Marvel Magic Case Files

Chapter 1093 (First Update)

"Fire!"

"Help me!"

The dense barrage of bullets struck the black power armor without causing any damage to the armor plates. High-speed, transforming bullets rained down on the walls and ceiling, and ejected casings cascaded down like a waterfall, creating a symphony of metal. The giant in the black cloak continued to press forward. The highly skilled task force members fired and retreated in an orderly fashion. Then, the black-armored giant stretched out its arm, and the blast door the task force had passed through slammed shut behind them, locking all the task force members inside the passage.

The sudden encounter caused the soldiers to waver noticeably, because the blast door had its own independent power system, and its closure meant they couldn't escape. It wasn't until the hooded, black-armored giant methodically approached to within three meters of the gun barrel that the task force members could make out the skull-shaped visor on the helmet by the blood-red light.

The task force, which had formed a defensive formation in front of the blast door, gradually stopped pulling the triggers. The acrid smoke filled the corridor, and the air was thick with despair, almost suffocating. This armored giant seemed to be the embodiment of death itself; the heavy mechanical breathing, the noise from the joint servos and hydraulic systems, lingered like a deathly shadow overhead. They all knew they were no match for this armored giant. Some team members even had their hands on grenades. Just then, the previously extinguished emergency lights suddenly flickered on, and a sharp-eyed member of the task force noticed something amiss with the weapon in the black-armored giant's skull helmet.

"Captain, that's a toy lightsaber we bought at Disneyland!"

"Correct answer." The black-armored giant's voice amplified through the breathing grille, deafening like thunder rolling through the tunnel. "I hope you'll lay down your weapons because of my sense of humor," he said. "You don't need to lose your lives because of it."

"What if our answer is 'no'?" The captain wasn't at ease because of the little joke. He asked nervously, "Who are you? Why are you here?"

"Then I'm sorry." The black-armored giant didn't answer any of the questions, as if the captain's questions had completely exhausted his patience. He tossed aside his toy lightsaber and drew a longsword, nearly as tall as a man, from its scabbard hidden by a thick black fireproof cloak. In the next instant, the longsword was crackling with electricity, arcs of light radiating into the air like deep blue flames, illuminating the almost dark passage. The black-armored giant extended his armored hand, and the task force captain, gripping his assault rifle, was lifted into the air, hissing as he struggled to draw air into his trachea. He weakly pulled at his throat, the heavy weapon slamming to the ground with a dull thud. "This time it's not a toy," the black-armored giant said. "I guarantee your families will receive ten times the compensation."

Hurry! Faster!

Steve Rogers grabbed the railing and leaped down to the next flight of stairs in three quick steps. As soon as he landed, he grabbed the railing again and continued his descent at top speed. Due to a power outage in the underground facilities and the emergency generator not yet being operational, he could only see the steps by the dim light of the emergency lights in the fire escape. Completely disregarding the possibility of a sprained ankle due to the darkness, he was determined to reach the floor where James Barnes was being held and find out what was happening. Following the intermittent directions given on Friday, Steve Rogers found the corresponding floor, but after walking about twenty meters down the dark corridor, he was blocked by a riot control door.

"Are there any other paths?" he asked Friday.

After receiving a negative answer, Steve Rogers immediately crouched down, feeling around under the alloy blast door, searching for a gap to slip his fingers through. Although the question of why the blast door was closed after the power outage had been raised on Friday, no one could answer it now. When Steve Rogers finally found a gap, he managed to squeeze himself into the passageway, overcoming the fixed mechanical structure and the weight of the alloy blast door itself. The heavy blast door was stuck in mid-air due to mechanical damage. The excessive adrenaline made Steve Rogers sweat profusely and his heart pound, so much so that he hadn't noticed anything unusual when he first entered the passageway.

But the pungent smell of blood and the slippery floor that nearly made him fall quickly put Steve Rogers on high alert. In the dim light of the emergency lights in the corridor, he saw piles of objects reeking of burning and blood covering the ground a few meters in front of the blast door. The floor beneath his feet was covered in a thick, tar-like, reddish-black liquid. The dark figures were actually task force members in black tactical suits. He also saw the black and gold arrow insignia of the Joint Operations Command Special Operations Command on their blood- and limb-covered armbands.

Deformed bullets and spent casings were scattered like pebbles in a river, littering every corner of the corridor, reflecting the faint light in the pools of blood. Damaged firearms lay among the charred corpses, the walls and ceiling cratered and splattered with blood like the surface of the moon, as if multiple explosions had occurred. Severed limbs, broken bones, and stenching entrails made it look like a slaughterhouse. Steve Rogers hadn't seen such a horrific battlefield since World War II. The stench of death instantly transported him back to that battlefield filled with rotting wounds, trench rats, foul bandages, and swarms of fleas. He had no idea what had happened, but he was certain it wasn't Bucky's doing. His extensive battlefield experience told him at a glance it was a sharp weapon wound; Bucky's mechanical arm could only inflict blunt force and crush injuries. Even with melee weapons, it was impossible for him to slice through a human body and a metal firearm so smoothly.

"I must find Bucky as soon as possible."

"Based on the security personnel's radio communications, the target is highly likely heading towards the rooftop helipad." Friday's voice, crackling with static, came through the headset. "Based on all the clues from the security personnel's communications, we're calculating the target's likely location, retrieving the building plans, and planning the shortest route. Captain Rogers, turn left ahead..."

Steve Rogers stepped over the body, following Friday's instructions, leaving sticky, bloody shoe prints behind him. "That's an elevator shaft," he said. "Not a staircase."

"That's the shortest route," Friday emphasized. "I have your physical training data from the Avengers base in my database, and after rigorous calculations, I believe you can do it."

"Charlie 3 Team, respond!" Ross paced anxiously, unable to break contact with the task force. He felt the temperature in the command center rising, causing sweat to bead on his forehead. He yelled at the command center's supervisor, demanding that they restore power and surveillance as soon as possible, while simultaneously sending security personnel to the floor where the incident occurred. He also repeatedly tried to contact the joint command's task force. Ever since he sent that team downstairs to arrest the escaped Winter Soldier, the task force, which had previously been able to communicate, had suddenly fallen silent, as if it had vanished into an abyss.

Ross didn't care about the fate of the task force; he only wanted to know if they had completed their mission. His plan to get Tony Stark's help was thwarted after Tony Stark abruptly left the office. To make matters worse, Steve Rogers, who had been in the room, had also disappeared. Now Ross was all alone, with no useful armed forces other than the German administrative staff he had brought with him.

"Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes," he called the reinforcements still on the plane, "immediately go on high alert upon arrival in Germany. I will have the US forces stationed in Germany cooperate with your operation."

"What happened?" Rod asked, puzzled.

He had received a text message from Tony Stark inquiring about something, and just hours later, Secretary of State Ross was planning a full-scale military operation, which gave him a bad feeling. Rhodes disliked Secretary Ross intensely, but his military discipline made him patiently inquire why they were going into "combat readiness," because it meant he had to escort cargo on the plane to a NATO military base. He didn't know what the cargo was, but he was certain it wasn't anything good, because the bodyguards and medical personnel on the plane were all on edge, as if they themselves might face death at any moment.

"Steve Rogers has defected!" Before Lieutenant Colonel Rhodes could object, Secretary of State Ross continued, "Immediately upon landing, dispatch armored vehicles into the city. I'm going to bring Steve Rogers back before he escapes! Do you hear me? I'm bringing him back! Super soldiers must not fall into the hands of other countries; they are the property of the United States government!"

Please vote for me!

(End of this chapter)