Chapter 261 Winter Soldier

The force of the heavy hammer was equivalent to several tens of tons of explosive energy, and at close range, its power was no less than that of a modern small missile.

**Boom!**

It was as if thunder had struck on a clear day, and the entire old castle estate trembled. The old warehouse building shook as if it might collapse, and the reinforced steel door that sealed the basement dramatically caved in and shattered.

After completing this, Kyle calmly retracted his right hand, and the dark outer covering on his arm disappeared in the blink of an eye, blending back into his leather jacket sleeves.

The accompanying butler stood there in awe, his gaze towards Kyle now even more fervent, like a devout follower looking up to the God they had worshipped all their life.

However, Steve's focus was not on this. After the basement door was violently broken open, he rushed into the room, propelled by the billowing dust that rushed out.

Kyle turned on the lights as he followed Steve into the basement.

However, their expressions quickly changed.

The basement had been sealed for more than half a century.

Under the dim light of the old electric bulbs, there was indeed a rectangular cryo-chamber in the center of the room. However, all the wires connecting to the cryo-chamber had been disconnected, and the cryo-chamber's door was wide open, with no sign of anyone inside.

"Kyle, what's going on?" Steve's pupils contracted, and he turned to Kyle with a look of bewilderment.

Kyle's face grew cold, and he scanned the room, noticing clear signs of intrusion everywhere.

Calmly, he called out, "Butler."

**Snap!**

The butler, with pale and bloodless features, knelt on both knees. His body trembled with fear as he prostrated himself on the ground. In a quivering voice, he said, "Master, I dare to swear with my life that there has been only one incident here since you left the family estate, and no one except the family has visited."

"Incident? Tell me more. What kind of incident was it?" Kyle asked softly.

"It was about ten years ago. The forest nearby suddenly caught fire, and in order to prevent the fire from spreading to the estate, the family members who were here to guard left to fight the fire. For half a day, the estate was unattended," The butler recalled quickly. "After the fire was contained, we checked the main building and found no signs of theft or disturbance. As for the old warehouse, we didn't have permission to enter, so we didn't check."

Kyle frowned and remained silent for a moment, and then said to Steve, "It should be that incident. Someone entered here and forcibly took Bucky, who was still in cryostasis."

"What the hell do those bastards want with Bucky?!" Steve's face was filled with anger as he spoke. He clenched his fist tightly, making his bones crackle.

"It's been so long, and it won't be easy to find out," Kyle replied.

His expression remained unchanged, but there was a hint of coldness in his eyes. He said calmly, "Don't worry too much about it for now. Someone has caused trouble in my territory, I will give you a satisfactory answer."

The butler shuddered inwardly and lowered his head even further. He knew that the head of the family was truly angry this time!

When the head of the family was angry, the consequences were severe!

"Kyle, thank you for everything you have done. But Bucky is my responsibility, and I will do everything in my power, even if it means going all out, to find him and bring him back!" Steve declared with determination. It was as if, after emerging from the ice, he had finally found a primary goal in life.

Kyle didn't stop him, letting him leave the basement first.

"I wanted you to take a well-deserved rest during this rare period of peace. Now that you're on the move, you won't have much idle time in the future," Kyle sighed quietly, his gaze returning to the broken and abandoned cryo-chamber.

Once again, he called out softly, "Butler."

"Yes!" The butler raised his head and responded.

Kyle's tone was icy as he said, "Notify all the Cardinals. Use all available channels and resources to find the whereabouts of Bucky Barnes for me!"

"Understood, the mission will be completed!" The butler nodded and quickly retreated from the basement.

It wasn't until he left the old warehouse that the butler breathed a sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. His previously mild and humble expression was now filled with a violent murderous intent. "Who the hell caused this mess? They nearly got me killed!"

On Earth, the Cardinals possessed great personal strength, and their influence extended worldwide. They disregarded the nobility and the law, reigning over the underworld for decades.

And all of this had been granted by their leader, Kyle.

They truly were "above all and below one."

The butler smirked, "The family head has just returned, and many of the Cardinals are waiting for a chance to show off. When this news gets out, I suspect many ruthless individuals who wouldn't hesitate to kill will take action."

The Cardinals usually received Missions worth hundreds of millions of dollars from various organizations, which they used as a pastime. Nobody knew what they were truly capable of when they were serious.

That day, Kyle spent the night at the estate. He returned to the New York city center the following morning.

Empire State Building.

Since the Supernatural Incident Bureau became public, people from all walks of life worldwide visited daily to conduct business or inquire about supernatural events.

There were many amusing incidents.

For instance, some people claimed to be troubled by their superhuman abilities, only to turn out to be charlatans or mentally ill, and were quickly kicked out by the lower-ranking Cardinals.

Many were spies from various countries or media personnel trying to uncover some hidden secrets. However, they too were swiftly shown the door, transformed from people into chairs by the lower-ranking Cardinals.

After all, the Cardinals were seasoned experts in the underground world, top-notch spies, arms dealers, and assassins. Deceiving them was no easy task.

However, despite driving away one group after another, the blacklist continued to grow, and people kept arriving at the agency every day. It had become a hot spot in New York.

Kyle didn't mind this.

The main reason he established the Supernatural Incident Bureau was to create a public branch of the family and make people aware and accepting of the existence of Cardinals. At the same time, he used the platform to gather useful information from people worldwide.

Of course, attracting the presence of Mutants like Logan was an additional benefit.

Kyle avoided the crowd of inquirers and took the employee passage, riding a private elevator straight to the top floor.

As the elevator ascended, Vis's wireless signal connected to the building's internal network. Before long, the elevator's speaker system produced a voice, "Master, your secretary, Raina, is currently in the top-floor office."

Kyle nodded, indicating that he was aware.

Vis continued, "She seems a little melancholic, it feels like she has something on her mind."

"...," Kyle glanced at his wristwatch and raised an eyebrow in surprise. "You can now determine someone's expression and state of mind? Since when did you learn that from J.A.R.V.I.S.?"

"It's all part of what I learned from J.A.R.V.I.S.," Vis silently shifted the blame to J.A.R.V.I.S.

Kyle chastised, "J.A.R.V.I.S. is far from as boring as you. It assists Tony and is constantly upgrading Iron Man suits day and night. When will you go and learn from Tony? Currently, your Iron Man mode is the weakest among my combat forms."

Vis had no words to respond with.

But it was true. In terms of versatility, the Venom-covered form of Kyle was highly adaptable, and in terms of power, the Fire God's divine power, when unleashed, was unstoppable.

The technology-based Iron Man suit, without further upgrades, had become outdated.

...