooner. By the time we arrived, it could have been swept clean by someone else. I can't stand this situation. Alright, for now, instruct the scientists to conduct a more thorough examination of the area. I'm putting you in charge of this mission."
"Understood, sir. I'll relay the orders to them immediately."
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
In front of an apartment in a quiet neighborhood of Yekaterinburg, a slender girl in a gray hoodie stood with an umbrella and a bag in her hand. She rang the doorbell.
*Beep*
Following the crisp sound, unhurried footsteps approached from inside the door. It swung open to reveal a boy with short brown and black hair and a strong build. He glanced at the woman and raised his eyebrows.
Without a word, he stepped aside, and the girl nodded slightly before walking in.
The young man leaned forward, glancing in a certain direction down the street with a neutral expression before closing the door.
Inside, the house was well-lit with simple furnishings in the not-so-empty hall.Standing by the living room window was a burly boy, tall at 1.8 meters, clad in a black windbreaker that accentuated his muscular frame.
"You've got quite the number of fans, Wanda," the boy by the window remarked, turning to look into the living room where the girl was stowing the supplies into a metal box.
Wanda took off her hood, revealing delicate features and vibrant red hair. She had changed remarkably over the past two years— from the starting immaturity, confusion to more mature, confident, and with a hint of playfulness.
"Besides a few thugs tailing us, there's also a group from HYDRA," Wanda said as she finished packing her purchases into the box.
"At last, they've managed to pick up our trail," The boy walked in, holding a carton of milk.
"Is our car ready, Sergey?"
"It's parked two streets away, a black market smuggled car. I checked it—no tracking device. Your stuff is in there too," Sergey replied with a nod.
"Alright, Pietro, take your things and head out in that car. Sergey and I will follow after we handle the fans outside," Wanda instructed softly, her gaze aimed at her brother with a mix of affection and exasperation.
Pietro was visibly unconvinced. "Hey, why do you get to be the boss? Don't forget I'm ten minutes older than you."
"Go quickly," Wanda replied with a helpless smile, her tone affectionate.
Sergey chuckled from the sidelines. Over the past two years, they had grown as close as siblings. He teased Pietro unabashedly, "I think Wanda should be the elder one."
Pietro responded with a swift middle finger, not missing a beat.
However, Wanda shot him a sharp look, causing Pietro to sheepishly retract his gesture. With a large box in hand, he took a deep breath, with a crackling of lightning flowing around him, Pietro vanished from sight in an instant, leaving only a blur in his wake.
Sergey remarked, "He's quite the envy-inducing guy, awakening super-speed abilities and even incorporating lightning from the Thunder breathing technique. His speed even rivals Noah's."
"He still has a long way to go," Wanda said softly, her expression softening at the mention of Noah. But then she frowned, noticing the watchers outside preparing to move.
"It seems they ready to move," Sergey added with a grin. "It's time for us to introduce ourselves."
"I couldn't agree more," Wanda replied, sharing in Sergey's smile.
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Shoutout to my patreons CHEONMA,Tony Brittain, Watcher32 ,Expert00, Narber4lgamma and Reed Pace. Thank you so much for your support.
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