Chapter 242: [War Machine]

Among the three aircraft carriers, the one ascending the slowest was barely a hundred meters off the ground. At this rate, there was no chance it could reach the three designated spots at the top of the atmosphere to initiate Hydra’s version of the [Insight Program].

However, this didn't stop the three carriers from wreaking devastating damage on New York and the surrounding cities.

Don't forget, Hydra was never just one person.

In the dark corners beyond Captain America and Nick Fury's surveillance, a group of Hydra operatives had already begun executing their cleansing plan, controlling the aircraft carriers.

As if to confirm his sinister declaration of giving up, the three rotary cannons on the carriers abruptly turned toward New York City.

You could almost imagine the terrifying roar of "boom, boom, boom!" the next second, plunging the already battered city into flames.

At that critical moment, a figure flashed across the sky like lightning. He was so fast that the surrounding clouds parted in silent screams.

Superman had arrived!

The moment his iconic cape was captured by S.H.I.E.L.D.'s aerial surveillance cameras, Nick knew the carriers were doomed.

Because... one of Hydra's targets was Lois Lane!

How could Superman tolerate that?

Like the largest intercontinental missile, Superman rocketed into the body of the highest aircraft carrier at least eight times the speed of sound.

In the next instant, the one-meter-thick alloy deck, at its thinnest point, bubbled and boiled like a cauldron of soup.

The power source was destroyed instantly, causing a massive ripple that spread outward, followed by a terrifying explosion that expanded across a three-kilometer radius.

The 400-meter-long carrier exploded in mid-air, splitting in two. Countless fragments rained down like a deadly meteor shower, crashing toward the S.H.I.E.L.D. base below.

As Nick marveled at Superman's decisiveness, Kratos' voice echoed in his ear: "My people have already evacuated."

Nick felt a bit frustrated: sure, your people are safe, but there are still a lot of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents on that ship who probably won't make it.

Nick knew it wasn’t Superman or Kratos’ fault; his own S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by Hydra. If those shells had fallen on New York, the disaster would have been even worse.

Meanwhile, Tony couldn’t wait any longer. His voice rang out in the Avengers' comms: "Sam Wilson, you need to evacuate now. I've taken control of Carrier A."

Almost as soon as Falcon hurriedly leaped out of the ship, Carrier A, under Tony’s control, shook violently. On one side of the ship, all the triple-barrel cannons suddenly erupted with intense fire.

"Boom!"

Dozens of deafening explosions merged into one long, earth-shaking roar. Before anyone could react, Carrier B followed with a series of explosions, rumbling like a string of firecrackers.

The explosions lit up Carrier B, as bright as fireworks.

It wasn't just the carrier Tony controlled; thanks to Captain America's earlier confrontation with Bucky, a large number of S.H.I.E.L.D. pilots, inspired by Cap, successfully launched their fighter jets. Guided by Agent Hill, they concentrated all their firepower on the colossal steel beast.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

The massive explosions and war-scale combat left the citizens of New York in shock.

But there was nothing they could do except hope to hear the latest news.

Unfortunately, Hydra's infiltration was nearly complete. Reporters didn’t dare to risk their lives flying into the battlefield. At most, they could watch from a distance, a block away, using high-powered cameras to catch a glimpse of the action.

The battle was over the top. The two gigantic aircraft carriers, burning with raging fire, plummeted from the sky. Their falling debris crushed countless buildings, and even the lake at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s entrance erupted into huge plumes of steam as the scorching metal plunged into the water.

It was an apocalyptic scene!

In this chaos, Captain America and his good friend Bucky engaged in a brutal fistfight.

From Atreus's perspective, the duel lacked grace.

It was a typical boxing match, mixed with some free-fighting moves, full of a turn-based feel.

Cap punched Bucky, and Bucky kicked Cap.

Every hit landed with a thud, but neither bled much—they were both enhanced, so blunt force trauma wasn’t a big deal.

They fought for ages, barely shedding a drop of blood.

Atreus, seated comfortably in a VIP suite at the Metropolitan Opera, listened to the [Symphony of War] while watching this brawl unfold against the backdrop of the crashing carriers.

It was a strange feeling.

“How do you feel?” Atreus asked the Wonder Woman sitting beside him.

Diana replied, “A bit dull. It’s like WWE here—full of theatrics.”

WWE is the American professional wrestling league, known for its entertainment value.

Atreus shrugged, “They’re good friends. I want to shout at them: ‘Stop fighting! You won’t kill each other like this!’”

As the God of War passionately narrated, a few women around him giggled.

Some people make money standing.

Atreus, on the other hand, earned divine power while sitting.

He watched the divine power meter in his system rise rapidly, passing one node after another.

That’s the unbeatable part of being the God of War.

On the battlefield, he could even see thousands of red souls being drawn into the sky.

To be precise, as long as it’s a [battlefield] as defined by the divine role, the red souls couldn’t escape.

Not just red souls; Atreus was also surprised to find that the two glowing aircraft carriers had entered his divine domain.

“Huh? What’s this…”

The system prompt appeared: [Congratulations to the host for acquiring large war machines (Insight Aircraft Carriers)!]

[Insight Aircraft Carriers: These are war machines under the command of the God of War. The host can inject divine power to bring these machines back to life, unleashing their original firepower. To maximize their potential, enough war souls are needed…]

Atreus looked around, slightly embarrassed.

Using a meme analogy: a god-level ghost ship!

Except, ghost ships are usually wooden sailing vessels, and now his version was modern aircraft carriers!

This raised a question: if the Chitauri motherships invaded Earth again, and Atreus destroyed them in the war domain, would those ships also fall under his control?

Well, might as well try.

After all, it wouldn’t be him risking his life.

In any case, the battle between Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. was coming to an end.

Over there, ever the even-matched fighter, Cap somehow managed to punch Bucky, just as a piece of carrier debris came crashing down, nearly killing them both.

At the last moment, Cap leaped to save Bucky, but was knocked out by the impact himself.

Bucky had a chance to kill Captain America but, after a moment of reflection, walked away, leaving Cap behind and jumping into the river alone...

(End of chapter)