Just as they were talking, the German Army silently approached with those mutant dogs that could scurry up walls like insects. At this moment, these dogs, dragging chains, were charging towards them.
The clinking of chains echoed in the sewers, and the dogs that didn't bark were actually the most dangerous.
In the pitch-black, the hit rate on these dogs with guns was almost nil; even if shot a few times, the mutant dogs could continue attacking, and even in death, they wouldn't let go once they bit down.
Nick and Peggy both felt their hearts gradually sinking; perhaps this time, it would be hard for them to get out alive.
Peggy glanced at Steve, who was unconscious beside her. He was still wearing Captain America's costume, though now it was tattered and even missing some internal organs.
His self-healing was slow, and the head injury kept him in a coma. Hydra had long been prepared, and the group had completely fallen into the trap.
"You take Steve and leave, the rest of us will cover the rear."
Nick only took one look and changed his mind. This operation was not originally led by him because he was a Black man, but the original leader had already sacrificed, and Agent Carter was so preoccupied with Steve that she couldn't command, so the responsibility fell on him.
He advanced a bit more, positioning himself at the forefront where the cover was larger and could hold out a bit longer.
According to the habits of agents, when a retreat is impossible, one should destroy all valuable items and intelligence immediately. They should have destroyed Captain America right away, like blowing him into pieces and flushing him down the sewers.
But Agent Carter wouldn't agree, and Agent 13 had more authority than him and also held interest in Steve, so Nick didn't bring it up at all.
Everyone staying behind could hold out for around three minutes. If Peggy and Steve were caught up within that time, she would know what to do.
Since he was about to die anyway, he might as well play the hero one last time; there was no need to spell it out.
Nick refocused on the sewer, squinting to try to discern the enemy's outline, then harshly pulled the trigger, watching something on the other side collapse.
Yet just as he breathed a sigh of relief and withdrew back into cover to reload, suddenly something flew down from the air towards his head.
It was a modified dog, which had used its suction-cup-like six legs to run across the sewer ceiling, unnoticed in the darkness. Its chain hung down silently due to gravity.
Nick's pupils widened as he saw the dense, sharp fangs in the dog's mouth about to latch onto his neck.
"To meet one's end by a dog's mouth, what a tragic way to go..."
Everything around him seemed to freeze; Nick saw his life's memories flash before him, and lastly lamented his fate as he prepared to pull the pin on his grenade.
At that moment, a golden Great Sword spun and flew over, instantly cleaving the dog in two.
The bisected dog twitched once more on the ground before dying completely, and the golden Great Sword embedded itself into the wall in front of Nick, like a toothpick thrust into a cake.
Nick touched the top of his head. Not only was the mutant dog gone, but his beret and his proud curls were also taken away with the sword, leaving him with a Mediterranean hairstyle.
But he had no other thoughts, only a feeling of surviving a narrow escape. He peered from behind cover towards the direction from which the Great Sword had flown, which was from the rear tunnel.
He could only see a hint of crimson ghost fire drifting in from the darkness.
The pathways in the sewers were a mess, and the sound carried through various refractions. Su Ming had only just managed to find his way here.
Fortunately, his helmet had night vision, otherwise, he would never have seen Nick's face, which was as dark as Heitan.
He was internally cursing nonstop; this world was too ridiculous. If he hadn't arrived in time, Nick and Peggy would have died here, and Captain America would have been captured—what kind of plot would unfold then?
He'd already encountered these mutant dogs above ground; bullets couldn't kill them quickly. He had no choice but to throw his Godslayer.
The Owl Dagger wasn't suitable for casual throwing, what with all the sewage and torrents here—what if it got accidentally kicked into fecal water?
The self-illuminating Godslayer was far more reliable.
Nick watched as the ghost fire approached, revealing black and yellow armor under the German Army's flashlight beams, an indescribable feeling washing over him.
It was Deathstroke...
Last time, Nick was knocked out by Deathstroke in one move and spent almost an entire month afterward having nightmares.
In his dreams, Deathstroke was all-powerful while Nick was helpless, a gigantic black and yellow demon holding him by the throat with two fingers, toying with him like a Little Worm.
Deathstroke's existence proved that the United States wasn't limited to a single Super Soldier, but the most vexing thing was that everything about him was shrouded in Mist.
He's a Mercenary, completely immune to any righteousness or ideals, and even when SSR collected several of the business cards he handed out back then, they could never get in contact with him.
Not even money could hire some Mercenaries?
Yes, Deathstroke was capricious like that; he's now a Mercenary driven by interest.
.............
Previously, SSR had been embarrassed by Deathstroke, who stole the Professor and Serum, causing their status within the military to plummet drastically.
Steve was also dispatched to perform in touring shows to make money.
However, about a month ago, the German Army began to exhibit all sorts of strange phenomena, infiltrating London or US soil to wreak havoc. The military finally remembered Steve.
We also have a Super Soldier, even if there's only one. Let's send him to the battlefield; what if he's useful?
If he turns out to be useful, it would demonstrate our foresight; if not, then we have a ready excuse to dispose of the waste. Where else could we find such a good deal?
Upon hearing he could head to the battlefield, Steve nodded his head like a Little Chicken pecking at rice, agreeing without a second thought.
The military leaders chuckled slyly as they sent him to the United Kingdom.
Now, the Captain America performing nationwide tours had secretly been swapped with a real actor. After all, Captain America was a masked Hero, and the audience only recognized that uniform, which made the swap easy.
Vodka, responsible for supervising contract enforcement, couldn't keep up with the traveling performance crew worldwide. He was getting older, with many other matters at Wilson Enterprises, and he had no idea that the military had pulled a bait-and-switch.
Afterward, the Strategic Science Corps developed a tactic around Captain America, forming the Roaring Assault Team to deal with 'supernatural' matters under their command.
Their current headquarters was inside a sewer in London, United Kingdom.
Lately, the sewer often felt like it was experiencing tremors, making Steve somewhat uneasy.
And even though they were all in London, SSR was a Secret Organization, so he couldn't go seek out Baki with the 107th Regiment.
All he could do was stick close with Peggy, and to be honest, Steve was a bit delighted. Being able to run around and fight daily alongside a Goddess was something he never dared to dream of before.
Just yesterday, SSR received intelligence, claiming that the Red Skull appeared in Paris with a peculiar Treasure.
Steve recalled what Dr. Erskine had told him in the past; he wanted to confront the Red Skull, proving he had upheld the Professor's ideology: that the weak could defeat the strong.
Though worried, Peggy wasn't as troubled as the leaders above, who were delighted. It was a perfect opportunity to compare the strengths of their Super Soldiers.
Shortly after, the military secretly sent them onto French soil via a small boat, with Peggy accompanying them, having been previously in charge of liaising with the French Guerrillas.
Initially, things went smoothly. They successfully linked up with the Guerrillas and snuck into Paris through disguises, but it was a trap. The Red Skull had long been prepared, curious about Dr. Erskine's other creation.
But the answer disappointed him; even without him making a move, the opponent had already fallen.
The high-tech shield wasn't ready, and the shield Steve held was just an ordinary alloy. An 'ingenious' member of SSR cut a piece from an Iron Wall Tank's frontal armor with a US Army star, reshaped it into a circle, flattened it a bit, welded on two handles, and handed it to Steve.
Against regular bullets, it was okay, and he could deflect shells with the right angle, which he'd been doing before.
But this was Paris, not some wilderness; Hydra here was well-prepared, wielding Energy Weapons, and with nearly a thousand men firing in unison, even Captain America couldn't dodge them all.
Steve turned into a sieve in an instant, and just the fact that he didn't get vaporized was a testament to his body's resilience.
Peggy and Nick managed to retrieve him and began their escape.
An uninterested Red Skull didn't even bother deploying the Hydra Guard and simply called the police... Now, those chasing Steve and his companions were not only the regular garrison troops of Paris but also the secret police.
Too weak. He'd better check out the explosion on the northern side of the city; it seemed quite interesting...