The next scene was still indoors.
Captain America and Black Widow were sitting in Sam Wilson's home, discussing something with serious expressions.
"So, the question is... who in the agency has the authority to launch a domestic missile strike?" Black Widow asked Captain America, her expression grave.
This implied that they had been attacked by missiles before! This was no ordinary level of attack; it seemed Hydra was truly determined to kill Captain America.
"Pierce!" Captain America said solemnly to Black Widow after some thought, his face serious on the screen.
Everyone present couldn't help but react slightly. They had suspected Pierce of being a Hydra mole before, and this suspicion was now amplified.
Because the reason for Captain America's wanted status this time was very clear and specific: he simply refused to reveal the information Nick Fury had told him before his death, nothing more.
Just for that reason alone, Pierce was willing to launch missiles to kill Captain America.
That didn't make sense at all. Any normal high-ranking official wouldn't give that order.
That style was completely Hydra's style.
"He's the head of the safest building in the world," Black Widow added.
"He's not alone. Zola's Algorithm is on the Lumerian Star."
"Sitwell is on that ship, too."
"So the real question is, how can two of the most wanted criminals kidnap a S.H.I.E.L.D. officer in broad daylight?"
Captain America and Black Widow quickly decided on their next plan of action after their brief discussion: to kidnap Sitwell.
"The answer is, you're not going!"
Sam Wilson, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly produced a file and handed it to Captain America.
The subtext was clear: You don't need to go, leave it to me!
Captain America and Black Widow took the file and quickly looked it over. They found it contained some of Sam Wilson's mission data, along with some related photos and such.
It was mainly to let Captain America and the other know what he was capable of.
"Sam, I can't ask you to do this, you have every reason to retire!" Captain America closed the file and sighed at Sam Wilson.
"Buddy, Captain America needs my help, that's the best reason for me to come back!" Sam Wilson said resolutely.
"Sam Wilson, he seems like a very reliable person." Black Widow couldn't help but glance at Captain America beside her.
Captain America agreed deeply.
He made a decision in his heart that he would get to know this Sam Wilson when he had the chance in the future.
At this moment, the camera on the big screen switched again.
The location was on the roof of a building.
Bang!
Sitwell was pushed to the ground, and Captain America and Black Widow strode towards him, their presence oppressive.
Although the process wasn't shown, it was clear that Sam Wilson had taken over for Captain America and the others in capturing Sitwell.
"Tell me about Zola's Algorithm!" Captain America's voice rang out, he shouted at Sitwell.
The image didn't explain what Zola's Algorithm was, but no one in the audience was a fool.
Everyone knew that the algorithm must be what Captain America and his team had found on the USB drive.
They'd even been hit by missiles before, so it was clear they'd already taken some action.
It was only natural that they'd uncovered something.
However, this so-called Zola's Algorithm was too advanced for Captain America to crack with the resources he had, which was why he'd resorted to the desperate measure of kidnapping a Hydra official.
"I've never heard of it!"
On the screen, Sitwell got to his feet, shaking his head with a calm denial.
"What were you doing on the Lumerian Star?" Captain America continued to question, closing in on Sitwell.
"I was throwing up, I get seasick!" Sitwell retorted, backing away.
Speaking of which, Sitwell had already retreated to the edge of the building, and his body stumbled, almost falling backward.
But Captain America was quick-witted and grabbed him, pulling him up.
Sitwell was still composed, not at all flustered.
He was completely confident: "Would you throw me down for such a small matter? That's not your style, Rogers!"
"You're right!" Captain America nodded, putting Sitwell down. "It's not my style, but it's hers."
With that, Captain America shifted to the side, making way for Black Widow.
The smile on Sitwell's face immediately froze.
Bang!
Black Widow didn't say anything, delivering a clean and decisive kick, sending Sitwell flying off the roof.
Everyone at the scene was startled by Black Widow's actions.
But then they all calmed down, because they immediately realized that Black Widow definitely hadn't just killed the guy.
After all, what was the point of capturing someone if you killed them before the interrogation even started? They could have just shot him on the spot.
Sure enough.
The next moment, a figure with a pair of metal wings soared into the air.
He was holding Sitwell with one hand and threw him back onto the roof of the building. It was undoubtedly Sam Wilson.
"Isn't that my Flight Wing?" Thor said in surprise, looking at the Flight Wing on Sam Wilson's back.
He had originally thought that he was the only one with a Flight Wing.
Now that he saw another person with the same thing, it didn't seem so appealing anymore.
"Zola's Algorithm is a program! It's used to select the targets for the Insight Project!"
Sitwell was already scared out of his wits and didn't need Captain America and the other person to interrogate him further, he just spilled everything.
"What targets!" Captain America stared at him and asked in a low voice.
"You! A host in Cairo, the Deputy Secretary of Defense, a high school graduate in Iowa City, Bruce Banner, Doctor Strange... anyone who could threaten Hydra, whether now or in the future."
Sitwell rattled off the list to Captain America. Doctor Banner: "..."
Wtf?
MMP!
Who did he offend?
He was inexplicably put on Hydra's "Insight Project" list?
Although everyone didn't know what the Insight Project was yet, even if they used their common sense, they knew it wouldn't be anything good.
"Now or... later?" Tony Stark keenly caught this point, and the others present felt the same way.
Current enemies were one thing, but how could they identify future enemies?
"The future? How is that even possible?"
On the screen, Captain America asked, also very confused.
"Heh!" Sitwell sneered. "How could you not know!"
"The 21st century is a digital book, and Zola's Algorithm taught Hydra how to read it."
"Your bank records, medical history, voting patterns, emails, call logs, college entrance exam scores…"
"Zola's Algorithm assesses a person's past to predict their future!"
Under the gaze of Captain America, Black Widow, and the others, Sitwell explained what Zola's Algorithm actually was.
Everyone present was stunned.
So, that's how it works?
Hydra, as a tenacious organization that just wouldn't die, had been lurking since World War II, and they definitely had some serious resources and vision.
Look at Zola's Algorithm, this kind of undertaking wasn't something just any organization could pull off.
"And then?"
Captain America continued to stare at Sitwell, questioning him.
"Damn it, Pierce is going to kill me." Sitwell's face showed a look of panic.
Everyone present couldn't help but react.
Because Sitwell's words undoubtedly conveyed a very important piece of information: Alexander Pierce was indeed Hydra!
Although everyone had guessed this before, they were still shocked when they confirmed it.
Because, in terms of position, Pierce was the highest-ranking person in all of S.H.I.E.L.D.! His authority was even above Nick Fury's! This kind of person was also Hydra? Then what had S.H.I.E.L.D. become?
It was probably that the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. was filled with Hydra agents, right?
Black Widow and Hawkeye Barton couldn't help but look at each other, their faces turning very ugly. This was not good news for them.
Especially Black Widow, her mood was incredibly complex, and she didn't know what to say.
She had originally thought that breaking free from the Red Room would give her a different life. For so many years, she had risked her life to atone for the sins she committed in the Red Room.
But in the end, she discovered that the person she had been working for was actually Hydra!
An organization even more evil than the Red Room!
God, are you kidding me!
"And then! Hurry up and say it!"
Although a bit scared and panicked, it had to be said that Sitwell was indeed a coward. After being yelled at a couple of times by Captain America, he still spilled the beans.
"Then the Insight Carriers will eliminate everyone on the list, several million at a time." Sitwell said to Captain America and the others with a serious expression.
At once, killing several million people!
Everyone present couldn't help but feel their hearts give a violent thump and their pupils suddenly contracted, they gasped, wasn't Hydra's conspiracy a bit too outrageous?
What a massive and shocking undertaking!
This wasn't a game; it was real killing, taking millions of lives at once!
Those were lives, not straw!
In an instant, everyone couldn't help but feel a chill crawl up their spines, experiencing great fear and relief.
Thanks to the quiz system, they learned about Hydra's appalling and world-shattering plan in advance; otherwise, the consequences would be unimaginable.
At this moment, the screen's image froze, and the video ended.
But the waves in everyone's hearts were far from subsiding.
"We must stop this Insight Project at all costs!" Captain America said in a resolute and unquestionable tone.
This could be said to be the consensus of everyone present, except for Thor.
Even individuals like Tony Stark and Bruce Banner, who were not affiliated with S.H.I.E.L.D., strongly supported eliminating Hydra and stopping the Insight Project.
"An evil organization like Hydra shouldn't exist!"
"We've gathered two extremely important pieces of information from this video!"
Pausing, Captain America began to summarize, "Firstly, we can now confirm that Pierce is also a member of Hydra."
At this, Captain America glanced at Black Widow and Hawkeye. "Romanoff, Barton, you both need to be more cautious from now on. There's hardly anyone trustworthy in S.H.I.E.L.D."
Black Widow and Hawkeye Barton agreed completely.
They finally understood how Nick Fury felt back then, that no one could be trusted.
They actually wanted to ask, aside from Coulson and Hill, who were confirmed to be okay in the quiz system, was there anyone else in S.H.I.E.L.D. who could be trusted?
"Even the highest-ranking officer in S.H.I.E.L.D. is Hydra. How deeply has S.H.I.E.L.D. been infiltrated?"
Tony Stark exclaimed in amazement, "It's probably that everyone except you guys and Nick Fury are Hydra, right? In my opinion, S.H.I.E.L.D. should just change its name to Hydra-Shield!"
Captain America, Black Widow, and Hawkeye Barton were all silent, feeling immense pressure.
Hydra had infiltrated to this extent and scale. What could they possibly do to counter it?
Not to mention, given their current isolated situation, they were incapable of doing anything. Even if they could, wouldn't S.H.I.E.L.D. be finished anyway?
Tony Stark's words, though sarcastic, were sadly true. S.H.I.E.L.D.'s flesh and bones had all been replaced by Hydra.
Was this S.H.I.E.L.D. still S.H.I.E.L.D.?
"The second point is the Insight Project!" Captain America said in a low voice after a moment of silence. "Both Zola's Algorithm and the Insight Carriers are our targets!"
"Captain, I'll leave the other matters to you. But if it's Zola's Algorithm, I can handle it! I'll crack that program!"
Tony Stark immediately volunteered.
What Hydra had done was truly evil and outrageous. Tony Stark couldn't just stand by.
Moreover, Tony Stark strongly suspected that he might also be on the death list determined by Zola's Algorithm.
This matter was thus agreed upon with pleasure.
-------------
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