Chapter 15 - Ch: 195-200

Chapter 195 The Captain is Still the Best

Skillfully typing on the keyboard, she began to hack into the ship's secrets, transferring the data program to a USB drive.

While transferring data, she vigilantly looked around, preventing any surprise attacks.

"What kind of program is this? It looks strange."

Natasha didn't know it was the Zola Algorithm yet; she just thought it was a simple calculation program used to filter out those who were not loyal to HYDRA.

At the stern, Crossbones and his team, who had climbed out of the sea, were already annihilating the pirates.

Except for the leader, Batroc the Leaper, who needed to be kept alive, all other bandits could be shot dead. There was no need to keep them, as they wouldn't know much useful information.

To dare to rob a S.H.I.E.L.D. satellite launch vessel, what audacity!

Did they really think that just because the Sixth Fleet was destroyed by aliens, S.H.I.E.L.D. had no combat power?

We can't beat Hela, but we can't beat you low-level scumbags?

Listening to the gunfire outside, Natasha, who had walked through a hail of bullets, showed no sign of panic.

She even had the leisure to check her freshly done manicure, which was just right and had cost her a good amount of money.

Outside, Batroc's taunting voice could be heard, this time not directed at Captain America, but at Crossbones.

"Is that all you've got? You're good at fighting? Do you dare to challenge me to a one-on-one duel, without calling for backup?"

Crack!

His reply was a bullet, piercing his forehead, thoroughly destroying his already broken brain.

Crossbones blew on his still smoking pistol, an expression of disdain on his face, shaking his head.

"This guy is crazy. Why would I duel you when I have a gun? You're stupid, but I'm not!"

Only someone crazy would fall for that. Even Captain America rarely uses hand-to-hand combat against enemies.

That's for movie sets; in reality, it's one shot, one kill, no time for pleasantries.

Crossbones knocked on the door and, after receiving an angry roar, entered the control room, just in time to see Natasha still typing at the console.

He didn't dare to question her, only gave a slight nod.

"Didn't I tell you to capture them? You killed him, so isn't that a failed mission?"

Natasha looked at the remaining time and, since she was idle anyway, decided to play on her phone.

"Those were special tranquilizer darts; they don't kill people, and they're very effective."

Crossbones hadn't killed anyone; he had used tranquilizer darts. Shooting the bullet directly into the brain would likely leave permanent sequelae even if healed.

Typical U.S. military style: focus on completing the mission regardless of the consequences. Humanitarianism is for senators to advocate; what does it have to do with them, the grunts?

Beep!

A sound rang out, Natasha picked up the USB drive, and called on the intercom.

"Steve, I've completed the mission. Come pick me up."

"Good job. You'll see the plane when you get to the deck."

Steve's voice carried a hint of fatigue. Recently, he had been living rough, and with many wives, he needed some time to rest and adjust properly.

"You look very tired?"

Natasha teased, looking at Steve, who was constantly yawning. She rarely saw Captain, who had taken the Super Soldier Serum, look so fatigued.

Of course, he was tired. Before coming on this mission, he had done a hundred-meter sprint.

"Mission accomplished, so let's head back to headquarters. I'm a bit sleepy, can't hold on anymore, I need a good rest."

Steve really couldn't keep his eyes open; he was too sleepy.

The Serum brought strong recovery and endurance, but it also caused drowsiness. Especially after fighting Odin, his frequency of drowsiness increased.

He wondered if Odin's previous injuries hadn't healed, causing him to be so tired.

After returning, it was necessary to have Zhao Hailunand Betty give him a full body check to clear out any potential threats!

--

Avengers Headquarters.

Spider-Man Peter and Iron Man Tony were both receiving treatment here, both seriously injured.

Peter could recover quickly, though there might be some residual glue marks on his face. Surviving after being severely burned by high temperatures was already a miracle.

Tony was a bit more tragic; his wife was killed, and he was humiliated by his enemy. Even if he woke up now, it would be difficult for him to face himself.

He had envisioned arming himself with suits, arming the World, and fighting alien invasions.

All of it vanished into thin air after his defeat.

Several mechanical arms were fixing and printing Tony's limbs. After extracting cells, they read blueprints and used nanotechnology for replication and printing.

Theoretically, severed limbs could grow back, but it would take some time, about a month.

The main reason was that Zhao Hailun wasn't here. She only occasionally monitored remotely via computer to ensure the repair experiment proceeded correctly and without error.

He was connected to several tubes: some for disinfection and sterilization, some for supplementing energy to maintain life, and others for pain and itch relief medication.

The process of limb regeneration would be very itchy, and he couldn't move, as movement would damage it, so anti-itch anesthetics had to be administered.

Steve arrived at Avengers Headquarters, looking at his two colleagues receiving treatment in the lab. He used to think, watching movies, that they would never get hurt, but in reality, he knew this wasn't a game or a movie, but a living World!

The entire headquarters was controlled by robots, requiring no additional personnel.

The fewer people who knew, the safer this place would be.

"So he'll be okay, right?"

Rhodes watched from the side, feeling a pang of sorrow. Tony was his good friend, and seeing him like this, Rhodes felt a sense of loneliness and sadness.

Perhaps one day, he too would be seriously injured on a mission?

"He'll be fine, everything will be. I'm leaving, going back to rest, and recruiting new members to replenish our combat strength."

Steve patted Rhodes' shoulder, a relieved smile on his face. The scene looked very warm.

His recruitment, of course, referred to Falcon Sam.

With him around, he would never hand the shield to Sam, nor would he let him become Captain. He was not worthy, nor could he, nor did he have the qualifications.

The Black man should just be a subordinate, a junior, that was the greatest kindness to them.

Really let them take the lead? That's setting them up for failure; they don't have that ability, understand?

Back in the laboratory.

Steve lay down for an examination; he always felt something was off.

After a new instrument scan, muscle detection was performed using sonar.

Soon, something was found to be amiss: within his muscles, something was still burning, constantly consuming his life.

That was Odin's divine power.

After going all out and unleashing his restraints, Odin's full-force strike didn't cause high damage, but it left behind divine power that continuously inflicted damage.

After fusing with Extremis, the pain disappeared, and he seemed to have recovered. In reality, it had become latent, more hidden, and harder to detect.

If it weren't for the sonar detection and the new technology brought by Su Rui, it might not have been detected this time.

The divine power was dispersed throughout his body, constantly absorbing energy to sustain itself while also eroding his body.

This could also explain why he had been so sleepy recently and needed rest. Previously, several times a day, for ten days to half a month, was not a problem.

Now he actually needed rest?

So the problem was here?

"Is there a way to solve it?"

Steve tried to use Extremis to burn away the divine power, but the high temperature not only failed to incinerate the divine power residue, but it was completely absorbed!

Zhao Hailun watched with heartache. She had long fallen in love with this man, and seeing her husband suffer, she felt great pain.

"No, this power residue is already bound to your body."

Betty's eyes were red; her man was working too hard.

"Husband, why don't we go find Hela? Perhaps she'll have a solution?"

Hela was Odin's daughter, and her strength was not much less than Odin's. She was knowledgeable, and there was also the connection of a one-night stand, which might help a little.

"I think this might be an opportunity."

Su Rui, who hadn't spoken, thought for a long time before suddenly making a surprising statement.

Steve sat up. The divine power residue only weakened his stamina, and no other problems had been found yet. However, it was uncertain whether these divine power residues would grow stronger and cause more trouble after absorbing enough energy.

"How so?"

Su Rui breathed a sigh of relief; she was truly afraid of angering Steve.

Although they were married, she wasn't beautiful or as favored as those fair-skinned, beautiful women. With her dark skin, she naturally had no comparable charm.

Only her excellent intelligence and numerous new inventions allowed her to stand her ground.

If there were no other additional values, purely as a woman, it wouldn't be her turn even after a hundred years of waiting in line.

"Husband, your physical quality is several times stronger than other Super Soldiers, and you've also fused with the modified Extremis.

If high temperatures can't destroy this power, then why can't we, conversely, find a way to devour it and assimilate it?

Ultimately, this is just an ownerless object. Although it's something we don't recognize, it definitely has its merits."

Su Rui spoke eloquently about her hypothesis. Since it was a residue, it couldn't be controlled. While this erosion of power was a threat, couldn't it also be an opportunity?

"Hmm, that makes sense. I plan to go to Tarot. There should be a way there to help me control Odin's divine power."

Steve thought it made sense and was indeed worth trying.

As they were whispering and discussing feasible plans, the phone rang again.

"Speak."

It was Fury on the other end, his voice sounding very weak.

"I'm Fury. Come to Apartment 116, Downing Street, Room 7 on the third floor. I'll be waiting for you, hurry."

The call ended, apparently out of fear of being monitored.

"I'm going out for a bit; I have some things to handle."

--

The apartment was silent at night; it seemed sparsely populated.

Steve noticed someone was watching him. Ever since he arrived on this street, there had been a subtle, intermittent surveillance.

He went straight to Room 7 on the third floor.

Fury, heavily bandaged and injured, nervously aimed a gun at him when he entered.

Only when he confirmed it was Steve did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He wrote on his phone.

"There's a mole in S.H.I.E.L.D. I was attacked. Don't trust anyone!"

But he said aloud.

"This room was prepared for you from the beginning. I didn't expect you and Hill to get together so quickly; it truly surprised me."

Fury said, extending his hand, which held a USB drive.

"Your life is very good now; I shouldn't disturb you. But after much thought, I couldn't find anyone more suitable than you."

Bang!

As soon as Fury finished speaking, a gunshot rang out. He immediately screamed and fell to the ground.

Steve took the USB drive, a cold smirk on his lips.

Outside, a fully armed team of mercenaries was already rushing over, attempting to apprehend him.

He twisted his neck. It had been a long time since he'd dealt with ordinary people. If these people dared to come, it was a good chance to test himself.

"Kill everyone inside!"

The mercenary Captain had just spoken when he received no reply, but instead saw the terror in his subordinates' eyes.

Without hesitation, he turned and pulled the trigger simultaneously.

Crunch!

The sound of a neck bone breaking rang out. Stevecharged into the mercenaries like a tiger into a flock of sheep, sending one flying over ten meters with a single punch.

By the time the man hit the ground, he was completely limp, his bones broken, his muscles flaccid. He had died the moment he was sent flying!

No mercy.

He grabbed a mercenary's head and smashed it against the wall, then lifted him again, using him as a club, swinging and striking.

A ten-man squad was wiped out in less than half a minute.

The moment Steve released his grip, the mercenary who had been used as a club also fell limply.

His once hard skull was now deformed.

This scene made the HYDRA agents monitoring the situation's scalps tingle. Captain America was still incredible!

An ambulance quickly arrived, taking Fury to the hospital.

Steve, Black Widow Natasha, who had rushed over, and Secretary Hill stood outside the emergency room, watching Fury being resuscitated through the transparent glass.

In the movie, Hill's expression was always very sad.

But now, Hill's expression was calm, even unperturbed. Her reaction seemed normal now, as she was married and no longer Fury's colleague. Not being sad was a good thing.

Hill also wouldn't dare to show such an expression, otherwise, Steve might torment her when they got back. Her husband was never a generous man. As Steve's wife, crying for another man? What was she trying to do?

Natasha's expression was somewhat complex, unclear whether it was sadness or something else.

Having worked with Fury for so many years, she was grateful that he recruited her into S.H.I.E.L.D., giving her a place to belong.

Now that Fury was dying, she felt her future was somewhat uncertain and perplexing.

"Captain, what do you plan to do next?"

"Find out the cause of Fury's death. The forces behind these people, who dared to assassinate even the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., are unimaginably powerful."

Steve knew who did it, but he couldn't say yet.

He had to wait for the mole to reveal themselves before he could legitimately disband S.H.I.E.L.D.

Losing their official status would make things less convenient in the future. But it would also be more free. It wasn't that they couldn't do without S.H.I.E.L.D., but that U.S. capital couldn't do without S.H.I.E.L.D.!

Chapter 196 Captain, will you support me in becoming the director?

Everyone knows to guard against the tigers in the open, but what about the venomous snakes in the dark?

They are impossible to guard against!

The emergency Doctor was still trying to stimulate the heart with a defibrillator, using electricity to reawaken it.

But time after time, it was all in vain. With each attempt, Fury was like a dead fish, showing no reaction at all.

Steve calmed down and listened. With the blessing of Tarot Qi Gong, he could still hear a faint, almost inaudible heartbeat.

It was very slow, almost beating only once a minute. It was so weak that even instruments couldn't detect it.

At this moment, he was as good as dead, and Furyhimself had no sensation whatsoever. If no one gave him the antidote and he remained in this state for more than twenty-four hours, no one could save him.

Hill bowed her head, her face devoid of emotion, returning to her usual aloof demeanor.

A former colleague was attacked and died right before her eyes. Anyone would be emotional, would roar in anger.

She didn't, and she couldn't. If she hadn't met Steve, she would have surely cried, as the outpouring of grief would have been unstoppable.

But now, considering her husband's thoughts and attitude, she forcibly held it back.

Or rather, her heart was completely calm, and she even felt a little like smiling.

"What trick is this Fury playing again? Still faking his death. Pierce is really something, is he that impatient?"

Hill shook her head, about to say hello and leave.

She turned and saw 'honest man' Coulson hurrying over. He nodded to her and walked directly to her husband.

The two stood shoulder to shoulder, one with his hands in his pockets, a casual attitude. The other with his arms crossed, a solemn expression.

"Is there still hope for the Director, Captain?"

"He's dead. I'll leave his funeral arrangements to you. No matter who killed my good friend, I will make him pay the price."

Before Steve went to Tarot, he planned to eliminate the hidden danger of Pierce, the HYDRA mole.

If Pierce didn't die, he wouldn't be able to sleep either. After all, he was a high-ranking HYDRA official who had been cuckolded by him. The organization he had painstakingly built his whole life was stolen by an old geezer who had been asleep for seventy years.

He had been foolish enough to agree at the time, and had even cooperated obediently for a while.

What was the result?

Only in the middle did he realize that this was not HYDRA at all!

The most crucial thing was that the organization members and moles all believed Steve was the HYDRAleader, Captain HYDRA. His personal charisma in the clandestine organization ruthlessly trampled Pierce, this old White male, underfoot.

His face was in the sand, and he was still being ground a few times, with people defecating and urinating on his head. After it was done, they even asked him for toilet paper to clean up.

Killing and humiliating!

He had never seen such a bastard.

Steve was not a good person, but he was definitely not a genuine HYDRA. What kind of HYDRA doesn't want to rule the World, but simply becomes a tool for personal attacks against dissenters?

Thinking of this, Pierce's heart disease was about to act up; he couldn't take it anymore.

Being cuckolded is not scary.

What's scary is being cuckolded right in front of you, and you still have to smile and cooperate, and even let the other party call your name so you can feel involved.

Despicable!

Truly despicable!

The moment the aircraft carrier takes off, Pierce will definitely use half of the energy beam weapons to turn Steve into a sieve, a leaky sieve.

If he doesn't kill him, his hatred will be hard to dispel.

"Okay, I'll handle the Director's funeral. But what about S.H.I.E.L.D., Captain? The agency needs you. Without Fury, I've already lost a friend.

Please, stay. S.H.I.E.L.D. really needs you; it can't function without you."

Coulson pleaded bitterly. He already had a premonition that S.H.I.E.L.D. would be disbanded. This was an irreversible outcome, and something that was bound to happen. Only by disbanding would some matters and grievances disappear, no longer needing to be constrained by the former's messes.

Steve watched as Fury was covered with a white sheet, officially declaring his death. It would be recorded in the archives for easy reference, and also as a signal to Pierce that things had gone smoothly.

He reached out and patted Coulson, looking at this fanboy. Even though he was so much younger than him, he was now a middle-aged man.

Time makes people old. Such a good young man, how did he get old?

"You'll have to take charge from now on. You can do it, and you must do it. I'm no longer suited for this era, and I'm a bit out of place in this World.

If it were me, I would violently destroy all of this. Sometimes it's very difficult to control one's violent behavior."

Steve certainly wouldn't take over S.H.I.E.L.D. After the appearance of the Time Variance Authority, he was bound to confront this force.

They want all people and events to unfold according to a predetermined script, without any deviations, only needing to ensure the general direction is correct.

However, Odin's premature death and Hela's early release severely exceeded the script's limits.

It's impossible to let them arbitrarily cut the timeline. The so-called Sacred Timeline, in Steve's opinion, is quite ridiculous and intriguing.

Why do they think what they believe is correct, and insist on forcing others to accept everything they deem right?

Coulson felt a sense of failure, yet also a sense of clarity. His idol had changed, no longer the type who always charged at the forefront.

The Captain of the past, no matter when or where, would always be at the very front, and just looking at his back at that time gave people a strong sense of security.

Now, although he had retreated behind the scenes, there was still a hint of steadfast support.

To be honest, to make him single-handedly prop up S.H.I.E.L.D., he couldn't do it; he felt somewhat panicked and uneasy.

"When I need support, I hope I can get your support, Captain. I truly don't know what to do."

Coulson's emotions were complex. Fury, who was both his mentor and friend, had been attacked and died. His idol was also leaving S.H.I.E.L.D. to live a secluded life.

Wherever this transcendent power lies, there is a vortex of struggle.

The World order is also changing now. If it weren't for the threat of nuclear weapons, war would probably have already begun.

Small-scale conflicts have already occurred, and many supported factions overseas are also stirring, attempting to rise up and become Master, breaking free from U.S. control.

All of this is not good for the United States. At this moment, Captain America is quitting. How can this be explained? It's unclear and ambiguous.

At this point, a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent walked to a short distance and called out, not daring to approach.

"Captain, Deputy Director, Consultant Pierce invites you back to discuss some matters."

"Tell him to wait."

Steve waved his hand, not putting Pierce in his eyes at all.

"But..."

Just as the agent was about to speak, Crossbonesslapped him across the face.

Crossbones, acting on someone else's authority, stared at him with disdain in his tone and a fierce expression. It was as if he would start a fight at the slightest disagreement.

The agent, who was responsible for relaying the message, clutched his face, stammering and unable to say anything. He was too wronged; he was just relaying a message, there was no need to beat him to death, right?

This is change.

In the past, Crossbones was the one relaying messages, and his attitude wasn't exactly good.

Steve, though annoyed at the time, remained restrained and wouldn't actively cause trouble. He would swallow his anger, or perhaps feel it wasn't necessary.

Watching Fury being sent to the morgue by the Doctor, he would have to find time to bury him later. Given his rank, a funeral was unavoidable.

"You don't need to go. Go see Fury one last time. His funeral still needs your help to preside over.

Hill is not convenient, nor is it appropriate. These are troubled times, and you can handle some things as you see fit.

After all, you are an elite trained by Fury. This little thing won't stump you."

Steve only gave a few words of instruction, and didn't say that Fury was truly dead. He told Coulson to go see, and if Fury had a backup plan, he would definitely trust him.

Besides Coulson, he couldn't find a second person he could trust.

Natasha watched with a cold eye. Her rank was not high enough. She just felt that this matter was a bit strange and elusive.

Who would dare to openly attack Fury?

What did Fury discover that led to him being chased down on the street? Afterwards, there was no trace of an investigation, but it was taken over by people from other departments, and even the traces were buried.

It was difficult to find any clues now.

The fog was thick, and it was becoming more and more interesting.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, Consultant's Office.

Pierce personally received Steve, his expression appearing very sad. The old fox's acting was online; it was impossible to tell that he was the mastermind.

He placed the coffee on the coffee table and sat down in front of Steve.

"Thank you for coming. When I stepped down as S.H.I.E.L.D. Director, I recommended Fury. I really had high hopes for him.

Sometimes, shaping a new World order inevitably requires bloodshed and sacrifice. These are unavoidable, and we all share common aspirations.

The incident with the Moria Star ship was beyond my expectations. Those pirates were hired by Fury himself; he had detected the Zola Algorithm matter."

He concealed nothing, revealing everything. This respectful attitude showed no ambition to usurp power.

The more respectful he appeared, the bigger the things Pierce wanted to hide.

Steve leaned back on the sofa impassively, crossing his legs, a posture that was completely at odds with the image of a meticulous, standard soldier.

Is this Captain America?

Captain America would never be so impolite, so ignorant of rules.

"He tried to crack the Zola Algorithm and also submitted a request to Secretary-General Hill to delay the Insight Project.

Once he discovered the trick, our plan would surface. I understand his character; even the most difficult things to accept, he would believe and execute.

I had no choice but to send people to kill him.

Captain, I want to ask, is he really dead or not?"

Pierce asked very solemnly. His only concern was that Steve would come out and disrupt things. As for whether Fury was dead or not, he didn't care or mind; it was just a pretense.

"I'm not interested in your petty affairs; do what you want. Also, I don't have time recently. You should be careful of Green Goblin."

Steve picked up the coffee and splashed it, directly drenching Pierce.

The coffee dripped from his meticulously styled hair, making him look incredibly disheveled.

"Don't think about making me clean up your mess. If you can't complete this plan, next time it won't be just stale coffee; you'll jump straight from here!"

He stood up and left after saying that, without even a polite farewell.

Even ten minutes after Steve left, Pierce was still sitting on the sofa, letting the coffee drip.

He didn't care about the humiliation, but the scalding coffee made him uncomfortable. Under extreme endurance, he didn't scream but suppressed it.

He felt some surprise and some doubt in his heart.

That is, was Green Goblin Steve's person or not?

He had never seen superheroes as a threat, only as tools.

True strength relies on the mind.

As long as one is not strong enough to destroy a country alone, it's impossible to make everyone submit.

Currently, no superhero or villain has enough power to do this, perhaps Steve can.

As soon as the aircraft carrier takes off, he is confident he can eliminate all mutated humans and animals.

Without the hindrance of these people, he would then integrate resources and continue colonization.

Using all resources to develop weapons and arm the military might allow them to cope with the next alien invasion.

As for Hela's rampage, he had forgotten it, deliberately forgotten it.

Almost all those in power are like this; as long as Heladisappears, they can pretend she never appeared.

This is a typical ostrich mentality: if I don't see it, it didn't happen. If I don't hear it, it doesn't exist.

Green Goblin has successfully been elected Mayor.

Managing the vast New York, which also has a lot of Jewish capital, plus a mix of good and bad, is no different from a homeless man pursuing a popular actress.

It's almost impossible.

In the Mayor's office, Green Goblin was looking at the report in his hand.

The next second, everyone was frozen.

Mystique, Professor X, and Magneto pushed open the door and entered.

Only Green Goblin was not frozen, and an exaggerated, evil smile reappeared on his face.

"Captain's wife, Charles, Erik, what brings you here? Come, sit, sit. What would you like to drink?"

The ability to freeze people was Professor X Charles's special ability.

Mystique following Steve was no secret in the circle. The woman who could be with the Captain must have something extraordinary about her.

Either she was enchanting and beautiful, or she was extremely intelligent.

In short, a useless person would never be noticed by the Captain, even though it's all monogamy now.

But that's still for ordinary people to see, to make them feel at ease being beasts of burden, and it's even euphemistically called fairness.

In reality, which person in power doesn't have many mistresses, changing them every so often? When they're worn out, they're given to an honest man as a wife, and occasionally, when they remember, they take the other person's car for a while and then return it.

The main point is to be inhuman!

Mystique sat on the sofa, her eyes scanning the office.

"It seems you're not bad; there are no signs of women here.

The previous occupant didn't use this as an office, but as a bedroom. Steve has a task for you. If you do it well, it will greatly help your career."

Chapter 197: Counterattack against the Space-Time Administration

Green Goblin's phone rang, and a text message came through.

"Insight Project."

Looking at these four words, Green Goblin's maniacal grin quickly subsided.

"What do you need me to do?"

First, get some information. What is this Insight Project? It's so vague. Is there a problem with the project, or does it mean he should participate in it?

"The Insight Project is about collecting information on everyone in the World, and through HYDRA's algorithm, calculating whether they might join HYDRA.

If someone has superpowers, they will definitely be on another list, which is also called the kill list.

In other words, this is a plan for execution first, then trial, without due legal process.

S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters has three aircraft carriers equipped with a large number of captured Chitauri Legion energy weapons.

After modification, they can precisely target people on the ground from high altitude. Once someone is on the kill list, when the time comes, they will be collectively eliminated."

Mystique's tone was a bit displeased; this was tantamount to secretly executing everyone.

It was precisely because of this that Charles and Magneto appeared.

Originally, one was dedicated to academic research, and the other lived a normal life, neither wanting to get involved in conflict again.

Now someone wanted to kill them, which was clearly an attempt to cross them.

Even Charles, such a good-natured person, couldn't just sit back and wait to die.

Magneto, needless to say, had transitioned to a family-oriented life. He went to work every day, tightening screws, and spent evenings with his wife and daughter. Life was ordinary and stable, much better than before.

He disliked being disturbed the most. Besides occasionally helping out other Mutants who were struggling, everything else was fine.

"So, that means you need me to disrupt this project, right?"

No sooner had Green Goblin finished speaking than he looked up to find the three people in front of him had vanished.

The people in the office resumed their movements. Someone walking hadn't recovered and stumbled.

Where are they?

Suddenly disappearing, cutting off mid-sentence, is that fun?

He picked up his phone and dialed, only to find the number was out of service.

Green Goblin was puzzled. He found Charles's and Magneto's numbers and dialed them; he had their mobile numbers saved.

Superpowered individuals often cross paths and have each other's contact information.

But some things were strange; he couldn't reach them, as if everything had vanished into thin air.

Moreover, Green Goblin also felt that some mysterious force was influencing him, forcing him to forget information about Mutants. His enhanced brain gave him this signal.

Without time to think much, he grabbed paper and a pen and quickly wrote down all the information he knew.

On this day, the entire World seemed to fall into a standstill, with everyone in a coma.

Anyone who knew about Mutants, had seen Mutants, or had seen related news fell into a coma.

Mystique used her Hearthstone to return to the manor, her heart racing. She also noticed her memory fading, and having just been teleported to an unfamiliar World, she didn't have time to think much, so she used the Hearthstone to return to the manor first.

An hour later.

Hill walked over in crystal-clear high-heeled slippers, holding a cup of calming flower tea, which she placed in front of Mystique.

"Have a cup, relax, don't rush, slowly explain what happened."

Mystique was still a bit shaken. She picked up the teacup, ignoring the heat, and quickly drank the tea.

Her slightly throbbing head gradually recovered, her eyes refocused, and a glimmer of spirit returned.

"Two hours ago, Charles, Erik, and I went to find Green Goblin to have him deal with the Insight Project.

But for some reason, a force teleported Charles, Erik, and me to an unfamiliar World.

That World was very similar to ours, yet something was missing.

Even stranger, Charles and Erik didn't recognize each other, nor did they recognize me.

I felt my memory had been altered, so I rushed back. My head is still a bit fuzzy, and I don't know what happened."

Hill listened, her brows furrowed. This was very strange. But there was good news: the safe house was truly safe.

It could break all rules and restrictions, teleporting people back.

Looking at the Hearthstone ring on her finger, the Hearthstone had transformed into a ring for convenient wearing. For the first time, she realized just how powerful her husband was.

Was he really the original Captain America?

This doubt flashed through her mind and was quickly dismissed by Hill as meaningless.

No matter what, no matter how he changed, Steve was her husband, the father of her children.

Even if he had changed, Hill actually preferred the current 'bad boy' Captain America over the upright, righteous, saint-like Captain America.

That was a saint; being his companion would be interesting. But as a partner, it would be very boring, even leading to resentment.

No one likes their husband to save people all day, going to work risking his life in a hail of bullets.

Everyone knows such people are needed to take the fall, but no one wants to be such a person, to sacrifice themselves, burn themselves, and illuminate others.

Human nature is selfish, and there's nothing wrong with that.

Listening to Mystique's words, a hint of surprise flashed in Hill's eyes. This was very similar to what Steve had said about 'pruning timelines.' Steve rarely kept things from her; sometimes, when he took in another woman, he would tell her, except for the heaven-defying secret of the 'system,' everything else was shared.

As for having several more sisters, what could Hill do besides roll her eyes helplessly?

"This is very similar to what my husband said about pruning timelines. He said there are higher-dimensional beings who write the events happening in the Universeas a script.

Every person, every creature, needs to follow this script.

If a change occurs midway, someone will appear to stop it.

At best, memories are erased, and they start over. At worst, that World is destroyed, and a new timeline that follows their script is created."

This sounded incredible. How could you prune? It's not tailoring. Can time be pruned?

Mystique listened, very confused, simply not understanding.

"You mean we were just thrown into the trash can? But that place was no different from a modern city; it didn't seem abandoned."

Raven clearly remembered that it was another World, or another timeline.

At least she had that feeling. That place had no Iron Man, no Captain America, only the existence of Mutants.

It seemed that was where Mutants should exist, unlike this World, which was somewhat chaotic.

"Edith, check the database for the whereabouts of Mutants."

Hill spoke to the air. Artificial intelligence was ubiquitous and always listening.

A holographic projection appeared, displaying the currently recorded Mutants in the database in a table format.

This included top Mutants like Charles, Magneto, and Jean Grey, as well as secondary ones like Iceman, Pyro, Wolverine, Sabretooth, and so on.

The avatars of these people had all turned black, with only Jean Grey, Mystique, and Polaris's avatars still lit up.

They were lit because they were all in the safe house. This place was not under the jurisdiction of the Time Variance Authority, nor could it be detected here.

Almost all Mutants, except for them, had disappeared. No traces could be found, classified as missing.

Hill's eyes flashed with surprise. She hadn't expected the so-called Time Variance Authority to have such immense capability.

To teleport all Mutants to an unknown World in an instant, how much effort would that require?

Steve yawned as he came out of Polaris's room. Polariswas already exhausted and fast asleep, snoring without a care for her image.

People snore when they are extremely tired. Of course, those who snore naturally are not included in this category.

"It seems the Time Variance Authority has made a move. Don't worry, if what Raven said is true, they just went to another World.

We don't have a way to deal with the Time Variance Authority yet, but we will in the future.

Raven, get some good rest. You stay here during this time; don't go anywhere.

After the Insight Project is over, I'll go to Tarot and resolve the internal injuries first. Otherwise, I'll always be sleepy, which greatly affects my combat effectiveness."

Odin, that old schemer, couldn't even rest in peace after death. Every time Steve thought of him, he would go find Frigga and torment her fiercely.

Odin died, and that was it? Don't even think about it. He still had a wife and children. Debts dying with the person was out of the question.

"They won't be in danger, will they?"

Mystique was still quite worried about them. They were all Mutants; if they also left, she would truly have no friends left.

The women here could only be considered family, her own sisters.

"Probably not. It's quite troublesome. They should be fine for now. When they make a move again, we'll see if we have a chance to catch them.

These people are quite annoying, and I don't like being treated as a puppet to be manipulated.

I'd like to see what confidence and what qualifications they have to argue with me here."

Steve detested so-called adherence to rules. For him, rules were meant to be broken.

So-called adherence to rules was actually a form of restraint, a restraint imposed by those in power on those below.

Only when the 'cattle and horses' below obediently followed their ideas would they be considered successful, allowing them to lie back and enjoy everything the 'cattle and horses' contributed.

It was precisely because he saw through this kind of thing that Steve so detested so-called rules.

"I think we should still discuss it with Su Rui and the others. Currently, she's still researching the Dark Elves' spaceship, always out of sight, even eating inside the spaceship."

Hill rubbed her forehead. Recent events were piling up, too many to count.

"Let her research. Take it one step at a time. For now, stay in the safe house if there's nothing urgent.

If you need to go out, you must bring the Hearthstone. If something truly unexpected happens, you can observe first and gather more information.

And judging by their behavior, they seem to have a method for deleting or sealing specific memories.

Let's see if there's a good way to conduct regular checks, setting up a signal for detection.

If it doesn't match, it will forcibly trigger memory recall. I think this is very important. Hill, I'll leave these to you. You figure it out."

To guard against the Time Variance Authority, Stevehad truly gone to great lengths.

Sometimes it was just like that; life was full of dissatisfactions.

Things would be going well, but then someone would jump out and say what you were doing was wrong. You had to go back and do it again according to their pre-planned script.

Pah, what Kang the Conqueror.

Calling him Kang the Accused would be more accurate.

"Okay, I'll handle it. Are you sure you don't want to check on Pierce? I always feel like he's hiding some information."

Hill's sixth sense was very accurate; many times, this sixth sense had saved her life.

Is there a possibility that Pierce knew all his actions were being monitored, so he was doing this on purpose?

His overt actions followed the preset plan, but who knew if he was making other arrangements in secret?

Listening to Hill's concerns, it made sense; he really should go check.

"Okay, then I'll go check. If Green Goblin and the others can solve it, I won't intervene. If they can't, then I'll step in."

Steve also believed in 'caution makes for a long journey.' He really wanted to go to Tarot. Perhaps many unsolved mysteries could be resolved there.

Just then, a clear, gentle voice came from behind; it was Ancient One, who had been silent for a long time.

Ancient One walked over, her belly big, holding a magicbook. She had taken some time to move a portion of Kamar-Taj's books over, essentially transferring public wealth to her husband's home.

"Memory recall and reminder magic can be achieved. Since I received my magic education, I have not heard of the Time Variance Authority.

That might be an existence I cannot comprehend, but magic can indeed accomplish many things.

With a double insurance of magic and technology, even if our memories are deleted or sealed, we can still trigger amnesia reminders.

This way, we can both deceive the so-called Time Variance Authority and find some information about them."

"Okay, then you go research that spell. I'm heading out. If you need anything, write it on a list, and I'll figure it out."

Every time Steve saw Ancient One, his scalp tingled a bit. It was the first time he had been so 'schemed against' by a woman.

This Ancient One was truly shameless, actually taking the initiative to 'counterattack,' not at all like a Sorcerer Supreme.

She was nothing like the imagined image of a cold, unapproachable, reclusive, otherworldly master.

She looked more like a cunning old vixen, using herself to enter the game, winning half a step against fate, right?

Watching Steve flee in disarray, Hill's pretty face showed a slight smile, her lips curving with playful teasing.

"I think Steve seems quite afraid of you?"

"He's not afraid of me; he just feels that I 'schemed' against him before. And I did do that. I'm tired and wanted to find someone to rely on.

He's very good, very suitable. Whether as a partner or for happiness in the latter half of life, he is very suitable, very qualified.

Good men don't fall from the sky; you have to work hard to get them."

Ancient One's words had a hint of explanation.

Chapter 198: Veteran Actor Pierce's Counterattack

Pierce began to execute the Insight Project; everything was ready for the final launch.

"Unit One is ready for launch."

"Unit Two is ready."

"Unit Three is ready."

Three carriers entered the lift platform, and the massive river outside the S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters building fractured.

After the bottom hatch opened, a large amount of river water poured into the platform.

The carriers were equipped with the latest Raptor fighter jets, all crewed by Pierce's trusted subordinates, whom he had transferred from other places.

They had never served in S.H.I.E.L.D. before, instead lurking within the Military, either as pilots or Marine Corps commandos. He had not told anyone about the existence of these personnel, not even his partner, Councilman Stern.

Standing in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows of the conference room on the top floor of the Headquarters building, Pierce personally received the five arriving Council members.

When exchanging greetings, they all chanted the slogan.

"Hail HYDRA!"

Hail HYDRA!

The previous five council members, due to their involvement in the New York Battle and the attempt to destroy Manhattan Island with nuclear weapons, were instructed by Steve and spearheaded by Green Goblin, leading to their families' ruin and their own deaths.

Each of them died for bizarre reasons: car accidents during family trips, accidental consumption of poisonous mushrooms during family meals, electrocution of the entire family, and so on.

Not only did they die, but their family members also did not escape!

Green Goblin's actions were reassuring; he knew how to eliminate the roots. If his enemies weren't dead, he wouldn't rest.

Especially after the death of his son, Harry, even after awakening the evil Green Goblin persona and sharing the same body with Norman, representing the two sides of one person.

He still felt heartbroken; that was his son, who had died just like that, leaving him deeply saddened.

Spider-Man was responsible, and Black King Shaw was also responsible.

However, Mutants had vanished from the World, and Spider-Man was severely injured after helping Tony.

Therefore, everyone remotely connected would face retaliation.

Green Goblin still maintained his sanity, knowing that teammates could not be touched, especially those who fought alongside him. Winning them over would facilitate his ambition to control the World.

If he controlled the World, there wouldn't be so many tragedies.

The newly replaced Council members initially appeared very subservient; whatever Hill said, whatever suggestions she made, whether it was for money or supplies, they approved unconditionally.

They didn't even have the basic requirement to inquire; they simply approved, signing off with their eyes closed.

They looked like docile sheep, terrified of retaliation.

Who would have thought they were long-term HYDRAmoles? All of this was for deception and disguise.

"Our plan has succeeded; no one can stop our cause anymore. The World is about to welcome peace, returning the entire World to order under HYDRA's control!

Hail HYDRA!"

Pierce couldn't help but raise his glass with high spirits; the champagne filled within was so delicious at that moment.

Without any obstruction, his trusted members entered the carriers; everything was under control.

"Where is Captain America? Once we launch the attack, we will have no retreat."

A senator asked with an uncertain tone; this was a question that could not be ignored.

Pierce had already spread the information that Captain America was the leader of HYDRA, and all HYDRAmembers had received this information.

Whether it was Baron Strucker researching the Mind Stone in Sokovia, or HYDRA moles lurking in the Ten Rings gang, they all received this message.

Not only that, this information was also inadvertently known by other organizations.

Including NATO, the U.S. Military, and Middle Eastterrorist organizations, they all knew that Captain America Steve had actually been a HYDRA member for a long time.

If he could be discredited, that was best; if not, it didn't matter, it would still make people wary.

Perhaps this was true, but Steve did not agree with his plan; he was simply a cuckoo in the nest, fulfilling his personal desires.

He had no grand ideals, and he hadn't achieved his promised World domination.

Since he couldn't do it, Pierce would give him a push from behind.

Now, the three giants of the Avengers were absent. Thor was not here; he had returned to Asgard.

Iron Man Tony Stark had his limbs severed by Killianand was now recuperating somewhere unknown.

Captain America Steve had disappeared, as elusive as ever, perhaps encountering some woman in a bar or nightclub.

Spider-Man was severely injured, and War Machinewas pursuing Killian, searching for the President's whereabouts.

Fury had been killed by him, and the last Avenger member, Hawkeye Barton, had applied for retirement, no longer wishing to participate in these matters.

Upon hearing Steve's name, Pierce had an overreaction.

"He won't appear here, no one will appear here; our plan is bound to succeed."

The carriers outside had been pushed onto the river surface and began to slowly ascend using their anti-gravity engines.

Watching the three fully armed carriers, Pierce stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, his eyes turning frantic.

"Only I can lead HYDRA to glory, reshape its splendor, and achieve the grand dream that even Red Skull could not.

After today, there will be no more enemies, and the World's order will be controlled by us.

All super-powered individuals will become our puppets."

Pierce couldn't help but declare his grand ambitions. With his back to everyone, he pulled out a pistol. He disengaged the safety, turned, and fired several shots at the questioning senator.

The originally white-haired, decrepit senator was surprisingly agile.

He dodged at the moment Pierce fired, and even uncharacteristically charged forward.

Bang!

A figure flew out!

It wasn't Pierce; instead, it was the senator who had charged. The high-tech disguise mask on his face shattered, revealing his original appearance.

Green Goblin!

He had never expected to be knocked flying. Ever since he took the physical enhancement serum, his physique had caught up to Spider-Man's, and he was exceptionally good at blunt force defense.

Even being hit by a high-speed train would only cause minor injuries and wouldn't incapacitate him. There might be some impact, but not severe enough to lose mobility.

But he never imagined that he would be kicked flying by an old man who was clearly on the verge of death; this was simply unscientific!

Pierce twisted his neck, a hint of ferocity on his face. He had broken a bone when he kicked Green Goblin.

At this moment, the fractured area was red-hot, rapidly repairing the injury.

Extremis!

Pierce had actually taken Extremis; no wonder he was so powerful!

What surprised Green Goblin even more wasn't this, for if Pierce had taken Extremis, that would be one thing, but what made him gasp in shock was another person.

A figure identical to Harry; when he walked closer, that appearance was exactly Harry!

His son, Harry!

"How is this possible!"

Green Goblin immediately thought of something: after the New York Battle, when collecting the bodies, his son's body was already shattered.

At that time, he hadn't investigated or verified if it was truly his son.

Falling from dozens of floors and being smashed to pieces was normal. At that time, he was overwhelmed with grief, and others collected the body, so it wasn't impossible for it to have been tampered with and replaced.

Was the Harry before him resurrected, or was he a clone, a substitute?

Unknown, undetectable.

Pierce laughed wildly, looking at Green Goblin's astonished expression, seemingly very satisfied with his vanity.

"Haha, surprised, aren't you, Norman? Did you think I wasn't guarding against you? Fool, did you think Stevesending you to deal with me meant you had the ability?

Tell Steve he's an idiot. He thinks he can monitor me? He's still too green!

An old popsicle who's been asleep for seventy years, playing these tricks to deceive people, even I was fooled at first. He's very clever, truly remarkable.

But true HYDRA can never be taken over. Cut off one head, and two more shall grow in its place!"

It turned out Pierce had indeed noticed it early on, showing no rage or outward reaction, acting under Hill's nose.

He not only fooled Hill but also deceived Fury, the King of Agents.

This acting skill was even more impressive than those Oscar-winning actors. Others could reshoot repeatedly until they met enough requirements.

But Pierce had no retreat; he had no right to call cut and restart. He had to tread on thin ice; one wrong step would lead to utter annihilation!

If he had made even a tiny mistake, it wouldn't have succeeded. Yet, he managed to proceed step by step, without a single error.

Under surveillance, he still managed to mobilize so many people, secretly find Extremis, and perfect the virus.

This audacity and cunning truly befitted a man who had been Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Setting aside his identity as an enemy, such a person truly deserved respect. He was too amazing, too incredible; besides a 'holy crap,' there were no words to describe him.

As Green Goblin stood up, he felt a piercing pain.

The nameplate he wore when he entered could no longer be removed; instead, it had become a scorching detonator, burning his flesh until it smelled like barbecue.

"Don't move, Norman. Say hello to your son. You should thank me; his bones were shattered, and his brain was a mess.

Extremis still saved him. Your son's endurance is very strong. For this, I even replaced him with a metal skeleton. His current combat power is top-notch.

Steve thought that by taking my Winter Soldier, by saving his friend Bucky, I would be helpless, without any trump cards?

Hahahaha! Tell him, a true master always lets the enemy know his superficial trump cards.

For decades, he's practiced how to win the game when he only has one trump card."

Pierce was very happy and eager to show off, to vent the anger in his heart. He wasn't doing this to give them a chance but also to buy time.

He just needed the carriers to take off, and everything would end; he would be the leader who would dominate the new era.

With Extremis, he could live for a long time and continue to shine. With his wisdom, no one was his match; everyone would submit!

Hahahaha!

The wildly laughing Pierce appeared utterly deranged. Decades of meticulous preparation, and he had acted for half his life, pretending to be someone with a style he fundamentally disliked.

Now that it was all over, he no longer needed to impersonate a style he hated.

All of this was worth it. In his life, how many dangers had he encountered, how many opponents?

There were brutal executioners, capitalists who ate people without spitting out the bones, and colleagues who all vied for power.

Each one was difficult to deal with, each one an outstanding elite. Yet, the outcome for each of them was the same: they all failed.

He was the winner who laughed last; he won, defeating countless opponents along the way, finally ascending to the throne of victory.

Master of the World; that title was truly wonderful. He was the Master of the World!

Bang!

A Rocket launcher flew in from outside the window, blasting the unprepared Pierce and Harry away.

A senator also took the opportunity to pull out a taser and aim it at Pierce; blue electric currents enveloped him. Even with Extremis, regeneration was impossible when the body was paralyzed.

Green Goblin activated a counter-device, using the current to decrypt the nameplate. He flung the nameplate away, the area over his heart already scorched black.

"You bastard, Pierce, I'll kill you!"

"No time! Go deal with the three carriers first. Falcon will cover you outside."

Black Widow removed her disguise, revealing Natasha's delicate features. With her other hand, she pulled out another pistol and fired a shot at the heads of the other three HYDRA mole senators.

The three HYDRA senators exploded in a spray of blood, falling onto a mixture of yellow and white, dying with their eyes wide open.

They had only come for the celebration, but it turned into a dramatic spectacle. They still hadn't understood what was going on, or what they were supposed to do.

A bullet blew off their heads, taking this confusion with them to ask Jesus what exactly was happening.

Look in my eyes, answer me!

Look in my eyes!

Tell me why? Why?

A helicopter landed on the platform outside. Coulsonjumped out, pulling open the cabin door.

Fury, his arm still in a cast and bandaged, descended from the plane.

In his classic black combat suit, covered by a large black trench coat, he exuded coolness perfectly.

His single eye looked at Pierce with a complex expression of confusion, doubt, and pain, as he slowly walked in from outside.

Pierce lay on the ground, unable to move, but he could still see Fury's arrival.

"Heh heh... ah... Fury... I knew... you were still alive... Do you remember what I said?"

"I remember. For the sake of World peace, necessary bloodshed and sacrifice are required. When war comes, often only the Military is the most reliable; diplomacy is merely a sign of weakness."

Fury answered fluently, clearly having taken the words to heart.

Chapter 199 The decrypted information drives people crazy

Natasha walked over, pulled out a specially made short knife, and with a swift motion, severed Pierce's limbs.

She then deactivated the electric shock to prevent too much energy consumption.

Green Goblin stood up, looked at his son Harry, who had already flown to the aircraft carrier for alert duty, and tapped a finger on the panel.

He glided out the window, then jumped up, landed steadily on it, and flew into the sky.

The fighter jets on the aircraft carrier also began to take off; this was not for early warning, but to execute a second order.

If things were exposed, and all was lost, they would bomb the entire World with full force, and finally crash themselves and their planes into the ground, leaving no remains, no retreat.

The aircraft cabin doors were already locked, making it impossible for them to get out. If they tried to exit, it would inevitably trigger an alarm, and the plane would explode.

They had no other path but death. Regardless of their willingness or whether they intended to be loyal to HYDRA, it was no longer possible for them to live.

The training of a pilot requires a great deal of time and financial resources, yet thousands of pilots were easily sacrificed, many of whom were misled.

Even if Pierce's ultimate plan failed, the U.S. Military's strength would significantly decline.

Those capitalist consortiums could already consider whether to continue maintaining U.S. hegemony or to move to other regions sooner rather than later.

Without a doubt, war would break out very quickly.

The developments surprised everyone; the Mutants had disappeared, but that didn't mean it was truly safe.

When a whale falls, all things grow. How they were enslaved by the United States back then is how they will repay it twofold now.

Falcon Sam had been waiting outside for a long time, ready to work with Green Goblin to replace the aircraft carrier's chips.

Replacing the chips would prevent them from locking onto predetermined targets, making them target each other instead, attacking one another to end this disaster.

Little Green Goblin Harry also flew out of the aircraft carrier on a similar glider, and under brainwashing control, began to attack Green Goblin.

A father-son battle: either death, or capture Harry alive and unravel the mystery in his heart.

This would mean no time to replace the aircraft carrier chips. Once the aircraft carriers ascended to a certain altitude, they would begin hunting any targets hostile to HYDRA.

Once the hunting began, hundreds or thousands of people would die every second.

Aerial combat was not something Fury could solve; he could only hope that Green Goblin and Falcon would be effective enough to take down the aircraft carriers.

To be honest, it was very difficult.

The Dark Avengers had not even assembled. Whiplashshould have appeared by now, but he was nowhere to be seen.

Dr. Octopus was the same; he had disappeared, completely untraceable.

Looking at Pierce, whose limbs were severed and who was temporarily deprived of his regeneration ability by the electric shock, Fury was filled with immense anger. He initially thought it was Steve, or if not him, then Hill, trying to seize power!

But later investigations revealed it wasn't, and he also discovered a huge secret: Steve was actually a member of HYDRA!

Hill must have known this, and Sharon also knew. How could they have agreed to and allowed Steve to join HYDRA?

Hill had been a S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent for many years, possessing basic moral values and professional ethics.

Sharon's aunt was Peggy Carter, one of the founders of S.H.I.E.L.D., who had fought HYDRA her entire life. They were mortal enemies, an irreconcilable feud.

Now, to actually allow her husband to be a high-ranking HYDRA member, this was truly a monumental absurdity, utterly ridiculous!

The World was too surreal, so surreal that Fury could barely handle it.

Can you believe that Captain America, the moral paragon and symbol of justice praised by all of the United States, was actually a villain?

His head was buzzing, making him dizzy and unable to recover for a long time.

"Why did you choose me to be Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.back then?"

This question had always lingered in Fury's mind. He found it hard to believe that he was actually promoted all the way by a villain; this was neither scientific nor realistic.

Yet, this was the reality, this was the truth!

Thinking of this, Fury's expression became rather grim.

Pierce did not use his regeneration ability; Extremisstopped the bleeding, allowing him to barely cling to life, and that was all.

He was old, his physical strength couldn't keep up, and no matter how many viruses or serums he took, it was impossible to return to his peak.

Some things can be reversed, but some cannot.

"Heh heh, because you and I are the same kind of people. To achieve World peace, we can use any means necessary; we are kindred spirits.

To be honest, your inability to join HYDRA is my greatest regret. I've said it before, peace in this Worldcannot be achieved without bloodshed.

Open your eyes and see what everyone, what those consortiums are doing, what happened on Magic Islandin the south, you wouldn't know?

Did you ever stand up for those so-called innocent girls and children?

No! You didn't do it, you won't do it, and you wouldn't dare to do it, haha!

You and I are both selfish people, aren't we? Sacrificing them for a temporary compromise, so you can achieve your plan?"

These words were truly cutting, practically portraying Fury as a petty person.

A petty person, no matter how righteous their actions, is still petty.

Magic Island was a forbidden topic, the pinnacle of those consortiums' evil deeds. It was filled with nauseating content and images, and yet this filthy place had bound the entire U.S. power elite.

No one's hands were clean; without offering a 'certificate of loyalty' on Magic Island, one would not get a chance to climb higher.

Once the 'certificate of loyalty' was given and they rose in power, it became even more impossible to oppose the consortiums.

Otherwise, at most, they would be criticized a bit, or not even dared to be criticized. But those who exposed dark secrets would simply disappear, certainly not surviving.

Fury fell silent at these words; he, too, knew that the consortiums were a cancer.

But the consortiums controlled all industries, controlled all financial sources for Agents, always forcing them to bow down.

"All of this will change. Are they on your list?"

"No."

Pierce laughed maniacally. Indeed, they weren't; he wasn't lying about this, nor was there any need to lie.

Because it wasn't necessary. These consortiums, despite appearing high and mighty, were actually terrified of death. As long as there was profit to be made, they would bow down and submit.

Disobedience only happened when the fist wasn't big enough.

With three aircraft carriers in the sky, a constantly suspended Sword of Damocles hung over their heads; disobey and die.

Under such circumstances, who would dare to disobey?

"I'll give you one piece of advice: to deal with them, you can't reason, you can only use your fists. Hail HYDRA!"

After speaking, Pierce forcibly activated Extremis. He knew the consequences.

When the energy was insufficient to sustain the virus's regeneration, he would turn into a human bomb.

"Get back, quickly!"

Natasha hurriedly retreated far away. The blast radius of such a bomb was within twenty meters. Within the closest five meters, most things would inevitably melt, and if it exceeded ten meters with obstacles blocking it, the power would significantly decrease.

Fury, without a word, immediately ran to a very distant place, his heart filled with lingering fear.

He hadn't expected Pierce to actually self-destruct just like that, without any logic, completely a madman, a madman obsessed with an ideal.

At this moment, S.H.I.E.L.D.'s data was unlocked and transmitted to the entire World.

It included many secrets, such as investigations into Magic Island, the causes of supernatural disasters, the Military's human experiments, and how consortiums bound the economy, among other things.

It also contained data on Steve, Hill, and others, but it was very superficial, only showing age, birthplace, and position held.

From this moment on, S.H.I.E.L.D. could only be forcibly disbanded.

All member data of this Agent organization, including undercover Agents, was exposed on the internet.

The impact of this moment drove countless netizens into a frenzy.

"Oh my God, what kind of data is this? Is this something I should be seeing?"

"Holy moly, Captain's twenty centimeters, is that real or fake?"

"My Taylor Swift, how could you be a 'hundred-man slayer' and still play with a dark-skinned person? So disgusting! I declare myself a former fan, now a passerby!"

"Brother in front, step aside, let's talk!"

Not only were netizens stunned, but the consortiums who were originally tormenting women and enjoying the luxurious life brought by wealth were also completely bewildered.

Someone had displayed their underwear to the entire World, leaving no secrets.

It even included who in the family had an affair with whom, the unspeakable beastly acts between a father-in-law and daughter-in-law, and even more exaggerated cases of sons disrespecting their elders, and so on.

One could only say that while it was astonishing and exaggerated, it was also filled with sickening disgust. Were these even human beings?

To call them humans would be inaccurate; they should rather be called demons.

Why agree to release S.H.I.E.L.D.'s data? Of course, it was to comprehensively strike at these capitalist consortiums.

Why would S.H.I.E.L.D. have their secret data and unsavory files?

Please, they're an Agent organization. After decades, isn't it normal for them to have collected data? It's ridiculous to think an Agent organization founded to deal with supernatural disasters and HYDRA would be so honest.

Pierce died, leaving only a puff of smoke in his place.

But the top floor was crumbling due to the bombing, on the verge of collapse at any moment.

Seeing this, Fury motioned for Natasha to leave quickly.

He himself, along with Coulson, left by helicopter, while Natasha had to find her own way.

There were still many HYDRA sleeper Agents remaining on the ground who needed to be eliminated to complete the cleanup.

At the same time.

In the Red Room, Director Dreykov looked at the S.H.I.E.L.D. information posted on the internet with confusion. What was going on?

"No matter what, download all the data first. Send a message to the other Black Widows, telling them to lie low for three months, and not to contact headquarters within those three months."

There was reason to suspect this was S.H.I.E.L.D.legally phishing. What if they released false information?

"Download all the data to the European branch, hurry up, the U.S. Military has already started to act."

Coincidentally, the Ten Rings gang was also acting, accelerating the download of this data.

Whether useful or not, download it first. They could slowly review it later, and perhaps find some unknown secrets.

It was no longer realistic to extort financial consortiums with these secrets; once a secret is public, it's no longer a secret.

The Rockefeller Family, the Citigroup Family, and the Rothschild Family were all furious, and almost all consortiums immediately took action.

They ordered their subordinates and communicated with the U.S. Military to immediately use hackers to delete all the data released by S.H.I.E.L.D.

This contained not only their dark secrets but also information about their dealings with Terrorists, their profiteering and murder. They were also deeply involved with HYDRA, and some even joined the Vampire ranks for eternal life, turning themselves into Vampires.

If this kind of information were published, and people confronted them with UV light, they would be the first to die.

The longevity of Vampires comes at a price, and now everyone knows Vampires are afraid of UV light. There really isn't much unknown fear, because of the unknown, there is fear.

When people know that the opponent can be killed by a simple UV light, fear ceases to exist, and instead, some fearless, bold individuals will hunt Vampires.

There were too many secrets, and the consortiums went crazy.

Hollywood's celebrity circle also went mad. What was known as the 'number one beauty' was actually someone's bitch, a common public bus.

What was known as the 'number one handsome guy' was actually the President's wife's toy boy. A twenty-year-old handsome guy serving a sixty-year-old 'green juice' old lady; one can only say that to climb the ladder, they would lose all dignity.

The halo of idol stars collapsed. Celebrities who relied on their public image as a selling point truly experienced what it meant for their image to crumble.

How crazily fervent fans used to chase stars, not even eating, just to support their idols, their gods and goddesses.

Now, this was the result: their so-called goddesses were actually genuine bitches. This was bound to cause anger.

It wouldn't be surprising if Villas in Los Angeles were set on fire several times.

It was truly hilarious; Natasha's decryption of S.H.I.E.L.D. data directly plunged the entire World into turmoil, including many European nations.

It also contained many shocking scandals.

Like the so-called leader of the EU, a German woman with a green card, having nine children with eight different men.

What kind of concept is this?

To say she was of noble birth? Are there such noble ladies? No one has ever seen such a shameless woman, right?

Even the most vulgar wouldn't have children with eight different men, what kind of creature is this?

It's hard to believe how many people's images collapsed due to the S.H.I.E.L.D. decrypted files. Their formerly maintained dignified facade shattered today.

What 'innocent and sweet,' 'beautiful and rich,' under the filter, they were all Qiao Biluo!

The entire World was engulfed in a frenzy of backlash, damage control, condemnation, and gossip.

Even S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Insight Project went unnoticed and uncared for.

Waking up to so much fresh, juicy gossip, too much to consume. There was too much news, it couldn't be ranked.

Where's Captain?

Save us!

He can't save them. Captain is watching the show, sipping milk tea, and watching the life-and-death struggle between Green Goblin and his son. How exciting!

Chapter 200: Only after the battle did we know the end of hegemony

What good would a chaotic World do Steve?

No good, but whether it was chaotic or not had nothing to do with him.

The decision to declassify S.H.I.E.L.D. files wasn't his; it was an order given by Fury.

HYDRA had infiltrated too deeply. S.H.I.E.L.D. had to be dismantled first to see who was human and who was a demon. Then, expose Pierce, a high-ranking HYDRAmember, to see how the moles reacted.

Only then could S.H.I.E.L.D. be replenished. This path was inevitable and desired by those syndicates.

Otherwise, the FBI and CIA wouldn't have the capability.

The decisive battle in the sky had reached a critical moment. Green Goblin and his son were no longer holding back, fighting with full force.

It just seemed like Green Goblin, the father, was being beaten senseless by his son, Harry.

Extremis's high-temperature attacks, like a cheat, left a close-combat fighter like Green Goblin helpless.

The pumpkin bombs and darts he could use couldn't harm him. Even if they barely broke through his defenses, he'd recover in the blink of an eye. This made things very difficult.

Steve knew it was his turn to enter. He spun Mjolnir and flew up.

But the protocol had already been activated, and the three aircraft carriers had locked onto ordinary people marked by the Zola Algorithm.

As the energy weapons mounted on their undersides activated, beams of light flew from the sky across the entire United States.

A surgeon, still performing an operation, was concentrating on removing a tumor with minimal cost.

But the next second, the energy beam weapon struck his head, turning the entire operating room into a morgue!

A White man practicing Qigong in a dojo was performing breathing exercises in a standard posture, barely managing to circulate the obscure and difficult Qigong.

Similarly, the roof was suddenly pierced, and an energy beam split him in two.

Even though the martial artist's sixth sense had warned him of danger, the time was short and the beam came very quickly, so he died before he could even move.

These people were either future anti-heroes or meta-humans fighting crime on the streets.

Some were also experimental survivors who had escaped from Military labs. These people all possessed special abilities, but their heads were all pierced by the beams.

Including Luke Cage, a mutant soldier with extremely outstanding defensive capabilities, all were dead.

Daredevil escaped, his keen senses allowing him to narrowly avoid the attack, but his newly befriended girlfriend was cut in half as a result.

No pity, no warning. There was no time for grief, as more attacks continued to come.

This wave included many business elites, shop owners, and even members of syndicate heirs. They might have had opportunities to gain extraordinary powers in the future, but now they had no chance.

The Zola Algorithm had calculated their potential future in advance. Whether it was true or not, they had to be eliminated.

Two volleys, and the death toll had skyrocketed from Zero to over a thousand.

The third volley arrived as scheduled, targeting the leaders and key members of syndicate families, including all executives on Wall Street.

For a time, energy beams fell like rain, and many Jewish capitalists had their skulls pierced.

The most important private asset in the United States, the Federal Reserve, was even blasted into dust by a concentrated cannon shot!

After three volleys, Steve and Falcon replaced their chips.

It was Falcon's first time fighting alongside his idol, Captain America. Before he had time to chat and catch up, he was assigned to support Green Goblin.

Only one aircraft carrier remained, but Carnage still hadn't stopped.

If the previous Carnage was only preventing potential future events, then the concentrated cannon blasting the entire Federal Reserve was digging at the roots!

The United States relied on its powerful naval strength as a fallback for financial harvesting. If any region disagreed with this trade, a fleet would be at their doorstep within four to eight hours.

Using planes and cannons to tell the defiant what 'free trade' meant.

Now, the U.S. Military's combat effectiveness was already being questioned. A part of the Second Fleethad been destroyed by Steve single-handedly.

The Sixth Fleet was defenseless against Hela, the Goddess of Death, and was slaughtered, leaving no one alive.

Literally not even a single dog was spared; all were killed, and the aircraft carrier along with the entire garrison Base sank to the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.

This battle was against an alien, against the Goddess of Death.

Although they lost, this was, after all, a god. Is it not natural for mortals to lose?

This was a very reasonable outcome. Not only reasonable, they should put on suits and ties, clap their hands to Hela, and say 'thank you'!

It was not a crime of war; losing was not shameful.

Even if someone challenged the United States, there were other fleets that could counterattack.

The Military was just for fallback; financial harvesting was the Federal Reserve's interest rate adjustments.

Through interest rate hikes, U.S. dollars flowed back, causing assets in other regions to shrink, taking the opportunity to buy at the cheapest prices.

Once enough had flowed back, interest rates would be cut again, and U.S. dollars would be released worldwide for parasitic exploitation.

Once they were fattened up, they would be slaughtered.

This cyclical method, with naval fleets and dollar harvesting, solidified its hegemonic position.

Now that the Federal Reserve was bombed, it meant that maturing U.S. debt could not be repaid. Once a country's credit defaults, the consequence is that no one will invest.

Furthermore, the aircraft carriers had killed a large number of combat-capable officers, as well as scientific and technological talents.

There was a gap in combat effectiveness, weapon research and development, and weapon manufacturing. A tattered United States, the former World hegemon.

Who wouldn't want to pounce and take a bite?

It was only then that Steve realized that Pierce probably didn't want so-called World peace at all. This was about plunging the entire World into chaos!

Whether the United States lived or died, as Captain America, he truly didn't care.

But if the World descended into chaos, that would be truly interesting.

The first to retaliate, without even thinking, would definitely be Britain across the Atlantic Ocean.

As a conjugate father and son, who was the father and who was the son had always been indistinguishable.

Now it's settled. Win this battle, and whoever wins will be the father.

The second to retaliate would undoubtedly be Japan, which had been suppressed for decades.

The Showa America story would no longer be a joke; it would be playing out for real.

"You're truly ruthless, Pierce. I thought you were just an old White man, but I didn't expect you to be a traitor."

Steve gasped, a cold breath. He couldn't quite understand why Pierce was doing this.

To throw the World into chaos and then create an opportunity for other HYDRA leaders to re-rule the World?

Or was he just tired, feeling that victory was impossible, and simply giving up?

He couldn't understand, absolutely couldn't understand.

Since things had come to this, it was better to order food first.

Things had already happened, so he might as well think about what to eat for dinner.

Braised eggplant, or Mapo Tofu? Stinky Tofu also seemed like a good option, not bad at all.

Steve deliberately waited until after the fourth wave of attacks before flying to the last aircraft carrier with his Cloak of Levitation.

Below, a group of taxi soldiers, injected with inferior Super Soldier Serum, were waiting. Each of them looked burly and muscular to the point of explosion.

Seeing these people, Steve's expression became a little strange.

Where did Pierce, that old bastard, find so many Super Soldiers?

Their expressions were stern, their movements uniform, and their eyes unfocused, somewhat like they had been controlled and brainwashed.

This was not surprising; many organizations had brainwashing technology, and the faction controlled by Pierce was very skilled at it.

They suppressed emotions and reason, turning people into cold machines to carry out various inhumane missions.

This made Steve think of the female Agents from the Red Room, who were also controlled in their thinking, becoming puppets that only acted, without self-awareness or emotion.

While he was thinking, those Super Soldiers had already charged forward.

The leading taxi soldier quickly got up, greeting him with a standard three-kick combo.

Bang!

He was kicked out, arriving later but hitting first. He smashed through the bulletproof tempered glass and fell from a height of over a thousand meters.

Without a parachute, death was inevitable for him.

Being smashed to death sounds cruel, but death is instantaneous, and he went very peacefully.

The other two soldiers, one left and one right, twisted their bodies, using unique force-generating techniques, their fists coming with whistling sonic booms.

The next second, these two soldiers also flew out, smashing through the tempered glass and falling from high altitude.

The Gatling guns were already deployed. The previous three were merely a diversion.

The front-row Super Soldiers spread out, simultaneously drawing their guns and firing rapidly.

Bullets formed a metal barrage that engulfed Steve, but Steve's figure was nowhere to be seen. He had just been right in front of them!

They looked up, thinking Steve had jumped into the air to approach them.

No!

To the left?

Not there either.

To the right?

Their heads swept across, but he wasn't there either.

Bang!

Mjolnir struck the glass, and a violent lightning bolt completely shattered the Base.

A dozen Super Soldiers immediately plummeted. Despite falling from a thousand meters, they showed no panic. Instead, they took the opportunity to continue pulling the trigger on Steve.

The bullets were all blocked by the shield until the Super Soldiers fell out of range.

Just how terrifying brainwashed taxi soldiers were could be seen from their performance.

They feared neither death nor emotion.

Normal people falling from a high altitude would undoubtedly panic, screaming in terror, and wouldn't stop until they hit the ground and died.

But those Super Soldiers didn't make a single scream. They even tried to counterattack in their desperate situation, making them perfect tools.

What a pity.

If they were to conquer a region, with their fearlessness of death and lack of emotional fluctuations, it would be too easy to take down a small country.

But facing Steve, Captain America, who had surpassed mortal physique and was gradually breaking through to a higher level of life, they were not Captain, and they were also being cleaned up.

He took out the chip, opened the circuit board, and replaced one of them.

"Replacement complete. We can proceed with the next step of the plan."

As soon as Steve finished speaking, Coulson, who had been waiting at the Base control console below, began to input the secret key.

The three aircraft carriers in the sky also began to turn their weapon muzzles, aiming at each other.

After the fire order was given, you shot me, I shot him, he shot you, forming a perfect closed loop.

Each aircraft carrier cost over ten billion U.S. dollars to build, enough to arm a naval fleet.

Now they had become massive fireworks, still carrying many collected Chitauri Legion weapons.

The weapon equipment representing the highest technological level of the United States had now been shot down by itself.

Coupled with the previous slaughter of nearly ninety percent of the scientific research personnel, even with blueprints, there were not enough technical personnel to forge an aircraft carrier.

High-level talents were wiped out, and the remaining talents were insufficient to maintain this level.

It could be foreseen that the United States' hegemonic position would no longer exist.

The financial magnates were dead, most of the scientific researchers were dead, and the Military Commanders were almost completely wiped out.

Only a few senators, who posed no significant threat, survived. Whether they could control the United Stateswas another matter entirely.

It's quite possible that you say you're the President, and I also say I'm the President.

It would be perfectly normal for fifty Presidents to emerge overnight.

Green Goblin and his son were smashed into the moat Water beneath the ground by the aircraft carrier, disappearing from sight.

Steve stood on the riverbank next to S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters. The falling aircraft carrier had crushed the Headquarters building into ruins.

Boom!

After the massive aircraft carrier collided a second time, it triggered another sympathetic explosion, rendering the entire ship useless and setting the Headquarters building on fire.

Staff screamed, and unfortunate individuals were crushed under the rubble.

Even the survivors were all injured, some with their feet trapped, unable to move. They could only watch as the flames burned towards them, burning them alive, ending their sinful lives in screams and agony.

Fury stood next to Steve, his single eye watching the annihilation of S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, his gaze filled with desolation.

The end of an era, and a chaotic era was about to begin.

"Steve, what are your plans? S.H.I.E.L.D.'s files are public, and your information is in them. I hope you won't be angry about that."

"It's fine. Your information is in there too. We're even.

Pierce's plan still killed a lot of people. From what I know, most syndicate members were killed, along with Military Commanders and some meta-humans.

Soon, the United States might cease to exist. If you want S.H.I.E.L.D. to go into hiding, I'm afraid that's not a very good plan.

I suggest you fight, fight hard. HYDRA isn't finished. One died, but there are many more around the World."

There's no way HYDRA could be eliminated in one go. There were several factions within the United Statesalone.

S.H.I.E.L.D. was just a very insignificant force, and what was destroyed were merely the undercover Agents who had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D.

These words made Fury's expression change drastically. A real-life American apocalypse?

Coulson, standing nearby, was also too astonished to speak. This information was simply too horrifying, wasn't it?

Before the fighting started, the United States was still the World hegemon.

After the Insight Project, it turned into fifty United States?

Today isn't April Fool's Day, and this joke isn't funny!