Marvel With Zanpakutou

Across the Siberian Railway, a train sped through the blizzard.

Inside this unmarked train sat Dr. Zola, the most trusted subordinate of Schmidt, the leader of Hydra.

Based on secret intelligence painstakingly gathered by their frontline spies, the Allied forces had finally confirmed the location of Hydra’s number two. Without hesitation, they dispatched their trump card, the Howling Commandos, the very unit that made Hydra tremble in fear.

The Howling Commandos did not have many members, but every one of them was a battle-hardened elite.

Leading this elite squad was Captain America, Steve Rogers, the sole successful subject of the recent super-soldier program. Possessing strength and abilities far beyond any human, he was, in the truest sense, a superhuman.

The mission of this squad, capture Dr. Arnim Zola alive, the second-in-command of Hydra right after Schmidt.

In the past, both Schmidt and Dr. Zola had always kept their whereabouts so secret that confirming them was nearly impossible. This was their one and only chance, no matter what, they had to complete the mission.

On the cliff opposite the railway, the Howling Commandos were already in position.

Steve and the others stood by the prepared cable line, breathing deeply and checking their watches to time the train’s arrival precisely. The goal was to slide down on the cable and land on the train, missing could mean slamming into the mountain or falling into the gorge below.

There would be only one chance.

If they failed, they’d only meet again in the next life.

"The train’s coming!"

The lookout lowered his binoculars. "Looks like these guys are heading off to reincarnate. You’d better hurry."

"We’ve got a ten-second window before the train passes straight through," Steve said, tugging the cable to make sure it was secure. He turned back to the team. "Miss it, and you’ll either get hit by the train, smash into the mountain, or fall into the ravine. Got it?"

"Hey, Steve, worry about yourself," Bucky said with a grin, bumping his friend with his shoulder. "We’ve been through worse. Don’t sweat us."

Steve didn’t say more. Gripping the cable rig, he took a deep breath and slid down.

The rest followed without hesitation. It was as if, as long as they followed the man in front of them, nothing could go wrong. Holding on to that trust and confidence, they each slid down in turn.

Rumble...

A black train burst through the blizzard like a roaring steel beast.

As the train rounded a mountain bend, the cable line and the train briefly ran parallel, giving the Commandos a fleeting moment of relative stillness.

One by one, Steve and the others released the cable and landed firmly on the roof of the train.

Though the train swayed violently, Howard’s specially modified boots, built for this mission, gave them extra grip and friction, preventing them from being flung off at high speed.

Once Steve confirmed their stability, he signaled with his hand and crouched, moving toward the front of the train.

Bucky and the others followed, disengaging their weapon safeties. Advancing in textbook combat formation, they provided perfect crossfire cover for Steve.

Carefully, Steve reached the front of the carriage. From the side, he used brute strength to wrench open the door and rolled inside.

The carriage interior had a futuristic, sci-fi design, sleek silver lines, with metal crates stacked along the sides and middle. Curious, Bucky opened one of them and found strange tube-like containers filled with liquid.

"What’s this stuff for?" Bucky lifted one tube and peered at it. "Looks like... little bugs inside? Gross. Hydra’s definitely up to something shady again."

"Leave it for now, Bucky," Steve said, shield on his left arm and pistol in his right, advancing cautiously. "Finding Zola is the priority. Once we’ve got him, we’ll know what these are for."

Just then, the carriage door suddenly slid shut.

Steve’s expression shifted. Without realizing it, he and Bucky had been separated into different carriages.

"So you’ve come, Captain America!"

Dr. Zola’s voice rang out through the loudspeakers.

"Damn, it’s a trap!"

Steve’s heart sank. They’d been deceived, this was an ambush set specifically for them.

On the far side of Bucky’s carriage, the sealed door opened and several Hydra soldiers in black armor poured in.

On Steve’s side, a massive, burly man stepped forward, hefting an oversized weapon with six barrels. The sight of the giant gun alone was terrifying.

"Captain America, try out our latest weapon!"

Inside the carriage, Dr. Zola’s sinister laughter rang out,

"Six thousand rounds per minute... I’d like to see if you, a so-called super soldier, can still turn the tide. Fire immediately!"

Buzz... buzz... buzz...

The six barrels began to spin, producing an unsettling noise.

The next moment, the six barrels erupted with a thunderous roar, spitting out a deadly hellfire at a rate of six thousand rounds per minute.

Steve’s pupils shrank sharply. He instantly raised his shield, bracing it in front of him at the carriage door.

Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!

The roaring bullets smashed into the shield, scattering away with dazzling sparks.

Driven by a direct-current motor, the gun spewed a torrent of yellow-orange brass casings, piling into a small hill at his feet within seconds. The acrid smell of gunpowder and searing heat quickly caused the barrels to glow red in less than half a minute.

The 7.62 mm rifle rounds could easily tear through steel.

But this shield was no ordinary creation, forged from one of the hardest substances in the universe, its kinetic-energy-absorbing properties made its defense unparalleled. Even with the weapon’s terrifying rate of fire and power, a battlefield meat grinder, it could not break the shield’s defense.

"Damn it, Howard never told me Hydra had a weapon like this!"

Crouched behind the shield, Steve was feeling miserable, wishing he could curse Howard out on the spot.

The enemy’s suppressive fire was so intense it gave him no chance to counterattack, if he so much as raised his head, he’d be shredded into a sieve by the bullet storm.

Even though a superhuman’s physical qualities far surpassed those of ordinary people, under six thousand rounds per minute, there was no difference, a superhuman would be reduced to minced meat in moments.

Just as he was struggling to find a way out, the moving train suddenly shook violently.

The next second, it was as if the heavens themselves collapsed, the train flipped over.

Rumble...

Having just crossed a mountain ravine and entered an icy plain, the train was suddenly lifted and overturned by an immense force.

The connecting couplers between more than ten carriages snapped under the enormous torque, sending the carriages tumbling off the track and slamming heavily onto the plains.

Thanks to his superhuman physique, even after rolling over more than ten times inside the carriage, Steve immediately got up, not giving the burly gunner any time to react. He quickly shot and killed the man, then suddenly remembered his friend in another carriage.

"Bucky! Bucky!"

Steve ripped open the iron door with brute strength and rushed inside, looking around frantically.

"Don’t... shout..." a weak voice answered. "I’m here... just... not in great shape."

Recognizing Bucky’s voice, Steve hurried toward it. A pool of glaring blood came into view, making his breath quicken, his pupils trembling slightly.

One of Bucky’s arms had been crushed by a falling heavy object, the flesh mangled beyond saving.

"Heh... I thought I was going to die..." Bucky forced a bitter smile, the light in his eyes already fading. "Looks like... when we get back... I might have to retire..."

"Bucky..." Steve’s eyes stung red. His friend’s condition pained him deeply, and he fought hard to keep his tears from falling.

"Don’t just stand there... get me out first, then... we’ll talk."

Bucky grinned, trying to comfort Steve instead.

Steve lifted the heavy debris and helped Bucky toward the exit, speaking softly,

"Don’t worry. With Howard’s skill, worst case, he can make you a prosthetic."

"Sounds good..."

Bucky said weakly, "Then make it a metal one... maybe I could even help you with it."

"Sure, I’ll be waiting for that!"

Steve forced a smile and lowered his friend’s chest gently.

"We’ve got a deal, once you’re healed, you’re coming back to help me. Early retirement’s not your style. We’ve still got to beat the Axis powers together!"

"No... problem..."

Bucky forced himself to stay awake, grinning.

"Who knows... maybe I’ll even be stronger than you by then."

Steve supported Bucky as they climbed out of the wreckage.

But the sight that met their eyes made both men’s pupils widen, their faces frozen in sheer horror.

A man whose face was obscured stood high above the ground, as if stepping on invisible stairs. With one hand raised in mid-air, his five fingers clenched suddenly, and a steel carriage suspended in the air was instantly crushed by an unseen force.

Boom... boom... boom...

The fragments of the steel carriage crashed to the ground, raising deep, muffled booms.

Steve’s sharp eyes spotted the crimson blood and mangled flesh among the wreckage, staining the nearby ice field into a heart-chilling sea of red.

It was him... the one who had lifted the train.