Ch.286 Death of Zemo

Zemo knew that earlier in the day, Red Skull had arranged an ambush for Captain America with just a few hundred soldiers, armed with energy rifles, and they managed to drive Captain America away.

It was based on this that he devised his strategy for tonight, hoping for the same result.

However, it was clear now that things were not going as planned!

Captain America wasn't just unharmed—these soldiers couldn't stop him at all!

Watching Hydra soldiers turn to ashes one by one while Captain America remained unphased even after taking a few hits, Zemo started to lose his nerve.

The situation was deviating from his plan. He decided to retreat for now, regroup with more troops, and come back with heavy weaponry.

But before he could move, Red Skull grabbed him again, his iron grip locking onto Zemo's arm. Red Skull didn't even look at him, his gaze fixed on the battlefield.

"You want to face Captain America?"

"Mm."

Red Skull's reply was as brief as ever. Tonight, he seemed to have become a man of few words, only uttering one syllable over and over.

Zemo steadied himself. If that was the case, then he'd stay and see how things played out. Red Skull still had considerable brute strength, and in the past, he had proven himself able to fight Captain America to a standstill.

If he could just launch a sneak attack from the sidelines, there was still a chance.

Zemo stopped his retreat, standing beside Red Skull once more.

Below the execution platform, Su Ming had exhausted the energy in several weapons, and his armor had over a dozen holes. Yet his desire for battle was peaking, and he felt no pain.

Most of his focus was on keeping himself from going berserk and restraining the strange impulses of Stranglehold.

After a few minutes, he had taken down about four hundred Hydra soldiers. Now he stood atop a pile of corpses, level with the execution platform, locking eyes with Red Skull and Zemo.

Red Skull seemed lost in thought, his gaze distant, while Zemo appeared uncertain.

Behind them, the hostages wore expressions of joy; "saved at the last moment" didn't begin to describe their relief. Captain America was like an angel descending from heaven.

Red Skull, still gripping Zemo, leapt off the platform, charging at Su Ming together.

"Captain America! Today is the day you die!" Zemo shouted, brandishing his rapier as he charged. But then, suddenly, his tone changed. "Schmidt? What are you doing? Let go of me! Now!"

It turned out that as Red Skull charged, he kept his grip on Zemo, using him like a battering ram.

Red Skull moved with incredible speed, covering the forty-meter distance between them in just a few steps.

"Something's wrong!"

Su Ming's instincts flared; Red Skull's reckless behavior was entirely uncharacteristic.

He immediately retreated at full speed.

Just then, the previously silent Red Skull spoke the longest sentence of the night.

"Hail Hydra!"

In the next instant, Su Ming's vision filled with blue light as a powerful shockwave burst forth. A bizarre suction force began to pull him toward the blast point.

Thankfully, Stranglehold and the cape were with him. Although the cape had shrunk, it hadn't lost any of its strength, pulling Su Ming away from the force with all its might.

Meanwhile, Stranglehold extended tendrils from Su Ming's legs, reaching out to escape the danger zone.

Su Ming held the Godslayer shield in front of himself, absorbing the energy blast, but the symbiote coating the shield began to melt as the intense energy vaporized part of its body.

The pain surged through Su Ming's mind, but all he could focus on was getting away from the explosion.

Then, a black mist emerged from the blue glow, drifting like smoke. Fortunately, the mist didn't cause him any trouble, allowing him to escape unscathed.

However, the nearby German troops weren't so lucky.

Some Hydra soldiers, who had merely lost limbs and fallen unconscious, withered in an instant as the black mist touched them, their bodies drying out completely, leaving behind piles of black ash, faces frozen in terror.

Even those already killed by the shield disintegrated completely when the strange mist touched them.

Su Ming escaped the pull of the Tesseract's energy blast, not stopping to assess his injuries. He rolled and sprinted away from the area shrouded in black mist.

He caught the scent of death in the air, but his gas mask protected him from the toxins. He was grateful that he had worn the relic armor underneath.

The explosion of the Tesseract's energy had severely wounded Stranglehold, leaving it barely clinging to Su Ming in a tattered state.

"Some damage to the armor, ten new holes in the body, stamina running low—Red Skull, you sure know how to play."

Su Ming leaned against a nearby building, feeling out the damage to his armor. He had identified the black mist—something he hadn't expected to see. Stryker's signature weapon had found its way into the hands of his sworn enemy.

Red Skull had clones now, and it was obvious they hadn't been made by Zola.

A figure with a red dot on their forehead flashed through Su Ming's mind—a figure known for producing all kinds of clones in the future.

It seemed he would have to ask Monarch to send a message to the London Sanctum, requesting that the ancient and shameless Sorcerer Supreme give Sinister some "extra attention."

Baron Zemo was no more—only his rapier lay discarded far away, tossed aside during his struggle with Red Skull.

Su Ming gave it a glance; it was just ordinary alloy. He had no interest in it.

The black mist gradually dissipated.

The Death Spore Flowers' bloom on Midgard wouldn't last long. Now, it vanished into the night as if it had never been there.

The hostages on the execution platform were fortunate. Though clearly traumatized, few had actually perished from the toxic fumes.

"What are you waiting for? Run for your lives!"

"Thank you, Captain America! You're our hero!"

The hostages didn't even bother untying the ropes on their wrists. Instead, they supported one another, running for their lives, vanishing into the alleys of the city.

Whether they would make it to safety would depend on their luck. Red Skull clearly had more plans, as there wasn't a single regular German unit in the square—only Hydra troops. This meant there might be blockades or similar traps on the outskirts.

Red Skull wanted Zemo dead, and it seemed he had deemed all the Hydra soldiers here as expendable to maintain secrecy.

Hydra turning on itself—there was nothing honorable about that.

Su Ming took one last look at the empty battlefield and left without hesitation. About five minutes later, a figure appeared in the square, picking up Zemo's discarded weapon.

A pair of blue hands reached into the black ash pile that had once been Zemo, retrieving a special Hydra emblem. Only a leader's insignia could be so resilient, made of a unique metal that could withstand the energy of the Tesseract.

The figure dusted off the emblem, pocketing it with a gentle blow to remove the ash.

"Sigh... things are spinning out of control. It looks like I'll need to act sooner rather than later."