Łódź, Poland.
Thick snow had been swept to the sides of the road, and delicate snowflakes continued to fall from the sky. On both sides were buildings in the Poznanski architectural style, with pointed rooftops dusted in white snow.
"Red Queen, are you sure this is the place?"
A golden light flashed on a street corner, and a figure wearing brown-tinted sunglasses stepped onto the street. Cassius's cold gaze scanned his surroundings.
[Reporting, Master. According to the records from the cameras, this is the last place Gwen was seen.]
The small, adorable figure of the Red Queen, a girl in a red dress, appeared inside the sunglasses. She used the glasses to help Cassius pinpoint Gwen's last known location and the direction she disappeared in.
"Looks like Hydra has been pushed to the edge, hiding in a godforsaken place like this." Cassius stretched his neck.
After the failure of Project Insight, Hydra was completely dismantled within S.H.I.E.L.D. The organization had been in a slump for the past few years. However, in the near future, the Avengers would leave one by one, and Hydra would once again restore its global infiltration.
[Master, should I analyze the route they took to leave?] The Red Queen immediately volunteered. Although she could only make judgments through the internet, a vast amount of knowledge allowed her to analyze the intel more accurately.
"Hold on, let's go find a place to have some coffee first." Cassius shook his head, putting his hands in his pockets, and slowly walked toward a nearby coffee shop. A hint of doubt appeared in his previously cold eyes.
As he pushed open the coffee shop door, a rich aroma of coffee beans filled the air. The heating inside was turned up high, and many of the locals had taken off their thick coats, leisurely enjoying their coffee.
The moment Cassius appeared, everyone's eyes turned to him. His black hair and black eyes, along with his face, made it obvious he wasn't a local. But few foreigners came here, so they were all curious why this outsider was here.
"I'd like a cappuccino and a sandwich, please." Cassius pulled out a large American bill from his pocket and placed it on the counter.
This calm gesture made everyone unable to take their eyes off him. It was rare to see someone so generous, especially an Asian man. Seeing an Asian person in this area was a very rare sight. Because of his handsome face, several young women were even secretly taking pictures of him.
Cassius didn't say anything in response to all of this. He was used to it. In the past year, he had been to many places and had seen all kinds of people. In some countries, people would even crowd around him, asking for photos.
After ordering his coffee, Cassius slowly walked to a round table by the window and sat down. He looked out at the snowy scenery, a hint of coldness in his eyes.
"Excuse me, sir."
Just then, a woman with a graceful figure walked into the coffee shop with a cat-like stride. The moment she appeared, the customers in the coffee shop became a little restless. She was simply mesmerizing to look at.
"Hey, beautiful, come sit with me!"
"Can I have the honor of treating you to a cup of coffee, beautiful lady?"
"Hey there, lady, look at me! I'm a real stud!"
"..."
They all teased the woman. However, she ignored them and walked over to Cassius's table. Her light brown hair and sexy body gave her a unique charm. Even the other people in the coffee shop couldn't help but stare at her.
"Can I help you?" Cassius looked up. Although his voice seemed somewhat emotionless, his eyes were surprisingly cold.
"Where are you from? You look so sad." Yelena placed the handbag she was carrying on a nearby chair. Her figure, in her professional attire, looked incredibly delicate and beautiful. She then sat down directly across from Cassius, and a rich scent of perfume wafted from her movements. She was the kind of woman who could charm many men.
"Japan," Cassius said flatly, giving her a careful look. He had noticed Yelena the moment she appeared. After all, anyone would take a second look at such a beautiful body. The moment he saw her, he knew who she was.
She was Black Widow, Natasha Romanoff's sister. While their looks were a little different, they were both stunning. And the fact that they were sisters only made the temptation even greater.
He had noticed Yelena, which was why he came to the coffee shop. His intuition told him that Yelena had noticed him the moment he appeared. That's why he entered the coffee shop, to see if she would follow him. Just as he had guessed, she came right in!
He was very curious as to why Yelena was here. Was she working for Hydra now? Since this was Hydra's territory, there was only one possibility. But this thought was immediately dismissed by Cassius. No, that wasn't very likely. It was more likely she was an undercover agent for Hydra.
"Japanese? You don't look like it!" Yelena rested her fair chin on her left hand, and her right hand's two fingers moved restlessly, placing her hand on top of Cassius's.
When he looked at her, her every move was incredibly captivating. She even used her index finger to subtly caress Cassius's palm. This move had won over many men. At least, very few people had been able to resist this temptation so far.
She knew exactly what her greatest assets were: her looks and her body. So she would usually wear clothes that were as form-fitting as possible to further showcase her charm.
"Excuse me, but if you have something to say, just say it." Cassius subtly pulled his hand back, his voice incredibly calm. It wasn't that he didn't like women, but he knew what to prioritize. Besides, this wasn't the time for a quick fling. The food at home was still pretty good. Maybe he'd consider a change of pace one day, but definitely not now.
"My name is Belova, and I'm a yoga instructor..." Yelena said, twitching her eyes. She even bit her bottom lip, and her voice became incredibly seductive. In her opinion, Cassius was just putting on a facade. After all, if he really saw her, he would undoubtedly fall at her feet.
"I'm sorry, I'm not interested in you." Cassius immediately stood up. He already had a plan. Since that was the case, there was no need to waste any more time with Yelena here.
Seeing the man leave, Yelena was a little stunned, but a smile appeared on her lips. This was a lot more fun than she had expected.
"Yelena, what's the situation?" A voice came through the micro-earpiece in Yelena's ear.
"This man is very interesting," Yelena said in a teasing tone. This man was indeed very interesting. At least during her test, she found that he didn't seem to have any interest in her at all.
In the past, while there had been some gentlemen, most of them were just pretending. In reality, their bodies would betray them. But the Cassius just now had no reaction whatsoever. And what made her even more curious was that when he appeared, they didn't detect him at all. If it weren't for the camera on the street doing a facial scan, they wouldn't have even known who he was.
"Keep an eye on him and find out why he's in Łódź!" The voice came through the earpiece again.
"Yes. Don't worry, I'll figure it out!" Yelena agreed. This was what she was best at. And she also wanted to find out this man's secrets. The more curious he made her, the more she wanted to figure out what he was thinking.
At the same time, in the office, Baron Strucker casually hung up the phone. He leaned back in his chair, playing with a bone-carved pendant, occasionally glancing at his subordinate across from him.
"Boss, is Yelena going after someone again? Do we need to send some men to help?" his subordinate asked.
"Just leave her be. Let her handle it herself." Baron Strucker waved his hand with a dismissive expression. "It's just an insignificant little fish. There's no need to waste resources on it!"
A so-called "mountain climber" was no match for Yelena. And if they sent people to help, they might even disrupt Yelena's plan. In that case, it was better to just let her handle it herself.
If he wasn't curious as to why that person had found this place, he would have already ordered for that Stark Industries shareholder to be killed. The person had arrived too quickly. There was only one possible explanation: he had taken a private jet and airdropped in. That was the only way to explain why they hadn't found any trace of Cassius at the airport.
"Are all the materials ready?" Baron Strucker placed the pendant on the table and asked about the most important matter.
"Don't worry, we've prepared all the materials," the subordinate quickly nodded. Ever since Baron Strucker gave the order, they had started to prepare everything they needed immediately.
"Good. Then get ready to experiment on Ghost-Spider!" Baron Strucker's smile became sinister. He couldn't wait to figure out how Gwen had done it.
"Yes!" After nodding, the subordinate respectfully left the office.
"How did the spider's power fuse with your body, Ghost-Spider..." Baron Strucker's eyes were filled with madness and greed. If he could figure it out, he would be able to turn his men into Spider-Men. They would then have a fighting chance against the Avengers. After all, the scariest thing about a spider was not just the spider-sense but also the amazing strength.
[Master, according to my investigation, she is Yelena Belova, a top agent from the Red Room. According to the data, she is an undercover agent in Hydra and has been for over three years. She must know about Gwen.]
As soon as Cassius left the coffee shop, the Red Queen immediately projected the data onto his sunglasses. This was top-level intelligence, and from the analysis, it seemed she was a mid-to-high-level member.
"Hmm, that's not far off from what I was guessing." He had already had his suspicions when he saw Yelena. It was because of this that he decided to approach the situation this way. While he could have used a more brutal method to find Gwen, he might have alerted the enemy and put Gwen in danger.
Cassius arrived at the hotel he had just booked. He calmly took a room key card and slowly went up in the elevator.
As soon as he opened the door and entered the room, a figure lunged at him from behind. Her movements were incredibly agile and completely silent. But in that instant, Cassius grabbed her hands and pinned her against the wall. He calmly closed the door with his left foot, looking at the person in front of him with a half-smile. The scent of perfume told him it was none other than Yelena.
"Hey there, little beauty. Even if you couldn't wait, you shouldn't have followed me up here. Do you really need to study human anatomy?" Cassius slowly said, his eyes filled with amusement as he looked at the shocked Yelena.
He didn't even need to use his senses to know that she would follow him. So he had simply checked into a hotel, knowing that it would be easy for her to find the information. He just didn't expect Yelena to be so impatient and deliver herself to him.
"You knew all along!" A look of shock appeared on Yelena's face. She had felt something was off just now. Why was this man completely uninterested in her? He must have guessed her intentions from the beginning. It was true that no one who was associated with the Avengers was a simple person.
"Heh, I can smell your perfume from eight blocks away." Cassius's eyes unabashedly scanned Yelena's body. He had to admit that looking down at her was a different kind of experience. But he wasn't in the mood for that right now. His focus was on Gwen.
"Since you know, does that mean you're here for Gwen?" Yelena also realized that he had already figured everything out. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come here. There was only one possibility left: he had already guessed all of this.
"Looks like agents aren't stupid." Cassius moved a little closer, and his intoxicating scent immediately enveloped Yelena. He didn't have time to waste with this woman.
"Don't you want to use some torture or something?" Yelena's enchanting eyes looked up, her eyes narrowed, and a strange expression appeared on her lips. With just that one movement, an infinite amount of charm could be felt. The next second, she hooked her legs around Cassius's.
But before she could do anything, Cassius's words cut off her movements.
"Yelena, didn't the Red Room put you here to be a mole to save people?"
When he said that, Yelena's eyes widened. That was the highest level of secrecy in the Red Room. How did this man know?
"So, where is Gwen?" Cassius let go of her and walked over to the couch to sit down.
Yelena took a deep breath, calming herself down. "Gwen is here in Łódź, in Baron Strucker's lab." Since he already knew who she was, it meant he didn't have any malicious intentions.
"Do you want to get out of here sooner? I know your target is Baron Strucker. I can help you get rid of him." Cassius got straight to the point. After all, being an undercover agent was not an easy job.
"You're strong," Yelena said with a smirk. "But Baron Strucker's power is not just in his influence. His own body has been modified multiple times. He's no longer a normal human. Even the Avengers couldn't catch Baron Strucker."
He was very cautious and wasn't swayed by anything, so he was impossible to deal with.
Cassius didn't say anything. He just raised his hand and aimed it at a bronze statue in the room.
Crack!
The next second, the statue collapsed, turning into dust.
"You..." Yelena's eyes widened in shock. After a moment, she slowly said, "There's an underground passage in the center of Łódź that leads to the underground lab."
His power was beyond a doubt.
Cassius directly opened an Inter-Dimensional Portal, and the brilliant golden channel appeared before them. He pulled the shocked Yelena through the Inter-Dimensional Portal and into the underground lab's passage.
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