Success or Martyrdom

After contemplating for a moment, Fang Ye took out his phone and made a call.

Among the various forces, S.H.I.E.L.D. was not the strongest in terms of power, but due to its official background, its threat was undoubtedly the greatest.

Therefore, the first force that Fang Ye needed to restrain was S.H.I.E.L.D.!

After the call was connected, the other party did not answer. Fang Ye remained composed and calmly sat on the sofa, waiting for the call to be returned.

As expected, after about five minutes, Fang Ye's phone rang.

"Mr. Dennis, I hope I didn't disturb you just now?"

"Mr. Feng, as you know, I am not always available to answer calls..."

"Hehe, I understand."

"Mr. Feng, it's always a pleasant surprise to receive your calls. I hope this time is no exception."

"Of course! Mr. Dennis, when have I ever disappointed you?"

Yueyi Fund had thousands of members, but ninety percent of them were regular members. There were less than a hundred Silver members, and the most prestigious Gold members consisted of only three rare individuals.

To become a Gold member, one not only needed to be worth billions, where money was no longer the main concern, but also required a distinguished status and position.

Mr. Dennis, whose full name was Ermand Dennis, was a member of the U.S. Council, and it was because of his position that he qualified to be one of the three Gold members of Yueyi Fund.

"Mr. Dennis, I have some great news to tell you!"

"Mr. Feng, I'm all ears."

"Mr. Dennis, this is something you have been looking forward to for a long time. Yueyi Fund is going public!"

"Thank God! Mr. Feng, you've finally come to your senses? I've been advising you to go public for a long time, but you never listened. Well, it's not too late now."

The listing of Yueyi Fund was not only highly anticipated by shareholders but also a topic of great interest among the wealthy.

The current valuation of Yueyi Fund had already exceeded one trillion US dollars, and once it went public, its value would instantly multiply several times.

At that time, even though it might not be on par with companies like Osborn Industries and Stark Industries, it would be not far behind.

Hearing the pleasantly surprised tone of Ermand Dennis, Fang Ye couldn't help but smile calmly.

"Mr. Dennis, the good news I have for you is that I have prepared a small gift for you: 10% of Yueyi Fund's shares. I hope you will like it."

"Hiss!"

A gasp could be heard from the other end of the phone. Ermand Dennis was stunned by Fang Ye's grand gesture.

Because once Yueyi Fund went public, that 10% of shares would be worth hundreds of billions of US dollars. Fang Ye had generously gifted it to him, but Ermand Dennis also knew that there was no such thing as a free lunch...

Ermand Dennis had become a council member thanks to the crucial role his family's influence played, but he himself was also a man of extraordinary means.

After a moment of silence, Ermand Dennis spoke with reluctance in his voice.

"Mr. Feng, thank you for the gift of 10% of the shares. I'm very tempted, but as you would say in your Chinese culture, there's no gain without work..."

"No, no, no! Mr. Dennis, it's something you deserve! However, recently S.H.I.E.L.D. seems to be less friendly toward me, and I don't want Hydra to get involved either. I hope Mr. Dennis can help mediate this conflict so I can go public peacefully, don't you think?"

"I will handle this matter, Mr. Feng. I will give you a satisfactory answer!"

"Mr. Dennis, then I'll be waiting for good news."

Seeing Ermand Dennis agree, Fang Ye couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

However, the situation was within Fang Ye's expectations. No one could refuse the lure of hundreds of billions in wealth. There's a saying that money can move mountains, and this was used to describe the magical power and allure of money.

Moreover, this was the United States, a society that revered money above all else. The power of money in this society sometimes exceeded imagination!

After ending the call with Ermand Dennis, Fang Ye dialed another number.

Relying solely on Ermand Dennis might not be enough to restrain S.H.I.E.L.D., because although Ermand Dennis was a council member, he was not the only one who had a say in the entire council.

Moreover, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra were currently indistinguishable from each other, and Hydra had infiltrated too deep.

Hidden in the shadows, Hydra was even more terrifying than S.H.I.E.L.D., and Fang Ye needed to deal with this hidden threat.

"Mr. Pierce, it's Fang Ye."

After the call connected, Fang Ye introduced himself.

Regarding the Hydra organization, Fang Ye had no intention of using a gentle approach. Hydra was insatiable, and 10% of the shares might not satisfy them.

"Fang Ye?"

The name Fang Ye was no longer as obscure as it was two years ago.

Now, who in the world had not heard of the title "Financial King"?

However, Alexander Pierce was puzzled. He and Fang Ye were not acquainted at all, and there was no relationship between them. Why would Fang Ye call him?

Alexander Pierce, one of the senior agents of Hydra, former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., a comrade of the current Director Nick Fury and the acting Director Phil Coulson. He also had another identity, the head spy of Hydra infiltrating S.H.I.E.L.D.

"I have a list here that I believe Mr. Pierce will be interested in."

"What list?"

Alexander Pierce's heart tightened inexplicably, and he had a vague feeling of foreboding.

After reading the information on the list sent by Fang Ye, Alexander Pierce's expression changed slightly. The list contained more than ten names, all of them important members of Hydra hidden within S.H.I.E.L.D.

Alexander Pierce forced a smile, his voice slightly gloomy.

"Mr. Feng, you seem to be quite familiar with S.H.I.E.L.D. Why are you sending me a list of our members? What do you want with this list on your hands?"

"Mr. Pierce, I have no ill intentions towards Hydra. If possible, I believe we can cooperate. However, S.H.I.E.L.D. has been causing me trouble lately, and I don't want Hydra to get involved either. I hope Mr. Pierce can do me a favor and help resolve this trouble. I believe you wouldn't want this list to end up on Nick Fury's desk..."

The list only had about ten names, but without exception, all of them were important members of Hydra.

Fang Ye didn't necessarily have to resort to threats; he could choose to join Hydra, as he believed that Hydra would definitely welcome him and would be willing to help him out of his current predicament.

But if he joined Hydra, it would be difficult for Fang Ye to escape if he changed his mind later.

Hydra was not a loose organization; they had extraordinary means to control their members. It wasn't as simple as joining or leaving at will. If it were that easy, Hydra would have been eliminated long ago!

The key was that even if he joined Hydra, Fang Ye couldn't guarantee that Hydra wouldn't have its eyes on the Hulk serum. Otherwise, he might consider joining Hydra.

Strike at the vital point; since he had chosen to threaten, he had to strike where it mattered.

Alexander Pierce fell into silence. He didn't know how much of Hydra's secrets Fang Ye held in his hands, making him hesitant to act rashly.

After taking a deep breath, Alexander Pierce made up his mind.

"I'll agree to your request, but I can only guarantee three months during which S.H.I.E.L.D. won't trouble you. Also, I want to extend a formal invitation to Mr. Feng to join Hydra. I hope you will consider it."

"Then, I'll trouble Mr. Pierce. As for joining Hydra, I will seriously consider it."

After hanging up the phone, Fang Ye sighed inwardly.

Hydra was a huge, global terrorist organization whose goal was to seize world domination. They boasted about themselves by likening their existence to the mythical creature Hydra from Greek mythology: cut off one head, and two more would grow in its place, never to be annihilated.

The history of Hydra could be traced back to ancient Egypt. If it weren't necessary, Fang Ye really didn't want to provoke them.

But at present, it was the only means Fang Ye had to restrain Hydra temporarily. However, he was well prepared for the fierce counterattack from Hydra.

This time, it was either success or martyrdom!

If the fusion of the Hulk serum succeeded, all troubles would be solved. But if it failed, there would be no place for Fang Ye to bury his body!

However, if the fusion failed, Fang Ye estimated that his chances of survival were slim.

In that case, he might as well go all out!

He had temporarily restrained S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra lurking in the shadows, but Fang Ye still needed to deal with the threats posed by the X-Mansion and the Brotherhood...