Chapter 25

A/N:

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The two pickup trucks moved slowly along the snow-covered highway. The heavy snowfall made the journey slow and difficult. Leon, who was driving the lead truck, frowned.

"Isn't this inconvenient with just a car?" he muttered.

"Definitely inconvenient," Natasha quipped from the back seat. "A private jet would be better for country-hopping, but I doubt that's in your budget."

Leon chuckled, thinking about his wallet. Private jets were definitely out of his league for now. But that didn't stop him from dreaming.

He thought about the Quinjet used by S.H.I.E.L.D. or Professor X's Blackbird. Both were versatile, global aircraft with radar shielding and optical invisibility, meaning no need for flight clearance. Or better yet, the Ancient One's portal—now that would be a handy mode of travel.

Leon even considered the possibility of a sign-in system granting him teleportation powers. But given the randomness, there was no telling when that would happen. In the meantime, he'd make do with what he had and focus on what he could control.

As they drove, Natasha was busy in the backseat, setting up the communication system. A jack-of-all-trades, Natasha's technical expertise proved valuable as she ensured everyone's headsets were connected.

After about an hour, they were nearing their destination: Lake Alkali.

The road was now blanketed in heavy snow, with only the tire tracks from their trucks visible. The surrounding mountains and forests were also draped in snow, making it clear how remote and isolated the area was. Despite the challenging conditions, the landscape was breathtaking.

Below the road, a vast river flowed into the lake, with an ancient dam at the far end. It was clear from its dilapidated state that the dam had been abandoned for years.

Suddenly, a series of loud bangs echoed through the snowy silence.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The car doors opened and closed in quick succession as Leon and the others stepped out and walked to the edge of the road, peering over the cliff. For some, like Pietro, this was their first mission, and their faces showed clear excitement. After all the intense training they'd undergone, this was their chance to prove themselves—not just for survival, but to demonstrate their worth.

Leon stood apart, wearing a black windbreaker that flapped in the snowy wind like a dark flame. The cold didn't seem to affect him, nor did it bother anyone else in the group.

Natasha, assessing the scene, pointed towards the base of the dam. "From the structure, the entrance should be just below the dam, likely through the spillway," she said, gesturing to the closed metal flood discharge channel.

Leon nodded and closed his eyes briefly.

Weng!!

His senses sharpened as he activated his heightened awareness—combining his natural abilities with the powerful perception he'd honed through practice. The entire area around the dam appeared in his mind in stark black and white. His perception zoomed in and out, gathering detailed information from below the dam.

He heard it all: faint cries, angry voices, hurried footsteps—a torrent of information flooding his mind.

"It's here," Leon said, opening his eyes. "There are a lot of people inside."

Natasha nodded, her face grim.

"Let's begin," Leon continued, his voice calm but resolute. "I don't want a single one of those devils walking out of there alive. Anyone who inflicts torture and pain on others knows exactly where they belong."

The group responded in unison, their voices chilling:

"We'll give them hell!"

"Then open the door to hell."

Bang!!

As Leon's command echoed, Sergei, Wanda, Pietro, and the children sprang into action. They burst forward like missiles, cutting through the air with lightning speed and power, heading straight for the dam. Each one moved with the force of an armor-piercing bullet.

Leon glanced at Natasha, who gave a casual shrug. "Give me a moment," she said before leaping down gracefully, like a swift ocelot.

Leon's form shimmered and vanished into a burst of bright particles.

Boom!!

An explosive sound echoed as the massive metal gate of the dam's spillway shattered under an overwhelming force. Wanda's fury unleashed her full chaos magic, tearing through the metal seal in an instant and flinging it aside. The enormous slab crashed into the ground nearby, shaking the earth.

The noise reverberated through the base, alerting everyone inside.

Machine guns mounted in the spillway blazed, their bullets pouring down like a torrential storm, blanketing the channel. Before anyone else could react, Sumarokov—another powerhouse—took the lead, charging through the barrage with strength that rivaled Sergei's.

Sumarokov was only wearing a vest, his muscular arms and broad chest fully visible as he sped ahead. His lips parted slightly, drawing in deep breaths that fueled his powerful body. In a swift motion, he pulled out the twin golden swords strapped to his back, connected by a chain. The swords were a striking sight—red handles, green-edged blades, with red and gold accents. The body of each sword was black, adorned with golden patterns.

His heightened senses came alive, his Observation Haki expanding, stretching his awareness to its limits.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The swords moved with fluid precision in his hands, deflecting the incoming hail of bullets as if he were painting the air with strokes of ink. Sparks erupted from the metal as the bullets ricocheted off the blades, lighting up the dark passage like fireworks.

In a flash, Sergei and the others disappeared down the corridor. As they passed the machine gun nests, Sumarokov's sword sliced through the air in a graceful arc, cutting through the guns effortlessly.

They reached the end of the passage, where eight large cave-like entrances awaited them. Without hesitation, Wanda shouted, "Disperse!"

In response, everyone split up, vanishing into the dark caves like shadows.

From the initial destruction of the dam's spillway to reaching the end of the channel, less than three seconds had passed. It was so fast that the soldiers and guards inside the base hadn't even begun to react.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Alarms blared, chaos erupting throughout the base.

The frantic sirens urged the garrison into action. Soldiers scrambled for their weapons, but it was too late. Before they could even react, figures moved towards them at ridiculous speed.

Their vision blurred, barely catching a glimpse of their attackers' faces before everything went black and their consciousness faded completely.