The others knew this was not a place for them to chime in. Du Zun and Warrior Woman were pure Warriors, not good at social interaction or political maneuvering.
The Axis Agent was a spy, Count Blood was a Vampire, Ghost was an Alien, and Lady Lotus was Japanese.
Their status within the Empire had never been comparable to a Hydra Leader like Zemo; they were just muscle.
Now that the two bosses were talking, they could only stand around on guard.
In fact, this was inside the base—what was there to guard against? But if they didn't at least put on a vigilant posture, wouldn't that make them look completely idle?
Lady Nine-Heads didn't pay them any attention. She generously let Zemo take a good long look at Captain America through the display screen, then said:
"Captain America and his woman happened to be captured by one of my subordinates."
"Under your leadership, I'm not the least bit surprised that Captain America was captured." Zemo snapped back to himself and immediately started flattering her with a smile.
She neither confirmed nor denied, just nodded with reserved grace: "A Super Soldier might have some use, originally. But to cheer up the son of my old friend, I'll hand his disposal rights over to you right now."
"You're truly generous, my lady. Thank you." Zemo immediately lowered his head in gratitude.
"The two of them are currently three thousand meters underwater. See this red button? As long as you press it, the bubble protecting them will disappear, and under the tremendous water pressure these two will both turn into a puddle of seabed sludge."
As she spoke, she lifted a glass cover on the control console, revealing the red button beneath, and signaled for Zemo to come press it for fun.
Zemo actually had no desire whatsoever to kill Captain America, because he knew who his true enemy was.
Old Zemo did have a disfiguring grudge with Captain America, but his actual cause of death was a self-destruct dummy of Red Skull; their going after Captain America together back then had only been the trigger.
Red Skull even tried to trick Little Zemo afterwards, but Little Zemo saw through him, and after subsequent investigation he finally understood the Truth.
Just to fool everyone else, Little Zemo had to pretend to bear a blood feud with Captain America, using that act to lull Red Skull.
As long as he didn't have exact news of Red Skull's death, he couldn't relax for a single day.
In reality, Little Zemo would much rather see Captain America and Red Skull annihilate each other, both wiped out, than end up here, in the Deep Sea where no one knew, reduced to a blob of gore.
So Zemo's eyes rolled once, and he respectfully declined: "Since Captain America is useful to your plan, how could I allow my private vendetta to jeopardize a grand design? Please allow me to refuse your kindness."
"Oh? Really? Don't you actually want troops to capture him, then throw him and Red Skull together into a Gladiatorial Arena and watch them tear each other apart like Beasts?"
Lady Nine-Heads' gaze sharpened; her eyes stabbed straight into Zemo's heart like blades, laying his thoughts completely bare.
"This…" Zemo was a little rattled, but he still forced himself to stay calm. If this woman truly had the ability to see through people's hearts, then denying it would be pointless: "You're right. I apologize."
"Don't be nervous, Little Zemo. Whether it's Red Skull or Old Zemo, that's a matter between you people; I won't interfere. But personally, I'm optimistic about you."
She waved her hand, signaling the scientists to continue monitoring Captain America, then led Zemo and the others onward, strolling through this underground research institute as if they were leisurely touring a garden.
"So…?" Zemo asked tentatively.
The woman walked quickly, stirring up gusts of wind; the golden octopus tendrils on her headdress kept trembling:
"For the past ten years I've been developing things in my own way. Now I believe my strength has reached strategic parity with the enemy. What I need is a talent who excels at special operations."
"You mean… we have Nuclear Bombs now?" Zemo felt a flicker of excitement. After witnessing the two massive bombs that exploded in the Far East Island Country, he'd grown somewhat despairing about the balance of power between the two sides.
In previous Wars, what mattered was strategy, intelligence, and manpower; soldiers' equipment and morale were also key. During World War II, logistics had risen to an equally critical position.
But once the atomic bomb appeared, all of that was overturned.
No matter how elite your soldiers, how brilliant your strategy—if the enemy launched a single missile, your men would all be turned to ash. There was simply no fighting that.
So in these past years, what Zemo had devoted himself to was the doctrine of terror—how to launch attacks inside the enemy's own country, entangle the front lines of both sides, and avoid being wiped out by Nuclear Bombs.
But now, if Lady Nine-Heads had Nuclear Bombs in her hands, so much the better.
Zemo was now far happier than when he'd seen Captain America. As long as he behaved himself, with her being so generous, she surely wouldn't mind giving him a few bombs to use.
The lady clasped her hands behind her back and continued the tour: "Nuclear Weapons are nothing. Not only do I have them, I have things even better than atomic bombs…"
And indeed, as she said, Zemo went on to witness far too many secret Weapons. The Doomsday Weapon program was still proceeding in an orderly fashion here, and growing ever more terrifying.
Some of them were things he'd heard of before; some, judging from their appearance alone, didn't even look like they belonged on Earth. But Zemo wasn't a scientist; he only cared about what the Weapons could do.
As for theories or principles, he had no interest at all.
The entire research base was built around an underground lake. After walking a full circuit of the ring corridor, Lady Nine-Heads was still bursting with energy, striding briskly along.
"What do you think, Little Zemo? Do you now have confidence in defeating the Americans?" She patted him on the shoulder with concern and asked kindly.
"Yes, my lady!" Zemo snapped his heels together with a sharp crack and stood at attention.
With both of their faces masked, no one knew what expressions they wore at that moment.
She paused, then turned around: "Actually, Hydra has another Leader who happens to be here right now. Zemo, you can go catch up with him."
Zemo had no desire whatsoever to see anyone else; that would only mean she had another option. But this was an order, not a suggestion.
"May I ask who it is?"
The woman walked toward the elevator at her own pace, turning her head to answer: "Doctor Faust. As Hydra's finest master spy, you should hear what he's accomplished these past years. Believe me, you'll be astonished."
The elevator doors closed with a soft scrape. Under the lights, Zemo stood where he was, silent for a long, long time.