In short, Pierce intended to use the Insight Project to eliminate all of HYDRA's enemies and potential enemies.
From then on, HYDRA would have no rivals, achieving the great cause of ruling the World in one fell swoop!
It must be said that Pierce's plan was truly terrifying.
Everyone who could possibly hinder HYDRA would be listed as a target for elimination, and the scale of this target group was unimaginable.
One must know that HYDRA's goal was to rule the entire World and establish a new order, exceeding even the mustache man from back in the day; therefore, HYDRA's enemies could be said to be spread across the entire globe.
Pierce's Insight Project was tantamount to a game of Earth-wide Candy Crush.
It was just like Charles using Cerebro to eliminate all humans on Earth who could threaten Mutants, leaving behind only those who were incapable or easily controlled—it was simply insane!
Pierce smiled slightly: "Agent Darian, what do you think of this plan?"
I don't think much of it.
Darian narrowed his eyes.
To him, if Pierce's plan succeeded, it would definitely not be a good thing.
It didn't take a genius to guess that the list of targets for elimination would inevitably include superheroes like Tony, Steve, and Peter, and might even include many superheroes who hadn't debuted yet.
If these special NPCs all died, who would he find to trigger his future quests?
He couldn't rely on HYDRA and that bunch of supervillains, could he?
So far, the quests Darian could trigger from HYDRA and supervillains were few and far between; all of them combined weren't enough to match the volume of quests he could refresh at S.H.I.E.L.D. in a week.
If the HYDRA version of the Insight Project actually succeeded, then the save file would be completely corrupted, and the game would be unplayable.
More importantly, Darian wasn't sure if he would also appear on the elimination list.
Although he was also a member of HYDRA, he was well aware of his own standing.
Unlike other loyal HYDRA members, he was only loyal to the game system's quests; as long as the quest was right, he wouldn't hesitate to turn his gun on HYDRA.
In this way, it seemed he also met the conditions for elimination in the Insight Project.
Even if the Insight Project didn't pose much of a threat to him, if his name really appeared on HYDRA's elimination list, it would certainly have some Impact. What if his HYDRA colleagues mistook him for a S.H.I.E.L.D. mole?
How would he be able to survive in HYDRA in the future?
Thinking of this, Darian immediately made a decision.
He absolutely could not let Pierce's Insight Project succeed!
He remained calm on the surface and praised: "That's fantastic, Officer, you are truly a great villain!"
Pierce: "Are you insulting me or praising me?"
"Officer, how should we handle Fury?" Darian asked.
Pierce's eyes turned cold instantly: "Since he has already discovered our plan, he cannot be left alive. I will arrange for professionals to eliminate him completely to ensure he does not affect the progress of the Insight Project."
As expected, HYDRA was stingy; they wouldn't even bother to issue a quest.
Darian was a bit disappointed; he had thought he would receive an assassination quest for Fury.
Now he was even more determined in his thinking.
Since that was the case, he had no choice but to sell out Pierce in advance.
With the mole Darian leaking information, Pierce had fully learned of Fury's plan and was full of confidence, believing everything was under his control.
Just as Darian had said, Fury soon came to him in person to discuss delaying the Insight Project.
Pierce hesitated only slightly before agreeing, but in reality, he had already secretly notified HYDRA's tactical team and Bucky, who had been brainwashed by HYDRA into the Winter Soldier, to launch an assassination attempt on Fury.
However, while it was called an assassination, in reality, a large group of people in broad daylight forced Fury's vehicle to a stop, then pulled out automatic rifles and sprayed Fury with gunfire!
It was even more rampant than Terrorists!
If it weren't for the fact that Fury's vehicle was made of special materials and had bulletproof and explosion-proof effects, he would have likely been filled with bullets by now.
Even so, Fury's situation remained very dire.
The car's systems were largely malfunctioning under continuous attack; only the air conditioning was still intact, blowing cold air that made Fury's heart chill.
"Motherf*cker!"
Inside the car, Fury couldn't help but curse out loud.
As the former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he immediately realized this was by no means an ordinary attack.
From the opponent's precise ambush timing to their firepower configuration, this was clearly a meticulously planned elimination operation.
It was very likely the work of the mastermind behind the scenes!
Fury didn't understand where exactly he had been exposed.
Clearly, besides himself, only Darian and Pierce knew about this matter. One was a trusted aide he had personally promoted, and the other was his longtime friend, the former Director who had promoted him to Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.
Could it be... that there was a mole among the two of them!?
Fury felt a chill run through his entire body.
No matter which one was the mole, it was a result he found difficult to accept.
As for the possibility that both of them were moles... Impossible, absolutely impossible!
How could his, Fury's, judgment be so poor!
However, the current critical situation did not allow Fury to think carefully. The cracks on the bulletproof glass were spreading at a speed visible to the naked eye, as if they were about to shatter at any moment.
The damage this car could withstand was limited. Under the relentless spray of bullets, the car's bulletproof performance was rapidly degrading, and the onboard intelligent system was constantly emitting piercing alarm sounds.
"Activate weapon system!"
Following Fury's command, the machine gun device hidden inside the car body popped out in response.
He grabbed the stock, braced his shoulder against the recoil buffer, and through the cracked window, pulled the trigger at the attackers outside.
Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat—!
In an instant, gunfire erupted!
The machine gun spat tongues of fire, several armed men fell to the ground one after another, and the remaining attackers were forced to retreat behind cover, suppressed by this powerful firepower.
Just at this moment, the onboard intelligent system finally completed the reboot of the power system. Under the control of the intelligent system, the car zoomed out, braving the dense rain of bullets, and forcibly tore a gap in the encirclement.
Fury's single eye stared intently at the rearview mirror, confirming that the pursuers were gradually being left behind, and only then did he breathe a slight sigh of relief.
However, just as he was about to drive onto the main road, a dark shadow suddenly appeared on the road ahead.
The Winter Soldier, Bucky, stood in the middle of the road, expressionlessly raised his special weapon, and pulled the trigger at the speeding car.
A metal disc shot out from the muzzle, sliding rapidly along the ground, and precisely slid under the car.
Boom!! A deafening explosion roared!
The massive shockwave flipped the entire car onto the ground. The vehicle rolled several times on the road, finally sliding upside down for several meters before barely coming to a stop.
Fury was left hanging upside down in the deformed cockpit. The restraint of the seatbelt kept him suspended in mid-air, while warm blood continuously dripped from the wound on his forehead, blurring his vision.
He tried to move his body but discovered he was stuck in the twisted metal frame, with piercing pain radiating from his left leg.
Even worse, through the broken window, he saw Bucky walking towards him with steady strides.
It's over!
Fury's heart sank, realizing his situation was dangerous to the extreme.
Just at this critical moment, a dark shadow suddenly flashed out from the side, intercepting Bucky.
The person who arrived was wearing a black mask and had shoulder-length hair. Except for that metal arm, his appearance was surprisingly identical to the Bucky opposite him!
Not only that, their builds and half of their faces were similarly alike, as if they were mirror images.
This person was none other than Darian, who had undergone face-pinching.
He knew Pierce was going to make a move on Fury, so he had been prepared long ago.
Fury could not die. The man still had an unfinished long-term quest, and Fury was his human quest-giver, occasionally refreshing high-level quests or even main storyline quests for him.
If such an important source of quests were cut off, it would be difficult to find a substitute in the future.
Seeing Darian, who looked exactly like him, even the emotionless killer machine Bucky couldn't help but be stunned.
He asked: "Who are you?"
"I am Bucky, your twin brother."
Bucky: "How come I didn't know I had a twin brother? Oh, right, I lost my memory."
"You are my twin brother?" A trace of confusion flashed in Bucky's eyes.
Although his mind wasn't very clear, he still possessed a certain level of intelligence.
From the outside, they did indeed look exactly like twin brothers, and the name Bucky also sounded very familiar, as if it belonged to someone very familiar who had accompanied him day and night.
Could it be that the person opposite was truly his twin brother?
Darian nodded in admission: "That's right, I am your twin older brother, and you are my younger brother, Kiba!"
"Kiba? Is this my name?" Bucky muttered to himself, standing motionless on the spot, as if his brain was overloaded and crashed.
"Kiba, it seems you have forgotten everything." Darian put on a heartbroken look: "Back then, we were close brothers. Even if you wanted to borrow tens of millions of U.S. dollars, I would have lent it to you without hesitation, not even writing an IOU, yet you still haven't paid me back to this day."
"I think your metal arm is nice. For the sake of us being brothers, give it to me, and you won't have to pay back the tens of millions of U.S. dollars."
Bucky: "What tens of millions of U.S. dollars? I lost my memory, there's no such thing at all."
However, just after this brief moment of wavering, HYDRA's brainwashing program regained the upper hand.
Bucky's eyes instantly returned to their previous coldness, and his voice carried not a hint of warmth.
"No matter who you are, get out of my way!"
Before the words had even finished, he lunged forward, his metal arm whistling through the air, gathering force to strike at the trapped Fury inside the car.
However, before the metal arm could land on Fury, it was steadily caught by Darian with one hand, looking completely effortless.
Bucky's actions stalled instantly; this scene made him feel a sense of déjà vu.
Coincidentally, the target of that assassination was also Fury.
"Kiba, your arm is still so weak." Darian said, mocking him to the fullest.
Bucky didn't respond. His right hand quickly pulled out a tactical dagger and stabbed fiercely at Darian's throat!
But his movements were far too slow in Darian's eyes. With a casual swat, the tactical dagger flew away.
Seeing his weapon knocked out of his hand, Bucky immediately pushed his metal arm to full power, attempting to forcibly break free from the restraint.
The mechanical joints let out a muffled hum, the hydraulic devices operated at full capacity, and enough force to flip a car surged from the arm.
Feeling the force coming from his hand, Darian's right hand, which was holding the metal arm, couldn't help but exert force in response. As a result, with a crisp snap, the joint of the metal arm suddenly detached from Bucky's shoulder.
Darian just gave it a pull, and the entire metal arm was actually ripped off Bucky's shoulder!
Bucky: "..."
Darian: "..."
The two stared at each other, and a hint of awkwardness filled the air.
"So this arm is that easy to take off?" Darian was somewhat speechless.
He hadn't expected that this seemingly formidable metal arm would have such a fragile connection structure that it would come right off with a little force.
Could that bunch of people in HYDRA have cut corners?
Having lost his metal arm, Bucky had now truly become a Yang Guo without his eagle.
Despite this, Bucky still didn't give up fighting. With a "Soul-Stirring Palm"... ah no, a big haymaker, he struck at Darian's face.
Bang! With a muffled thud, it was Bucky, who had thrown the punch, who flew away.
Even when he was equipped with the metal arm, he was no match for Darian, let alone now that he had lost the metal arm.
Darian ignored Bucky, who was struggling on the ground, and turned to walk towards Fury's overturned car. He grabbed the twisted and deformed car door with his right hand, exerted a little force, and ripped it off, dragging the bloodied Fury out.
"Who are you?" Fury stared at the stranger before him who looked extremely similar to Bucky, his single eye full of caution.
Darian said in a low voice: "It's me, Officer!"
This sentence used his original voice.
He had a bowtie-style voice changer hidden inside his black mask; just now, he had been imitating Bucky's voice.
"Agent Darian?" Fury immediately recognized this familiar voice, a flash of surprise crossing his face.
What surprised him was not that Darian could perfectly disguise himself as Bucky—S.H.I.E.L.D. already possessed various advanced disguise technologies, and given Darian's mysterious abilities and methods, it wasn't strange that he could do this.
What truly surprised him was that Darian would actually appear here at this critical moment.
"It's me."
Darian nodded in admission: "Officer, I'm here to save you. I just received information that someone was going to assassinate you. I was very worried about your safety, so I finished my lunch quickly and rushed over immediately."
Fury: "..."
That's definitely very worried, oh.
Fury was speechless, but his tense expression had clearly relaxed quite a bit.
Darian's appearance made him breathe a sigh of relief inwardly.
Since the other party could come to save him, it was enough to prove that the other party was not a mole, and the person who betrayed him was not Darian.
"Agent Darian, my trust in you all along has not been in vain!" Fury was full of relief, not mentioning at all his thoughts of having just suspected Darian.