Chapter 34: Hydra's High Priest in S.H.I.E.L.D., Hank Pym (Edited)

With the Level 4 "Purifying Heart Mantra" activated, Bucky froze in place, then slowly raised his hands to his head, a look of intense pain on his face.

Seeing Bucky affected by the music, Clark tiptoed over, intending to quietly pick up the Ruyi staff and take advantage of Bucky's confusion to strike a decisive blow.

"Ah!"

Just as Clark's hand barely touched the Ruyi staff, Bucky let out a bestial roar that startled him into rolling away. When he looked up again, Bucky had turned and was sprinting in another direction—towards where his handgun had fallen.

Clark didn't hesitate and dashed after him, only to watch as Bucky stepped over the gun without any intention of picking it up.

Successfully securing the gun, Clark saw Bucky jump down the stairs he had originally come from, disappearing from his sight.

Only then did Clark breathe a sigh of relief, attributing Bucky's escape to the effects of the "Purifying Heart Mantra," which likely awakened his sealed memories and plunged him into a state of confused turmoil.

Indeed, no one could defeat him within his BGM—if they could, it was merely a matter of playing the BGM incorrectly.

To prevent Bucky from making a comeback, Clark kept the "Purifying Heart Mantra" playing, securing both the handgun and the Ruyi staff before turning his attention to his greatest find of the day—the lone surviving Winter Soldier amidst Bucky's chaotic gunfire. The survivor appeared to be Asian, with yellow skin, closed eyes, and... well, no hair. This baldness, combined with years in a cold storage without air conditioning, was the mark of an unparalleled warrior.

Pulling out a rectangular box from his coat and placing it on the ground, Clark stepped back and pressed a button on his wristwatch.

"Whoosh!"

The box transformed into a large freezer, three meters in length and two meters in width.

After finding and activating the switch for the glass capsule, Clark watched as it rose, revealing the still-frozen fortunate soul inside. "You're really lucky," he mused. "This luxury single bed was originally prepared for Captain America."

Back in Manhattan, New York, Clark looked around his new, much larger bedroom with a hint of reluctance. "Why did we have to move here? Wasn't our apartment just fine?"

Hank Pym snorted. "Feeling guilty about living in my house? You didn't seem to have any issues when you needed me to clean up your mess after killing someone."

Clark chuckled, quickly defending, "I didn't kill anyone. You said it yourself, the killer ran away. There was no blood or weapon left at the scene. I'm a good citizen and a victim!"

Pym didn't want to argue further, changing the subject. "About that killer, I've asked my old friend Alexander Pierce from Homeland Strategic Defense and Logistics to investigate. They have a lot of resources. Though it's uncertain if they'll find anything, we probably won't have a similar incident in the future."

Clark blinked, incredulous. Could there be anything more unreliable than having Pierce investigate Crossbones?

Pym added, "Although Pierce is a cunning old fox, he wouldn't dare ignore my concerns. He reminds me of Dr. Zola back in the day—timid as a mouse. Of course, he's a good mouse, unlike the remnants of Hydra."

Clark thought, "Not different at all! He's Hydra through and through!"

But Pym's words provided some reassurance. While Pierce was part of Hydra, not all Hydra members followed Red Skull's ruthless methods.

According to Master Lu, an organization's culture is often shaped by its leader. The Hydra faction within S.H.I.E.L.D., developed by Dr. Zola, likely mirrored his characteristics.

So, what was Dr. Zola's style? Apart from being a genius scientist, he was notably cowardly, easily intimidated by mere threats. A team led by such a person would naturally reflect his demeanor.

Pierce, as the current director of S.H.I.E.L.D., hadn't made any memorable actions public. It wasn't until Nick Fury took over that significant events like the formation of the Avengers occurred.

Pierce's tenure was characterized by two main actions: quietly developing Hydra within S.H.I.E.L.D. and preparing the Insight Project, fulfilling Dr. Zola's last wishes.

In essence, Pierce's leadership could be summed up in two phrases: "Play it safe and grow quietly. Hold on, we can win." His greatest strengths were patience, camouflage, and deception.

Thus, it was appropriate to refer to him affectionately as the High Priest Lama Pym of Hydra within S.H.I.E.L.D.

Pym's cautious and risk-averse approach meant that after Crossbones' exposure and emphasizing Clark's importance to him, it was unlikely Pierce would dare to make another move soon.

Feeling relieved, Clark found even his new bedroom more pleasing to the eye.

"The information is ready. Take a look at this," announced Hope, bursting into the room with documents for Pym and Clark.

Taking the documents from Hope, Clark asked, "What's this?"

Pym, flipping through the papers, replied, "Remember the Winter Soldier you brought back? I had someone investigate his background immediately. The answer is in these documents."

Clark's eyes widened in shock as he read the detailed background of the bald Winter Soldier, realizing the depth of the story unfolding before him.