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*****
Listening to Feini's words, Sitwell was beyond moved. He couldn't help but fantasize about the future.
Hydra had never been a monolith; usually, various factions held similar levels of power and collaborated only when necessary. Sitwell had suspected from the start that Feini intended to unify Hydra under one banner, and after this speech, he was certain. His gaze hardened with conviction as he looked at Feini and said:
"I will absolutely not let the Leader down!"
"Good."
Feini patted Sitwell on the shoulder with an air of "keep up the good work," while inwardly marveling at his own sudden knack for leadership.
With only a few days left before the school semester began, Feini didn't waste any time. The following morning, equipped with Incursio, he teleported to Sokovia.
Sokovia was a destitute, war-torn little nation. Unlike Wakanda, it was the kind of place that was truly struggling to put food on the table. Because of the constant conflict, Hydra—under the guise of S.H.I.E.L.D.—had sent "peacekeeping forces" to station their own personnel throughout the country. Consequently, the nation was now essentially under total Hydra control, making it one of their largest bases of operation.
Feini walked through the city streets, observing his surroundings. Most striking was the abundance of graffiti featuring Tony Stark and Iron Man. However, a quick glance at the content revealed it was far from worship or praise.
Feini figured Tony would hate it here. Spotting a particularly "interesting" mural, he pulled out his phone and snapped a few photos, planning to show them to Tony when the chance arose.
As Feini was taking pictures, a group of loiterers noticed him. They approached with ill intent, and the leader called out: "Hey! Where are you from?"
"New York. Why?"
Feini sized them up. Poverty often bred chaos; from the moment he saw them, he knew exactly what they wanted.
"New York!?"
The leader froze for a second, then turned to his cronies with a laugh. "Hey, brothers, he's from New York! Stark's New York!"
His face instantly soured, and he glared at Feini with a vicious snarl. "Do you know which outsiders I hate the most?"
"Not New York, I hope?"
Feini looked at them with genuine curiosity, wondering why the hatred for Stark ran so deep in this specific corner of the world.
"Bingo!"
The leader cracked his knuckles. "Unlucky for you. Usually, you'd just have to hand over your cash, but since you're from New York, you're getting an extra beating."
"Why?"
Feini didn't flinch as the man approached. "Because of Tony Stark?"
"Exactly! Blame yourself for being from the same place as that bastard!"
The leader lunged forward, throwing a punch aimed squarely at Feini's face. It was hard to tell if he was genuinely angry or just jealous of Feini's good looks.
Feini shifted slightly, dodging the punch with ease. He looked the man over and asked again, "Why do you hate Tony Stark so much? He's Iron Man. A superhero."
"Pah!"
Surprised that Feini had dodged, the leader grew even more incensed by his words. He spat on the ground and shouted, "He's nothing but a butcher! Even in a fancy suit, he's still an executioner. You have no idea what he did to this place!"
"I wouldn't mind if you told me," Feini replied.
But the man had no interest in talking. Seeing Feini's unbothered attitude, he sensed something was wrong and shouted to his underlings: "All together! Get him!"
The other four rushed Feini. Since they were in a secluded alley, there weren't many people around; the few who were nearby simply hurried away, having no intention of getting involved.
"Fall."
Feini didn't even bother to lift a finger. At his command, all five men—including the leader—tripped simultaneously. Their heads slammed into the pavement. Though no blood was drawn, they all sprouted massive, comical lumps on their foreheads.
"What did you just do?"
Scrambling up, the leader began to panic. He frantically checked the ground and his surroundings, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Having spent his life on the streets, he wasn't without survival instincts. In a world where aliens had invaded, anything was possible. His first thought wasn't to test Feini again, but to run.
However, he had only taken two steps before he could even shout the order to retreat when a calm voice drifted from behind him:
"Fall."
Thwack!
Right back in the same spot. Weak point attack, critical hit. The pain was magnified several times over, sending the group into fits of agony.
"Who are you?"
The leader clutched the wound on his forehead, which was now oozing a bit of blood. He didn't dare get up again; he stayed flat on the ground and begged: "I was wrong! Please, let us go!"
Seeing their boss like this, the lackeys stayed down too, groveling in pain—a sight that left the few passing pedestrians dumbfounded.
"Relax, I'm not going to kill you. I just have a few questions," Feini said, crouching down. He wasn't about to end their lives over a botched mugging, but his interest in their hatred for Tony was piqued.
"Ask! Ask anything!"
The leader was full of regret, wondering if Feini was some kind of alien from New York. This method of attack was simply too bizarre.
"Why is there so much hostility toward Tony Stark?"
Hearing this, the leader carefully tilted his head up, trying to gauge Feini's expression before answering.
"Just speak. Don't worry about anything else. I have a way of knowing if you're lying—one lie, and you fall ten more times," Feini said bluntly.
"No!"
The leader was terrified. He hurriedly explained: "Because our country became like this because of him! The weapons he made... they ensured this place never knew peace. Every year there's a war, and so many people have lost family to the weapons he built."
Feini paused and sighed inwardly. In the end, this was likely Obadiah Stane's doing. Tony's original intent for making weapons was to end wars, but Obadiah only cared about profit. Without war, no one bought weapons—so he manufactured conflict, leading to the deep-seated hatred in places like Sokovia. Of course, Hydra likely played a part as well; without war, they wouldn't have had the excuse to send "support" and build bases.
"Stand up."
Having learned what he wanted, Feini stopped the torment. As the five men stood trembling, he used Ars Magna to issue an order:
"Forget everything that happened after you met me. Your injuries are just from accidentally falling together. From now on, be good people who enjoy helping others!"
With the command issued, Feini let them go. Being a "good person" in a place like this wouldn't be easy, but the punishment was sufficient.
With the mood for sightseeing gone, Feini found a secluded corner, activated Incursio's invisibility mode, and slipped into the Hydra base.
Despite having Sitwell's data, the base was so massive that he eventually found himself a bit lost. He eventually came across a heavily guarded entrance and slipped inside. He realized it was a dormitory area, but the rooms were made of reinforced glass.
Many people were held inside—men and women in thin clothing, pale and haggard. Some looked so still they appeared dead.
As Feini moved down the hall, he soon spotted one who was quite... unique.
So white, so big!
That was Feini's first reflexive thought. He immediately felt that such a thought in this context was slightly inappropriate, but since he couldn't reveal himself, he simply offered a silent apology in his heart and continued to observe the girl before him.
(End of Chapter)