"Dammit! Dammit! DAMMIT!!!"
Inside a secret Hydra base, Hive, who had been recuperating, flew into a rage after seeing the news and smashed everything within reach.
After painstakingly escaping from beneath the Antarctic ice, spending over sixty years hunting Illya, and exhausting countless schemes to build up everything he had stolen, it had all been destroyed just like that. How could he not be furious?
But if that were all, it still wouldn't have made him lose his composure like this.
What truly enraged Hive was that the old dog Alexander Pierce had betrayed his will.
About ten minutes earlier, Hive had clearly sensed that the parasite he had implanted inside Alexander's brain had been forcibly erased by some kind of special power.
At first, Hive had assumed Alexander was dead.
But when it saw the three Helicarriers taking off in the broadcast and contacted Alexander, not only was it mocked, but that damned old dog even brazenly told him to wash his neck and wait to die.
"Alexander Pierce... very good!"
Hive's eyes burned with hatred, flames of fury flickering within them as it gritted its teeth. "I'll let you know what true cruelty is!"
Alexander's sudden betrayal, combined with the severe losses suffered by Hydra agents within S.H.I.E.L.D. and the death of his backup host, Glenn Talbot, had left him in the awkward position of having almost no one left to use.
Even if he wanted to execute the traitor, there were now very few people available to him.
"The Obelisk... I must obtain the Obelisk!" After thinking it over repeatedly, Hive decided to spare that old dog for now and focus all of his remaining strength on seizing the Obelisk.
As long as he obtained the Obelisk, he could create another powerful body.
He could even use that item's effect to multiply his domination ability severalfold. At that point, he would fear no one.
"It seems... I'll have to act personally after all." Hive let out a sinister chuckle, cold light flashing in his eyes. "Peggy Carter... I don't know how you survived, but you've obstructed me for decades. It's time to settle our accounts!"
His grudge against Peggy Carter dated back several decades.
Back then, after Captain America chose to perish together with the enemy by crashing the transport plane into Antarctica, Howard had spent years tirelessly salvaging the wreckage. Instead of recovering the missing Captain America, he had fished out one of Hive's parasites.
It truly was fate refusing to let him die.
However, he had been far too weak at the time. After barely managing to parasitize one person, he fell into hibernation.
When he awakened later, Peggy Carter and Howard had already founded S.H.I.E.L.D., and the person he had possessed was none other than the future Alexander Pierce.
As time passed, under Hive's command, Alexander recruited numerous Hydra agents.
Peggy discovered this and secretly attempted to investigate and stop Alexander. Hive had intended to parasitize her, but due to one miscalculation, she managed to escape during a mission.
Afterward, Hive continuously searched for Peggy's whereabouts while also hunting "Mother" Yvette.
Unfortunately, Peggy Carter's whereabouts remained a mystery, while Yvette also gradually disappeared, delaying everything until today.
If Peggy hadn't tried to seize the Obelisk last time, he might have almost forgotten about her.
"Winter Soldier, have you found Peggy Carter yet?"
Hive contacted the Winter Soldier outside and asked about the progress of his mission.
After the previous brainwashing, the Winter Soldier's loyalty was beyond question. During this period, he had been responsible for tracking Peggy Carter.
"Reporting to Commander Hive, I have located Peggy Carter." The Winter Soldier's voice came through the communicator. "She arrived in New York on an international flight. Her destination is currently unknown."
"New York..."
Hive's heart tightened. He silently frowned, tapping the table with his fingertips. "At such a critical time, what's she planning to do in New York? Is anyone accompanying her?"
"No."
The Winter Soldier replied coldly, "No one else has been detected. She came to New York alone."
"What about the Obelisk?" Hive asked nervously.
"Peggy Carter is carrying a black briefcase." After a brief hesitation, the Winter Soldier answered, "It's still unclear whether the Obelisk is inside. Infrared and other scanning methods can't penetrate it. It appears to be made of some special material."
"Hehehe... It has to be the Obelisk!"
Hive's breathing quickened, and even his eyes turned red. "If it weren't the Obelisk, she would never be this cautious!"
"Commander, should I seize it?" the Winter Soldier asked.
"No! Don't! Whatever you do, don't let her notice you!" Hive hurriedly stopped him. "Peggy Carter possesses a special ability that lets her disappear instantly. Just keep watching her closely and wait until I arrive!"
"Yes, Commander."
After acknowledging the order, the Winter Soldier ended the communication.
"Peggy Carter... I've finally found you!"
Hive stood up and adjusted his collar before saying coldly, "Although I don't know what you're planning to do in New York, it's a pity you won't have the chance to accomplish it!"
"Prepare a plane for me. Destination: New York."
Hive shouted hoarsely toward the door, "As fast as possible. Don't attract anyone's attention!"
...
...
...
After several decades, Peggy Carter finally set foot on American soil once again.
Taking a deep breath, Peggy's eyes became slightly moist as memories of this land continuously flashed through her mind.
After finally suppressing her surging emotions, Peggy picked up the black briefcase, put on a pair of black sunglasses, strode out of the airport on her long legs, casually hailed a taxi, and parted her scarlet lips.
"72 Park Avenue, Manhattan."
Not long after her taxi departed, the Winter Soldier slowly followed on a motorcycle.
To avoid being discovered by Peggy Carter, the Winter Soldier deliberately kept his speed low, maintaining a distance of roughly a hundred meters, as though he might lose her at any moment.
After arriving at Park Avenue, Peggy paid the fare, left a generous tip, and walked into a luxury hotel.
The Winter Soldier parked his motorcycle outside the hotel entrance. After observing the surroundings and thinking it over, he chose not to follow her inside for fear of alerting her. Instead, he released several biological tracking devices.
After confirming Peggy's room, the Winter Soldier rented a room directly across from hers and continued monitoring her movements.
Meanwhile, inside the hotel.
After confirming there were no listening devices, Peggy cautiously muttered to herself, "Well? Did anyone follow me?"
"We found one person. Most likely a Hydra agent." An elderly man's voice came from somewhere unknown. "Hive should arrive very soon. We need to make preparations in advance."
"Will he... really come?"
Peggy took a deep breath, visibly nervous. "What if he suspects something and decides not to come?"
"I don't think so."
The elderly voice replied confidently, "Thanks to whoever attacked S.H.I.E.L.D., Hive's strength has been greatly weakened. Right now, what he desires most is the Obelisk, so he'll definitely come!"
"All right... I hope you're right."
Peggy let out a soft sigh and rubbed her aching temples, exhaustion evident in her eyes.
"Oh, there's some bad news I need to tell you." The elderly voice sighed helplessly. "Yvette ran off again. I'm planning to send Bucky to find her."
"Yvette... why did she run off again?!" Peggy nearly broke down, feeling another headache coming on.
"She said... she sensed her 'brother's' presence." Bucky's somewhat helpless voice sounded. "We couldn't stop her. You know what her ability is. No one can stop her."
"Bucky, find Yvette as soon as possible!"
Peggy bit her lip tightly. "She absolutely cannot be seen by Hive, or everything will be over!"
"Leave it to me."
Bucky chuckled confidently.
"Let me out, Howard."