Half an hour later, the Terminator armor, splattered with drying blood and viscera, slowly entered the deepest part of the base. The heavy thud, thud, thud of its footsteps echoed in the now-quiet corridors. Nolan also found Bucky, who had clearly been there for some time.
At that moment, Bucky, his black combat suit torn and his body once again covered with fresh wounds, was holding a silent chainsword with his mechanical arm. He was breathing heavily, his breath fogging in the cool air. He sat with a bone-weary expression on a silver metal giant, a sleek mech that was comparable in size to Nolan's Terminator armor.
The still-cooling hellgun and the pulse rifle, its ammunition exhausted, were piled haphazardly at his feet, as if dropped. Within ten meters of him, the corpses of countless were scattered, many dismembered by the mech's weapons. It was clear Bucky, who was in charge of leading the team, had experienced an unimaginably brutal battle.
"For the next mission, I'd better lend you the Hunting Lord armor. Bucky, you are really unlucky."
Nolan shook his diamond-shaped helmet, the red optics seeming to scan the carnage. He moved in Terminator armor forward slowly, his voice booming from the external speaker, sounding helplessly to the pale Bucky.
"Captain, please stop making sarcastic remarks."
Bucky grinned slightly, a pained grimace. He reluctantly swallowed a mouthful of saliva mixed with the coppery taste of blood. He casually pointed at the silver metal giant beneath him with his chin and said weakly, "If I didn't need to keep her alive, I would have chopped her to death with the chainsword."
"Mariko Yashida?"
Nolan raised his hand and, with a hiss of decompressing seals, took off his diamond-shaped helmet. He put the C'tan Phase Sword back onto its harness on his pack. His slightly narrowed cyan wolf eyes stared at the silver metal giant.
"That's right, that's her."
Exhausted, Bucky struggled to get up, using his chainsword like a cane. He stumbled, making way for Nolan.
Inside the silver metal giant, which had been forcibly split open at the cockpit, a woman with a shaved head was revealed. Her original delicate features were now a mask of bloody and swollen wounds. Obviously, in order to put her into a coma, Bucky's metal arm had been put to use.
At the same time, Bucky, pale and sweating, took a deep, shuddering breath. He pointed the chainsword at Nolan and said softly, "She has been brainwashed by Hydra. It seems Madam Hydra wanted to use her to control the remaining power of the Yashida family. By the way, where is Madam Hydra? Don't let her escape."
"Don't worry. Corpse can't escape."
Nolan, who had narrowed his cyan wolf eyes, grinned, baring the sharp fangs in his mouth.
The next second, hearing Nolan's reply, Bucky seemed to be completely relieved. A visible shudder ran through him as the last of his adrenaline fled. His eyes rolled, and he started to fall backward.
With wide eyes, Nolan instantly raised his huge metal palm, moving with surprising speed. He gently held Bucky's back, stopping his fall.
Then, Nolan raised the diamond-shaped helmet in his other palm and said into the communication device, "David, you can come now."
"As you command, my lord."
Yashida ninjas moved like shadows through the family holy land that had once belonged to them, looking for any Hydra soldiers still alive. When they found one, they added a few more cuts with their blades without hesitation, their faces grim.
As time passed, all Hydra soldiers who had not escaped faced a final, silent reckoning.
At the same time, in a secret, sterile-white research room deep in the base, Mariko Yashida, wearing only a thin layer of a white medical gown, was placed on a cold metal platform.
A metal helmet with dozens of exposed, dangling cables was carefully put on her head by David.
Nolan, wearing his Terminator armor but with his helmet off, narrowed his cyan wolf eyes. He stood aside, arms crossed, watching David's every move.
Not long ago, the seriously injured Bucky had been sent to the Yashida family's medical team by David to receive necessary treatment. Just when David and Nolan were searching the base, they accidentally discovered the technological creation used by Hydra for brainwashing.
"David, any update?" Nolan asked softly, his voice a low rumble in the quiet room. He watched David, who was adjusting the metal helmet.
"Don't worry, my lord. According to the information retained by Hydra, this human lady just completed her brainwashing not long ago. The false memory is not strong and can be easily replaced. Anything related to Madam Hydra will be replaced by the Emperor, and the Hydra organization will be replaced by the Imperium of Man. Of course, the specific effect will depend on whether Hydra's brainwashing technology works."
David, who did not stop moving his precise metal hands, shook his metal head slightly. His eye sockets flashed with blue light as he carefully observed the internal structure of the helmet.
"I think the point is not brainwashing, but instilling a new memory. After we return, let's see if our Reditus can use this technology to restore the empire's crown of knowledge."
Nolan, blinking his cyan wolf eyes, said calmly, "Whether it is loyalty or knowledge, it can be quickly digested after instillation. Simple brainwashing may have hidden dangers, but being loyal to an unyielding belief in the heart is the best brainwashing method."
"My Lord is wise. Everything is ready."
Before the words were finished, David raised his metal head towards Nolan.
As he shook a metal finger, activating the console, Mariko Yashida, who was in a coma, suddenly let out a shrill, piercing scream. Her whole body jumped violently, arching off the table, like a fish out of water.
Even though the thin clothes she was wearing fell off her shoulder with her violent struggle, neither David nor Nolan cared at all. They didn't even look.
The only thing they cared about was the specific effect of Hydra's brainwashing technology.
Mariko Yashida, still in a coma, was handed over to Yukio, who was in tears.
After arranging the follow-up treatment for her sister, the petite Yukio knelt down to Nolan again, her hands pressed to the cold floor.
Nolan raised his eyebrows and slightly turned his head to avoid her gratitude. He told her in a calm, flat tone that it was the seriously injured Bucky who had saved Mariko's life. If he had met Mariko, he might not have held back.
However, the emotional Yukio still knelt down to Nolan.
"The Hydra base in Japan was completely destroyed, and Madam Hydra, who had controlled the family for many years, was killes by you. Mariko-neesan also returned safely. All of this is the hope you brought!"
"I, Yukio Yashida, will offer my loyalty to you on behalf of all the remaining power of the Yashida family!"
"No matter what your future ambitions are, the Yashida family will always be your personal guard! Loyal servants!"
Yukio's head hit the cold ground heavily, a dull thud. She kept kneeling, seeming not to dare to look directly at Nolan.
The next moment, Nolan, his cyan wolf eyes narrowed, licked the fangs in his mouth with his tongue, a slow, deliberate gesture.
He chuckled, a low, humorless sound. He said lightly, "I hope you remember what you said today, Yukio of the Yashida family."
"Also... stand up. Don't kneel."
His voice hardened, cutting through the room.
"From now on, no one is allowed to kneel down to me!"
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writing takes time, coffee, and a lot of love.If you'd like to support my work, join me at [email protected]/GoldenGaruda
You'll get early access to over 50 chapters, selection on new series, and the satisfaction of knowing your support directly fuels more stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~