Chapter 155

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Catastrophe!

The diary was correct; Infinite Ultron truly is a disaster for the entire multiverse.

Of course, this is equally true for our universe.

After all, nobody knows if our universe is one of Infinite Ultron's targets for slaughter.

If it's not, then all is well, but what if it is?

According to the defenses documented in the diary, Earth's forces would likely be incapable of stopping Infinite Ultron.

At this moment, Black Widow could only silently pray that her universe would be fortunate enough not to be targeted by Infinite Ultron.

Otherwise, it would indeed be terrible.

"Wait, the Watcher?"

When Black Widow saw this name, her expression immediately grew solemn.

The Watcher was a name that the diary had mentioned for the first time.

However, the diary made it clear that this was a being that transcends the multiverse!

Naturally, Black Widow did not take such a being lightly.

Unfortunately, the diary provided no further information about this individual, so Black Widow had to analyze it slowly by herself.

"Watcher," if going by the name, could indicate a role akin to an observer.

Perhaps they engage in some sort of observation and documentation of a target.

So the question arises.

What exactly does a Watcher, who transcends the multiverse, observe?

The multiverse itself?

Black Widow pondered for a while but couldn't figure it out.

Such beings are simply beyond her reach, and the fact that even a being of this caliber was terrified by Infinite Ultron indicates the truly frightening extent of its power.

[No, it's not just terror.]

[Infinite Ultron is also hunting the Watcher across the multiverse, hunted like a dog!]

[Forced to choose members from the multiverse to form an Avengers team, aimed at eradicating Infinite Ultron.]

[But can you believe it? Hydra ultimately defeated Infinite Ultron!]

[Dark Doctor Strange, Thor, and other top-tier powerhouses were present, but in the end, it was Hydra that they relied on!]

[Haha, how interesting! Even Hydra has a day to save the world!]

[No, to save the multiverse!]

"It seems that this Infinite Ultron is truly formidable," Tony Stark couldn't help voicing his heartfelt admiration.

Of course, the same could be said for the Watcher.

Despite being fervently pursued by Infinite Ultron, this only means that the Watcher could also evade across the multiverse!

At the very least, the Watcher possesses the ability to traverse the multiverse with ease.

Truly a being that transcends the multiverse!

What Tony wondered, though, was what kind of person would be chosen by such a being to assemble the Avengers?

No, the multiverse Avengers.

Discovering yet another Avengers, Iron Man couldn't help but mock secretly.

He had once thought that the Avengers he joined was unique and his role within it irreplaceable.

Then he recently found out that there was an Avengers existence a million years ago, that even included Odin.

While he didn't know the other members, Odin's involvement suggested the Avengers' significance was undoubtedly higher than Tony Stark's.

Who could have imagined that in no time, the diary would spoil the existence of an even more impressive multiverse Avengers!

Considering the multiverse scope, this could be the highest significance of all, right?

Iron Man pondered, hoping there wouldn't be another Avengers higher than this.

And when he looked at the members of this multiverse Avengers, there was Dark Doctor Strange, which almost prompted him to exclaim in awe.

Isn't this the super-god who destroyed an entire universe?

This is far more powerful than Odin!

Indeed, this Avengers is clearly on a whole different level.

And there's also Party Thor?

Wait, what kind of Thor is that?

Tony paused.

Judging by the name, was this a Thor who loved to party?

How much does this Thor love partying to have the word "party" included in his nickname?

But, how powerful could such a Thor be?

As powerful as Dark Doctor Strange?

He must be, or else why would the Watcher select him to be part of the multiverse Avengers?

And who else is there besides Dark Doctor Strange and Party Thor?

Iron Man found this quite intriguing.

After all, Tony Stark was more eager to find out if an incarnation of himself had joined this alliance!

With his remarkable qualities, it shouldn't be an issue, should it?

Of course, Tony naturally wouldn't know that the Watcher did, in fact, appear before him in another universe but dismissed him with distaste!

"Hydra?"

Nick Fury, in front of another diary, also hesitated, his forehead creased with question marks.

Infinite Ultron, terrifying even to the Watcher, was defeated by Hydra?

Are we talking about the very same Hydra?

Indubitably, the bad guys!

As the director of SHIELD, Fury was familiar with history, and especially insider information not commonly known.

The sordid deeds Hydra had done, the things that don't bear public scrutiny, he was much more familiar with than most.

Without delving into the details, just considering the Insight Project revealed by the diary—Hydra intended to assassinate millions in one fell swoop!

Fury, who had been engaging in a covert battle with Hydra, could assert that he understood Hydra like no one else in the world.

However, he never imagined that an organization such as Hydra, so clearly and utterly villainous, would have a day of saving the world.

The contrast was indeed too vast.

Of course, that wasn't the main problem; after all, Infinite Ultron aimed to destroy the entire universe, a threat to Hydra as well.

So it wasn't strange for Hydra to confront Infinite Ultron.

The real question was: Is Hydra really that powerful?

According to the diary's spoiler, Ultron was created by Stark.

No doubt, the events concerning Infinite Ultron happen in the future, not the past.

And at that point, what level was Hydra at? Being someone who had already clashed with Hydra for quite some time, Fury was quite qualified to speak on the matter.

Although their infiltration was astonishing, having even "Hydra-ized" SHIELD, they are all, without exception, mere mortals!

Aside from the super soldier Winter Soldier, Stark took care of the rest.

Of course.

Moreover, Hydra had some scientific research teams, which could even be considered top domestic research teams.

But they were just ordinary top teams, far inferior to the level of Stark.

Under such circumstances, how could Hydra deal with the fearsome Ultron that even the Watcher was afraid of?

Could it be that Hydra still possesses other unknown, secretive, and powerful forces?

After some contemplation, the only speculation he could make was this.

Fortunately, the reverse undercover plan was very successful, and Alexander Pierce has now become one of us.

I have taken the first step in controlling Hydra.

Soon, I will know all of Hydra's secrets and have them under my control.

[It must be said, Hydra is indeed a mad organization, truly full of various crazies.

It's one thing for Red Skull to transform into a ghastly figure, being a passive consequence of the super-soldier serum's side effects.

But Zola, that guy, really ceased to be human!]

[He turned himself into a super program, forsaking his body, living entirely in memory chips!

Terrifying, absolutely terrifying, you have to admit!

However, the fact that Zola's consciousness could defeat Ultron's program was indeed beyond most people's expectations.

So, it seems that Jarvis is not the most advanced artificial intelligence after all; it should be Zola, right?]

Zola?

Arnim Zola?

When Nick Fury saw the name "Zola," the image of the bespectacled, short man came to mind immediately.

During the Red Skull era, he was Red Skull's confidant, helping to design many technologies that surpassed those of the time.

After Hydra was eradicated by Agent Carter and her team.

Arnim Zola and other related scientists were not killed or imprisoned; instead, they were secretly recruited by SHIELD.

Just like that, he was whitewashed and began a new chapter in his life.

Operation Paperclip!

That's right.

This was the infamous Operation Paperclip.

Even more than that.

After being recruited, Arnim Zola was still in a high position, highly valued by SHIELD.

He even secretly researched the Tesseract with Howard Stark.

In "Avengers 4," Tony Stark returns to the SHIELD base to steal the Tesseract but is caught by his father, Howard.

Howard, upon hearing the commotion, thought it was Zola and greeted him warmly.

From the tone of their interaction, their relationship seemed quite good.

This shows how successful Arnim Zola's camouflage was; no one cared about his Hydra background, and he was completely considered a trusted member of SHIELD.

Arnim Zola did not disappoint everyone's hopes, working diligently and contributing his strength to SHIELD.

Until he died of illness.

And it had been many years since his death.

So, could the Zola mentioned in the diary be the same Arnim Zola from Fury's imagination?

After sorting and analyzing the various clues at hand, Nick Fury felt the likelihood was significant.

Firstly, from what Nick Fury knew of Hydra, there was no other person called Zola except for Arnim.

Of course, this wasn't absolute.

There might be other members of Hydra named Zola that Nick Fury hadn't heard of.

But with Nick Fury's status and opposition to Hydra, if he hadn't heard the name, it's likely the individual was just an inconspicuous nobody.

Compared with the super-scientist Arnim Zola, the likelihood of someone else accomplishing the feat of defeating Ultron was naturally smaller.

Secondly, the diary clearly stated that Zola gave up his body to become a super program!

This anti-human lunacy, even for Hydra's lunatics, isn't something easily done.

After all, isn't that sheer madness beyond human tolerance?

But what if it was an incurable disease?

A certain death?

The probability of committing such an act would undoubtedly be greater.

Thus, considering all these factors, Nick Fury thought that the Zola in the diary had a high possibility of being Arnim Zola.

It's almost certain!

So, this fact came to light:

Arnim Zola, recruited through Operation Paperclip, had all along been falsely surrendering and was secretly still with Hydra!

This also fit with Hydra's secret development and expansion 70 years later.

Furthermore, the supposed dead Arnim Zola hadn't died at all.

He continued living under another identity or, rather, in another form!

And he even turned into a figure more potent than Jarvis!

But could Hydra's technology truly have reached such an inconceivable, even horrifying level?

To save a person's consciousness on a hard drive?

This only happens in science fiction films!

Even Tony Stark, the world's leading scientist, could not do such a thing.

Of course, Tony probably wouldn't even attempt it.

After all, it indeed breaks certain moral and ethical boundaries.

As the diary said, only Hydra would commit such madness.

However shocked and emotional, Nick Fury had to face another brutal reality:

Hydra possessed a secret superweapon!

A weapon more powerful than Jarvis!

The thought made Nick Fury's already dark face grow three shades darker.

He knew all too well the danger of such a weapon, being the director of SHIELD.

In this age of interconnected information, if Zola could, like Jarvis, exploit the net at will, it would be extremely troublesome.

Even if Zola managed to create a new body for itself, wouldn't that be another Ultron?

Contemplating the potential threat Zola could pose, Nick Fury felt an increasing pressure.

But soon, Fury regained his composure.

Zola surely had many restrictions still.

After all, in his long covert struggle against Hydra, he had never felt the presence of an AI threat.