Eastern Europe, Hydra Fortress.
Baron Strucker sat at his desk, waiting with some impatience for news from Wanda.
A day and a half had passed since Wanda began her mission, and he desperately hoped for good news.
However, after noon today, Wanda's communicator had lost signal.
Intelligence indicated that the fortress he was in had been exposed to SHIELD's sight.
The technology and defensive capabilities of this Hydra fortress were among the best of all their bases.
Although the Avengers hadn't shown up yet, the situation was not optimistic.
SHIELD was surely formulating a detailed attack plan.
Strucker knew that whether he stuck his neck out or hid, the outcome would be the same.
Even if he didn't provoke Superman, the Avengers would constantly come after him.
His subordinates were no match for the Avengers with their myriad of powers.
With the Mind Stone, Strucker would have leverage.
Without the Mind Stone, he would have to retreat or await destruction.
Time ticked by, and Strucker grew more agitated.
This agitation, however, did not last long.
Just as Strucker was about to attempt to contact Wanda again, a sapphire blue portal appeared before him.
"Alert!"
The guarding Hydra soldiers shouted the moment the portal materialized.
A fully armed squad quickly entered the room, their guns trained on the portal.
The terrified researchers in the room were at a loss, retreating to the corners.
The blue portal flowed like a water curtain, and a figure slowly emerged from behind it.
Upon seeing the figure clearly, Strucker's expression became unreadable.
He had prepared himself for the possibility of Wanda's disappearance, but before the dust had settled, he had held onto a sliver of hope…
The appearance of this figure meant his chances were practically nil…
The portal vanished, and Lin Feng had arrived at the Eastern European Hydra fortress.
Looking up, he saw more than a dozen gun muzzles pointed at him.
"Yo, quite the welcoming party?"
Rat-a-tat-tat!
In response to Lin Feng were a barrage of bullets, smoke filling the room.
Flames spat from the gun muzzles, and the unarmed researchers, terrified, cowered in the corners, trembling.
The attack, which wouldn't even qualify as a tickle, left Lin Feng somewhat speechless.
Had these losers never seen his news? Bullets couldn't even damage his hair!
However, despite the lack of harm to himself, the overwhelming number of bullets was quite annoying.
Lin Feng raised his left hand.
Snap!
With a snap of his fingers, a ring of pale yellow shockwaves spread outwards from the fortress.
The gunfire abruptly stopped.
All Hydra members touched by the shockwave lost consciousness instantaneously, collapsing to the ground.
The entire fortress instantly ground to a halt, becoming eerily quiet, save for the hum of machinery.
Lin Feng nodded with satisfaction.
This was a new application of the Gem he had researched.
By channeling energy using the Mind Stone's properties, he could generate a shockwave that would instantly incapacitate these cannon fodder.
This was far quicker than Loki poking everyone with his scepter.
This skill compensated for Lin Feng's lack of area-of-effect abilities.
Depending on the energy output, the shockwave's power could range from mere incapacitation to the complete disintegration of anything it touched.
It was incredibly effective for clearing out low-level mooks.
Seeing a bald man lying not far from him.
Lin Feng stepped forward and used his toe to flip him over.
A monocle, and was that a tattoo near the eye?
His appearance was identical to the Baron Strucker Lin Feng had seen in the movies.
After a moment's thought, Lin Feng took out his phone and made a call to "Black Nick Fury."
"Hey! Mr. Fury? I've taken down that Hydra base in Eastern Europe for you!"
"That's right, the very Hydra base you were thinking of! Don't thank me, just send someone to clean up the mess!"
With that, Lin Feng, finding it troublesome, hung up the phone, giving Black Nick Fury no chance to ask questions.
Mission accomplished, task complete!
Black Nick Fury, who had just received the call, was in a conference room with Natasha and Steve, among others.
The meeting was about a combat operation against the Eastern European Hydra fortress.
However, the meeting had barely begun when Lin Feng called, blurted out two sentences, and hung up.
This made Black Nick Fury's blood pressure rise, and he couldn't help but curse, "Motherfucker."
"Director!" Hill entered the room, her expression grave.
She handed him a tablet displaying satellite images of the Eastern European Hydra fortress.
Upon discovering the fortress, Nick Fury had ordered constant surveillance.
Hill's interruption of the meeting suggested a serious problem had arisen.
"Just a minute ago, all Hydra personnel outside the base suddenly collapsed unconscious."
"All at the same time!" Hill emphasized.
Black Nick Fury looked at the tablet, then at his still-in-hand phone, a sudden realization dawning on him. He understood the true meaning of Lin Feng's two sentences.
Although somewhat exasperated, it seemed Lin Feng had already resolved this major threat…
After a moment's thought, Fury tapped the table and directly ordered, "Steve, you take a team directly to the Eastern European base."
"Bring back all the important personnel from the base!"
Steve looked confused, "Don't we need to discuss it?"
"Didn't the intel indicate that the Eastern European Hydra base had extremely strong defenses?"
Fury pushed Hill's tablet towards Steve. "No more plans are needed, Captain!"
"Superman has already dealt with this Hydra nest."
After a pause, Fury added, "Natasha, Clint, you two go along to ensure there are no stragglers."
The group exchanged glances, unsure of what to say for a moment.
One second they were discussing a plan to destroy the fortress, and the next they were told they could simply go and receive the spoils of war…
If Lin Feng knew what Fury was thinking, he would scoff. With his snap, these people wouldn't wake up for at least ten to eight hours.
Regardless of Fury's thoughts, Lin Feng had already found Pietro, who was lying unconscious.
The young man still had black hair. Lin Feng wondered if he dyed it himself in the original story, or if his hair turned silver-white after his powers were enhanced.
He nudged Pietro with his toe and transmitted some energy.
"Huh?"
Pietro slowly awoke, looking around with confusion.
Upon seeing Lin Feng, his eyes widened instantly. He rolled like a log to the side and stood up, adopting a defensive stance.
"Who are you!"
Lin Feng was too lazy to banter. Pietro wasn't a damsel in distress; he didn't get special treatment!
"Pietro, right? Want to see Wanda? Follow me!"
The blue portal reopened, and Lin Feng stepped through first, not giving Pietro any time to react.
"Hurry up, the portal will close soon!"
Pietro's mouth hung open in a bewildered expression.
The young man's actions were utterly baffling to him.
However, after only a moment of hesitation, Pietro gritted his teeth and followed Lin Feng into the portal.
Wanda had been on a mission for nearly two days, and Pietro knew she had lost contact at noon. How could he not be worried?
This man had accurately called out both his and Wanda's names. Even if it was a trap, Pietro had no choice but to walk into it.
After all, Wanda was his only family.