Chapter 118: The True Hydra

**

Gunfire had lasted for a long time, but finally, everything quieted down. Most of the Hydra agents had been eliminated, while a small group was captured. Whether there were any who slipped through the cracks? That would be a problem for the next director. They had done their best for now.

Maria Hill approached Link and asked, "Link, can you send us to other bases?"

"The real S.H.I.E.L.D. agents probably need reinforcements now!"

"Sure," Link replied, as he reloaded his magazines. "Just give me the exact locations and some visuals."

What followed was a series of support missions to various S.H.I.E.L.D. outposts and bases. They ignored those still engaged in their own tasks, focusing on locations that needed immediate reinforcements.

With the Avengers stepping in, S.H.I.E.L.D. quickly regained the upper hand, but the toll had been high. Many had fallen, most of them Hydra agents, but S.H.I.E.L.D. also suffered significant losses.

By nightfall, most of the conflict had been resolved, though Link still hadn't tracked down Killian. His attention now shifted to interrogating Alexander Pierce.

…

"Hill, we need to interrogate Pierce," Link said as soon as he returned to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters.

Hill pondered for a moment before agreeing, "Alright, both Pierce and Rumlow need to be questioned. You can handle Pierce. I'll have someone else take care of Rumlow."

"Sounds good!" Link gathered the Avengers and prepared for the interrogation of Pierce.

However, Natasha spoke up first, "Has anyone seen Coulson?"

Everyone shook their heads, causing Natasha to chuckle. "Seems like Fury's already had Coulson take over his secret projects."

Link waved his hand dismissively. "That's none of our concern. But Coulson's trustworthy, and with him in charge, we can safely leave Hydra's remnants for him to deal with."

"The priority now is to interrogate Pierce and find out what Hydra really is."

Everyone nodded in agreement, and soon they made their way to Pierce's holding cell. Only Link and Natasha entered the room, while the others observed from the adjacent control room, where they could hear and see everything.

Pierce, appearing surprisingly calm, glanced at Link and Natasha. "The Grim Reaper and the Black Widow. One's an expert in psychology, and the other's a master spy. How do you plan to interrogate me?"

Link chuckled and said, "We're not here to ask who Hydra agents are. We just want to know *what* Hydra truly is."

"It surely isn't just an organization created by the Red Skull. Otherwise, it wouldn't have survived until now, right?"

Pierce was momentarily taken aback before smirking, "You're sharper than I expected."

"You've figured it out, haven't you?"

"Back during World War II, those who believed they had eradicated Hydra were all so smug. But they didn't realize that the Red Skull was only one faction of Hydra."

"In fact, he had broken off from the *true* Hydra."

"The real Hydra worships a god."

Link's eyes gleamed with interest. Pierce was finally talking. Of course, this information might also be a psychological tactic meant to unsettle the Avengers.

Link pressed further, "Care to tell us more about this god?"

"Certainly!" Pierce seemed eager to talk. "The true Hydra has no interest in ruling the Earth. For over a thousand years, their sole purpose has been to bring their god back to Earth."

"This goal has never wavered. In fact, they consider the Red Skull and his faction heretics."

"As long as their god returns, conquering Earth would be a trivial matter."

"So, the Red Skull's group and ours have never been closely aligned."

Link nodded thoughtfully. "So that's why you use the phrase 'cut off one head, two shall take its place.' I take it this god is some sort of extraterrestrial being?"

"It's not on Earth, and the true Hydra has been searching for it for over a millennium?"

"That's quite the long journey."

Pierce added, "Indeed, I think they're all insane. But a thousand years ago, they were European nobility with vast amounts of wealth at their disposal. Today, nothing's changed in that regard."

"So, they're quite useful."

Link then asked, "The World Security Council—there must be Hydra agents there as well, right?"

"It's the American representative, isn't it?"

Pierce's expression shifted ever so slightly.

Satisfied, Link stood up and gestured to Natasha. "Looks like I guessed right. We can now go after another target. Thanks for your cooperation."

Link and Natasha left the room and rejoined the others in the observation area.

"Everyone should be clear on this now," Link said. "The core of Hydra is a group of alien worshippers. Of course, this alien isn't just any ordinary being."

Steve Rogers sighed, "I feel like an idiot."

Link patted his shoulder. "You won the war. Whether the enemy was completely wiped out doesn't matter."

"The goal of war is to win, not to annihilate. Don't get hung up on it. From here on out, it's S.H.I.E.L.D.'s problem to handle."

"We need to start recruiting people who are willing to live in space."

"When things settle down, we'll begin production of the Yan-class fighter jets. We'll also need to design a space station—our real base of operations."

Stark chimed in, "Exactly. But can we leave now?"

"Sure, let's go," Link said, opening a portal back to Avengers headquarters. Natasha would have to fly back in her Yan-class fighter.

As for the fallout of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s internal strife, that was no longer the Avengers' concern. They returned to their normal lives, with Pepper and Jessica back to their respective jobs.

Meanwhile, Link contacted Norman Osborn to begin production. The new element's core would be handled by Stark, while Link oversaw the space engines. Since these were key components, they had to manage the work personally.

There was no rush to mass-produce; they would take their time. The real focus was on the space station.

At that moment, Norman Osborn came to see Link. "Link, there's a scientist I'd like you to meet. He's working on a fusion project."

"Dr. Otto Gunther Octavius. His research is nearing completion, and I'm ready to invest. If successful, we'll be on par with Stark in the energy sector."

Link paused, realizing this was likely Doctor Octopus. He gestured for Osborn to calm down. "I understand, Norman. But his experiment is extremely dangerous. I'll need to see all the data first. We might even consider conducting the experiment in space—it would be much safer there. Once fusion starts, it's not exactly easy to shut down."

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