Perhaps Hydra themselves never expected that Steve Rogers would deduce a problem with Strucker's castle based solely on a WWII-era Hydra deployment map—the castle's location was missing from that map entirely. Theoretically, if one wanted to seize all the strongholds marked on that document, Strucker's castle would have been the logical breakthrough point.
History reflected this; with intelligence support, Soviet forces were the first to capture the castle, using it as a breach to collapse all other Hydra fortresses. Because it served as a Soviet logistics hub for so long and later became a KGB outpost in Hungary after the war, the Soviets never suspected a massive subterranean city lay beneath their feet.
Furthermore, the Soviets did not believe in the existence of gods, so why would they ever consider that Hydra was under divine protection?
In the wake of the Soviet Union's collapse, Russia still hadn't fully cataloged the leftover documents, so Hydra initially assumed the Russians would never find them. Even if they could, the current Russia lacked the energy to oppose Hydra.
Who could have predicted they would actually find such data and forward it to S.H.I.E.L.D.?
"We have reached the target. Assault teams, deploy drones for the initial breach. Once retaliation is confirmed, launch missiles immediately to level the entire fortress," Silver Sable ordered decisively. "We don't need prisoners. Everyone on the other side is a Hydra bastard; it's better if they all rot in hell."
Silver Sable was as abrasive as ever. Soon, accompanied by a flurry of gunfire, the entire castle was reduced to ruins by continuous rocket fire from dozens of attack helicopters. After a final round of bombardment, the helicopters began spraying water to cool the area. Silver Sable, equipped with a jetpack, then moved to the edge of the pitch-black, bottomless elevator shaft.
The Wild Pack had dispatched approximately three hundred personnel for this battle. While they couldn't be certain if there were Hydra moles among them, there was no time to worry about that now. Agent Silk had already descended to scout the path.
Silver Sable looked at Felicia, who was also strapping on a jetpack. "You don't exactly count as a combatant."
"I know, but I have things to do. I need revenge."
"You don't even know which Hydra member killed your father."
Felicia hesitated for a moment, then nodded. She truly didn't know.
But that didn't stop her from wanting to take down every Hydra agent she saw, just like Silver Sable.
The Avengers overwhelmed the Hydra forces in an instant. Setting aside the fact that these Hydra grunts were merely trained soldiers, with Thor and the Hulk present, almost no one could stand against them.
"Thor, clear a path for Tony and Pym so they can disable the self-destruct system. We have to ensure Budapest's safety." After Captain America took out several Hydra soldiers with a single shield toss, he spotted Baron Strucker making a composed retreat. "Everyone else, move out! Stay sharp and protect Tony and Pym!"
With that, the Captain caught his shield and broke into a full sprint toward Strucker. He had to capture Strucker to find Bucky.
As for Strucker, he seemed to have anticipated this. Upon leaving the temple, he boarded a hovering car and sped away. Catching sight of the Captain sprinting after him in the rearview mirror, he couldn't help but curl his lip.
He truly hadn't expected Captain America to actually catch up to a hovering vehicle on foot. With a sudden leap, the Captain landed on the trunk, pulling himself up onto the open-topped Hydra hover-car.
"Captain, I truly admire your tenacity, but you must realize that your failure was sealed the moment you stepped inside this place."
Strucker smiled as he engaged the autopilot and stood up to face the Captain, revealing his mechanical prosthetic arm. "This is a trap. From the moment you began investigating Hydra, this place became your grave. Whether it is Tony Stark or Hank Pym, I can guarantee they will never crack Hydra's programming."
"I have faith in my comrades. I have faith in the Avengers."
The Captain threw a punch at Strucker. After lightly dodging the blow, Strucker gave the Captain a mocking look. "You are too outdated, Captain. You think you can solve the problem of Hydra? You are wrong. You think the Red Skull was everything to Hydra, just as the Little Mustache was everything to the Third Reich—that we would collapse entirely without him?"
"Hydra is a concept, an ideology. We hold the absolute truth—free will only brings chaos and disorder, yet you persist in resisting it."
"Then that only proves my war isn't over. There's a reason I was brought into this era."
Gripping the edge of the trunk, the Captain kicked Strucker hard in the chest. "And you people are that reason!"
"So it is fate, then? Captain America versus Hydra, regardless of who Hydra is—even if it is your own former comrades or something else." Strucker mocked as he was kicked into the front seat. Hearing this, the Captain lunged forward, his hands gripping Strucker's throat. "What did you do to Bucky and Jim!"
"The usual. We helped them realize that order is a far more vital thing than free will."
Even with his throat gripped, Strucker used his prosthetic arm to seize the Captain's neck. Theoretically, his strength was inferior to the Captain's, but he had one advantage: his prosthetic could drain life force. The Captain felt his vitality rapidly slipping away.
"This is your weakness, Captain—humanity. You get emotional over your past feelings. Now, the Erskine serum in your body is mine!"
Then, just as Strucker felt he had absorbed a massive amount of power from Captain America, he was sent flying by a punch from the Captain. He tumbled across the ground several times. The moment he tried to stand up, his prosthetic arm was severed by the Captain's shield, and the life-drain stopped instantly.
The Captain felt his strength return, while Strucker reverted back into a frail old man.
"I'm not taking your bait, Strucker. I'm simply ensuring you don't escape like the Red Skull. I know one thing better than anyone else: the fight against Hydra has never been a superhero vigilante operation. It is the extermination of fascists like you."
"For people like you, there is no need to talk about human rights."
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