"The fragments are all gathered, right in the south suburb." Monac once again displayed the black Earth image, and everyone in the Bone Hall stared at the enlarged light ball, lost in thought.
Nick Fury and Peggy Carter stood outside the crowd, overhearing bits and pieces about fragments and Namor, unsure of what these people intended to do.
Deathstroke clearly excluded the SSR personnel from the plan; without Steve, they seem to have no sense of purpose.
Peggy and Nick felt somewhat awkward, quietly resolving to work harder, striving to make SSR a powerful organization capable of effective action even without a Super Soldier.
Su Ming rose from the ground, inhaled deeply, and looked at everyone's face, "Let's begin."
.............
The previous plan was slightly altered; while the Triumphal Arch could be utilized, the other four should hide far away to provide backup.
Once Su Ming dealt with Zemo, they needed to swiftly carve a path for everyone to retreat together.
Just then, a guerrilla fighter rushed over, delivering the latest intelligence: Red Skull and Zemo had appeared at Concorde Square, capturing some of tonight's rebels and using them as hostages.
They broadcast through loudspeakers across the city, demanding Captain America to show himself, threatening to kill ten people every minute if he didn't appear within half an hour.
"Heh, I didn't even set a trap for them, and they went ahead and trapped me first?"
Since that's the case, there's no need for politeness.
Red Skull can't be killed; there's still some use for him. However, Zemo, that troublesome guy, must be eliminated first.
This situation clearly looks like a trap, but I'm not really Captain America, so suddenly transforming the shield into a weapon would surely shock them.
It's settled then.
The group then set out, heading to Concorde Square through the sewers.
...............
At this time, at the square, German soldiers had erected several tall bonfires, using doors and windows from buildings as firewood.
The entire square flickered with firelight, wrapping the nightfall in a golden edge, while Red Skull and Zemo quietly stood on a platform nearby.
Zemo repeatedly took out a pocket watch to check the time, while Red Skull merely kept a slight but constant distance, hands behind his back and saying nothing.
If Zemo paid closer attention, he might notice Red Skull's gaze was somewhat unfocused now, and his abdomen beneath the black coat appeared bloated, as though he had overeaten at dinner.
"Why aren't they here yet..."
Zemo noticed nothing unusual, wholly fixated on Steve.
Red Skull expressed no emotion, merely squeezing out faint 'hmms' through his nose.
"Time's almost up."
"Hmm."
"The two of us can definitely deal with him; as long as you delay him for just a moment, I'll use adhesive to stick him to the ground," Zemo confidently said, stroking his gun holster.
"Hmm," Red Skull replied calmly.
"Next, I'll add hundreds of kilograms of duck feathers to him, then order the troops to open fire, reducing both him and these rebels to ashes, ensuring no one in the world dares to resist Hydra ever again."
"Hmm." Red Skull remained silent, standing upright.
Zemo found it tedious; it seemed Red Skull had no interest in engaging. But then again, considering the previous meeting's outcomes, Red Skull seemed displeased.
Therefore, Zemo closed his mouth, glancing at the group behind them, consisting of captured rebels taken during evening rebellions in the city when they seized the opportunity to resist German rule.
He observed their faces; there were old and young, men and women, with various expressions now.
Some appeared resolute, standing tall, spitting and cursing at Zemo when he looked their way, until Hydra soldiers knocked them down with gun stocks.
Meanwhile, others looked fearful and unsteady, either crying loudly or sitting blankly on the ground.
Regardless, these people were doomed.
Zemo raised his hand, staring at the watch, ready to order the execution of the first batch of hostages once time was up.
Around them, the bonfire's flames soared high, the firelight wavering with crackling sounds, while the square filled with hundreds of Hydra elites remained silent, except for the sound of burning wood, with elite soldiers on high alert even while breathing.
Zemo's raised arm appeared to everyone like the Death God's scythe, poised to descend any moment.
But just as the cries reached a peak and Zemo was about to slash down his arm, a red, white, and blue shield flew from the distant night, slicing toward his neck.
Zemo's reaction speed wasn't quick enough, but the nearby Red Skull pulled him aside, and the shield struck the makeshift execution platform, splintering it, yet bouncing back in an uncanny manner.
"Captain America! Open fire, everyone!"
Zemo scrambled up from the ground; Red Skull's pull had been forceful, and there was no intent to support him. After the shield bounced off, Red Skull resumed his distant demeanor, calmly watching Captain America.
Zemo silently cursed; Red Skull truly was the most pretentious figure in Hydra, always maintaining that aloof attitude, incredibly irritating.
But at least the plan worked; using Red Skull and French hostages as bait, they lured Captain America.
Today's Captain America, under the firelight, looked somewhat greasy... never mind, probably due to the sewage water.
Patting the dust off himself, Zemo looked down at the soldiers besieging Captain America, feeling increasingly excited.
Revenge was imminent.
........
Su Ming actually arrived a few minutes ago, leaving the other four near the sewer entrance for backup, while he climbed to the rooftop, blending in with the surroundings using Strangulation's camouflage ability, climbing onto a nearby three-story building next to the square.
He calculated the number and positions of the troops below and devised the entire plan.
Then he saw Zemo foolishly raising his hand as if answering a question in class.
This stance was too spot-on, so Su Ming immediately threw the Godslayer transformed into a shield; should the surprise attack succeed, Zemo would become a freshly headless corpse.
But Red Skull, being a Super Soldier, managed to react quickly and helped Zemo evade the ambush.
"Tsk, what a pity."
Su Ming chuckled as Strangulation retracted the shield into his hand. Now, the distance between them was just about 40 meters, and this range along with the troops might hold off Steve...
But they certainly wouldn't stop Deathstroke disguised as Captain America.
He leaped down from the building, landing amidst the Hydra soldiers below, and began a massacre.
The shield was transformed from Godslayer; he didn't intend to use this Divine Power Weapon to directly counter the Energy Gun attacks, so after knocking down a few people, he also grabbed a blue-flaming Energy Gun from the ground, initiating a shootout against hundreds alone.
Dodging incessantly while pulling the trigger nonstop, he managed to evade most of the rays, only occasionally getting hit once or twice.
But in Zemo's eyes, it had already become unimaginable.