Chapter 119: Mason's Purpose
A cold glint flashed in Mason's eyes as he stared down at Dr. Zola.
Dr. Zola felt an intense constriction in his throat, wanting to scream but held in place by an overwhelming sense of dread.
This feeling was even more intense than when facing Schmidt, like an unarmed person confronting a predator, making his legs weak and nearly causing him to collapse.
"Doctor, there's one more left!"
came a researcher's voice from behind.
Mason's arms shifted, instantly deploying metal gauntlets. He lunged backward, appearing beside several soldiers before they could react.
"Thud thud thud!"
Three muffled impacts followed as the unsuspecting soldiers had their throats slashed by Mason, clutching their wounds and falling silently.
"Shhk shhk!"
Mason showed no mercy from the start. Within moments, the entire room was empty except for him and Dr. Zola.
"You should be grateful you didn't scream, or I would've had to remove your tongue!"
"After all, for you, keeping your brain intact is all that matters."
Wiping the blood from his fingers, Mason said coldly.
He waited until now to strike so the other operatives could be placed into the observation chamber.
In his mind, these conditioned soldiers were already his assets; he didn't want to destroy them in the chaos.
Experiencing Captain America's world again, and witnessing the merging of realities, gave Mason an idea.
In the original films, the Marvel Universe was vast and complex, containing both rapidly advancing Earth technology and mythological realms like Asgard.
The expansive cosmos also harbored alien civilizations and cosmic threats, culminating in forces capable of eliminating half the universe's population with a single gesture.
Therefore, if another reality merger occurred, it would most likely still involve the Marvel Universe, or at least this merger might not be an isolated incident.
With a cinematic universe spanning nearly two dozen films, even if Mason couldn't participate in every storyline, his chances of returning to this world were far greater than in other realities.
Therefore, establishing his own power base in this world was essential from every perspective.
At this stage, what could be faster than appropriating Hydra's resources?
So, besides completing his mission and helping Steve eliminate Schmidt, he also had personal motivations for infiltrating the Hydra base.
This reconditioning room was separate and highly secured; everything happening here remained unknown to the outside.
Mason walked up to Dr. Zola and placed his blood-stained gauntlet on his shoulder.
"I want to become the commanding officer of those nine operatives," he said, looking into Dr. Zola's eyes.
"Can you do it?"
Including Mason, nine operatives survived Dr. Zola's enhancements, numbered from 1 to 9.
"That's complicated, their neural programming…" Dr. Zola adjusted his glasses, speaking carefully.
"Hmm?"
Mason frowned, his grip on Dr. Zola's shoulder tightening slightly.
"I can do it, but it'll take some time!" Dr. Zola quickly amended.
"How long?"
"Half an hour!" Dr. Zola had initially intended to say an hour, but seeing Mason's expression, he hastily revised his estimate.
"You're intelligent enough to know that someone with your expertise wouldn't struggle to find employment with any organization, regardless of allegiance. So I hope you won't attempt anything foolish and give me a reason to eliminate you!"
"I... I understand!"
"Then let's begin."
Mason followed Dr. Zola out of the memory erasure chamber. After departing, Zola sealed the room completely and restricted all access, so there should be no risk of discovery in the short term.
With Dr. Zola accompanying him, no one questioned Mason's presence, and Zola proved very cooperative. In the films, he wasn't particularly devoted to Schmidt.
In fact, he was obsessed with science and loyal only to himself. In the movies, after being captured by Allied forces, he secretly worked for the US government for years.
Standing beside Dr. Zola, watching him operate the equipment, Mason couldn't help but acknowledge that this peculiar, disproportionately large-headed scientist was a genuine genius.
"It's complete!"
Dr. Zola wiped the sweat from his forehead and spoke quietly.
"Seal the entire laboratory and release them!" Mason ordered.
"Whrrr whrrr whrrr!"
An alarm sounded, and the lab door slowly closed. The staff inside paid little attention; this was standard protocol to prevent interruptions.
"Hssss!"
The fluid in the observation chambers drained, and nine men and women were awakened, standing exposed before Mason.
"How do I control them?"
"They've been fully imprinted with your voice pattern, cadence, and physical profile. You can issue any command at any time." Dr. Zola swallowed hard; he had no idea what Mason planned to do.
Mason patted Dr. Zola on the shoulder, his gaze sweeping over the faces of the nine operatives standing before him, before ordering, "Eliminate everyone else in here!"
"Yes, sir!"
Nine figures moved like wraiths. The other researchers in the lab initially assumed it was some kind of specialized test, until the screaming began, and they understood what was happening.
They were merely scientists, their combat capability essentially zero; they were no match for these enhanced operatives. Within three minutes, the entire laboratory became a scene of carnage.
Dr. Zola stood there, his face twitching, listening to the intermittent cries around him, as if experiencing it himself.
This young man's ruthlessness rivaled Schmidt's, yet for some reason, standing beside him produced a unique kind of terror.
His life felt constantly under threat, leaving him powerless to resist.
Furthermore, the man's demonstrated abilities and the unusual gauntlets exceeded his comprehension.
As the scientist who modified Mason's previous body, Dr. Zola was certain that the physical capabilities of the enhanced operatives he'd created were far inferior to what stood before him.
As far as he knew, only Schmidt and Captain America could reach this level; even Kroenen, the legendary enhanced assassin, was somewhat inferior.
"Who exactly is he?"
Thinking of Mason's past identity, Dr. Zola couldn't help but wonder, "Could it be that those guarding the Tesseract for so long were hiding some secret?"
"Everyone, gear up and arm yourselves!" Mason commanded. "Once the entrance opens, destroy this facility!"
He then retrieved a hidden communication device, tuned it to a specific frequency, and told Steve, "I'm ready here, commence the assault!"
He then deactivated the device and said to Dr. Zola,
"Take me to Schmidt!"
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