S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.
"Director, that superhuman has appeared again…"
Maria Hill walked briskly into Nick Fury's office and reported, "The system just retrieved a newly uploaded video on the internet, and its content is precisely related to that superhuman."
As she spoke,
Maria Hill had already projected the video onto the large screen behind her.
The video began with a man radiating dazzling light, single-handedly dominating a makeshift Military Base.
Despite the soldiers in the Base resisting with all their might, even using tanks, Rocket launchers, and other heavy firepower for counterattacks, it was all in vain.
Their attacks couldn't even shake the energy cloak surrounding the man's body.
Soon, the video abruptly ended amidst a series of explosions and screams.
It was clear that the video was shot in a great hurry.
And from the blurry pixels and violently shaking camera, it was not difficult to guess.
The person who shot the video should be a member of this Military Base.
They must have frantically used their phone to record it temporarily after a sudden attack.
But compared to the content of the video, Nick Fury was clearly more concerned about why the superhuman had appeared there.
He then cast an inquiring look at Maria Hill.
The latter immediately understood and continued to report, "Although this video has been reposted multiple times on the internet, it is no longer possible to precisely locate its upload location information."
"However, our people have roughly analyzed the specific location of the incident based on the terrain and landforms appearing in the video, as well as the weapons, equipment, and special markings on the uniforms used by the armed personnel, combined with multiple factors such as weather and sunlight angle!"
"It should be in the Kingdom of Sokovia in Eastern Europe, and the attacked Base belongs to a resistance organization called the 'Liberators of the Month'!!"
"Sokovia?" Nick Fury frowned slightly, asking with some uncertainty, "Is that the small country that high-profilely warned the Security Council, publicly executed the former Prime Minister for treason… and then announced that it would hold a United Nations conference three days later?"
"That's right, the civil war in the Kingdom of Sokovia has lasted for over a decade." Maria Hill thought for a moment, then offered her guess.
"Presumably, the only reason they were able to eliminate the rebels and quell the war this time was with the help of that superhuman."
"It's just that we still can't find out the true identity of that superhuman…"
"Director, do you think he might be related to Vought Corporation, or did he gain his superpowers by taking Compound V?"
"Otherwise, why were there no related records of him before?!"
"It shouldn't be." Who would have thought that Nick Fury shook his head with unusual certainty.
"Unless he was injected with Compound V as an infant, the success rate for adults is extremely low, and the price is extremely expensive, beyond the means of ordinary people."
"Plus, with Vought Corporation's aggressive business operating style, if he really were their person,
they would have jumped out immediately to package and promote him, turning him into a so-called national idol!"
It was evident that Nick Fury's attitude towards Vought Corporation was clearly not very friendly.
It was even very likely that his thoughts were exactly the same as Baron Strucker's.
But this was also normal.
After all, a massive commercial capital empire like Vought Corporation.
Naturally, it would be impossible for it to accept being manipulated and controlled by him and S.H.I.E.L.D..
And for the latter.
Not accepting control meant uncertainty.
And uncertainty meant danger… danger to this World!!!
Therefore, ever since Nick Fury took over S.H.I.E.L.D., he had been actively suppressing Vought Corporation through various overt and covert means.
He attempted to minimize Vought Corporation's presence in front of the Military and the public to the greatest extent possible.
Otherwise, The Seven, led by Homelander,
would sooner or later threaten the position of the Avengers he had personally assembled!
Nick Fury thought for a moment, then immediately ordered, "The opponent's abilities are very dangerous, so let Natasha go gather relevant intelligence and information first."
Maria Hill: "Understood!!"
...
"It looks like Hydra has taken the bait. They'll probably launch a new offensive soon."
Just as all factions were focusing their attention on Karl.
He had already sensed it in advance through several waves of sudden increases in "large" prestige value.
He checked his total prestige value and found that it had now reached 9716.
And among this newly increased prestige value, almost the vast majority came from the people within Sokovia.
As early as a day ago.
When Karl successfully annihilated the rebel army and completed a new round of power and personnel integration within the Hyperspace Group.
He had Zemo disseminate his heroic deeds.
He wanted to see if he could gain some Prestige from the people of Sokovia.
The effect was naturally unexpectedly good.
In less than a day, Karl successfully gained over four thousand points of prestige value.
And it was still continuously rising at an even more encouraging rate.
One must know that under the influence of continuous warfare for more than ten years,
many places within Sokovia currently do not even have smooth communication.
Some areas can even only obtain news through the most primitive "person-to-person" method.
So the spread speed was naturally not that fast.
It needed some time to ferment.
But fortunately, Karl had the patience.
Because he was one step closer to raising Dimension Strength to Lv3 or higher!!
Let the bullets fly for a while…
After a brief moment of contemplation, Karl turned to Zemo and said, "The United Nations conference originally scheduled for three days from now, you will go in my place."
Although Karl also wanted to go to the United Nations personally to reap a significant harvest.
However, considering his current civilian status, appearing on the World stage too early might backfire.
If he were seen as a Joker or a puppet, wouldn't that be a huge loss?
Besides that.
He also had another irreplaceable task to do!!
"Ah?"
Zemo was stunned by the words and asked, somewhat puzzled, "Do you have other plans?"
"That's right."
Karl smiled and nodded, "Since we have successfully taken over the Hyperspace Group, we cannot continue to let Hydra burn the flames of war on our territory."
"So I plan to do a two-pronged approach during the press conference…"
"Take the initiative to show Hydra a thing or two, so they won't dare to make small moves in Sokovia again."
"Moreover… to ensure foolproof success, we must also have our own influential media as a mouthpiece for external communication, otherwise the truth is very likely to be covered up again, just like before!"
Actually, Karl didn't want to make it so complicated.
But he really had no choice.
Who made even the head of the Security Council a Hydra person!
And now.
His countermeasures must also be adjusted accordingly as the plan changes!
Zemo's eyes flashed with surprise upon hearing this.
He truly hadn't expected Karl to be so thorough in his considerations.
However, was this truly the wisdom a young man under twenty years old could possess?
As his contact with Karl became closer.
Zemo became increasingly convinced that his original choice was not wrong.
Without asking too many questions.
He immediately nodded admiringly, "Understood, Boss!!!"
Meanwhile, Pietro, not far away, seemed eager to try, and he came over with a smile.
"What about me… what do you need me to do?"
It was clear that Pietro seemed very eager to prove his worth in front of Karl.
Although Karl saw this, considering that the other party had not yet officially "awakened" his superpower, and for safety reasons, he smiled and reassured him:
"For now, you stay here and help me guard this Mountain Top Base!"
"Alright then…"
Pietro immediately deflated like a punctured ball, his face crestfallen as he sat back down.
Karl, seeing this, didn't say much.
But he still decided that after dealing with Hydra, he would find a way to help Pietro awaken his "Speed Force."
Otherwise, the other party might become utterly disheartened!
After all, as fellow Experiment Subjects, Karl and Wanda, one had successfully "awakened" his superpower, soaring through the skies and dominating everywhere!
The other had gone to Kamar-Taj to learn magic, with a promising future!
Only Pietro was left idle, with no sign of awakening at all…
This kind of situation would put immense pressure on anyone!
...
Two days later.
Sokovia.
Under the scorching sun.
A steel convoy consisting of more than twenty Military Humvees, carrying nearly two hundred elite soldiers, drove straight along the crater-filled, rugged mountain road and appeared on the outskirts of the HYDRA Mountain Top Base.
In the air, there were also more than a dozen armed helicopters, loaded with various missiles, coordinating the operation.
After the convoy stopped, a large number of fully armed soldiers poured out of the Humvees and, following the Commander's orders, swiftly set up a temporary position using the vehicles and surrounding rocks as cover.
This time, Major Rocks, the Commander of the operation, did not choose to act secretly.
Instead, he openly adopted a stance ready for a tough assault.
His purpose was to exert strong psychological pressure on Karl before the battle began!
This would not only facilitate the capture but also effectively deter the local armed forces, which had just been integrated, from easily interfering.
Thus avoiding many unnecessary troubles and accidents.
"Hmph… It seems Baron Strucker's worries were a bit excessive."
Major Rocks looked at the Base in front of him, a disdainful sneer appearing on his face.
Didn't they say the enemy was very alert, and might even possess large-scale Mind Perception superpowers?
Then why hasn't he appeared when I'm practically on top of him?
Is this all there is?!
Hurry up and surrender!
As soon as he thought about successfully completing the capture mission, not only would he gain the appreciation and heavy reliance of Baron Strucker, but he might even get to be a Base Commander.
Major Rocks' eyes couldn't help but flicker with greedy light.
And he was utterly confident about this capture mission.
Because in addition to these regular troops,
he also had 6 one-time superhumans as a trump card!
Among them were werewolves skilled in ground pursuit and possessing immense strength.
There were also Fire elementals who could control Fire.
And Mind Controllers who could interfere with and control others' thoughts…
No matter how you looked at it, an Experiment Subject who had only recently gained superpowers wouldn't be a match for these superhumans!
This time, that kid absolutely couldn't escape.
If he failed even this, wouldn't he become a useless piece of trash?!
Unconsciously.
Karl had already been regarded by Major Rocks as an important bargaining chip on his path to promotion.
"Ahem…"
Major Rocks took out a megaphone.
He cleared his throat, then directly began to shout at the Base.
"Experiment Subject No. 380, you are surrounded. If you know what's good for you, hand over the scepter immediately and obediently come back with us to receive punishment!"
"If you continue to resist stubbornly, there is only death…"
"Are you looking for me?"
Before the other party could finish speaking, a figure shimmering with golden light descended slowly from the sky, like a God descending to the mortal World.
"Heh heh, finally out."
Major Rocks, who was unaware of the situation, saw that Karl did not immediately attack as he had in the previous video.
He thought his psychological tactics had worked, and couldn't help but feel smug.
He immediately put on an arrogant posture, grinning triumphantly, "You're smart not to attack directly just now, otherwise, you'd be a dead man by now."
"Cut off one head, two more shall take its place…"
"You must have realized that individual strength can never contend with our Hydra organization, not even S.H.I.E.L.D. and the Avengers!"
"And from the moment you gained superpowers, you became the organization's private property. Even if you die, your corpse still belongs to the organization!"
"So… I should thank you for experimenting on me?!"
Karl was quite disdainful of this shameless rhetoric.
And while the other party was spouting nonsense.
He had already quietly activated his Mind Perception ability, searching through Major Rocks' memories for the information he wanted.
That was the location of Baron Strucker's Base!
It was precisely because of this that he chose not to act directly this time.
And now that his goal had been achieved, there was no need to listen to the other party's rubbish anymore.
His gaze then turned to the highly alert soldiers behind him.
Karl, as usual, began his pre-battle persuasion mode.
"So, before the official battle begins, if anyone is willing to voluntarily lay down their weapons and surrender, I will not only spare their life but also offer them a well-paying job…"
"How about it, is anyone tempted?"
"Hmph, you ungrateful fool, I see you won't shed a tear until you see your coffin!"
Major Rocks felt greatly insulted, his face immediately turned extremely ugly, and he angrily reprimanded:
"This is what you brought upon yourself. Now let me show you our power…"
"Special Capture Team, it's your turn!!!"
Thanks to "Taiyi Qingtian Dao Xuanzhen" for the reward, and thanks to "S Great Demon", "Tail Number 8451", "Lizi San Sui", and "Loke233" for the monthly votes. The author was busy with the manuscript before and forgot to thank you. I apologize for that, and also thank those who have been voting for this book. Thank you very much!!!
And then… routine request for continued reading, votes, begging for them!!!