257. Ambush in the Shadows!
The aggressive Doombots had already been exposed the moment they intruded into Red Skull's territory.
Although Doctor Doom had been very cautious, the movement of hundreds of Doombots, like a swarm of locusts, made it almost impossible to remain undetected.
To avoid alerting Red Skull prematurely, Doctor Doom only dispatched them the day before the execution, sending them in full force towards New Babylon. Under such a tight schedule, the question of whether they were exposed was no longer important.
As a player in the chess game against Red Skull, Alex naturally didn't want anyone to interfere. He had specifically gathered intelligence on the other villains in the Wasteland, fearing that troublemakers like Bruce Banner or Doctor Doom might pull some stunts. Thus, Alex had arranged for Kara and Pietro to stand guard around New Babylon, with the goal of keeping all uncontrollable factors outside.
Although Kara had not yet regained her bio-field, Alex could still enchant her red cape to intercept the flying Doombots, though her flight speed was a bit slow. Judging by the results, Kara and Pietro performed admirably.
The next step was to cover everyone's retreat. With Kara being the most capable, she was the best candidate to retrieve Old Barton and the Red Hood from the battlefield. Meanwhile, Pietro's task was to assist Black Canary and Ashley, who were heading to the White House. The mission to rescue Red Hood had been accomplished, but what was about to unfold would not be so easily controlled.
Red Skull's death was inevitable, and Hydra, a massive organization, was bound to face attacks from all sides. It was predictable that the Wasteland would soon fall into a period of conflict among the warlords, and peace would be nowhere in sight.
This was a consequence of the destruction of any major force. Much like in the old days, when supervillains killed all the superheroes and then divided the world among themselves, they too experienced a very dark era.
The world was plunged into endless conflict, and no one was ever truly safe. Assassinations, espionage, and wars were constant as all factions sought to gain more resources and power.
Now, it was the same. Even if these "superheroes" defeated Red Skull, they still couldn't stop the tides of the era. Each time a giant falls, it attracts all kinds of scavengers and vermin. This was an eternal truth, and Alex couldn't prevent it.
So, killing Red Skull was far from a heroic act. No hero could bear the responsibility for the countless innocent civilians who would die in the ensuing chaos after Red Skull's death.
"Pack up and get ready to retreat."
Alex commanded the heroes of the Justice League to gather, and as they did, their bodies began to slowly fade into phantom forms, merging into one another. As for the pile of divine gear Red Skull had left behind, Alex wasn't about to let it go to waste.
"Guess I'll just help myself to this stuff~"
In a flash of light, all of Red Skull's mystical items appeared before Alex. Even though they were old and damaged, they still pulsed with magical energies. Alex smiled and nodded. Storing them in his magical space, Alex began contacting the others. "Kara, how's it going on your side?"
"All good."
Watching the red car fly farther and farther away, Kara replied calmly. She then gave a cold glare towards the forces below and shot off in the direction where Old Barton and the others were leaving.
After Kara left, everyone on the battlefield breathed a sigh of relief. The sight of another superhuman beating up Super Skrull and Red Skull was still fresh in their minds. None of them dared to provoke a Supergirl, even though this one seemed rather young.
The Hulk gang had learned that the hard way, as was evident from the piles of corpses. None of the mercenaries doubted that if anyone dared to make a move, that girl would unleash devastating attacks on them.
Or worse, she might call upon the Justice League's seven members to kill everyone here.
Wait, what?
It was only then that they realized the battlefield had been quiet for a while. Besides the groans and shouts from Hydra soldiers, no one had noticed when the seven members of the Justice League disappeared.
No one knew how the Justice League heroes had left. All they could see were the marks and damage left behind in the center of the New Era Plaza.
Meanwhile, at the White House, deep within Hydra's underground bunker…
Ashley punched a Hydra elite soldier, sending him flying tens of meters. Then she shot out a web, snatching the laser gun from a soldier who was trying to sneak up on her and flinging it away. After doing this, she had a moment to turn to Black Canary and say, "For a 'superhero,' you're not half bad."
"Thanks for the compliment, but I'm not happy, kid, because—"
Ahhhhhh!!!
Black Canary suddenly let out a sharp scream, instantly knocking out the Hydra soldiers surrounding them. The terrifying sonic waves even caused the entire bunker to tremble slightly. This was pure agony for Venom.
"Where was I? Oh right, I'm not happy, Ashley. You're hitting too hard."
"Hah!"
Ashley laughed and rolled her eyes. "I'll pretend I didn't hear that. Don't ruin the good vibes between us, okay? It's rare to meet someone I actually like."
"I never want to team up with her again," Venom muttered softly.
"Should I feel honored?" Black Canary ignored Venom and smiled. At first, she hadn't liked Ashley, but as a reserve member of the Justice League and a combat instructor, she had dealt with more than her fair share of "problem children."
The Teen Titans were manageable, but the kids from the Young Justice League, now 'they' were a headache when they first started out.
"Calling all units—Black Canary and Spider-Woman, what's your status?"
Just then, Pietro's voice came through their earpieces, interrupting the conversation between Black Canary and Ashley.
It's worth noting that speedsters can't usually talk to people while running because their speed makes it impossible for them to hear others, and their words would sound like gibberish to anyone else.
Unless they had some special means.
"We've cleared everything below the fifth basement level. We're trying to break through security now," Black Canary said, pressing her earpiece. "Quicksilver, where are you?"
"Almost there—oh shi—!"
Hearing Pietro's sudden exclamation, Black Canary's expression changed. She immediately spoke up, "What happened? Quicksilver, can you hear me!?"
She didn't have to wait long. After about four or five seconds, Pietro's voice came back.
"I...I'm okay...someone activated...gravity field..."
Pietro's words were labored, as if each one took all his strength to say. But before he could finish, Black Canary had already guessed what he was trying to say.
"Someone restarted the gravity field?"
"Gravity field!? That's impossible, we already took out Zola," Ashley said, her face darkening, though her hands never stopped moving.
Without holding back in the slightest, every Hydra elite who approached was torn apart by Ashley's overwhelming strength.
"Zola was just a program. There must be some other way to restart the gravity field besides him," Black Canary frowned, trying to recall the layout of the underground bunker.
Like Batman, Black Canary could use her sonic waves to map out the terrain, which was extremely useful in Hydra's underground maze.
"Wait, hold on!"
Suddenly, Ashley seemed to sense something. Hearing this, Black Canary immediately turned around to look in Ashley's direction.
"I feel uncomfortable, like something is approaching."
Though all the Hydra elites in sight had been dealt with, the sense of danger hadn't faded. Instead, it was growing more intense. Ashley's skin prickled, her hair standing on end, as an overwhelming sense of foreboding filled her.
Hissss
Out of the darkness, a white mist suddenly surged forward, enveloping Ashley in an instant.
Though she reacted quickly, the terrifying, high-pressure gas sprayed out like a fire hose, covering too wide an area for her to evade in such a confined space.
"Ashley!"
Black Canary, unable to dodge in time, was also caught in the mist. She smelled something acrid and pungent. Black Canary initially thought it was some kind of poison gas, but strangely, it didn't affect her. However, Ashley collapsed to the ground, twitching slightly.
Clamping a hand over her nose and mouth, Black Canary looked toward the direction from which the mist had come. In the dark corridor, a figure was slowly approaching.
"Even the strongest of insects can be killed with a single can of bug spray."
A cold voice echoed down the hall, immediately putting Black Canary on high alert.
"You...you bast—"
Lying on the ground, Ashley barely managed to catch a glimpse of a pair of shoes in front of her. Her whole body felt terrible—weak, sweating profusely.
"Don't misunderstand, little girl. I'm not here for you."
The owner of the shoes spoke.
"After all, you're just a sad defective. My target is a much more precious prey."
The camera panned upwards, revealing a bloodstained jacket in Black Canary's view under the dim emergency lighting.
"Like, a superhero from another world."
"Who are you?"
Black Canary narrowed her eyes, sensing immense danger.
The eerie figure smirked and stepped out of the shadows, his mechanical red eye gleaming as it remained locked on Black Canary, never letting her out of his sight. He removed his hat, revealing an old face with scars on his forehead.
"Call me Bullseye."
The old man showed a cruel smile.
"I've been waiting for you here for a long time!"
.....
📢30 advanced chapters on p@treaon📢
For advance chapters: [email protected]/Uchiha_Itachi007 (replace @ with a)
258. The Unfinished Battle.
259. The Death of Black Canary!
260. Wrath of the Gods!
261. Bullseye's Log - Final Chapter.
262. After the Storm.