After transforming into the Weather Dopant, Pierce, sensing the unprecedented power within his body, stood up excitedly.
He couldn't wait to test his strength. As Pierce raised his right hand, thunderclouds and lightning appeared out of thin air in the office, followed by flames and freezing air.
"What immense power! The power to control the weather!" His voice was filled with a joyful laugh.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning leaped from the thunderclouds and struck the executive desk. The entire desk instantly shattered into a pile of charred wreckage.
Agent Sitwell next to him was startled and quickly retreated a few steps, watching the desk—now a ruin a few feet away—with lingering fear. A few drops of cold sweat appeared on his forehead.
"You've just acquired the power of the Weather Memory and can't control it well yet. If you don't want to completely destroy your office, you should save testing your abilities for later," Dan reminded him.
Pierce slightly reined in his excitement, removed the Weather Memory, reverted to human form, and gripped the Weather Memory tightly in his right hand.
His voice trembled slightly with excitement: "This is the power of the Gaia Memory! It truly is too powerful!"
"It's far from the top," Dan aid. "Although the Weather Memory is a superior Gaia Memory, it still has a gap compared to the truly strongest batch of Golden Gaia Memories. Moreover, whether you can fully unleash the power of the Weather Memory remains to be seen."
Pierce felt a bucket of cold water poured over him upon hearing this, then he looked directly at Dan: "How can I obtain the strongest Golden Memory? Mr. Eternal brought up this information specifically; surely it wasn't just to tantalize me!"
Dan laughed heartily: "I like that look in your eyes; it's the look of powerful desire and drive. For people outside the Foundation, the only way to obtain a Golden Gaia Memory is to become an Agent for the Museum Project."
"The Agent for the Museum Project?" Pierce was slightly confused.
"The Foundation will not expend extra effort and manpower on the circulation and sale of Gaia Memories, so it selects Agents to undertake the task of distributing Gaia Memories for the Foundation."
Pierce's eyes lit up. If he could become the Agent for the Museum Project, it meant he would control the circulation of the Gaia Memories. He could let his subordinates select suitable Memories first, or absorb suitable users into his organization.
In short, the benefits were numerous, allowing him to maximize the use of the Gaia Memories' power for his own ends.
Pierce cleared his throat: "Mr. Eternal, I believe that with the power of Hydra, we can definitely help the Foundation perfectly advance the Museum Project."
Dan saw the desire in Pierce's eyes, smiled slightly, and shook his head: "Unfortunately, the Museum Project already has an Agent. An individual with an extremely high compatibility rating with a Golden Gaia Memory."
Pierce's smile froze: "Is there no opportunity for cooperation then? I believe I am the most suitable executor for the Museum Project."
Dan waved his hand: "Whether you are the most suitable candidate isn't something you can just say. You need to prove it to the Foundation. The current Agent has at least an extremely high compatibility with a Golden Gaia Memory. How will you demonstrate your value?"
"As long as you name the condition, we can certainly meet it," Pierce said firmly.
Dan let out a light "oh" and replied, "Since you are so determined, I will give you a chance. As long as you find and defeat the Emperor of Fear, you can replace him and become the Agent for the Museum Project."
"The Emperor of Fear?"
"Precisely, the person who received the Terror Memory," Dan nodded. "Golden Gaia Memories are absolutely superior Memories, possessing overwhelming power that surpasses other Memories, and the Terror Memory is one of the best among them. With your current power, you are definitely no match for the Emperor of Fear."
Pierce's expression was calm: "As long as I can defeat this so-called Emperor of Fear, it shouldn't matter what means I use, right?"
Dan nodded: "The capable advance, the mediocre retreat—that is only natural. The Foundation will only choose to cooperate with the victor."
"Rest assured, the final victor will definitely be me," Pierce stated.
Dan let out a casual laugh: "To make the game more interesting, I can offer you a little help."
He produced a USB flash drive, which was truly just a USB flash drive. It contained Isaka Shinkuro's research data on the Gaia Memories.
"What is this...?" Pierce accepted the USB drive.
"Some of the Foundation's research data on the Gaia Memories. You should be able to find ways to enhance your own power from it."
"Thank you then. I absolutely won't disappoint you," Pierce put away the USB drive and nodded.
"We shall see," Dan took a step back and vanished from Pierce's office.
Pierce looked at the executive desk he had shattered and said, "Notify Rumlow, the operation is temporarily canceled. Have someone clean up my office."
"Why?" Sitwell was confused.
Although Pierce had obtained the Weather Memory from Dan, for Hydra, there was no such thing as having too few Gaia Memories.
Pierce looked at the Weather Memory in his hand and said plainly, "The Foundation's Museum Project clearly involves the circulation of many Gaia Memories. This Frank is, after all, a candidate chosen by the Foundation. Although it wasn't explicitly mentioned, we don't need to risk offending the Foundation for the sake of just one Memory."
"And besides..." Pierce paused, then continued, "Keeping him around might help us track down that Emperor of Fear. Our most important goal now is to find and defeat the Agent of the Museum Project and firmly control the circulation of the Gaia Memories in our hands."
Sitwell nodded in realization upon hearing this.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Base.
Frank was surrounded by a group of S.H.I.E.L.D. agents.
These controlled agents fearlessly rushed and tackled Frank.
Frank tried to shake off the agent clutching him, but the man somehow managed to hold onto Frank's arm with a death grip.
As Frank violently swung his arm, the man's own arms tore off, and he flew to the side.
Frank was slightly surprised by this sight; it was something that seemed impossible for flesh and blood.
Even if an ordinary person wasn't afraid, pain and the body's self-preservation mechanisms would prevent them from fully exerting their physical strength. It would be impossible for someone whose arms were torn off to still firmly lock onto a target.
But the personnel controlled by the puppet strings didn't have this limitation and could completely unleash the maximum potential of their muscles.
Frank could, of course, forcefully break free from the restraint, but this would cause the bodily tissues of these people, which were like taut bowstrings, to snap instantly.
"Nick, it looks like you'll have to be prepared to sacrifice some people," Frank said.
To eliminate this Dopant as quickly as possible and minimize losses, a decisive choice had to be made. He could no longer be concerned about the controlled S.H.I.E.L.D. agents; he needed to go straight in and defeat the Dopant to prevent it from controlling more people.
Just as Frank made up his mind, he suddenly felt his body lift uncontrollably into the air.
A lazy voice drifted over: "In the end, it still falls to us to clean up the mess."
Following the voice, amidst the mist and clouds, a golden figure holding a staff casually pointed toward Frank.
Next to him was a white tiger-shaped Dopant.
It was Evolt using the Utopia Memory, and the white cat adopted by Dan, which was using the Smilodon Memory.
(End of this chapter)