The High Council of Hydra
Two days later, late at night, in the conference room of an ancient European castle.
A group of heavily armed HYDRA soldiers stood in every corner, guarding the HYDRA Council of Elders gathered inside.
"Our forces in New York have been completely wiped out."
One of the Elders, a man in his sixties, removed his glasses and wiped them. "It seems the NYPD, now working with the Avengers, is far stronger than we anticipated."
"So what?"
The Elder sitting opposite him chuckled. "After all these years, what kind of enemy hasn't HYDRA faced?"
"Vampires, werewolves, sorcerers, and beings far more terrifying—we've encountered them all."
"A mere New York police squad… are they more powerful than the man who could engulf his entire body in flames, the one we dealt with back then?"
"You can't put it that way."
Another Elder frowned. "We spent enormous manpower and resources to push Colin into the position of Deputy Mayor of New York, and for that, we even endured suppression from Alexander Pierce's faction within HYDRA."
"And now he's been taken out just like that."
A shadow crossed the Elder's expression. "All that early investment is gone. We must make that damned New York cop pay for it."
"Then let's deploy the robots we've been developing!"
The leading Elder slammed the table. Once the room fell silent, he continued, "Didn't AIM create a new model of combat robot inspired by Tony Stark's tech?"
"Excellent. We'll use it to deal with this Lynn Hall—and test its performance at the same time. It's a shame Hall has no family or relatives, otherwise…"
Before he finished, a sharp crash sounded. A smoke bomb shattered the glass, rolled across the floor, and landed right at their feet.
"Attack!"
Seeing the smoke begin to spread, the armed HYDRA soldiers surged forward, aiming their weapons toward the window while trying to escort the Elders out.
The next second, the lights cut out completely.
A shadow slipped into the room, and a dagger flashed—driving straight through the neck of a HYDRA soldier.
A scream tore through the darkness, and the Elders immediately crawled under the conference table for cover.
Ra da-da-da—!!
Gunfire erupted. In the pitch-black room, bullets formed a storm of sparks.
Wood splintered as tables shattered, wine bottles burst across the floor, and screams rose and fell one after another. The muzzle flashes lit the chaos as if they were melting the whole room.
Two blazing beams of heat vision pierced straight through a soldier's body, while the rapidly spinning daggers became a reaper's scythe, cutting down lives without pause.
Before long, the gunfire and screams faded. The HYDRA Elders crouched beneath the conference table, trembled, too terrified to move.
Tap, tap.
Footsteps echoed clearly in the ruined room, each step making their hearts seize.
The lingering stench of gunpowder and the dead silence wrapped around them, making their bodies shake uncontrollably.
When the footsteps finally stopped and everything fell quiet, one Elder, unable to endure the fear any longer, cautiously poked his head out to take a look.
A pair of glowing eyes met his instantly.
He let out a strangled "Ah!" and scrambled to dive back under the table.
But before he could pull himself in, two beams shot from those glowing eyes.
Squelch!
A split second later, his head burst like a watermelon, and his body collapsed to the ground.
The remaining Elders panicked at the sight and scattered, desperate to escape.
But the figure whose eyes had just unleashed heat vision appeared at the conference room doorway like a ghost, blocking their escape.
"Hello HYDRA Elders, were you talking about me?"
"W-what do you want? You don't know what you have gotten yourself into—"
"Shh~~! Heh… I just want to play a game with you."
As he spoke, Lynn's eyes lit up again, and a beam of heat vision blasted through the chest of one of the Elders.
"Where's that arrogant attitude of yours? That look that says a single word from you decides who lives and dies? Come on—bring it back."
With their fear and despair mounting, Lynn stepped toward them.
A few minutes later.
In the castle garden, Lynn glanced at the bodies of the guards scattered across the ground, then looked toward the suburbs beyond the glittering city.
No wonder the HYDRA Council's influence stretched across most of Europe.
Their cooperation with AIM had produced technology decades ahead of this world.
Tsk. What a waste.
Not even truth serum could make them reveal AIM's exact location.
Otherwise, Lynn really would've liked to get his hands on those advanced toys.
Stretching lazily, he found a car in the castle, started it, and drove away.
What a pity he didn't have the ability to fly.
Otherwise, he could've just soared straight to the HYDRA base hidden somewhere in this city.
...
At the same time—
"Which number is this one?"
Staring at the HYDRA base erupting into flames, Tony Stark lifted his helmet. The blazing fire reflected in his face, making his expression far more serious than usual.
In answer to Tony's question, Steve exhaled slowly, shield in hand. "According to the intel, this makes three HYDRA bases we've taken down in Europe."
"Guys, something feels off."
As Hulk shrank back into Dr. Banner, Natasha handed him a jacket she'd prepared in advance. Only after he put it on did she speak to Tony and Steve.
"Don't you think this has been a little too easy?"
"Think about it—from when we first tangled with the vampires, to learning from them that The High Council of Hydra still existed, all the way to us wiping out three HYDRA bases in a row."
"It feels like everything is going too smoothly, as if someone in the shadows is guiding us along."
"And think about it—if The High Council of Hydra's bases were really this easy to uncover, how did they manage to operate in secret for over seventy years?"
Steve considered her words for a few seconds. "Whatever the reason, at least when we destroyed them, we confirmed those three sites were definitely HYDRA."
"For now, let's keep taking down the bases we can find. Once we're back in New York, we can investigate everything thoroughly."
After saying that, Steve turned to Tony. "Tony, how far is the next HYDRA base?"
"Not far at all. Probably because the Council's headquarters is nearby, they put two bases close together to protect it."
He tapped his display. "About an hour's drive."
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(づ￣ 3￣)づ
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