Chapter 281 One Day Countdown!

At this moment, Raina walked back while still holding an enemy satellite communicator in her hand. A small green light was blinking on it, indicating that someone wanted to make contact.

"Boss, this is the communicator from the enemy's commander," Raina handed the communicator over to Kyle as she spoke.

Kyle took it with one hand and immediately answered the call without hesitation.

On the other end of the communicator, the man, once connected, impatiently growled, "What are you doing? Have you dealt with Steve Rogers yet?"

Kyle looked around. Around them, all the armed personnel had become lifeless bodies lying on the ground.

Not hearing a response, the man on the other end sensed something was wrong. He said with a low voice, "Who are you? Who answered the call?"

Kyle smirked and said indifferently into the communicator, "Just one more day."

As soon as he finished speaking, he exerted a little force, and the communicator shattered with a burst of blinking sparks.

"Let's go back for now," Kyle commanded as he brushed off the broken pieces in his hand.

The grudge between Hydra and them, spanning centuries, was now going to come to an end in New York.

In New York, next to the SHIELD headquarters, inside a luxurious three-story villa.

The night was silent. The third-floor hall was not lit. Under the dim light of a small table lamp, two men sat face to face on the sofa.

One of them was a middle-aged man, well-dressed with neatly combed blond hair and an air of seasoned calm that came from holding a high position.

However, at this moment, he had a drop of cold sweat on his forehead, running down his face and falling from his chin onto his expensive pants.

Alexander Pierce, in a daze, put down the communicator. His face was deathly pale, and he was deeply furrowing his brows as he thought frantically.

The voice of the young man earlier couldn't have been a mistake; it had to be him— the number one arch-enemy of Hydra.

"Since he's there, it means that the hundreds of armed forces I sent to deal with Steve Rogers have been annihilated," Pierce thought to himself, his heart bleeding at the loss of strength. 

At the same time, fear crept through his entire body. "And when he said there's just one more day, what does that mean? Does he know everything, and in one more day, he will take action?"

A direct and clear message that he would act in a day placed immense pressure on him, especially because he was the Symbol of Peace. That was enough!

"Nick Fury is already dead, and that man probably knows my true identity. This situation is beyond salvation..."

As Pierce anxiously contemplated his options, the man sitting opposite him on the sofa remained silent.

This man had disheveled hair, was dressed in a long-sleeved leather jacket, and had a fully mechanical left arm that faintly gleamed with a metallic glow and a dark-red pentagon symbol on his bicep.

Pierce seemed to realize something and stared directly at the silent man. "Winter Soldier, you have to give me an exact answer. If you were to face Kyle, what are your chances of winning?"

"Kyle?" When Winter Soldier heard that name, he looked up, and his cold and lifeless eyes showed a hint of disturbance.

After a long silence, Winter Soldier spoke coldly, "Against him, I have no chance of winning."

"As I thought," Pierce said, his face calm, almost relieved. If Winter Soldier had claimed he could face the Symbol of Peace, that would have been shocking.

The Winter Soldier could only be used to deal with Steve, while someone like Kyle was far beyond ordinary means.

"Time is running out. We must have the Helicarrier in the air by tomorrow morning. As for Kyle..." Pierce was firm in his thinking.

"Who?!" Winter Soldier's ears twitched, and he suddenly stood up, his gaze turning cold as he looked at the entrance to the hall.

At some point, a small figure, just a meter tall, dressed in a black cloak that covered their body and face, stood silently at the door, looking at them.

Pierce spoke coldly, "What is it? Deal with it!"

Without the need for orders, the Winter Soldier had already taken action. He crossed a distance of about ten meters at Superhuman's speed, leaping directly above the cloaked dwarf, and brought his mechanical left fist down with a thunderous strike.

"Boom!"

The fist landed on the smooth floor of the hall, causing the ceramic tiles to instantly crack and shatter like a spider's web under the force of several tons of impact.

Winter Soldier's gaze sharpened, realizing that he had missed the target, and he hadn't seen any sign of the dwarf's dodging or any trace of his whereabouts.

In the brief moment before his fist hit the dwarf, the dwarf had vanished without any warning!

"He's behind you!" Pierce's astonished voice rang out.

At these words, Winter Soldier, still in mid-air, used the left fist he had originally used for an attack to support the ground. He twisted his waist forcefully and swept one leg backward at lightning speed.

This kick could have sent a car flying several meters!

"Whoosh!"

At the critical moment, the cloaked dwarf disappeared into thin air again, and Winter Soldier's attack once again missed.

Pierce had not yet reacted, and he only saw a flash, and the cloaked dwarf was sitting on the sofa in front of him.

"If you act again, I'll take this guy out," The cloaked dwarf said in an old, hoarse voice, pointing a finger at Pierce.

Winter Soldier naturally wouldn't be swayed by threats and was about to charge forward and Pierce hastily waved to stop him, saying, "Winter Soldier, hold on!"

Winter Soldier froze in his tracks, standing like a statue in the middle of the hall.

Pierce stared at the cloaked dwarf with a mixture of respect and fear. "Sir, this kind of help..."

"No need for unnecessary words. Just know that I'm here to assist you," The cloaked dwarf interrupted him.

"Assist me?" Pierce was somewhat puzzled.

The cloaked dwarf spoke casually, "You're going to deal with the Symbol of Peace tomorrow, right? I'll help you stop him."

"You'll stop the Symbol of Peace?" Pierce inhaled deeply, his skepticism unable to hide his excitement as he asked, "May I know how to address you?"

The cloaked dwarf replied seriously, "Me? Call me 'Progenitor'!"

...

In the Stark Tower, in an underground meeting room.

A secret meeting was being held here, organized by Kyle. Those invited included Hulk Banner, Iron Man Tony Stark, and Colonel Ross Thunderbolt.

Except for the Carl Family, these were the most reliable and influential "outsiders" Kyle could gather at the moment.

Kyle lightly tapped the table with his finger and calmly said, "Vis has just informed you about the specific details, and the relevant information will be sent to you tomorrow morning. You only need to complete the quests you are responsible for."

Tony exclaimed, "Godfather, this is quite extravagant..."

"It's indeed a bold move," Ross agreed. He looked at Kyle and said thoughtfully, "Our military will provide the maximum assistance, but after all, this is something we have to keep hidden from Congressmen and the President. Launching a large-scale military operation is clearly not feasible."

"You only need to provide support; we don't need your military as the main force," Kyle said with a slight smile.

"Then who will be the main force?" Ross asked curiously.

"Isn't it me?" Bruce Banner pointed at himself.

Everyone fell silent.

Indeed, the Hulk alone could overpower an elite military force, but he was also notoriously difficult to control.

"Don't worry; I'll handle the main force," Kyle stated firmly and confidently, "After tomorrow, Hydra's century-old foundation will be eradicated from the Earth, and they won't be able to make a comeback."

(End of this chapter)