Like the previous stage, this stage begins with a long horizontal section that you must run through. Instead of door panels, it contains a maze-like arrangement of platforms and walls that you must navigate. Unlike many such sections, the walls here prevent you from swinging across to the opposite side. As a result, you are forced to fire your grapple straight up and rise in order to advance through the section.
The only enemies you will encounter here are regular soldiers and flame-thrower soldiers. The flame throwers pace back and forth while the regular soldiers have a tendency to drop down to lower platforms in an effort to stop you. As usual, take your time and clear the path ahead of your before advancing. If a flame thrower is about to shoot at you while squatting, try hitting it with a grappling hook to stop him before he attacks. Don't get distracted by the items parachuting around. There's a good chance that a blue gun will float down near the end.
Once you're through the maze of platforms, you'll have to start an ascent in front of a large rocket-sized missile. Early on, it is protected by short soldiers and mech pilots. As you advance, you will eventually be forced to travel up to platforms that appear through the middle of the missile. This can be dangerous as there is no opportunity to drop down to a lower level along the sides, and there's a good chance that a mech pilot may jump down into the small enclosure with you. Travel through this section with a lot of caution.
Once you make it through that, you will reach a level where a captain is pacing back and forth. An abundance of enemies will also appear, including a flame-thrower soldier and a helicopter. Also around this time, a "COUNTDOWN" message will appear. The timer will count down from 60. If you fail to stop the missile in that time, not only will you lose one life, you will be forced to start over from Stage 4. The countdown will not start over if you lose a life, but it will start over if you continue.
When you reach the top of the missile, you will find that there is no way to deactivate it directly. You have to continue running to the right, and you will eventually come to the computer that controls the missile, as well as its power source, the large machine on the far right side. It only takes a couple of shots to blow it up, but try to make sure that your surroundings are cleared of enemies before taking out the machine. Once you succeed in blowing it up, a message will appear. You're not yet finished.
Keep running to the right, past the blown up machine. More soldiers will appear and fight with you. Another helicopter will hover above and try to drop grenades on you. Climb up to the high ledge and run down the hall. When you reach the end, you will see a series of narrow platforms above you. Two of them contain flame-thrower soldiers. You'll have to time your rise up to each platform so that the soldiers are on the opposite side of the ledge when you arrive. Then very quickly destroy them and continue up to the next ledge.
After climbing up to the final level of the stage, run to the right and you will encounter a captain. Another captain is waiting on the ground level just behind him. On a ledge above him will be a captain and the general of the enemy army pacing back in forth in front of a large statue dedicated to the general. Grapple up to the platform and take them both out as quickly as possible.
For your success, you will be awarded one million extra points (however, these points will not be applied to your chances of earning any extra lives.) A final ending message will scroll across the screen before the game starts over with Stage 1 at a higher degree of difficulty. Congratulations.
