With a swish, the elevator doors opened once more. As Lady Nine-Heads returned to the office, someone was already waiting for her.
It was a very tall, middle-aged man with thick, white hair tied messily at the back of his head, trailing straight to the ground, resembling a large wolf's tail.
The black leather coat couldn't hide his explosive muscle lines, making him look as strong as a standing grizzly bear.
His face was filled with majesty, seemingly more like the leader of a powerful nation compared to Xiaohuzi, with each of his movements exuding a frightening charisma.
"Romulus, you're here." She went straight to her desk, pulled out some documents, glanced at them, and signed her name casually.
But the name she signed now wasn't her real name, but 'Root of Hatred,' a title no one had heard of.
"I heard my ally is about to launch a big plan, how could I not come to take a look?" The Wolf King shrugged indifferently, casually picking up a Flying Eagle statue from the desk to fiddle with: "But your plan is simply to spread hate, even if successful, there's no joy to be had."
Lady Nine-Heads didn't even lift her head, she clenched her fists: "Indulgence is a sin, I won't be satisfied until I have destroyed all my enemies! Not until I have avenged Hydra will I be satisfied! Roman indulgence is the reason for its demise, don't you understand that by now?"
Romulus put the small statue back on the desk, crossed his arms and nodded:
"You are right, but... what does Rome have to do with me? I built it, like building a house on level ground, then I decided to travel the world, abandoned the house, someone else picked it up, it collapsed, how many it crushed to death has nothing to do with me."
Lady Nine-Heads and Romulus were completely different kinds of people, and at this point, their views on this matter were completely at odds.
During the time Romulus built Rome, the concept of a nation didn't even exist, he built the city simply for fun, what feelings could he possibly have for his subordinates, viewed as tools?
People may have affection for fun things from their childhood, but Romulus found Rome no fun, at least now, it's far less fun than Wolverine.
Lady Nine-Heads shook her head, paused for a moment, changed the topic: "What about you? Where is the thing you promised me?"
"Here it is." Romulus pulled out a small vial, inside was crimson blood, emanating a warm glow under the light: "Though it's not my blood, it's already more effective than your current Infinite Prescription."
The woman stared at the vial, nodded slightly: "I'll have my researchers formulate the serum, tweak it slightly to suit the Undersea People's compatibility. The thing you want is also ready, you'd better take it quickly."
"Pleasure working with you, I look forward to the chaotic beauty of the world, hahaha..."
Romulus laughed heartily, turned decisively, departing with his laughter echoing in the air.
...............
"Doctor Faust, long time no see." On the other side, Zemo and his group, having bypassed the research area, found Faust tending to a patch of colorful mushrooms.
Faust looked like a typical scientist, his golden hair slicked back, wearing glasses, though burly, he was no warrior; he had the air of a scholar and a noble.
"So it's Little Zemo, long time no see, the reunion of Hydra colleagues is always delightful, you truly resemble your father."
Faust put down the magnifying glass in his hand, turned around to scrutinize Baron Zemo from top to bottom, speaking with a beaming smile.
Zemo's mouth twitched slightly, both wearing purple masks, how could they not look alike?
The hateful thing is that all the leaders in Hydra now outrank him, especially when encountering a few who care little for noble etiquette, the word 'little' is always on their lips.
Not only that, but Faust was among those Zemo least wanted to see here, tied with Viper for first.
For they were masters of terrifying theories and secretive warfare, their age was on display, naturally making them more experienced than he was.
All were living under another's roof, if Lady Nine-Heads were to select someone to lead the army for relevant tasks, she would undoubtedly choose Doctor Faust, not him.
Faust, in fact, shouldn't be called a doctor, he was a psychiatrist, adept at scheming and psychological hypnosis, capable of manipulating anyone through his homemade hallucinogens, combined with professional techniques and eye contact.
This capability for destruction behind enemy lines is considerable, manipulating the enemy to fight themselves, allowing victory without spending a single soldier.
While Viper was the master of urban guerrilla warfare, proficient in unleashing biological weapons attacks using sewers, basements, secret passages, tombs, she effortlessly employed various poisons and gases, Zemo couldn't match her in that aspect.
The lady had just made it clear when she asked him to seek out Faust, meaning he was to follow Faust's arrangements next.
This left Zemo discontent, having grown accustomed to taking charge outside, he had almost forgotten what it felt like to have someone above him.
However, he didn't let it show, instead, he embraced Faust warmly, his tone filled with laughter: "Uncle Faust, I've missed you as well, after all these years, where have you been? None of us knew of your whereabouts."
Faust led Zemo to his office, actually just a single room next door, looking more like a place a gardener would live rather than a leader of Hydra.
Because they were very close to the fungi, the temperature and humidity in the air were not suitable for humans, and Zemo wasn't very comfortable here.
But Faust himself remained at ease, wearing a brand new blue suit, with a beautiful tie, without breaking a sweat.
"I have told you before, I have my own secret mission, and I won't disclose it to any of you, so I won't explain the next plan, just know what your job is."
He gestured for Zemo and the others to sit on the sofa, taking out drinks and snacks to entertain them, with a gentle smile on his face, but his words were not polite at all.
He immediately announced his leadership, completely disregarding Zemo, treating him as if he were a subordinate.
Zemo seemed oblivious, only tightening his grip on his sword's hilt: "Doctor, at least tell me the parts I can know."
"Your task is to reach this location in the United States by midnight New York time tonight. There will be a National Guard of about 300,000 people at your disposal, and your task is to create as much chaos as possible."
Faust, ghost-like, slowly revealed a corner of the plan, and Zemo could basically guess what it meant behind the scenes.
Long ago, Hydra had been infiltrating North America, thinking about how to bring the war to the enemy's homeland. Research projects like jet fighters and rockets were developed for this purpose.
But ultimately, none of this took shape, and the empire was defeated. Now, it seems, there should be some new progress, and the whole plan is definitely not as simple as Faust said.....
................
Su Ming looked at the soul in front of him, tortured beyond recognition, and fell into deep thought.
He originally didn't want to pay any price for the information because, frankly, the information wasn't worth anything, but Mephisto was cunning and just played Tai Chi with him.
That guy could afford to stall, Su Ming couldn't. He still didn't know where Steve had been taken, and every second wasted could result in severe consequences.
So after sealing the contract, Su Ming exchanged information with Mephisto.
Yes, Su Ming told Mephisto about Black Heart's plans to rebel.
After all, Old Mo's son wanted to be the Lord of Hell every day, always plotting to kill his old man and rebel, whether he was secretly plotting now...
Since the contract was established, it means Emperor Vishanti also deemed the transaction fair.
Yes, Black Heart is currently conspiring, collaborating with other Lords of Hell to overthrow Old Mo.
Mephisto is still trustworthy. The nature of demons is essentially businesspeople, although sometimes they might exploit or manipulate, but that's only possible when the 'client' has no foundation to play such tricks.
Deathstroke is not in this category. Conversely, to some extent, even knowing that he carries the title of Supreme Mage Warrior, Mephisto wouldn't dare to take risks at this critical juncture.
Mephisto's information network is well-connected; he knew what transaction Deathstroke made with the legendary 'Those Who Sit Above in Shadow' during the Nine Realms War, although the content of the transaction is unknown, he heard that before that, Deathstroke managed to ambush Odin.
Yet Odin could really endure that afterwards, which Mephisto found difficult to understand.
There's no need to test things you don't understand with your own head; there will always be fools to step on landmines. Mephisto's current strategy is to stay observant of changes and maintain past relations with Kama Taiji.
One side wants to invade Earth, and the other has set up a protective array, seemingly making them natural enemies.
But in reality, the relationship between warlocks and demons is not that simple.
How energy flows and how to maintain the balance of a world is not something any side can decide unilaterally.
So Mephisto brought that half-soul and threw it to Su Ming. He himself 'needed to handle some family matters' and disappeared into the magma.
Su Ming was now facing a muddled demon soul, almost unable to communicate.
Monac wiped the sweat off his face. Although the Hellfire was isolated by magic, the temperature was still beyond what an average person could bear, and the chaotic power of the fire element was constantly affecting the flow of magic energy.
"No, my magic is ineffective on him. The part of his memory from when he was human has already dissipated. This is just an ordinary demon soul, full of magma."
This demon soul looked like a semi-transparent humanoid fireball, not only uncooperative with Monac's questioning but also mocking him over some rabbit matter.
Monac stepped back and spread his hands, indicating he was out of options. There are only so many soul magic techniques he could think of; he wasn't the kind of warlock specializing in Hell magic, and he hadn't delved deeply into soul magic.
Su Ming thought about it. Since the demon soul was already in hand and Mephisto didn't say not to take it, the solution was to find someone who specializes in soul magic.
"It's okay, open the door, go to this location in Africa." He pulled out a map again, his finger pointing to the location once more.