Chapter 18: The System Is On!
Finding the location where the prisoners were held was not difficult. With someone leading the way, they quickly arrived at the cell where the prisoners were kept.
"Where is the nearest equipment depot?" Thor asked in a deep voice.
"Turn left at the second door over there; there's a large warehouse... Wait! Who are you?"
The HYDRA officer pointed in one direction, suddenly realizing the issue. If these individuals were really Red Skull's confidants, they would be familiar with the base's layout!
Before the officer could draw his gun, Thor swiftly broke his neck.
Before the cell guard could react, Steve knocked him out with a punch.
Removing the German uniform to reveal his star-striped uniform underneath, Steve whispered into the cell: "Is everyone okay? We're here to save you!"
"Who are you?"
"I'm Captain America! And he's..."
Steve hesitated, deciding against using any odd nicknames for Thor...
"He's the toughest man in the entire barracks!"
"Ooh, a hunk!"
Thor, who was surveying the layout, scowled.
Captain, you are done for. I'll definitely put this footage on the Avengers Base and loop it 24/7!
Captain America, realizing the situation, quickly amended his statement: "Actually, we're a special operations team called..."
Thor interrupted: "Howling Commandos!"
"Drip! Congratulations to the host for completing the task—the Avenger Pioneer!"
"The system is officially starting!"
…
"By the way, have you seen James Barnes?"
Remembering the purpose of his mission, Steve looked around but didn't spot his familiar comrade.
"There's a secret room in the factory, but no one has ever come out alive. It seems to be used for human experiments..."
Thor patted him on the shoulder: "Go find Bucky. I'll take care of the others and cover you!"
Currently preoccupied with studying the system, Thor had no time for anything else, so he asked Captain America to find Bucky.
Can't find him? There's no way; the bond between these two should be enough to overcome any barrier!
…
"The enemy will react quickly. We need to arm ourselves first. The weapons in this warehouse are all high-tech HYDRA research. Take them and prepare to fight!"
If these weapons fell into the hands of the Gestapo, survival might still be possible. But if HYDRA got their hands on them, it would be a death sentence, especially since the prisoners had already begun their escape.
Remaining in the base was certain death. Besides the 171st Division, many of these captives came from various places and were trained soldiers. Hundreds of them armed themselves and began a large-scale riot.
"By the way," Thor shouted: "Shout 'Hail HYDRA ' before shooting; it will have a miraculous effect!"
Tonight, the HYDRA members would surely question their lives...
The captives rushed toward the door with weapons, while Thor continued to study the system...
…
"Dammit!!!"
Inside the base, Red Skull Schmidt let out an enraged roar, causing Dr. Zola to cower in fear...
The base was in chaos. While others might think it was an accident, Red Skull, as the leader of HYDRA, could not ignore the situation.
Seeing the turmoil on the monitors and the conspicuous Steve in his star-striped suit, Red Skull immediately initiated the base's self-destruct sequence.
"What are you doing?" Dr. Zola exclaimed.
Red Skull sneered: "Our forces are inadequate. The achievements of this base must not fall into enemy hands!"
Grabbing the Tesseract and placing it in a box, he turned and left the control room with Dr. Zola.
…
Meanwhile, Steve finally located Bucky. At Steve's call, Bucky slowly began to wake up.
"Eh... Steve? You've grown a second time?"