"Ugh..."
"Cough, cough..."
Gwen clutched her head, which was throbbing with pain as if something were gnawing at her mind. She opened her eyes, and in a daze, she found herself in an extremely bright room. The four walls were pristine white, but from their appearance, it was clear they were made of solid steel. The glaring light shone on her face, making her squint.
"Where am I?" All she could remember was being carried into the van. When she woke up, she was here.
Click!
Just then, the door to the room slowly opened with a soft sound. A woman with light brown hair walked in with a graceful stride.
"Finally awake?" The woman walked over to Gwen, who was lying on the floor, and looked down at her.
"Where is this place?" Gwen gritted her teeth, enduring the headache as she asked. She had no idea who this person was. As far as she knew, she had never met this woman before. It seemed the enemy had already started researching a way to deal with her, otherwise, they wouldn't have brought gas masks. It was clear they had been targeting her specifically.
"This place?" The woman spread her arms and spun in a circle, saying with a brilliant smile, "This is an underground prison. If you think you can escape from here, don't even bother."
As she said this, a playful smirk appeared on her beautiful face. No one who had ever entered this underground prison had ever escaped. Since its construction, no one had managed to get out.
"You..." Gwen's mind raced, and a thought suddenly popped into her head. "You're with Hydra?"
She had just encountered Hydra that day, and now she was attacked in the evening. And before the attack, they had even specifically asked if she was alone. The enemy knew that if Wanda had been there, they would have had no chance. It was all a setup, they had attacked just after she got out of the car.
In other words, their target was never Wanda! If they had known Wanda was there, they wouldn't have sent those people. As for Cassius, it was even more unlikely. If they knew about his power, they wouldn't have dared to provoke him. The people they sent were just enough to handle her, which meant she was their real target.
"You're a smart one, you actually guessed it." The woman's lips curled up into a devious smile. She crouched down and used her slender, fair fingers to gently lift Gwen's snow-white chin. "You're quite a looker, too."
She had to admit that Gwen's beauty surpassed many others and was full of youthful vitality. The woman considered herself a beauty, but there was still a slight gap between her and Gwen.
"Are you sure you're not going to let me go? If Cassius finds out, he'll never forgive you!" Gwen gritted her teeth, staring into the woman's brown eyes. She was confident that once Cassius knew, he would definitely come and rescue her. He would send all of these people to hell.
"Heh heh!" The woman let out a silver-bell-like laugh. "You're too naive. A mere shareholder of Stark Industries?"
They had already investigated Cassius's background. He was just a shareholder with some equity. No matter how much he resisted, he was no match for Hydra. Let alone Stark Industries, they weren't even afraid of Tony.
"You..." Gwen glared at the woman. The woman's arrogant attitude infuriated her. How dare she look down on Cassius? They would soon find out how terrifying Cassius's fury was!
"Save your energy. You should get ready for the project that's about to begin!" The woman let out a contemptuous laugh, with a hint of mockery on her face. This was just a death throe. Ghost-Spider? She was nothing more than a test subject to them.
Whoosh!
In a flash of lightning, a fierce gust of wind erupted.
Bang!
Gwen pushed herself up with one hand, and with the other, she threw a punch. She hadn't been just idly chatting with this woman. The door behind the woman hadn't been closed when she came in. As long as she was careful, she could definitely escape from this so-called underground prison.
"Ugh!" At the last moment, the woman crossed her arms, blocking Gwen's punch. But the immense force of the punch still made her stumble backward a few steps, nearly falling to the ground.
"You're quite strong!" The woman's expression changed slightly, and she cursed under her breath. The punch felt like being hit by a car head-on. The intense pain even made her wonder if she had suffered a minor fracture.
After pushing the woman back, Gwen noticed that her right ankle was chained.
"Damn it!" Gwen got up and kicked her right foot with all her might, trying to break the chain.
Clang!
The chain connected to the wall let out a loud bang. But to Gwen's surprise, the chain didn't break. Her strength was enough to easily kick over a car!
"Fool, you don't really think you can escape, do you?" The woman rubbed her forearm and cursed while enduring the pain. She had been careless, she never thought she would be attacked by Gwen right after she woke up.
Clang!
Clang!
Gwen ignored her and kept trying to snap the chain. While her captor was off guard, she might have a chance to escape.
ZZZZZ!!!
Just then, a huge current of electricity burst out from the wall connected to the chain.
"Ahhh!!!" In just an instant, Gwen was shocked by the powerful current, causing her to fall to her knees. If it weren't for her enhanced physique, a single jolt of that current could have killed her. After the shock, all of Gwen's muscles were spasming, and her face turned incredibly pale.
"You've been poisoned with a mental toxin. Don't even think about struggling. Intense movement will only intensify the effect of the toxin." The woman came over to Gwen and touched her pale face with her fingertips. "Alright, get some rest." After saying that, she stood up, swayed her sexy body, and turned to leave.
The woman, now identified as Yelena, walked into an office, biting a black hair tie to pull her hair into a ponytail. In the office, Baron Strucker was looking at the security footage on the wall, and he asked without turning his head, "Yelena, what's her situation?"
"What do you think? She's just a little emotional, hopping around like a little grasshopper." Under the light, Yelena's beautiful face was defined by sharp, angular features that were both heroic and alluring. As a secret agent, she possessed an incredibly graceful figure. She was flawless in every way, and even the corner of her lips held a seductive charm.
"Heh." Baron Strucker snorted dismissively, leaning back in his office chair and turning to look at Yelena. "No matter how emotional she is, it won't last long."
He had dealt with many test subjects. As long as he had enough serum, he could make anyone obey, no matter how much they resisted. Furthermore, this was just a college kid. Even if she had extraordinary powers, she was still just a child.
"So when are you going to start the experiment?" Yelena walked over and sat on the couch, stretching her long legs onto the coffee table. She leaned back, showing off her well-proportioned body. She was curious to see if Ghost-Spider would be so tough once the experiments began.
"Soon. The experimental materials should be here by tomorrow," Baron Strucker said, resting his chin in his hand and looking at Yelena with an admiring gaze. "I'll handle it myself."
He had to admit that she was a real knockout. But he knew Yelena's background well; she was a venomous scorpion full of temptation. Anyone who tried to get close to her would be hooked by her poisonous sting. Even so, it didn't stop him from admiring this wonderful woman.
"That's good." Yelena slowly nodded and continued with a serious tone, "I have a bad feeling about that man named Cassius. That Stark Industries shareholder might cause us some trouble!"
She had always trusted her intuition. Her sixth sense kept telling her that this Cassius was not as simple as he seemed. Not only did he have many connections, but more importantly, he knew Tony, Wanda, and Ghost-Spider all at the same time. A person like that couldn't be a nobody.
If it were just about money, it would never be enough to make these people get close to him. This meant that he must have some extraordinary quality, which would also explain why Ghost-Spider trusted him so much. Besides, the Avengers were not to be trifled with.
"Don't worry about him," Baron Strucker waved his hand, turning back and typing a few keys on his keyboard. "This is what we need to worry about!"
As he pressed Enter, a screen on the wall showed a video. It was a livestream from the incident at Orchard Beach. A mysterious man used a destructive force to obliterate a sorcerer.
After the video finished, Yelena stared at the screen, unable to snap out of it. An unspeakable fear crept up her spine. This was not a power a human could possess. He could even control creatures that didn't belong in this world.
She had seen her fair share of grand spectacles, but this was her first time seeing something like this. Every move he made could easily crush mountains and wrecked the sky asunder.
"Is he even human?" Yelena swallowed hard, her eyes filled with terror.
"So, this is the guy we need to focus on," Baron Strucker said with a grave voice, looking at the screen. "This guy is a real threat, so you must find out who he is as soon as possible!"
While the Avengers were a threat, they could be dealt with. This mysterious person, however, was completely different; he was far beyond their expectations. The most urgent thing right now was to figure out his identity.
As long as he was human, he would have weaknesses. They could then find the right solution. If they could bring this man back for research, they would strike it rich!
"Yes, I'll handle it right away!" Yelena took a deep breath and slowly stood up from the couch. "Boss, I'm heading back to New York now!"
Just as Yelena was about to leave, Baron Strucker's voice came from behind her.
"Yelena, how long have you been with me?" Baron Strucker looked up at Yelena.
"Over three years, I think," Yelena turned sideways and answered after a moment of thought.
"Hmm..." Baron Strucker's face showed a nostalgic expression. "You may go."
....
New York.
It was business as usual. An autumn evening breeze, carrying a hint of winter's chill, blew through the streets. The leaves on the trees were slowly turning yellow as the autumn wind swept past.
"It's about time to go. I should just take some simple gifts for the first time."
In the living room, Cassius found a nice bottle of wine from the wine cabinet and some precious jewelry that others had gifted him before, and he put them in the car. He had been mindful of Gwen's reminder to meet her parents today.
He had already guessed Gwen's intentions, but he was still a little nervous. Fortunately, Wanda was originally going to go with him, but because she had a lot of business to take care of back at the base, she had already left this afternoon.
"When are we leaving?" Cassius pulled open the car door and sat in the driver's seat, mumbling as he stared at his phone. He had sent a message to Gwen, but she hadn't replied. When he called, the phone was off.
"Is she taking a nap?" Cassius shook his head. People here shouldn't have that habit. He finally started the car, thinking that maybe Gwen was busy cooking. If she was cooking, it was normal that she wouldn't notice the message on her phone. Plus, it would be around dinner time by the time he got there, so he might as well just go over.
In a neighborhood in Queens, Cassius slowly drove Bumblebee down Gwen's street.
"Huh, is George Stacy home?" As soon as he stopped, Cassius noticed a police car parked downstairs. He had heard that George Stacy had returned to work at the police station after leaving the hospital. But he never would have thought that George Stacy would get off work so early.
After all, as a former decorated officer with a strong network of connections, it would be easy for him to get his Deputy Captain position back, even after being away for two years.
But it was a little strange that the widely known workaholic would get off work so early. After all, the police shift change was at six in the evening.
"Whatever, I'll just go up first." Cassius didn't think too much of it. He figured George might have heard he was coming and got off work early to come home. After grabbing the gifts from the trunk, he quickly walked toward the house.
As soon as he got upstairs, Cassius heard sobbing. The door to Gwen's house was open, and two police officers were taking statements from George and Helen Stacy.
"Hello, I'm Gwen's friend. What happened?" Cassius walked straight in, put the gifts down, and asked.
"My daughter is missing. She didn't come home last night," Helen said, her voice choked with pain. "You're her friend, see if you can get in touch with her."
Her daughter had always been a good kid and never stayed out all night. Even if she came home late, she would always be back on time the next day. But until today, she was nowhere to be found, and even her phone was off.
Cassius's expression turned serious, and a thought suddenly appeared in his mind.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely help you find Gwen." Cassius said in a deep voice. Hearing this, George and Helen were a little surprised, their sadness mixed with a glimmer of hope. The young man's tone was incredibly firm.
After answering them, Cassius walked outside. He had just realized that yesterday's Hydra target might not have been Wanda, but Gwen!
"Red Queen. Locate Gwen." Cassius picked up his phone, his face ice cold.
[Master, Gwen is currently in Łódź, Poland.]
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