Chapter 39: Mission Completed
Pain—so much pain!
He could hear nothing, his vision blurred with blood, the world turned crimson. Every breath was accompanied by excruciating agony. Mason felt his consciousness fading, sliding toward the abyss.
"Delivery mission complete. Submit mission?" A notification came from the Dimensional Express Company's mission terminal.
"Mission complete?" Mason was stunned.
"The courier has successfully delivered the vibranium shield to Black Serpent Captain Gilmore Hodge. Mission evaluation in progress. Submit mission?"
Mason looked up, watching Hodge hold the shield in front of him, striding toward the flame-filled laboratory.
"Damn it, you've got to be kidding me!"
Mason nearly spat out blood. He'd exerted so much effort, been beaten within an inch of his life by Hodge, and yet he'd somehow managed to complete the mission by sheer accident?
He could have simply pressed the confirm button to finish the delivery, but for some reason, the pent-up rage within Mason wouldn't dissipate!
He thought of Professor Erskine's calm expression as he died in his arms, the trust in Steve Rogers's eyes, and the savagery and hatred Gilmore Hodge displayed when facing him.
A strange emotion exploded in his chest.
"Screw you—I'm not giving you the shield!"
He slammed "No" on the mission submission page!
With a surge of strength from God knows where, Mason pulled the metal rod embedded in his abdomen, picked up the pistol from the ground, and shakily loaded the last four bullets.
He gritted his teeth and stood up abruptly. "Hodge, I'm not dead yet!" With that, he mustered his last reserves of strength and charged toward Hodge!
Hearing Mason's voice, Hodge turned around. "Want to die? I'll grant your wish!"
"Bang!"
Mason raised his hand and fired, but Hodge blocked it with his shield. His power was waning, but for some reason, Mason felt his speed had increased slightly. He raised his hand and fired again—unsurprisingly, the shot struck the shield in front of Hodge once more.
Hodge grinned sadistically, not dodging, but instead holding his shield in front of him and charging at Mason. "Thanks for the shield—it's a handy weapon. I'll keep it with me every day after you're dead!"
"Bang!"
Sparks flew as another shot struck the shield. Mason had only one bullet left, and he was only a few steps away from Hodge.
Facing the charging Hodge, Mason didn't dodge or evade. He extended his left hand as if to resist the impact.
"Pathetic!" Hodge grinned maliciously, quickening his pace and slamming forward!
Crack!
The instant the shield made contact with Mason's arm, a sickening sound of bone breaking rang out. Mason maintained the last vestige of his sanity, aimed his gun at the shield, and then, in the instant Hodge pulled the shield back, yanked the trigger!
"Bang!"
The sharp gunshot rang out in the dead of night. A bullet entered Hodge's eye socket, creating an exit wound in the back of his skull.
Hodge's body collapsed to the ground like a puppet with cut strings. His enhanced physique was rapidly trying to heal his wounds, but against this kind of injury, it was utterly futile.
Mason's body flew through the air and crashed to the ground, his blood quickly pooling beneath him. "Screw you, Black Serpent Captain! I just don't want to give you this shield!"
Mason coughed up blood as he materialized the shield in his hand. Although the scenery before him became increasingly blurry, he stood up and slowly walked to Hodge.
The light in Hodge's remaining eye faded. He opened his mouth wide as if to say something. Even now, he couldn't understand how the shield, which was clearly in his hand, could have vanished without a trace.
Mason raised his shield high above his head and brought it down on Hodge's neck. "Goodbye, Captain Snake!"
Thud!
The razor-sharp edge of the shield severed Hodge's neck, decapitating him. The once arrogant Black Serpent captain breathed his last.
Mason, having exhausted all his strength, felt a wave of dizziness wash over him, as if all his power had been drained. He collapsed backward to the ground.
In his blurred vision, a tall figure slowly approached him.
"Is that Steve? This is your shield." Mason struggled to pick up the shield, trying to hand it to the figure.
Smack!
The shield was knocked away, followed by a dizzying spin. Mason was hoisted up by the figure, the shield rolling further and further from his sight.
The delivery terminal was rapidly alerting: "Shield lost! Shield lost! Please retrieve the shield as soon as possible, otherwise..."
"Target located, successfully captured! Target's vital signs are declining, life in danger—urgently needs medical treatment!" A strange voice rang in his ears.
Mason's mind raced with confusion. "What the hell is going on? The mission was almost complete, and now this?"
Just then, a tall figure rushed out of the laboratory door not far away—it was the enhanced Steve Rogers.
Perhaps due to the effects of the super gene repair serum, the enhanced Steve looked even taller and more imposing than in the movies, nearly six-foot-three, his bare upper body rippling with muscle.
"Who the hell are you? Put Mason down!"
Steve had just rushed out of the laboratory when he saw Mason being carried over someone's shoulder. He shouted and lunged forward.
But before he could get close, a tall, powerful figure suddenly rushed out from the side and collided heavily with Steve.
Like two human battering rams, the attacker was clearly superior in size, but in reality, the enhanced Steve was probably unmatched in strength. Steve only took a few steps back, but the man was sent flying several meters away.
Strangely, despite the violent impact, the man seemed oblivious to pain and fatigue, quickly getting up and charging forward again.
Seeing someone trying to stop him, the figure carrying Mason ran away without hesitation.
At this moment, Carter and Howard, who had just extinguished the fire at the door, rushed out of the laboratory.
"Mason's been taken! Save him!" Steve was tied up fighting the strange man and could only shout desperately.
Carter was about to give chase when the man entangled with Steve suddenly pulled a grenade pin and lunged at the group!
Steve kicked the man away, and after a violent explosion, limbs and debris were scattered everywhere. But when he looked up, Mason had already disappeared into the distance.
"Who were they?"
Steve didn't answer. He picked up the shield that had fallen to the ground and carefully wiped the blood off it.
"What's that?" Carter asked.
"This is the shield Mason promised me—a testament to our friendship." Steve looked at the first glimmer of light on the horizon and said to Carter with a melancholy expression, "I missed an important promise!"
"Don't worry, Steve—we'll find Mason!" Carter encouraged Steve firmly, holding his hand.
"Mason, I promise I'll find you, no matter how hard it is!" Steve made a silent vow.
"Mission complete! Successfully delivered the vibranium shield to Captain America, Steve Rogers."
"Submit mission?"
"Mission approved, calculating reward..."
Before losing consciousness, Mason saw the message pop up on his personal terminal and smiled with relief, submitting the mission without hesitation.
"Hell yes—finally done!"
Then everything went black, and he completely lost consciousness.
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