Ch-7 Captain Hydra

The man slowly straightened up, his face no longer as friendly as before, and his whole demeanor filled with a sinister shadow, like a poisonous snake.

He ignored his injured hands, his eyes now cold and malevolent:

"How did you find out I wasn't him?"

Russell looked at the man who resembled neither Captain America nor the Human Torch and laughed:

"Because you're too passionate."

"I don't know the Human Torch very well, but he's definitely not the kind of person you claim to be."

Russell didn't mention the most important clue.

Based on Deadpool 3, the Human Torch was a lone wolf. There was no way he had teammates!

The man in front of him clearly had another agenda - to lure him into the so-called fortress.

In reality, the feast would only have one guest, me.

Upon hearing this, the man sighed with regret:

"I didn't even plan on impersonating the Human Torch, even though I knew we looked alike."

"Now it seems that agreeing to use that name was a mistake."

Russell's curiosity was piqued:

"So the foul mouth is natural?"

The man scoffed:

"Psychologically speaking, swearing can be a way of being open, helping others to let their guard down."

"It's especially useful with time prisoners, especially those who are newly pruned and disoriented in a strange place."

Wow, Russell thought to himself, this place is more dangerous than he thought.

After a moment of thought, Russell suddenly asked:

"Speaking of which, with this face, why didn't you just pretend to be Steve Rogers?"

"I might have actually believed it."

But as soon as he said that, the man tilted his head and grinned menacingly:

"I am Steve Rogers!"

"Hail Hydra!"

With a loud shout, he quickly drew a large-caliber revolver from his waist!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

From drawing the gun to firing it took less than 0.5 seconds!

Three bullets were fired with precision, hitting his forehead, heart, and left lung!

His aim, speed and consistency were perfect.

Steve blew the smoke from the barrel and looked down at the lifeless body on the ground. A smug smirk crossed his face as he remarked:

"A little friendly advice - don't get cocky in the Void."

"Even if you can control the heat, you have to stay alert to survive."

Having given his advice, Steve holstered the revolver, tore a rag from his windbreaker, and began to bandage his burned hands.

There was no sign of pain on his face - clearly the earlier scream had been fake.

But then a voice rang out, one that shouldn't have been there:

"I didn't expect to get a lesson in survival right after entering the Void, but here's some advice for you."

"Never celebrate at halfway if you're not sure your opponent is really dead, Captain Hydra!"

The voice hit like a thunderclap!

Steve looked up in shock, his pupils constricting. Instinctively, he took a step back!

The man he had just killed was now sitting upright.

A magma-like substance was oozing from the wounds on his forehead and chest.

It was unclear if the bullets had melted or if it was his blood!

The intense heat had burned away his shirt, exposing a torso as hard as molten iron.

Red-gold veins pulsed beneath his skin, his golden eyes blazed, and the air around him was distorted by the heat.

For a moment, it was as if Steve was staring at a fire demon rising from hell.

"What the hell are you?"

He began to retreat without hesitation.

At the same time, he drew his revolver again and fired!

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Three more shots hit their target, but Steve's face showed no satisfaction.

This time the bullets barely made the man stagger.

Russell grinned, revealing two rows of sharp, white teeth:

"Now... it's my turn!"

Instead of spitting a fireball, Russell decided to take him alive.

With the enhanced power of the Extremis virus, Russell crouched low and shot forward like a speeding arrow.

Facing him, Steve knew he had no time to reload.

But his battle-hardened instincts told him that running would be fatal - his only chance was to face the enemy head-on.

He could see that his opponent lacked fighting skills.

The advantage was his!

Throwing the empty revolver aside, Steve yelled, 'Hail Hydra!' and charged as well.

At the last moment, just before impact, Steve skillfully shifted his stance, grabbed Russell's left arm and attempted a swift shoulder throw, using his opponent's momentum against him.

But reality was crueler than theory.

Steve let out a grunt of pain, realizing too late that he had grabbed onto something as hot as freshly forged steel.

Misjudgment! The heat was much higher than before!

This wasn't something that flesh and bone could handle.

Not even super-soldier serum enhanced muscles could withstand it!

The bastard had played him right from the start!

The sizzle of burning flesh mixed with the stench of cooked flesh and the searing pain made Steve unable to clench his fists!

If he didn't let go, his entire hand would be burned to a crisp!

A single miscalculation could be fatal.

Steve tried to dodge, but Russell wasn't going to let him off that easily.

Though Russell lacked formal fighting skills, it didn't matter. Steve had turned his back, leaving his left arm exposed.

Russell tightened his grip and pressed his advantage.

With a brutal blow to the back of Steve's neck, Russell knocked him unconscious.

But he didn't stop there.

Without hesitation, Russell's hands grew hotter and redder as he turned his palms into blades, slicing off Steve's arms with ease.