Chapter 2: Hail Hydra

Chapter 2: Hail Hydra

"3, 2, 1, CUT!"

As the smoke billowed from the fire scene, the cameraman's words signaled the conclusion, with Colin in front.

"Phew~"

Colin, who had maintained a pose in front of the camera, immediately let out a sigh of relief. He gently patted his stiff face, which had grown tense from the prolonged serious expression, and turned to the cameraman.

"How did it go?"

"I think it went well."

Setting down the heavy camera he had been carrying on his shoulder, Smith, the bearded cameraman, shrugged and casually responded, "You were too nervous, Colin. It was just a routine news coverage of a fire incident. Similar events happen multiple times a day in New York City, so there's no need to worry excessively."

"Perhaps you're right, Smith."

Colin's originally anxious mood unexpectedly eased a bit upon hearing Smith's somewhat nonchalant reassurance.

Glancing back at the gradually subsiding fire and the excited crowd around him, a perplexed expression involuntarily appeared on Colin's face.

Having arrived in this new world less than a week ago, Colin was still struggling to adapt to his new identity and the seemingly real yet fictional superhero world he found himself in.

...

"Hey, Colin, Colin..."

Just then, the cameraman's voice interrupted, accompanied by the urgent honking of a car, bringing Colin back from his reverie.

Regaining his senses Colin noticed that Smith, who had been standing opposite him moments earlier, had already settled back inside the live broadcasting van, honking the horn impatiently to prompt him to get in.

"Hurry up, the office just called. There's a police car chase happening in the twelfth district. We need to rush to the scene and capture firsthand news footage. Damn it, I should have filmed more on-site footage during the fire coverage earlier to buy us some time..."

Lowering the window, Smith leaned out from the driver's seat, wearing a disgruntled expression as he complained.

Journalists assigned to frontline reporting were typically either experienced professionals or newcomers. The former had connections that granted them exclusive news access, while the latter had more availability for dispatch.

Based on Colin's performance, he clearly fell into the latter category.

In fact, it was precisely due to this that Colin's initial novice mistakes during his transmigration didn't raise much suspicion. He relied on his identity as a rookie journalist to navigate through the initial chaos and difficulties of his new life successfully.

"Alright, let's go."

Shaking off the thoughts that crossed his mind, Colin took a deep breath. Firmly grasping the microphone adorned with the "Daily Bugle" logo, he hastily settled into the passenger seat of the live broadcasting van driven by Smith.

...

As anticipated, their news coverage of the vehicle chase incident ended in failure.

By the time Colin and the cameraman arrived, the police had already made the arrest, and the patrol car sped away before their eyes.

"Damn it, another wasted trip."

Observing the police car vanish into the distance; Smith, seated in the vehicle, couldn't help tapping the steering wheel and cursing.

In the driver's seat, the bearded cameraman Smith habitually grumbled, while Colin, in the passenger seat, had already been captivated by the advertisements displayed on the large screen in the square.

"....With cutting-edge biotechnology capabilities... We ensure your health and safety at the forefront, HYDRA Biotech, always by your side, solving all your troubles. Hail Hydra, the perfect guardians...."

In the advertisement, the skull octopus symbol representing Hydra appeared boldly on the square's screens.

It gave an inexplicable sense of absurdity.

However, except for Colin himself, no one in the entire square found anything strange about what was happening right in front of their eyes.

This naturally included Smith, the cameraman sitting in the driver's seat beside him.

After all, for the people of this world, Hydra was just a multinational corporation specializing in biotechnology research, not the infamous Hydra organization from the World War II era. Even the slogan "Hail Hydra," which was originally used by Hydra for brainwashing, had become an advertising catchphrase for Hydra Biotech displayed on the square's screens.

Such existence wasn't limited to just the large screens in the square.

In fact, since Colin came to this world, the more he learned and understood, the more bewildered he felt.

Everything happening in this world was vastly different from the superhero world he remembered. In the history of this world, Tony Stark had died in a car accident back in the 90s, yes, the same accident that claimed the lives of Howard and Maria.

However, this time, it wasn't only Tony Stark's parents who perished, but also Iron Man himself.

From the newspaper clippings Colin had found, it could vaguely be understood that the family of three seemed to have planned to attend a special event and tragically met their end on their way there.

With the loss of Howard Stark and Tony Stark as the successor, Stark Industries founded by Howard, quickly declined. Although Obadiah Stane, who had once been Howard's right-hand man, tried to manage Stark Industries in the meantime, he couldn't ultimately stop the company's downfall.

The last news Colin saw in the media about Stark Industries was from two years ago when it was acquired by Hydra Biotech and became one of its subsidiary companies. After that, it was challenging to find any related reports.

Tony Stark's death made Colin realize clearly that he was in a superhero world entirely different from what he remembered, a superhero world without Iron Man.

In fact, it wasn't just Iron Man Tony Stark who disappeared.

S.H.I.E.L.D., Captain America, the Avengers—everything familiar to Colin was no longer there.

In their place was the Thunderbolts.

A registered, government-affiliated "legitimate" superhero group.

In this team, there were superheroes like Luke Cage and Iron Fist, whom Colin knew, as well as Crossbones and Bullseye, supervillains who were supposed to be archenemies in Colin's memory but now worked together as part of the same team of superheroes in this world.

Apart from the mentioned individuals,

Black Widow - Natasha was also one of the members of the Thunderbolts.

Evidently, in this world without the Avengers,

This super-agent had still found her place.

Becoming a member of the Thunderbolts, she lawfully pursued those metahuman criminals within the United States who operated without government permission or registration.

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