Chapter 37: Upgrade
Capturing Zola and bringing him back to the base, Colonel Phillips personally interrogated him.
After some persuasion and intimidation, Zola quickly spilled the beans about the Red Skull. He knew too much about the organization, and they would kill him even if he stayed silent.
However, Zola had his plan. He believed that with his skills and intelligence, he would be valuable to the organization regardless of its base.
In the meeting room, Colonel Phillips shared the information provided by Zola with the top officials of the Strategic Scientific Reserve. Even Jack, who was originally supposed to return to New York, was asked to stay as his cooperation was needed for the upcoming mission.
"Johann Schmidt should be locked up in an asylum. He thinks he is a god and will detonate half the world to prove it, starting from America!"
Phillips shared the intelligence provided by Zola with everyone present at the table. Although Jack had seen it in the movie, he still felt a chill down his spine, knowing what Schmidt was planning to do.
This guy is definitely insane!
No, it's not just insane anymore. He's planning to blow up all the allied European countries' capital cities and economic centers, including Germany.
A cold sweat dripped down his forehead as Jack looked at the long list of targets.
If he succeeds, the number of casualties aside, the entire Western world will be plunged into chaos, the economy that had been improving will collapse, and the international neighborhood will regress by decades.
"The most troublesome thing is that Schmidt's technological power far surpasses ours."
"The biggest headache is that Schmitt's technological capabilities far exceed ours," Howard said, looking at Zola's testimony worriedly. "If Zola's information is correct, he can destroy the entire East Coast within an hour once he crosses the Atlantic, and the worst part is that we can't intercept it!"
"Time is running out. We have less than twenty-four hours!"
As soon as this news was announced, the atmosphere in the conference room became even more tense.
"It seems like we need to resort to extreme measures for our battle plan," said Jack, looking at a photo of Hydra's last stronghold in the mountain, five hundred feet underground.
This place was impenetrable, hardened by Hydra, and strategically located in the mountains. It was even more difficult to attack than their previous base in Oslo.
To penetrate this stronghold, they would need to coordinate land and air operations and, more importantly, execute a surprise attack to ensure the Red Skull could not escape.
"I agree! I have an idea!" Steve raised his hand.
"Don't beat around the bush, Captain Rogers!"
"Okay, it's simple."
The usual tactics would not work; they needed to take risks. Steve proposed a plan, and although it was simple and aggressive, it was also their best option. Steve would enter the Hydra base alone, pretending to make a mistake and getting captured so that Red Skull would come to see him.
The Howling Commandos would ambush the base from the opposite mountain. When Red Skull appeared, Steve would strike, delaying him while the Howling Commandos used a cable to raid the headquarters.
With their skills, they could wreak havoc in the Hydra base. Colonel Phillips would lead the troops stationed outside and combine with them, eliminating Hydra completely.
It was a risky plan, but they were running out of time. Colonel Phillips had no better ideas, so they had to fight quickly.
An hour later, the Howling Commandos assembled at the airport and boarded the plane to the mountain. It was a quiet flight, and everyone rested to prepare for the upcoming battle.
Jack closed his eyes and focused his mind on the multiverse salvage pool. He had resisted using it for three months and was waiting for the right moment to grab something good. He hoped that today's battle would give him that chance.
If he accomplishes something great in today's battle, those people above won't be able to touch him. This is one of the reasons why Colonel Philip chose to keep him.
The final battle won't be easy, and having more life-saving tricks could increase his chances of survival.
He has three chances to salvage something from the pool. However, Jack doesn't have much hope because of his attitude toward the pool. He's doing it just to see if he can improve his luck.
He silently prays to his ancestors for good luck and begins his salvage journey.
The first attempt gives him a used soap, which is useless!
The second attempt gives him a half-eaten sandwich, which is garbage!
The third attempt surprises him with a drop of dark red liquid. Le... Huh?
Whose is it?
As he pondered the origins of the mysterious liquid, a sudden surge of information flooded his mind. He immediately knew who it belonged to - a man named Sebastian Shaw, also known as Black King, a former leader of the Hellfire Club.
The liquid contained his mutant power and could grant Jack incredible abilities beyond his wildest dreams if used. Black King's power allowed him to absorb all forms of energy and convert it into his own raw strength., which he could then unleash at will.
Although the power had its limits, as evidenced by Black King's ability to use nuclear fuel in the original movie, it was still an incredibly powerful ability.
I'm not sure exactly what this ability's upper limit is, but there's one thing I can guarantee!
With this ability, Jack can easily defeat Red Skull with just one hand because every blow struck against him only makes him stronger.
He hasn't forgotten the last defeat. It left a lasting impression on him.
Besides the boost to his fighting strength, Jack values another ability the most, even more than his fighting power!
Black King can absorb energy from any source and metabolize it to enhance his physical strength, speed, and stamina. Greatly extending his lifespan.
Thinking of this, he could easily live for hundreds of years.
This is the reason why Jack values it so much. Longevity, this is the ability that so many people dream of!
Although it's not immortality, he can fish out more good things from the salvage pool as long as he has time. Who knows, maybe one day he will catch the elixir of life?
The possibility of immortality is now achievable. After all, he couldn't possibly be catch nothing for several hundred years.