Trash... all of them are trash."
Baron Strucker nearly lost his temper, roaring through gritted teeth, "I knew that damn Temporary Compound V wouldn't work at all."
Although Baron Strucker genuinely looked down on those 'addicts' who gained superpowers through Compound V.
It was undeniable that the six carefully selected superpowered individuals in the capture team all possessed extremely powerful abilities.
Furthermore, all six of them were previously excellent HYDRA soldiers.
So, no matter how you looked at it, there was absolutely no reason for them to lose to Karl, who had only awakened his superpowers a few days ago!
Even if that kid's talent was high, what then?
Even if he was a monster, he should at least obey the "Law of Superpower Conservation," right?
Superpowers neither appear out of thin air nor disappear into thin air; they only transform from one form into another...
Stamina, energy, even life force...
No one can use superpowers without paying a "price"!!
It was based on this very idea that he remained enthusiastic even after the fall of the Sokovia Base and the failure of the first capture operation.
He simply believed that by increasing the intensity of the capture and not giving Karl any chance to recover, the problem could be easily solved.
But reality delivered a heavy blow to his face.
He had failed again!!!
Suddenly, Baron Strucker seemed to recall something and quickly pressed on the phone, "Tell me quickly, what's the situation at the Caucasus Base?"
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the line, then a trembling voice replied, "My Lord Baron, the Base completely lost contact an hour ago."
And the more disheartening news was yet to come.
"Also, the Agents we sent to the airport to assassinate the spokesperson fell into the enemy's trap and were all..."
However, Baron Strucker didn't hear the latter half of the sentence at all.
Because the phone in his hand had already silently slipped to the ground.
He himself was completely unaware of this, still immersed in a chilling sense of dread!
If he hadn't had an urgent matter and left the Caucasus Base early this time, he would probably have been killed by Karl by now.
This couldn't help but fill Baron Strucker's heart with a sense of relief at having escaped a disaster.
"Damn it, what kind of monster did Dr. Lister create?"
"In just one short week, he has grown to such a terrifying extent!"
A week ago, when Baron Strucker first learned that the experiment was successful and Karl had awakened his superpowers, he once believed that this young man would become the sharpest spear in his hand, piercing through anyone who dared to stand in his way.
However, this failure woke him up from his previous state of near-obsession.
This was not only because Karl had killed the six superpowered individuals, but also because he suddenly understood something...
Previously, when he learned that Karl had uploaded the video of killing the Boka Squad online, he had mocked the other party as just a good-for-nothing who wanted to be an internet celebrity.
But looking at the other party's current actions, perhaps he was more like a good-for-nothing!
If nothing unexpected happened, that kid probably wanted to use the power of public opinion to completely cut off Hydra's entanglement with him at that time, right?
It must be said that, in that situation, it was indeed the lowest cost and most effective method.
However, due to the existence of Dr. Zola, the other party's plan unexpectedly fell through.
And it was precisely because of this that this United Nations meeting existed!!
Furthermore, the other party released the news three days in advance, and their purpose was very clear: to disrupt their plans, force them to act prematurely, and thus seize the initiative.
Baron Strucker hadn't encountered such a terrifying opponent, who advanced step by step and gave the opponent no breathing room, for a very long time.
"Alas..."
Baron Strucker suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of powerlessness and frustration.
Because at this stage of the situation, even if he knew what Karl was going to do next, he was powerless to stop it.
He could only watch helplessly as the situation further deteriorated.
In just one short week, the roles between him and Karl had undergone a drastic transformation.
He had gone from being the hunter at the beginning to becoming the hunted now!
This was the first time Baron Strucker had ever suffered such a complete defeat in his life.
One should know that even when he had faced off against that cunning black man from S.H.I.E.L.D. before, he had never experienced such a crushing defeat.
Experiment Subject No. 380... no, Karl Mara, was far more troublesome and terrifying than they had imagined.
Powerful strength, meticulous planning, and unknown ambition!
Baron Strucker suddenly felt an unprovoked fear.
The most crucial thing was that it had only been a week since this kid gained his superpowers.
God knows if he would continue to grow in the future!!
Perhaps stopping now was the wisest choice.
Next, it was better to focus on helping Dr. Fritz build the Living Dead Army!
Oh, and that distant God-Making Project...
Unconsciously, Baron Strucker had automatically imagined Karl as an unprecedentedly powerful enemy.
After a slight pause, Baron Strucker picked up the phone that had fallen to the ground.
Then he looked up Alexander Pierce's number and prepared to call him.
Forget it, I'll send a text message...
Otherwise, that guy would definitely curse him out!
I, Strucker, also have my pride, okay?
So he quickly composed a message and sent it.
The content was as follows:
"Mission failed, the remaining cleanup work is up to you... Do a good job, I actually have high hopes for you."
After thinking for a moment, Baron Strucker continued to compose the next message.
"Um... the Mind Stone seems to have fallen into that kid's hands, whether you want to get it back is up to you!!"
However, this time he hesitated repeatedly and ultimately did not dare to press the send button.
If he really sent it, wouldn't Pierce be infuriated to death on the spot?
Probably not, but I'm sure that old man would chase me from a thousand miles away to kill me, right?
Sigh, my heart is so tired, I won't send it after all.
I will personally retrieve the Mind Stone when I have the chance in the future!
Yes, that's right, next time for sure!!!
...
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters.
Alexander Pierce was fuming in his brightly lit office.
"That bastard Strucker, who does he think he is, daring to speak to me in that tone?!"
"He can't even take down the spokesperson of such an insignificant small country, and instead he was outsmarted, causing so many people to be killed in an explosion. How did the organization cultivate such a big good-for-nothing?"
"In the end, I still have to clean up his mess. I should have just sent the Winter Soldier to carry out the assassination mission in the first place!!!"