Aside from the "Iron-Blooded Overlord," this was undoubtedly the heaviest blow Qin Xiao had ever taken.
Put simply, the power behind this strike was far greater than anything Qin Xiao could unleash before he drank the improved Hulk serum.
In the past, even if he managed to dodge a hail of bullets, a single hit like this would have left him completely disoriented and blinded.
But now—
Bang!
Qin Xiao's palm collided with his opponent's wrist, producing a dull, metallic crash.
Both of the man's arms were metallic. His long hair was unkempt, and his mouth and nose were tightly covered by black metal.
He was Captain America's close friend, HYDRA's killing machine—
The Winter Soldier, Bucky Barnes.
The full-force sweeping strike Bucky launched with his entire body was effortlessly blocked.
There was no surprise on Bucky's face. Even after witnessing Qin Xiao stop a Gatling gun's barrage at point-blank range with his own body, the brainwashed assassin felt nothing.
To him, there was only the mission—and how to complete it.
Qin Xiao, on the other hand, was still considering how to knock Bucky unconscious and take him alive, or something along those lines.
As the metal arm gripping Bucky's wrist shifted slightly, Bucky moved with it.
With a soft mechanical click, Qin Xiao's grip loosened.
Only then did Qin Xiao notice the grenade-shaped object in Bucky's hand.
Before he could react, the device detonated, erupting in a blinding white flash.
A flashbang!
Qin Xiao wasn't afraid of grenades. Even if one exploded in his palm, it wouldn't mean much to him.
But no matter how strong his body was—
His eyes were no more resistant to intense light than those of an ordinary person.
At such close range, the flashbang was devastating.
It felt as though a miniature sun had exploded in front of his eyes.
Pain stabbed through them, and he cried out instinctively. Tears streamed down his face as he released his grip and clutched his burning eyes.
"Qin, what happened?!"
Hearing Qin Xiao's cry, Tony and Black Widow's voices rang out almost simultaneously.
"Flashbang—damn it! My eyes feel like they're going blind! Come in and pursue, but be careful—there's a guy with a metal arm. His strength and speed are far beyond normal!"
"Is it him?"
Black Widow was about to rush in to support him when the scene before her froze her in place—memories resurfacing of the killing machine who had once left scars on her body.
She hesitated for only a moment. Tony, meanwhile, had already piloted his armor straight into the tunnel.
He quickly reached Qin Xiao.
"Are you okay? Can you hear me?"
Worried that Qin Xiao might make some unconscious movement without realizing it, Tony spoke while positioning himself protectively in front of him.
"I'm fine… it's just white everywhere. I can't see anything at all."
Qin Xiao was telling the truth.
"It's okay. Your metabolism is much faster than normal—you should recover soon. Give it some time."
Flashbangs could cause days of discomfort for ordinary people, but Qin Xiao's physique was far superior.
"As long as you're not permanently blinded. When I was stunned, I heard two sets of footsteps—one ahead, one behind. I'm pretty sure the metal-armed guy escaped alone."
"I'll search inside and leave the outside to you."
As Qin Xiao finished speaking, Hawkeye's voice came through the comms.
Tony wasted no time. With a sharp burst of propulsion, he fired into the tunnel and surged forward.
Less than ten seconds later, an explosion echoed through the metal passage, the walls humming from the impact.
The sound came from the direction Tony had gone.
Just as Qin Xiao was about to ask what had happened, he heard footsteps nearby.
A faint, fragrant breeze brushed past him. His arms instinctively tightened, and a soft, familiar sensation pressed against him.
Black Widow had entered the tunnel to help him escape.
Only then did Tony's voice come through the earpiece.
"The Mexican drug lord just blew himself up right in front of me. I found fragments of a timer—it looks like a bomb with a delayed fuse. It should've been disarmed. This is more complicated than we thought, Clint. What about you? Did you see the metal arm?"
Tony's analysis was spot-on. Suicide didn't require a timed explosive.
"Guys, we were played! There are multiple secret tunnels leading in all directions—this was the real escape route! I can't tell which one he used. No traces at all!"
"Forget it, Clint. Don't chase him," Black Widow said into the comm. "That was probably the Winter Soldier. I've fought him before—we're not equipped to deal with him easily."
For now, that was all they could do. Although the drug lord was dead and the base destroyed, the operation as a whole could hardly be considered a failure.
"Alright, it's over now," Black Widow said softly. "How are you feeling? Do your eyes still hurt?"
Only then did she have time to check on Qin Xiao.
Sensing the concern in her voice and smelling the faint perfume at her nose, Qin Xiao leaned forward, pressing his arms against her full chest.
Compared to what the eyes could see, imagination offered something far more limitless.
"Hey! Are you okay?"
Seeing Qin Xiao remain silent, Black Widow shook his arm again.
Only then did Qin Xiao snap back to reality, wearing an aggrieved expression.
"I'm not okay! I can't see, my head's spinning—I can't even stand. Oof!"
With an exaggerated groan, Qin Xiao stumbled straight into Black Widow's chest.
Dizzy and unsteady, his head rubbed hard against two soft mounds several times.
Then he went limp, collapsing completely into her arms.
Thud!
Black Widow was easy to fool.
Qin Xiao was perfectly fine—and even had the energy to act shameless.
She shoved him toward the wall, sending him tumbling onto the floor.
"That's inhumane!"
Qin Xiao pouted as he stood up, brushed off his backside, and shouted into the comm.
"Damn it, Tony! Where are you? Get over here and take me out! I've saved you plenty of times—now it's your turn to repay the favor!"
…
Naturally, the remaining cleanup would be handled by others, but the Winter Soldier's appearance cast a shadow of conspiracy over the entire operation.
Black Widow and the others speculated that Celesto was merely a money-making tool for the organization behind the Winter Soldier. Only Qin Xiao knew the truth—that this drug lord was likely part of HYDRA's financial supply chain.
As for whether Bucky's presence was a coincidence, or a deliberate attempt to prevent Celesto from falling into their hands—only God knew.
The mission was not without gains.
Although Celesto was dead, Tony found login records for a Zurich bank on his personal computer.
The computer hadn't been specially protected, allowing Tony to easily retrieve the account and password through usage traces.
The account held five hundred million dollars.
While that sum was insignificant relative to Celesto's status, it was more than enough to cover their expenses for a very long time.
—
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