Chapter 67: The Cosmic Cube Within Reach
With Namor absent, the strike team welcomed Diana into their ranks, compensating for the gap in absolute power.
During Allen's absence, the team's missions were less dangerous. They had already completed several operations smoothly, thanks to assistance from mutants.
A few days later, Carter returned with new intel.
The team gathered in the conference room, waiting for Carter to deliver the report.
"According to intelligence sources, the Skull Legion has obtained an infinite energy source, which, according to records, is the Cosmic Cube from mythology. Our mission this time is to seize it."
Carter projected a hand-drawn illustration—a cube-shaped object.
Everyone memorized its appearance.
"Finally, there's news of the Blue Diamond," Allen exclaimed excitedly. "I'm going to become an esteemed Blue Diamond member!"
The team collectively ignored his nonsense and continued listening to Carter outline the mission.
Diana had joined to restore her reputation, but searching for Ares alone was like looking for a needle in a haystack. She planned to leverage human intelligence networks to locate her target.
With the briefing concluded, the operation commenced.
Late at night, the team boarded a long-range transport aircraft bound for the Hydra stronghold.
Since the Nazis lacked radar, they easily infiltrated enemy-controlled airspace.
Daytime operations were out of the question—anti-aircraft crews could spot them with the naked eye.
"Everyone, remember: our goal is to retrieve the Cosmic Cube. Once we have it, we withdraw immediately—no unnecessary entanglements," Steve instructed before leaping from the aircraft. The others followed, parachuting down.
"Yahoo!"
Allen jumped out as well, diving like a cannonball to catch up with Steve.
"Old man, do I look cool?"
Allen struck a reclining pose mid-air.
Steve glanced at him and suddenly widened his eyes. "You forgot your parachute!"
"Time to go pick cotton back home!"
Allen leaned forward, accelerating his descent straight toward the ground.
Steve couldn't bear to watch. He had already imagined the gruesome sight of Allen splattered on impact.
Boom!
Dirt flew everywhere.
Allen crashed hard, embedding himself into the ground.
Thanks to his armor, the impact force was absorbed and converted into stored energy. That's why he dared to pull off such reckless stunts.
"My landing pose wasn't stylish enough. I need more practice."
Allen dusted himself off, completely unscathed.
Thud!
A massive figure smashed into the ground, leaving a crater.
Nanaue lay motionless in the pit, as if he had died on impact.
"Nanaue! You can't die on me!"
Allen rushed over, knelt beside him, and wailed, "What am I supposed to do without you? The white-haired sends off the black-haired… Oh, heavens, how tragic!"
"Nanaue has no hair."
Nanaue lifted his head, dazed, and pointed at his bald scalp.
"Great scott, a zombie shark!"
Allen instantly sprang back, striking a pose as if about to unleash an energy blast.
Surviving a high-altitude fall proved that Nanaue's demigod bloodline had likely been invested heavily into defense and regeneration.
In other aspects, he was quite mediocre—he couldn't even beat Steve.
Of course, Steve couldn't kill him either.
Boom!
Diana landed smoothly in a kneeling pose.
Elegant and valiant, her entrance was effortlessly cool.
The three of them waited silently for the rest of the team to land.
The others were merely human—without protection, jumping would be suicide. Even with Steve's enhanced physique, he would still be reduced to a pile of mush if he fell freely.
"Silence and Hypnosis, it's up to you two now."
Once everyone had regrouped, Steve turned to two team members.
Silence had the ability to generate a sound-nullifying field, ensuring silent movements.
Hypnosis could project a field within a 300-meter radius, putting enemies to sleep.
Whether the hypnosis succeeded depended on the target's willpower, but against ordinary soldiers, it was usually effective.
Mutants were numerous, but those with truly powerful, controllable abilities were exceedingly rare.
If every mutant were godlike, they wouldn't have ended up oppressed, forced to band together in resistance.
…
"Come on, let's step out for a smoke break."
"I've been dying for a cigarette."
Two guards at the bunker entrance moved aside, each pulling out a cigarette and lighting up.
The night was quiet, not a soul in sight. Since they were deep in friendly territory, the idea of an enemy ambush seemed impossible.
Taking a drag, one exhaled a stream of smoke.
Just as they were about to take a second puff, droplets of water splashed down, extinguishing the embers of their cigarettes—and landing on their faces.
"Damn it, is it raining?"
One guard stretched out his hand and looked up at the sky but saw no rain.
"We're close to summer—rain can be weird and unpredictable. Might've just been a few drops."
The other pulled out two fresh cigarettes, lighting them up again.
Just as they prepared for a second puff, a sudden downpour drenched them—soaking not just their cigarettes but their entire faces.
"This rain smells weird… kinda rank."
"Now that you mention it, yeah—it stinks. Maybe it's from all the war explosions. Sulfur from the bombs could've mixed into the clouds."
Neither guard realized that directly above them, Allen was manually causing the "rain."
Stowing away his tool of mischief, Allen strode into the bunker to catch up with the others.
The guards finally enjoyed a full cigarette in peace.
Before long, Allen rejoined the team. They moved through the bunker like ghosts, openly searching room by room.
The patrolling soldiers saw them but didn't react.
Due to the sound-nullifying field, the strike team couldn't communicate through speech.
They navigated through the bunker, eventually reaching the underground level.
It was an expansive facility, where a large aircraft was undergoing final adjustments.
Scientists bustled about, ensuring the equipment's stability.
"Leader, the ultra-long-range bomber, equipped with the Oblivion Bomb, will deal a devastating blow to America. Once deployed, victory will tilt entirely in our favor!"
Dr. Zola excitedly reported the results of their work.
Thanks to the Cosmic Cube, the energy problem was solved, and their advanced intercontinental bomber project had become a reality.
They had successfully developed jet engines and, using energy extracted from the Cosmic Cube, created the Oblivion Bomb.
The first target was America's economic and industrial hubs. A single bomb could flatten an entire state, crippling their war production and shifting the balance of power.
But Schmidt, the Red Skull, ignored Zola.
His eyes were locked onto the strike team, who were inching closer to the Cosmic Cube.
"Sound the alarm! We're under attack!"
Schmidt wasn't an ordinary man. His mind was extraordinarily resilient, and he had received an enhanced version of the super soldier serum—naturally, hypnosis had no effect on him.
Instantly, sirens blared.
The researchers, realizing the enemy had mutants among them, immediately pulled a switch.
The device holding the Cosmic Cube emitted a pulse of light, exposing the strike team's presence.
"Strike team—attack!"