If you manage to escape, you win (yeah, right).

The others showed little reaction to Steve’s sudden words. As members of the Avengers, they were long accustomed to Jos having all sorts of peculiar abilities, one of which was the telepathic connection he shared exclusively with Steve.

Though he couldn’t explain it, ever since this fact became known, Steve had noticed something odd in Natasha’s gaze. It wasn’t anything negative; rather, it was as if she’d discovered a new continent, her eyes sparkling with an intensity that made Steve feel a strange, unsettling tension. Her expression now was just like that.

Wiping away a cold sweat, Steve ignored Natasha’s reaction and turned his attention to Jos, engaging in earnest conversation, though he continued to mutter inwardly. He couldn’t shake the feeling that ever since Jos had joined the Avengers, the whole team had become a little strange.

Their telepathic exchange didn’t last long, nor did it interfere with their battle. After a dozen seconds, Steve managed to glance at his companions, his brow furrowed.

“What’s wrong, Steve? What did he say?” someone asked.

“He… asked where we are, and how the battle’s going. I told him, and he said he’ll be here soon.”

Hawkeye, having just felled a Hydra agent with his bow, rubbed his brow and said, “I can understand his eagerness to help, but what can he do alone in this situation? Unless he brings an entire army, this district will still fall.”

The phrase ‘many ants can kill an elephant’ was no joke. The city was crawling with Hydra operatives; no matter how formidable Jos was, he couldn’t possibly wipe them all out. Though the city housed many extraordinary individuals, those willing to fight were already engaged; the rest would only preserve their own lives, even if Hydra massacred the district.

Steve gave Hawkeye a strange look, then nodded, “Well… he said he’s bringing reinforcements from a base. They aren’t top-tier fighters, but against Hydra’s army they’ll be more effective than we are.”

“Uh…” Hawkeye murmured for some time, but found himself at a loss for words.

In any normal world, letting soldiers fight soldiers and generals fight generals was an idiotic strategy. After all, ‘an army is easy to find, a general is hard to come by’ is not just an empty saying. If you send your generals out to brawl, they’re more likely to be shot down immediately by the enemy.

But in Marvel—or any world with supernatural powers—this logic failed, for here, the ‘generals’ were often the strongest combatants. Naturally, they couldn’t be left to guard the base; they had to personally shape the war’s outcome.

Still, such high-level fighters shouldn’t be wasted in pointless mass combat. Just as Wolverine could be ambushed or captured by ordinary people, the Avengers—though extraordinary—still faced the same problem.

Now, with ordinary soldiers entering the fray, their predicament was greatly eased. Whether it was resupplying ammunition or restoring their stamina, the presence of regular troops made their task much lighter.

“But if we all withdraw, can he really hold the line alone?” Just as the group breathed a sigh of relief, Natasha raised another concern.

The three looked around at the seemingly endless Hydra ranks, and felt a renewed sense of helplessness. A crowd of a hundred or two didn’t sound like much, but packed into a street, it was wall-to-wall bodies. Hydra had deployed tens of thousands in this war; in just their district, there were thousands.

Only Natasha, Steve, and Hawkeye together were holding this area. Jos was certainly powerful, but lacking ranged and area attacks, he’d be overwhelmed by the tide of enemies.

“I don’t know… but he says he has his own way… What’s that?!”

As Steve pondered, a hundred round, apple-sized objects arced through the air, landing amidst the enemy ranks.

“Are those… grenades?” All three had sharp eyes and were familiar with such weapons; they recognized them instantly.

“Tch, if we can identify them, so can the enemy—this is pointless. Who’s being so reckless?” Hawkeye grumbled.

Grenades, even in normal circumstances, risk being picked up and thrown back, or easily dodged once spotted.

Therefore, facing Hydra’s supersoldiers and cyborgs, grenades were of little use and could even backfire. To avoid having the grenades tossed back at them, Hawkeye and the others began to retreat, while Natasha sighed and frowned.

“Of everyone I know, there’s only one person who would do this.”

“Yeah… same here…” Steve nodded in agreement. Globally, it might not be unique, but in New York, only Jos would be so bold.

As they withdrew and glanced back, they saw Jos approaching, his tentacles whirling behind him as they flung grenades at a truly astonishing speed.

Grenades didn’t excel in close combat, but as firearms, they offered a certain thrill. Some he’d scavenged from everywhere, others he’d extracted from his system. Unlike the Jade Dragon Pot, these exploded and were gone—just a hundred points for a bang.

“You’re wasting them! You have to time the throw so the grenade explodes as it lands among the enemy; otherwise, everyone will escape!” Hawkeye, a fellow explosives expert, called out as he drew near Jos.

Such a large stash of grenades could keep their firepower going for a while; if Jos wasted them, they’d barely reach a tenth of their potential.

“Escape? Only if they can move,” Jos replied, tossing another wave of grenades. Suddenly, he settled into a horse stance, striking a strange pose.

“What’s he doing?” Hawkeye asked, puzzled—but in the next instant, he found himself unable to move.

“That odd ability again… As he said, those people won’t get away,” Natasha said calmly, unfazed by the sight.

Not far away, Jos’s arms began to swing slowly, and he shouted, “Diamond Star Fist Opening Move • Enhanced Grenade Edition!”