Chapter 160: The Red House Task Force

Yelena sprang up and lunged at Natasha with a knife. Natasha parried the blow with her baton, quickly lunging forward to wrap her arms around Yelena's neck, while Yelena retaliated by grabbing Natasha's hair.

The two wrestled tightly, tearing at each other. Suddenly, Yelena broke free from Natasha's grip, dropped low, and charged at Natasha, grabbing her legs and lifting her up before slamming her hard against the wall near the windowsill.

Natasha grabbed the white curtains by the window, ripped them down, and wrapped them around Yelena's neck. Once again, Yelena grabbed Natasha's body and slammed her viciously against the wall.

Natasha dropped from Yelena's embrace, and Yelena seized the opportunity to wrap the curtain around Natasha's neck as well. Pulling tight on the curtain, Natasha executed a shoulder throw, slamming Yelena hard onto the floor.

Yelena also gripped the curtain around Natasha's neck tightly. Both of them clutched the curtains choking each other's necks, lying flat on the ground and strangling each other with all their might.

Within moments, both of their faces flushed bright red, yet neither would let go, each testing the other's endurance. Natasha noticed that Yelena was running out of breath.

"Alright, that's enough!" Natasha let go, loosening the curtain around Yelena's neck. Yelena likewise released Natasha's neck and shoved her away. Both of them lay flat on the floor, gasping heavily for air.

"Are you okay?" Natasha asked Yelena as she lay on the floor.

"No!" Yelena glanced at Natasha, untangled the curtain from her neck, and climbed up from the floor.

"Did you really have to come to Budapest?" Natasha also pushed herself up and asked Yelena.

"I came here because I thought you would never come back, but since you've shown up now, I happen to have something I want to ask you. What kind of bullets made those holes?" Yelena walked to the kitchen, took a bottle of liquor from the fridge, and pointed to several triangular bullet holes on the wall.

"Those weren't bullets. Those were arrows." Natasha turned her head to look; those triangular holes had once been shot by Barton's arrows.

"Fine!" Yelena picked up a glass and took a sip.

"If you thought I wouldn't come here, why did you send this to me?" Natasha pulled out the bundle of red vials, placed it on the table, and asked.

"Oh god, why did you bring that here?" Yelena's expression changed instantly as she turned and walked toward one of the rooms.

"I'm not here to make friends with you, but the least you can do is tell me what this is!" Natasha chased after Yelena and demanded.

"It's a synthetic gas, a chemical inhibitor neutralizer. This gas prevents the neural pathways in the brain from being manipulated externally!" Yelena pulled a backpack out of the cabinet and began packing her clothes.

"How about we speak English next time we talk?" Natasha walked over to the coat rack and looked at the clothes she used to wear.

"No! Why didn't you take it to your super-scientist friends? They can explain it to you, you can ask Dr. Banner." Yelena said while packing.

"We don't talk much these days, so..." Natasha replied.

"What about Tony Stark?" Yelena asked again.

"He's probably being watched like a hawk by the US government right now." Natasha found a piece of clothing and prepared to change into it.

"Fantastic! Just perfect timing! Whenever you actually need them, not a single one is of any help." Yelena grumbled.

"I didn't want to stay here, I came out on vacation, and you almost got me killed!" Natasha looked at Yelena and said.

"Well, what was I supposed to do? You're the only superhero I know!" Yelena watched as Natasha took off her top; her back was covered all over in purplish bruises, and Yelena's gaze softened considerably.

"That's the whole reason I mailed it to you. I've been watching the news, hoping one day I'd see Captain America take down the Red Room." Yelena finished packing, turned around, and prepared to leave.

"What?" Natasha was extremely confused upon hearing Yelena's words. The Red Room? Wasn't it completely destroyed by her own hands years ago?

"Take down the Red Room? What are you talking about? It disappeared years ago! Dreykov is dead! I killed him with my own hands!" Natasha put on a black leather jacket and asked Yelena.

Yelena walked into the armory, loaded weapons into her backpack, and said, "You actually believed that?"

"..." Natasha did not speak, maintaining a heavy silence.

"Is that really what you think?" Yelena looked at the bewildered Natasha and asked.

"Dreykov is dead! To find him, I almost destroyed an entire city." Natasha looked at Yelena and replied.

"If you're so sure, then tell me what happened back then! Tell me accurately and in detail." Yelena looked at Natasha and demanded.

"We planted a bomb..." Natasha answered.

"Who is 'we'?" Yelena interrupted Natasha and asked.

"Clint Barton. Killing Dreykov was the final step for me to defect to S.H.I.E.L.D." Natasha looked at Yelena with certainty.

"Just like that?" Yelena nodded and asked rhetorically.

"Of course it was 'just like that'! That's what I call a five-story implosion, followed by a shootout with the Hungarian special forces. We hid for ten days before escaping Budapest!" Natasha walked into the kitchen, picked up the liquor bottle Yelena had just opened, poured a glass, and drank it down. She had always tried to avoid recalling that battle.

"Did you check the body? Did you make sure he was dead?" Yelena spoke up again.

"No body was left behind for me to check!" Natasha finished speaking, turned around, and prepared to leave.

"You forgot Dreykov's daughter!" Yelena said, looking at Natasha's retreating back.

Hearing about Dreykov's daughter made Natasha stop in her tracks. Right at that moment, the sound of footsteps came from upstairs...

Boom!!!

The living room ceiling was blown open by explosives in a massive blast, instantly filling the entire house with swirling dust. Yelena grabbed the bundle of red vials from the table, put it into her backpack, and sneaked away toward another room.

Natasha instantly leaped away from the spot as a steel cable lowered from the ceiling, and several special operatives clad in black tactical body armor dropped down through the gaping hole above.

Holding weapons equipped with infrared laser sights, they swept the room, checking every corner.

Yelena immediately bolted toward the bathroom. The commandos spotted Yelena and opened fire on her instantly, but missed.

When Yelena reached the bathroom, she ran into Natasha, who had arrived there first. Yelena flicked a switch on the wall, and instantly every single lightbulb in the room burst one by one, plunging the room into darkness.

Yelena and Natasha rushed out together, taking down two enemies in the living room in just two or three swift moves.

The remaining two enemies fired at Natasha and Yelena, but both dodged the shots. The two women dashed out of the apartment and into the corridor.

However, they found that the hallway was guarded by two armed men, and the courtyard outside the window was also guarded by two armed men, sealing off all possible escape routes!

Yelena threw a grenade down the hallway and sprinted up the stairs toward the roof.

"Where are we going?" Natasha asked, running right behind Yelena.

"Motorcycles! On the east side of the building!" Yelena replied. As the two sprinted rapidly, gunshots suddenly rang out from across the way. The glass in front of them was shattered piece by piece—snipers were guarding the rooftop opposite them.

Crouching low, the two rushed onto the roof terrace, ran to the edge, and slid down the old-fashioned tiled roof. Suddenly, a dark-haired woman chased out after them from behind...