Chapter 288 The End of the Road

With Vis on their side, Steve and the others easily boarded the Helicarrier. Even the formidable Winter Soldier could not stop them from destroying Project Insight.

It could be said that Kyle's choice to send Vis had disrupted the original balance of power, completely turning the tide of the battle in New York.

"General! The victory is ours!" Kyle raised one leg casually, calmly looking at the pale and bloodless Pierce in front of him. He asked, "Is there anything else you'd like to say?"

"At this point, what else can I say? This time, you've won, once again," Pierce said with a bitter smile on his face. 

He fell silent for a moment, adjusting his tie and clothes with a calm and determined demeanor. "But this battle isn't over yet. Hydra might have lost one head, but another will grow in its place. Even if you kill me today and stop Project Insight, it won't be the end; it's just the beginning."

His words were reminiscent of Schmidt, the Red Skull, who had reached his end in 1944. This was precisely what made Hydra formidable. Their ability to infiltrate everywhere, adapt and thrive, and their almost brainwashing-like organizational belief system.

"Who said anything about killing you? The best part of the show hasn't even started yet," Kyle chuckled, tapping his fingers on the desk meaningfully. "Don't be in such a hurry. There might be a phone call coming in soon."

Upon hearing this, Pierce's pupils involuntarily contracted, and he felt an ominous premonition in his heart.

At this moment, in various hidden corners of the world, localized wars were beginning to unfold.

In the southern part of Iraq, nestled in a remote mountainous area, a large fortress called "Fortress" was hidden deep within a dense forest. For decades, no one had ventured into this area. However, today, something has finally broken through its technological restrictions and the tranquility of the mountains and forests.

'Boom!'

A black and gold eagle-shaped Spaceship flew into the mountains and, facing the closed entrance of Fortress, unleashed a barrage of energy shots. Under the impact of these powerful laser cannons, the defensive shield held for only half a second before collapsing on the verge of breaking.

Countless Hydra armed personnel rushed out in panic, trying to defend themselves with their firearms and ammunition.

The Spaceship hovered in the low sky, and its advanced metallic shell effortlessly withstood the modern conventional weaponry. It unleashed a continuous torrent of energy fire onto Fortress, turning the large base into a fiery ruin.

"Exciting, isn't it?"

Seated in the pilot's seat of the warship, Lorna licked her sensuous lips, holding the manual control device that fired the ship's weapons. The flames below cast a crimson glow on her beautiful eyes.

Raina, sitting in the co-pilot seat, spoke softly, "That's enough. Let's move on to the next target."

"Alright." Lorna tossed her hair lightly, manipulated the controls, and the warship accelerated away into the distance, leaving behind a devastated landscape.

In Austria, in a secluded valley on the outskirts, there was another hidden large base. With the sound of engines and bright lights, an Iron Man Armor clad in high-tech armor entered the airspace over the area.

"Try this." Tony hovered in the air, his shoulder shells opening to release dozens of smoke-emitting, smaller projectiles that converged into a cloud above him and then descended onto the roof of the base building, where they exploded in a cacophony of detonations.

The thunderous explosions and firestorms of Fortress's rooftop blazed, but when the smoke and dust cleared, the structure remained unscathed, with a semi-transparent energy shield revealed.

"This is becoming troublesome," Tony muttered, his temper darkening. "J.A.R.V.I.S, help me find a weak point."

"Of course, sir!" J.A.R.V.I.S. responded.

However, before it could conduct its analysis, a flying lifeform swept past the Iron Man Armor's side and flew directly toward the Fortress building.

"What's that?" Tony widened his eyes, using his instruments to observe the two peculiar creatures more closely.

A tall, flaming black horse galloped with fiery hooves, carrying a giant green fire giant that was three meters tall on its back. The giant held a battered battle axe in his hand.

Hellfire rode his flaming steed through the air, leaving behind a trail of fire in their high-speed flight.

Upon reaching the Hydra base, Hellfire leaped from the back of his steed, descending from the sky and landing on the energy shield that could withstand small missiles.

The moment the green flames touched the energy shield, it tore a hole right through it. When the steel plating of the building's top layer met the green fire, it hissed and melted away.

Hellfire simply fell right into the heavily guarded base.

J.A.R.V.I.S chimed in casually, "Sir, it seems we don't need to find a weak point."

Tony was left momentarily bewildered. He shook his head in resignation, saying, "What kind of freaks are in the Don's family anyway? Let's leave this to them. J.A.R.V.I.S, switch to the next nearest target."

J.A.R.V.I.S set the navigation. Soon, he reported, "Sir, the nearest target… probably doesn't need our help."

Tony hesitated for a moment, then suddenly realized something. He asked, "Who's there now?"

"It's Bruce Banner."

"In that case, never mind." Tony shrank his neck, recalling the image of the Hulk in a fit of rage. He said with a shiver, "Let's switch to the next-next target."

"Germany, about thirty kilometers from the border city…" J.A.R.V.I.S promptly adjusted the navigation, providing the best flight route.

"Alright, let's have some fun today!"

Tony clenched his fists and activated all the engines. The flying speed instantly broke the sound barrier as they departed.

The larger Hydra bases were taken down by elite forces.

At the same time, led by a black-clad figure wearing a demon mask, Cartouche led various factions and underground organizations attached to the family in a series of assaults on more of Hydra's smaller bases.

Colonel Ross Thunderbolt did not deploy their military units to keep the operation discreet. They unilaterally issued the orders, temporarily suppressing certain information leading to the upper echelons. This way, they made sure the underground war remained covert and perfect.

Indeed, perfect was the word for it. This was a textbook-style annihilation operation.

In the underground tumors that had been growing silently, much like Hydra's secret bases, one after another, at the same moment, they suffered heavy blows and collapsed quietly.

SHIELD headquarters, Director's office.

In the short span of ten minutes, several phone calls came through.

Pierce picked up the receiver and listened, hanging up and receiving another call, repeating this action over and over.

The information relayed in those calls was similar without exception.

Finally, the phone rang once more.

Pierce didn't pick it up this time. He slumped in his chair, his eyes bloodshot, his lips tightly pressed together.

"It's alright. Even if you cut off one of Hydra's heads, another will grow," Kyle shrugged and spoke feeling unusually comforting. 

Pierce's eyes widened, nearly bursting with anger.

(End of this chapter)