"Arnim Zola, isn't this guy dead?"
At this moment, Howard finally intercepted the information. Through analysis of this part, combined with the reverse reasoning of the supercomputer, he finally found and confirmed the identity of the opponent. But he didn't expect the identity to be Dr. Arnim Zola, who had supposedly died of cancer long ago. He had interacted with this guy quite a bit because they were both scientists, and technical exchanges and learning were inevitable. Thus, he was relatively familiar with Zola, which allowed him to analyze the identity so quickly. Zola had perfectly placed himself into a virtual state, but there were drawbacks; for instance, Howard, whose talent was not inferior to his, could easily find his existence.
"What's wrong, dear?"
Maria, carrying coffee and snacks, came to Howard. Seeing Howard in a state of slight disbelief and excessive shock, lost in thought, Maria asked with concern. In all these years, except for the time he decided to fake his Death and leave their child temporarily, this was the first time she had seen Howard with such a solemn expression.
"It's nothing, Maria. Back then, we all mistakenly thought Hydra had been wiped out. It seems we were all played. Hydra still exists. I was wondering why someone would suddenly attack us; after such a long wait, I finally found the answer."
Taking a deep breath, Howard calmed his inner shock. Thanks to the 'prophetic dream' back then, he avoided his Death and had been hiding here for over a decade. To this end, he hadn't been able to acknowledge his dear daughter for over ten years. For a Howard who wanted to be a good Father, this was undoubtedly a very painful decision. But for the sake of the child, he decided to 'disappear.' Then, he had been searching for the mastermind all along, and he never expected to actually find them today. But the result was truly shocking; he didn't expect the mastermind to be an acquaintance.
"This move was played beautifully. I even have to praise you, Dr. Zola."
Although he forcibly suppressed his anger, the words spoken through gritted teeth showed how furious Howard was at this moment. Seeing this, Maria quickly patted Howard's back to help him breathe easier. Fortunately, Howard's body was still quite sturdy.
"I'm sorry, dear. If only I hadn't gone all out to save Zola back then, thinking I could turn him to contribute to World War II. I didn't expect I was letting a wolf into the house. This ungrateful wretch actually bit the hand that fed him, sucking the blood of S.H.I.E.L.D. to support Hydra."
The clever Howard immediately understood that Zola's ability to 'fake his Death' or whatever must be inextricably linked to Hydra's power. Otherwise, who could have helped this former Nazi doctor? He didn't expect to have raised such an ungrateful wretch, which made Howard so angry he almost fainted. Because of his own actions, he had been separated from his precious daughter for so long; how could Howard not be angry?
"Should we let Nick know about this?"
Maria was also a very intelligent woman. She understood the situation from Howard's words and analyzed the severity of the matter. If Howard's speculation was true, then S.H.I.E.L.D. would no longer be an organization that protected the world. In that case, would Nick, who helped them, be targeted by Hydra?
"Not for the time being. I'm not sure yet who exactly the traitors are within S.H.I.E.L.D."
Regarding Maria's words, Howard fell silent for a moment before speaking firmly. At a time like this, without decisive evidence, it was impossible to identify the Hydra members within S.H.I.E.L.D. If they notified Nick now—setting aside the fact that he didn't have evidence yet—he even had some doubts about Nick's current position. They couldn't alert the enemy now. Hydra was in the shadows, and he was also in the shadows. No one would expect a 'dead man' to make any moves.
"Janica, activate all the reconnaissance life model decoys. We're going to take a good look at this world."
"Yes, sir."
Tony had Jarvis, Artoria had Saturday, and even the old man Howard had an artificial butler; he named her 'Janica'. Following Howard's command, one green incubation pod after another opened in the hidden basement. One 'person' after another slowly walked out. Over the years, Howard hadn't just been doing nothing. As a top-tier genius, how could he let his mind rust? These life model decoys were completely different from the two rushed out over a decade ago. Besides a leap in performance, their humanoid features were incredibly advanced. Even ten years ago, they could fool forensic experts and Doctors into thinking they were real people, and now that was even more true.
"Will such a large-scale operation cause a commotion?"
Compared to the furious Howard, Maria was calmer. She began to worry if sending so many 'people' out would be noticed by those with ulterior motives. If that happened, it would cause trouble for their child, which was the last thing she wanted. She wanted a happy reunion with her child, not a scare.
"Don't worry, Maria! We're not going out to cause trouble, but to investigate some old matters. Not many people will notice. Besides, these life model decoys I've made have enhanced stealth capabilities; I'm not afraid of anyone looking for them."
Confident in his technology, Howard patted Maria's shoulder and spoke. He wasn't worried about the decoys being exposed; he was worried about how long Hydra had existed and whether S.H.I.E.L.D. could still be saved. Most importantly, he cared about whether they threatened his daughter's safety. These were his primary concerns.
"So refreshing!"
Artoria stood up from the bed full of energy, all her negative status gone, with no feeling of mental exhaustion. She stretched lazily, but accidentally touched smooth skin nearby. At that moment, Artoria remembered what she had done before losing consciousness—she remembered going to find Gaea. Thinking of this, she felt a chill down her spine. Despite having a non-human body, why could she still feel a chill? Artoria's neck made a clicking sound like it was rusty as she turned to look. After seeing that familiar face, she looked down at herself. Well, not a single piece of clothing on.
"Calm down, I must stay calm. Let's have a cigarette first to calm down."
"Calm down my foot! A post-coital cigarette?!"
At this moment, Artoria's inner world felt like a prairie with ten thousand 'Grass Mud Horses' stampeding wildly. Taking a deep breath to forcibly suppress her panic, she checked the sheets. Hmm, nothing unusual. That's great, she was still pure. But this situation felt like... right, Mana Replenishment. Did she and Gaea perform a Mana Replenishment? That would explain why her mental energy was so abundant.
"What is this thing?"
Picking up her scattered clothes, Artoria suddenly felt something else in the blankets. She felt an oval, somewhat hard object. It was very hard, not soft at all. She pulled it out and saw a giant snow-white egg. This egg was bigger than Artoria's head and didn't look like an ostrich egg. After observing it curiously, she put the giant egg back under the covers. Who knew what it was? But it certainly wasn't hers, so it had to be Gaea's. These gods have such strange hobbies. Putting this thing in the blankets—is she planning to hatch it? What a strange interest.
With those thoughts, Artoria left Gaea's room. She was very hungry and wanted to eat.
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