"Huff...huff..."
The heavy breathing echoed in the cramped room, as if the person inside was finding it difficult to breathe. The room had almost no decorations, making it hard to believe this was the room of a Hydra division leader.
"Young Zemo, I trust your loyalty to Hydra. Many of your men committed suicide to avoid capture by the SSR. I've heard about it, and it's truly distressing."
Sitting behind the desk was a person enveloped in a purple robe, with a peculiar golden headpiece that resembled a giant octopus perched on the head. She only had two holes for her eyes, making her appear slightly comical.
Standing not far in front of her was Baron Little Zemo. After experiencing a bizarre Northern European trip last time, Hydra suffered heavy losses.
Too many soldiers perished on the battlefield of Asgard, and even the Super Axis Squad lost Iron Cross to Deathstroke. Since then, facing various SSR offensives, they've been stretched thin in all aspects.
Eventually, Nick Fury led a team and found their lair in Iceland. After desperate resistance, the personnel left behind poisoned themselves.
Zemo, unable to defeat Captain America, could only retreat with the Super Axis Squad.
Suicide? No way. He still had his father's great vengeance unavenged. As long as the Red Skull lived, he himself couldn't die.
But as they roamed between other Hydra divisions, relying on his father's legacy for shelter over the years, Zemo had an accidental encounter with underlings of the U Demon in Mariposa.
The undersea person, with a face full of flesh, under the influence of Lady Lotus's abilities, spoke with complete openness.
Zemo learned a secret: Iceland harbors a powerful Hydra presence.
Someone has been quietly amassing power, while many former doomsday plans are still underway.
He still has an army at hand, quite numerous actually, and the ally U Demon continues to support him as before.
Zemo sees a great opportunity and immediately has thoughts of taking advantage. He isn't without resources. At least during this period, he completely allied with the other few members of the Super Axis. Though last time they were controlled, he retains some valuable information from his memory.
Reflecting on his own abilities, he feels that at least in terms of intelligence, he is far more capable than other Hydra members. Altogether, they had only a dozen people, meeting this figure.
But saying they met isn't entirely accurate, as he can't see her face, her entire being shrouded in a purple fabric, like a ghost.
"I don't want to keep running, it's just we..." Zemo engages in conversation with her, hinting at his need for assistance.
The woman pauses briefly, her expression hidden beneath the mask, only her eyes carrying depth.
"I understand! But that's the past! We still have chances now, I have a plan!"
Zemo believes that if she weren't currently wearing a headpiece, her saliva would surely be spraying onto his face. He's never seen a woman so easily excited.
She calls herself Lady Nine-Heads, claiming to be Old Zemo's colleague, but Little Zemo is not familiar with her in the slightest.
"A plan? Can you share it with me? Although I no longer have an army, the Axis Squad is still intact."
He tries to pry into the details.
Lady Nine-Heads raises her hand to cut him off, and even though surrounded by Zemo People's massive superpower warriors, this is still her domain, her division under her command:
"SSR is closing in on us step by step. Hydra must launch a counterattack to reverse the situation. The plan is naturally to infiltrate their territory, and then call upon old friends to exert some effort."
Zemo's eyes from beneath the mask widened. Old friends, are these other Hydra leaders?
Those people don't much care for him.
After all, he is the youngest, with the weakest power, and often, in people's minds, youth is synonymous with unreliability.
Little Zemo recently wandered around the world, though some leaders treated him politely, their deep-seated contempt was still discernible to a clever young man at a glance.
So, to avoid being used as cannon fodder by others, he roamed around, seeking a place where he could stabilize and consolidate his forces.
He cannot die; he must avenge his father, and he cannot die until the Red Skull is killed.
Today, Lady Nine-Heads indeed didn't despise him, but Zemo couldn't feel pleased. He found her somewhat too manic, so he only vaguely said:
"I roughly understand."
"As long as you understand." Lady Nine-Heads raises a hand, gesturing for Zemo to stop: "Talking more doesn't equal action. To deal with the SSR, we must start from their inside."
"You are wise, but I need more people now."
Zemo instantly closed his mouth, knowing when not to speak.
Having ideas is fine, as long as they're not expressed. Zemo doesn't care what Lady Nine-Heads plans to do; he only covets her army, wishing to 'borrow' some for his own use.
With troops in hand, Zemo can continue his search for Captain America, looking for the whereabouts of the Red Skull.
"No need for flattery, I was an old friend of your father's, and his passing saddens me deeply. Hence, you must strive harder in service to Hydra."
The woman utters a faint laugh, leaning sideways against the desk, exchanging pleasantries with other members of the Super Axis Squad.
She remembers each name, each circumstance, and speaks to these super soldiers like old friends.
Finally, she turns her gaze back to Zemo's face and asks: "You want more manpower?"
"Of course, my lady, I represent my family, continuing to serve Hydra." Little Zemo answered without hesitation, straightening his chest to display his military demeanor: "Reality cannot be avoided."
At this point, Little Zemo was in his twenties, beginning to appear more mature.
"Hmm... I'll lend you some people, not many, just a loan. Just wait a few days. By the way, do you speak English?"
"Thank you, madam." Zemo smiles, feeling more confident with troops at his disposal: "I speak twenty languages."
"Good, but I need to remind you not to act impulsively. I don't know why you're so fixated on finding news of the Red Skull; I'm not interested either. But you must learn to stay calm."
The woman nods and pats Zemo's arm, seemingly relieved:
"The Red Skull's insidiousness surpasses all of us, while Hydra's internal struggles are unending. I'm considered to be rather humane, but this doesn't mean you can squander my trust, understand?"
"Rest assured, ma'am, I won't act rashly. As for my reason for seeking the Red Skull, it's actually not a big deal. He took something from my family years ago that I want back."
Zemo doesn't know where the Red Skull is now, or if he is still alive, so he remains calm.
The woman walks to a corner of the room, pressing some buttons on the wall, revealing a large elevator. She motions for Zemo and his group to accompany her inside:
"Dr. Zola is missing, Red Skull is missing, but they're definitely alive. Nobody wants to deal with hidden foes, not even me."
She herself resides in the shadows, the least known leader of Hydra, only voting abstention in past meetings; evidently, she has her own mad thoughts.
"What is below?" Zemo takes a deep breath, indicating he's learned, intending to lay low, waiting in the darkness for his opportunity.
"Relax, come on, I'll show you something interesting." The elevator quickly arrives at its station; the woman walks out first, warmly inviting Zemo to follow her.
This place is situated deep underground, a vast subterranean grotto, and even features a lake, the water appearing very clear.
Circling the lake is a highly technological-looking circular structure, built with high-strength plastic. Inside, it is stocked with numerous instruments and devices. Quite a number of lab-coated staff move about; upon seeing the lady, they all raise their fists in salute:
"Hail Hydra!"
"Hail Hydra."
Clad in purple fabric, the woman raises her hand to acknowledge the guards and scientists, swiftly moving past the crowd and their eyes of admiration, bringing the young noble scion to an instrument.
She tells the waiting scientist nearby: "Show Baron Zemo our prey."
The man in the lab coat nods and fiddles with a nearby machine, which looks like a combination of a washing machine and a television.
Zemo looks at the screen lighting up, eyes wide open, because it showed none other than his long-desired Captain America!
At the moment, the captain was trapped in a bubble, somewhere underwater.
He seemed to have been captured during a vacation, as he was without shield or uniform, appearing like an ordinary person.