Silas

The two soldiers grabbed Soren's hands, cuffing them behind his back and dragging him deeper into the room.

Soren did not resist.

He let them shackle his wrists and push him forward.

He was trying to sense the strength within his body.

This newly reassembled body was free from all the burdens of his previous body—healthy and light.

His heart was beating with power, and his sight and hearing were incredibly sharp.

At any moment, with a single thought, he could evolve into Angemon.

Following the soldiers' instructions, he turned around.

His eyes met those of the boy inside the transparent cage.

Reflected in the glass barrier was the image of a black-haired, blue-eyed youth.

He had long limbs and a tall, upright posture.

His reflection, with its black hair and blue eyes, overlapped with the golden-haired, blue-eyed boy inside the cage.

The two similarly-featured youths were sizing each other up at the same time.

One pair of eyes was calm and serene, while the other was filled with fear and panic.

Soren tried to comfort the boy with his gaze as he was pushed step by step toward the row of brainwashing machines inside the room.

Silently counting down the seconds in his mind, he had already prepared to evolve.

Five.

He passed by the transparent cage.

Four.

He walked behind Crossbones.

Three.

He skirted around an operating table in the center of the room.

Two.

He reached the brainwashing machines.

—Just as he counted down to one.

A deafening alarm suddenly blared throughout the room!!

Red warning lights flashed in all four corners, and the piercing siren screamed in his ears.

Behind him, Baron Zemo and Crossbones exchanged a glance, their expressions tense, "Someone's attacking the base."

"I'll handle it."

Crossbones grabbed a grenade launcher from nearby and turned to head out the door.

Baron Zemo quickly followed, "I'll go with you."

Before leaving, he turned back to instruct the soldiers in the room, "Lock them all up. Leave four men to guard them."

Four armed soldiers received the order, while the rest followed Baron Zemo and Crossbones out of the room.

Soren clenched his fist and drew back the power he had been on the verge of unleashing for his evolution.

He tilted his head, quickly glancing up at the ceiling covered with a maze of exposed wires.

The wiring was tangled and chaotic, with several frayed connections.

Occasionally, a faint spark would flash across the severed ends.

This HYDRA secret base seemed to have been constructed a long time ago.

Several soldiers pushed Soren into the transparent cage.

The cage had a built-in ventilation system, so the air inside didn't carry any unpleasant smells.

However, it was soundproof, and once inside, the only sounds were the two people's breathing.

He looked at the boy.

The boy, in turn, cautiously observed him.

Soren felt… incredibly strange.

He had never looked at a face so similar to his own from this angle.

Those blue eyes, even the curve at the corners, were eerily identical to his.

The same thick golden lashes framed them.

When the boy looked up at him, Soren almost had the illusion of staring into a mirror.

Even for him, it was difficult to pinpoint exactly what part of the boy's face was different from his own original appearance.

Based on the information Baron Zemo and Crossbones had unintentionally revealed in their conversation, it was highly likely they had surgically altered the boy's face.

They had intentionally molded this face to resemble his.

…What were they planning?

Soren thought calmly.

The boy was most likely another victim of HYDRA.

When the time came for Soren to leave this base, he knew he would have to take the boy with him.

Once outside, he'd need to contact Bruce as soon as possible.

In the vision Dr. Manhattan had shown him,

Clark wore a uniform Soren had never seen before.

His red cape had turned white, and beneath the cape was a black battle suit.

The iconic "S" symbol on Clark's chest, usually yellow with a red border, had changed to red and white.

Soren had clearly noticed that something was off about Clark's expression.

The Clark he knew always had a gentle, smiling gaze.

His Clark loved and cared for everything on Earth.

Even when dealing with criminals, those blue eyes never carried the slightest hint of darkness.

He still didn't know what had happened to Clark.

He needed to gather more information about the outside world before making any further plans.

But reaching out to Bruce wouldn't be a problem.

Batman was like the unbreakable backbone of the Justice League.

Soren knew he could always trust him.

Soren sat down inside the transparent cage.

He leaned against the glass wall, one leg bent, resting an arm on his knee, facing the boy directly.

He tried to keep his tone casual, "What's your name?"

The boy hunched his shoulders, his eyelashes trembling slightly.

He bit his lip, glancing at Soren and then at the soldiers outside.

The soldiers couldn't hear them.

The boy spoke in a soft, quiet voice, "...My name is Silas."

"My name is Joseph," Soren replied, choosing a false name since he still didn't know what HYDRA was planning, "Were you captured by them too? Those HYDRA guys…"

He cast a glance at the soldiers outside.

Silas nodded his head slightly, his brows furrowing.

He avoided Soren's gaze, fixed instead on the floor.

"They shot my family and took me here. They don't give me food, only inject me with nutrient fluids, and they… cut my face…"

The memories made his body tremble uncontrollably.

In anguish, he ran a hand through his hair, "...They're monsters. Only... someone could save me…"

Since Silas's last words were mumbled so softly, Soren didn't catch the few indistinct syllables he had uttered.

Confused, Soren tilted his head and asked, "What?"

Silas shook his head in frustration, "It's nothing…"

He looked like he was on the verge of tears, speaking helplessly, "They definitely won't let us go. Will they use us for human experiments? I-I'm so scared I'll die…"