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With Max joining, Darian was finally completely liberated from his daily tasks.
Now, all his daily tasks were directly outsourced to the X Squad; Peter and Harry handled capture missions, while Max took care of special missions involving grey areas, such as intelligence gathering.
Max had no moral qualms; he executed missions as soon as he received them, without questioning the whys or wherefores, and without any objections. He was just like any other worker, only responsible for completing tasks and never concerned with anything outside his duties.
It's worth noting that Max's efficiency in completing tasks alone was even higher than Peter and Harry combined. There was practically nowhere that could stop him; he could freely travel through most places via electrical wires, after all, who can stop an electric current?
If he encountered enemies, Max could easily resolve them with a session of electroshock therapy.
Most importantly, he didn't need to rest at all. A few seconds of charging would give him two and a half weeks of power, making him a naturally born workhorse.
Because of this, Darian entrusted more tasks to Max.
If he couldn't be worked to death, then work him to death!
Max was numb.
If he had played a few games, he would realize this wasn't Pokémon; it was Palworld!
Of course, Darian didn't let Max work for free.
Knowing Max yearned for recognition, he specifically arranged for him to fight criminals in public, then spent money on several trending topics to popularize the name Professor Max, allowing New York City citizens to gradually get to know this newly debuted superhero.
Although Max's fame was currently far less than even Harry, the Little Goblin, for Max, these faint bits of attention and recognition seemed to illuminate his long-darkened life, making him feel truly seen for the first time.
Moreover, Darian promised him that he would arrange trending topics for him regularly to boost his traffic and followers, ensuring he remained active in the public eye.
For Darian, anything that could be solved with money was no problem at all.
This made Max work even harder, even actively taking on new missions from Darian. Every day, he was either doing missions or on his way to do missions, without any rest.
However, not long after, Darian strictly put a stop to this behavior: "If you don't even have time to rest, what will others think of me if word gets out? Will they see me as a slave driver?"
"..."
Max was speechless for a moment.
He vaguely felt something was wrong but still explained, "Don't worry, I won't feel tired even without resting."
Darian frowned and reprimanded, "Even if your body doesn't get tired, I can't let you do missions non-stop 24 hours a day. If I did that, would I even be human?"
"I understand."
Max was a little moved. Such a considerate superior was indeed rare.
Darian nodded: "Good that you understand. Don't do this anymore. You must have rest time every day, you can't be completing missions 24 hours a day, at most only... 23 hours!"
Max: "..."
Give me back my move!
And Harry was the same.
His symptoms had become more and more frequent recently, and he finally couldn't bear it, so he drank the bottle of Life Potion Darian had given him.
After drinking it, the Life Potion immediately took effect. Harry's health bar instantly refilled, his hands stopped shaking, his ears stopped ringing, and his whole being exuded unprecedented vitality. He fought criminals in the morning, battled in bed at night, and was still full of energy the next day.
Only those who have experienced despair cherish hope more, and Harry also worked harder to complete his missions.
Seeing how competitive the other members were, Peter instinctively joined in.
With the X Squad, an efficiently operating daily mission pipeline, Darian's experience and reputation steadily increased, as effortlessly as AFK gaming.
In contrast, other Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. became increasingly busy.
As time passed, the affairs S.H.I.E.L.D. had to handle did not decrease, but rather increased, and manpower gradually became stretched thin.
For this reason, Director Hill had no choice but to launch a new round of recruitment plans, not only attracting new recruits from S.H.I.E.L.D. Academy, the alma mater of Darian's character setting, but also externally recruiting various professional talents, which significantly reduced the purity of the Snake Shield Bureau.
It had to be Hill; she accomplished something Nick Fury hadn't in so many years, not long after becoming Director.
Even Steve was recruited into S.H.I.E.L.D. by Hill. The century-old veteran found new employment, carrying out high-level special missions with Natasha, and was authorized to command a S.H.I.E.L.D. special operations team.
Since the Battle of New York, Steve, Captain America, reappeared in the public eye.
As a former American idol and moral benchmark, the U.S. government naturally wouldn't miss this traffic goldmine, letting Steve return to his old profession, becoming an endorser for various events.
Fortunately, America no longer needed Steve to sell his image; they merely asked him to serve as an ambassador for student conduct norms in various states, filming various short videos to inspire and educate students.
Because of this, Steve also gained quite a few 'little haters'.
Finally, he couldn't bear it anymore. To avoid the activities arranged for him by the U.S. government, he simply agreed to Hill's invitation to join S.H.I.E.L.D.
Now, Steve's shield had reverted to its star emblem design, but upon closer inspection, one would find that it was actually just a film applied to the shield's surface.
There was no other way; the octopus pattern on the shield couldn't be wiped off. Even covering it with paint would quickly revert to its original state, as if the octopus pattern had been permanently branded onto the shield.
To avoid misunderstanding, Steve had no choice but to cover the pattern with a film.
After all, he was now frequently active within S.H.I.E.L.D. If S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents discovered a HYDRA emblem on his shield, he would likely be arrested as Captain HYDRA.
Coincidentally, the HYDRA spies lurking within S.H.I.E.L.D. thought the same way. Captain America's reputation was far-reaching; it was he who caused HYDRA to disintegrate, so they were all treading on thin ice, fearing exposure in his presence.
Thus, Steve and the HYDRA spies were cautious every day, fearing that a single slip-up would reveal their identities as Captain HYDRA and HYDRA.
Only Darian was carefree, completely unconcerned about the risk of exposing his identity. After all, he was a double Agent for Nick Fury and Pierce. Even if one of his covers was blown, someone would be there to cover for him and conceal his identity.
This day, he had just walked out of the Director's office when he quickly assigned the newly received daily task to the X Squad.
Just then, Sitwell approached, lowering his voice and saying, "Agent Darian, Mr. Pierce would like to see you."
"Understood."
Darian nodded in response, then suddenly noticed Sitwell pressing his hands tightly against his pockets.
He asked with a surprised expression, "What are you doing?"
"Nothing, nothing, just a cramp in my thigh."
Sitwell gave an awkward smile. In truth, he was worried Darian would steal his belongings; it wasn't the first time the other party had done so.
Darian didn't think much of it and followed Sitwell to Pierce's office, pushing the door open without knocking.
"Officer, what do you need me for?"
Pierce's mouth twitched. An Agent who completely disregarded rules like this was unheard of in the entire S.H.I.E.L.D.
But he heard that when Nick Fury was Director, Darian would kick the door open, so he suddenly felt it wasn't that big of a deal.
Pierce first gestured for Sitwell to leave with his eyes. After the door closed, he smiled at Darian: "Yes, I have a very important secret mission for you. I need you to escort Loki's Scepter to our research Base in Sokovia."
[NPC Alexander Pierce has issued you a new mission]
[Mission: Escort the Scepter]
[Objective: Deliver Loki's Scepter to Sokovia, HYDRA's research Base]
[Reward: EXP +1000, S.H.I.E.L.D. Reputation +20, Random Equipment *1]
Wait, a mission issued by HYDRA increases S.H.I.E.L.D. reputation? What the hell?
They're not even pretending anymore, are they?
Darian inwardly complained, then nodded, saying, "Mission accomplished!"
He wasn't surprised at all why the Scepter ended up in HYDRA's hands. After all, the entire S.H.I.E.L.D. was practically a sieve; it would be strange if this item wasn't in their possession.
Pierce emphasized, "Remember, this mission must be strictly confidential. It must not attract anyone's attention."
"Understood!"
Sokovia is a small landlocked country in Europe, plagued by various internal disputes and armed conflicts.
Years ago, the U.S., under the guise of ending the country's political instability, planned and launched multiple airstrike operations against Sokovia, making the already turbulent Sokovia even more chaotic.
HYDRA took advantage of Sokovia's national situation, establishing a secret research Base there, using the local unrest and conflict as their cover.
Of course, on the surface, they operated under the name of S.H.I.E.L.D. peacekeeping forces. Their supply convoys bore the S.H.I.E.L.D. emblem, and their members all wore S.H.I.E.L.D. uniforms, making it impossible for anyone to tell they were HYDRA.
HYDRA's secret research Base is located on the outskirts of Novigrad, Sokovia, situated within an ancient fortress on a small mountain. The fortress is surrounded by dense forests, with old forest watchtowers and newly constructed military bunkers forming a defensive network.
Darian, carrying the metal box containing Loki's Scepter, underwent multiple transfers before finally boarding a special vehicle arranged by Pierce, arriving at this ancient fortress hidden among the mountains.
As the vehicle traveled through the forest roads, many HYDRA guards could be vaguely seen patrolling the woods, with tight security.
Darian got out of the car and walked towards the ancient fortress. At the entrance, he was stopped by a HYDRA guard.
"Please show your pass."
Darian took out the special identification given to him by Pierce. After the HYDRA guard carefully verified it, his attitude immediately became respectful. He straightened his body, clenched his fists, raised them 45 degrees, and performed a standard HYDRA salute.
"Hail HYDRA!"
It was the first time Darian had seen this salute, which resembled a certain little mustache, but more like Astro Boy and Superman.
"Hail HYDRA!"
Darian nodded in response and walked into the fortress gate with the metal box.
The interior of this ancient fortress had been completely renovated, becoming a modern research Base full of futuristic technology. It was filled with dense, precise instruments, and researchers in white coats hurried between various experimental areas.
A man with a monocle and a neat buzz cut walked up, saying expressionlessly, "I am the General Manager of this research Base. Just hand the item to me."
[NPC: Wolfgang von Strucker]
[Codename: Baron Strucker]
[Affection: 0]
[Evaluation: The leader of HYDRA's European faction. Looks very impressive, but ends up dying within minutes of his appearance.]
HYDRA's interior was not a monolithic entity but was divided into multiple factions, each fighting its own battles.
Pierce led the HYDRA forces embedded within S.H.I.E.L.D., while Baron Strucker controlled the HYDRA branch operating in Europe. They did not interfere with each other but occasionally cooperated, just like now.
Darian handed the metal box to Strucker, and the system's voice sounded simultaneously.
[Mission 'Escort the Scepter' settlement complete]
[Rewards: 1000 EXP, 20 S.H.I.E.L.D. Reputation, Equipment 'm1917 U.S. Smith & Wesson']
[Equipment: m1917 U.S. Smith & Wesson (There's no problem it can't solve. If it truly can't be solved, then solve yourself.)]
Darian glanced at the equipment and found it was a revolver.
Hmm, indeed, there's no problem a bullet can't solve.
Strucker took the metal box, opened it, and saw Loki's Scepter inside, his eyes flashing with undisguised eagerness.
"Pierce is still so reliable."
He handed the metal box to a researcher beside him, whispered a few instructions, and then turned to look at Darian again: "I heard Pierce mention that you are his most capable Agent?"
"Just a tiny bit better than everyone else."
Strucker's eyelid twitched slightly, and he said, "Since you're here, why not take a tour of our future plans? After all, this is also a key cooperation project that Pierce is focusing on."
With that, he led Darian through an alloy sealed door that required iris verification. Behind the door was a downward-sloping passage, where the walls gradually transitioned from ancient stone bricks to cold metal panels.
The end of the passage suddenly opened up, revealing a spacious and bright laboratory.
Most striking were the dozens of Chitauri soldier alien weapons neatly displayed on a long table in the center of the laboratory, each remarkably well-preserved.
"These are the gifts left by the Battle of New York. We spent a lot of effort to collect them. However, most of the energy cores inside these weapons are depleted. To restart them all, a huge energy source is needed, and Loki's Scepter just happens to solve this problem for us."
Strucker's gaze shifted to the other side of the laboratory, where two bio-pods were placed. Through the large glass windows, a man and a woman could be seen standing inside.
"In addition, we can use that Scepter to develop biological effects. The land of Sokovia has been ravaged by numerous wars, and many genetically anomalous individuals have appeared among the nearby residents. They will be our best test subjects."
Darian looked at the man and woman in the bio-pods.
The man was just a man.
The woman had long hair draped over her shoulders, with a very delicate facial model. She wore a loose lab coat, yet it couldn't conceal her perfect figure, and her chest muscles were very well-developed. Her modeling attributes were in no way inferior to Emma's.