96: Pierce, going to war with the whole world

In a dimly lit room.

The leaders of Hydra gathered once again through projections.

Unlike last time, where the tension was like gasoline waiting to ignite, now everyone present sat in silence.

They sat around the table, staring at the surface between their hands.

They couldn't understand it.

Just a few days ago, they had been drinking champagne, holding slender waists, and discussing grand ambitions.

Yet, in the span of a few nights, Hydra, once lurking like a shadow beneath the world's surface, had become a public menace known to all.

Bang!

"Who is the traitor?" Baron Strucker clenched his fists, his face even more ashen than it was yesterday.

"Now, who is or isn't the traitor doesn't matter," Pierce said in a low voice.

"All the leaders have already been exposed."

"Either we cut off the infected parts to survive, trading their lives to give rise to new Hydra heads in the future…"

"Or, we go to war! Take the world by force!"

Pierce spat out the word "war" with a fierce roar, making his stance clear.

"War? Now?" One Hydra leader was stunned. "But the Insight Project is only a fifth complete. How can we fight?"

"It's simple."

Pierce slammed the table. "Seventy years ago, Schmidt showed us how to fight, and that's exactly what we'll do!"

He had already devised a battle plan.

"On the three helicarriers, I ordered the installation of ten hydrogen bombs. Now it's time to put them to use!"

"We'll have Rumlow and the others leverage the carriers and hydrogen bombs to pin down forces from all over the world."

"And while they're distracted, we'll seize the East."

"The East is a powder keg, with numerous units we've planted there, perfect for igniting a war."

"Are you with me?"

Pierce's eyelids lowered halfway, covering his eyes, but the sharp glint beneath was like a blade.

"Isn't this a bit reckless?" Madame Hydra hesitated. "Most of those forces were driven out by Tony Stark; their strength is questionable."

She felt Pierce had lost his reason after recent events.

Waging war against the entire world?

Did he think Hydra was as powerful as it had been seventy years ago?

"Also, what did you just say? Nuclear bombs on the helicarriers?" Her eyes narrowed.

"Weren't those carriers supposed to stage an attack on Strucker and me? What are you planning with nuclear weapons?"

"Simply a precaution."

Pierce adjusted his tie. "Those bombs are assets I've quietly accumulated over decades."

"To be used in situations exactly like this."

"For instance, to serve as deterrence—or to eliminate certain cowards who shy away from battle."

As he spoke, his gaze pierced directly toward Strucker and a few others.

Madame Hydra slowly stood up. "Are you threatening us?"

"I'm only discussing the next step in our plan," Pierce said, scanning the room. "So, are you willing to go to war?"

"We are.." Under pressure, Baron Strucker and Madame Hydra exchanged dark looks, then reluctantly agreed. "...Willing!"

With the three primary leaders in agreement, the remaining members also voiced their support.

...

When Pierce returned to the meeting room, the representatives from various nations were bound tightly to their chairs.

Their mouths were sealed with tape, and they glared at Pierce with seething rage as he entered.

"Now, now, no need to get worked up, ladies and gentlemen. I know you're all thinking that your countries will soon send forces to crush Hydra once and for all."

"But I'd like you to see this."

Pierce switched the projection to display a globe, with the locations of three helicarriers highlighted.

They hovered above densely populated cities: San Francisco, Poland, and Sokovia.

And they were floating less than a thousand meters above ground level.

The ability of the helicarriers to hover in these positions had originally been granted as temporary clearance by various nations, a measure intended to facilitate Hydra's elimination.

But now, that clearance had transformed into the Damocles' sword they had handed to Pierce themselves.

"And perhaps you should take a look at this as well."

The projected image shifted once more, showing row after row of missile launch systems, with large missiles already prepped for ignition.

"Each helicarrier is armed with ten hydrogen bombs, each with a yield of one megaton."

"You all know what this means."

"We can release these bombs on the cities beneath the helicarriers at any moment."

"If you don't want to be remembered in history as butchers, have your respective governments comply with my demands."

Pierce looked calmly, almost fearlessly, at each of the assembled representatives, a serene smile on his face.

"You... you devil! Our governments will never agree to relay your message!" one representative stammered, cursing him with trembling voice.

"No, I don't need you to relay my message. Everything I just said has already been recorded and delivered to each nation," Pierce said, settling into a chair.

Leaning comfortably back, he mused, "Hmm… no wonder Fury always liked talking from a chair like this. It really is quite nice."

…

Pierce's approach was undeniably effective in the short term.

The nations, now fully aware of the precise situation, dared not act rashly.

After all…

Those three helicarriers hovered over cities with tens of millions of people.

If they provoked Hydra into a suicidal move, causing millions to perish in a nuclear inferno…

Hydra would merely add another stain to its already notorious reputation.

But on the other side, their nations would forever bear the historical mark of unforgivable atrocities.

Meanwhile…

Skye and her first boyfriend, Miles, in the Rising Tide organization, used every ounce of their skills and managed to intercept the video message Pierce had sent to all the governments.

After their initial shock and horror, they naturally chose to release the video online once more.

Pierce's threats to the nations had just gone public.

The internet erupted instantly.

Especially among users living directly under the three helicarriers.

—"Are you kidding me?! I go to sleep, and when I wake up, you're telling me there are ten nuclear bombs over my head?!"—

A San Francisco user triggered the censorship filter right off the bat.

—"F***, f***, f***!! What did we do to deserve this in Sokovia? War has already left us with nothing, and now you're sending hydrogen bombs our way?"—

A Sokovian refugee broke down in speechless despair.

—"What city in Poland is that thing hovering over? Are we being blitzed again?"—

Most online users expressed shock and worry.

But in the three targeted cities, the residents had gone completely hysterical; entire cities were in chaos.

…

Meanwhile, aboard the helicarrier where Nick Fury was stationed,

the crew remained entirely unaware of the world-shaking events unfolding below.

Fury and the others had their hands and feet tied and were tossed into the corner of the command room by Hydra agents.

Meanwhile, Rumlow and his group frowned deeply as they gathered around Skrull's corpse.

"Fury, if we don't do something soon, we're going to be finished before Hydra is," Hawkeye muttered. "Do you have any kind of plan?"

"I do have a plan."

Noticing a few figures among the Hydra agents, Nick Fury allowed himself a small smile.

"What's the plan?"

"To wait."

"Wait for what?"

"For them."

Barton raised an eyebrow. "Considering we're about to die, could you be a little more specific this time?"

"Ahh~ The person I'm waiting for has arrived," Fury replied, a smirk on his face.

A tall, thin Hydra agent walked casually past Nick and the others.

Clang!

A small blade fell right in front of them.

Hawkeye's eyes widened. "Haha.. and you still say you're not Hydra… wait, was he one of those aliens from earlier?"

"Your clearance isn't high enough to access that information," Fury replied, hooking the knife toward himself with his foot.

"Even if you don't say, I can figure it out. They can shapeshift, right? That's a bit risky, Fury."

"No, they're friendly to Earth; they're not dangerous," Nick Fury denied.

As the two whispered back and forth—

Bang!

Suddenly, a gunshot rang out.

Everyone looked over.

Smoke rose from the barrel of Rumlow's gun.

Before him lay the agent who had just walked past Nick Fury, now collapsed with a bullet hole in the center of his forehead, revealing his green-skinned Skrull form.

"No!!"

Fury shouted in rage, his eyes wide.

At the same moment, six other figures among the Hydra agents instinctively cried out, "Dali!"

In the next instant, Rumlow turned his gun and fired six more shots in quick succession, each hitting its mark.

The six figures were killed on the spot, reverting to green-skinned corpses.

If Hawkeye could figure it out, then Rumlow, as a top agent himself, would have certainly deduced it as well.

"You bastard, you absolute bastard!"

Nick Fury lost his composure, shouting, "How dare you kill them! How could you do it?!"

"I swear I'll kill you, Rumlow, you Motherfucking Hydra scum!"

Rumlow said nothing. He cracked his neck, walked over to Fury, and slammed the butt of his gun into Fury's jaw, knocking him out.

"Threat neutralized. Return to work and await further orders," Rumlow instructed the others without a change in expression.

The Hydra agents withdrew their gazes and continued their respective tasks.

Meanwhile, this scene was once again captured and transmitted to the outside world by Agent K.

__________

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