I moved through the facility like a ghost.
Thanks to the guard uniform and my system-enhanced physique, I blended in easily—no one spared me more than a glance. And I made sure not to give them a reason to.
Every corner held opportunity. A half-conscious soldier mumbling in his sleep. A Hydra technician slumped over a desk. A patrol trooper casually stretching near the break room. I didn't need to kill them. I didn't even need to touch them—just proximity, focus, and intent.
[Copy – Active]
One by one, the abilities flowed into me.
[Skill Gained: Stealth Operations]
[Skill Gained: Field Medicine]
[Skill Gained: Explosive Handling]
[Skill Gained: Advanced Firearm Handling]
[Skill Gained: Urban Combat]
[Skill Gained: Guerilla Tactics]
[Skill Gained: Communication Interception]
[Skill Gained: Mechanical Sabotage]
[Skill Gained: Knife Mastery]
[Skill Gained: Tactical Leadership]
Each one added to the growing arsenal in my Skills Panel. I didn't just have the muscle now—I had the mind of a soldier, the instincts of a killer, and the knowledge of survivalists from both sides of the war.
I ducked into a maintenance room and checked the panel.
[Ding]
You have acquired multiple skills of overlapping nature. Merge Suggestion: Military-Based Skills
Would you like to combine your relevant combat, tactical, and weapon-handling proficiencies into a singular advanced mastery?
[Yes] [No]
I didn't hesitate.
[Yes]
Merging…
[Skill Fusion Complete]
[New Skill Gained: Military Mastery – Lvl 8]
[Military Mastery]: You are a Master of Military doctrine, policies, and procedures with regards to any branches of the armed services and training, as well as intuitive comprehension and talent for any and all kinds of tactics, strategy, and warfare.
This is the ultimate warfare mechanism, since the user will automatically wage war with perfect skill, technique and timing. The users full and complete mastery in warfare and anything related to warfare makes the user the ultimate warrior.
An all-encompassing mastery of modern military tactics, weapons, survival, and close-quarters combat. The fused skill provides the combined benefits of all merged skills, streamlining control and enhancing combat efficiency.
Includes:
Operational Military Mastery
Strategic Military Mastery
Sub-Tactical Military Mastery
Tactical Military Mastery
Technical Military Mastery
I exhaled, a grin creeping across my face.
Synthesizing everything I'd copied into something greater. Something that only I could possess.
Then, I heard it.
A distant explosion. Followed by alarm klaxons. The facility trembled.
Showtime.
I rushed to a nearby window just in time to see it—Captain America, charging through the outer perimeter with his iconic shield raised, deflecting bullets and sending Hydra agents flying like bowling pins.
Flames licked the edge of the base. Spotlights flickered on, sirens screamed, and panic spread among the guards.
Steve Rogers had arrived.
And chaos followed in his wake.
Hydra soldiers scrambled to contain him, shouting in German, calling for reinforcements, but they were outmatched. Rogers moved like a storm—fluid, relentless, and absolutely unstoppable.
I ducked back from the window and leaned against the cold wall, heart pounding—not from fear, but from sheer anticipation.
This was the moment I had been waiting for.
The perfect storm.
Cap was creating a distraction so massive, I could do whatever I wanted behind the scenes.
And I intended to.
I needed a vantage point, somewhere to observe without being caught. After some careful maneuvering, I found a maintenance corridor with ventilation access that overlooked the main assembly area.
Perfect. From here, I had a clear view of the confrontation that was about to unfold.
Time crawled. Alarm sirens blared in the distance, and the guards grew increasingly agitated. Then, chaos erupted below. HYDRA soldiers scrambled, shouting orders. And just like clockwork, the doors burst open.
There he was—Steve Rogers, shield in hand, moving like a force of nature.
The battle was intense but swift. HYDRA soldiers fell before him, their bullets barely slowing him down. And then, across the assembly floor, another figure emerged—tall, imposing, clad in a black leather coat.
Johann Schmidt. The Red Skull.
I held my breath as the two exchanged words, tension thick in the air. Then, the moment I was waiting for—Schmidt peeled away his prosthetic mask, revealing his grotesque crimson visage. The discarded mask tumbled from the catwalk, landing below.
The grotesque sight of Schmidt's true face—a twisted red skull of muscle and sinew—sent shivers even through my enhanced spine. It was one thing to see it on-screen. It was another to see it in real life.
But it didn't slow Steve down.
Captain America didn't flinch. He charged forward with the force of a battering ram, his shield raised high.
I kept my eyes locked on the battle below.
Steve Rogers fought like a legend in motion—every move deliberate, every strike purposeful. The way he moved reminded me of those old boxing matches my dad used to watch.
Nothing wasted. Nothing for show. He'd slip a punch by inches, then counter with something that looked simple but landed like thunder. The kind of fighting you don't learn from trainers in a gym—the kind you only pick up when your life depends on it night after night.
Red Skull was something else entirely.
Where Steve fought smart, Schmidt fought mean. Each swing carried this horrible intent behind it. Not just to hurt—to destroy. I'd seen that kind of rage before, in bar fights where someone wasn't there to win but to make sure the other guy remembered it forever. His knuckles didn't just connect; they dug in, twisted. His eyes never blinked. Not once.
"System copy all the martial arts and combat forms they know. While you are at it copy Arnim Zola's Knowledge about everything specially his Super Soldier Serum's formula"
******************************************
You can get access to early chapters on patr*on.
If you like my work and you want to support me then you can become my patron on patre*n.
My patr*on account is S_Pandey_0170