"You, you..."
Pierce's pupils dilated, his mouth hanging open unconsciously. His brain seemed to have suffered a fatal shock, completely ceasing to function for a moment.
Darian was actually a member of S.H.I.E.L.D.!? There was actually a S.H.I.E.L.D. spy inside their HYDRA!?
At this moment, Pierce finally deeply understood the feelings Nick Fury had when he learned that S.H.I.E.L.D. had been infiltrated by HYDRA.
He thought of many things in an instant, but it was to no avail.
Without waiting for Pierce to speak again, Darian knocked him unconscious with a single punch.
At the same time, the game system's notification sound rang in his mind.
[Task "Hail HYDRA" settlement complete]
[Comprehensive assessment is being conducted based on task completion and intelligence value...]
[Rewards obtained: 12,000 EXP, Free Attribute Points * 4, Equipment: "HYDRA Schmidt Car", Item: "Brainwashing Device", Item: "Poison Tooth", Item: "HYDRA"]
[Equipment: HYDRA Schmidt Car (The exclusive vehicle of HYDRA leader Red Skull, imprinted with the HYDRA logo)]
[Item: Brainwashing Device (A precision brainwashing device developed by the HYDRA organization. Even the Winter Soldier Bucky said it was good. Note: The stronger the will, the worse the brainwashing effect)]
[Item: Poison Tooth (A special set of dentures filled with highly toxic substances. Breaking it can be fatal within seconds, convenient for suicide)]
[Item: HYDRA (A snake with nine heads, a rare species from a certain Planet)]
After several months, this long-term task was finally completed.
But Darian was not satisfied: "System, why did the task settle already?"
He had originally intended to keep Pierce and report to him whenever he had intelligence on Nick Fury, continuing to stack task rewards. He didn't expect the game system to automatically settle the task, giving him no chance to exploit the bug.
The game system did not respond, choosing to give Darian the cold shoulder.
There was no other way; Darian had to accept the result and turn his attention to the task rewards.
"Did I just raid a HYDRA nest?"
Darian couldn't help but complain; all four rewards were related to HYDRA.
The HYDRA Schmidt Car was nothing to speak of; it was just cool, that's all.
But the problem was, this car couldn't be driven on public roads; otherwise, it would be easy to be mistaken for a member of HYDRA.
Oh, he was already a member of HYDRA, so that was fine.
The brainwashing device was a good thing; it could be called a physical version of mind control. Even an elite soldier like Bucky could be controlled by it, which was enough to prove its effectiveness.
As for the poison tooth, Darian was all too familiar with it; it was the standard equipment for HYDRA Agents, specifically used to avoid leaking secrets when captured.
However, Darian had heard that there were not a few HYDRA members who died from poisoning due to accidentally eating or biting the tooth.
Darian decisively threw it into the recycling system, turning it into cold EXP.
Finally, there was that realistic version of the HYDRA.
Just as the name suggested, it was a snake with nine heads.
Darian had seen two-headed or three-headed snakes, but he had really never seen a nine-headed snake, and he didn't know how it tasted...
HYDRA: "..."
Then, Darian distributed the newly obtained free attribute points, just enough to round out all attributes.
[Attributes: Strength 100, Agility 50, Constitution 60, Spirit 40]
This felt comfortable at last!
Darian took out rope and tape, tied the unconscious Pierce up like a zongzi, and stuffed him into the trunk of Pierce's car.
Afterward, he opened the face-pinching system and selected Pierce's image.
The next moment, Darian's entire appearance changed instantly, from the image of a taciturn, cold-blooded killer to that of a blonde old man in a suit—it was none other than the appearance of Pierce.
Then he clipped the bowtie voice changer onto his suit collar and adjusted the position slightly.
Perfect!
After Darian finished everything, he stood where he was, waiting leisurely.
Not long after, several black SUVs sped over with the screeching sound of brakes and stopped in front of him.
The car doors opened in unison, and a group of fully armed S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents quickly got out. Leading them was Sitwell, that bald guy, and beside him was the S.H.I.E.L.D. strike team led by Rumlow.
"Officer!"
As soon as Sitwell saw Darian, he stepped forward quickly, looking around nervously: "We just received an emergency alert saying your vehicle was attacked. Are you injured?"
Darian scanned the area and found that, without exception, all the S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents present were HYDRA spies.
As expected of HYDRA, the efficiency was fast!
"I'm fine."
Darian waved his hand calmly.
With the perfect combination of the face-pinching system and the bowtie voice changer, his disguise was seamless, and the surrounding Agents did not harbor any suspicion at all.
Sitwell was visibly relieved.
He glanced at the severely damaged bulletproof car and asked cautiously: "Officer, what exactly happened here?"
Darian said truthfully: "A person who looked exactly like the Winter Soldier suddenly appeared and attacked my car. I guess the other party should be the one who saved Nick Fury."
"What?"
Sitwell became nervous immediately: "Then where is he now?"
Darian said calmly: "He ran away."
"Ran away? How did he just run away?"
Sitwell was a bit surprised.
Logically speaking, the other party made such a big commotion just for Pierce.
However, now that Pierce was standing here safe and sound, the other party was nowhere to be found. This didn't seem reasonable no matter how one thought about it.
Darian said as a matter of course: "Need you ask? Of course, he was beaten away by me."
Sitwell: "..."
Officer, can we not brag?
Although Sitwell's status in HYDRA was not top-tier, he was at least Pierce's confidant and knew some inside information.
He also knew that the operation to assassinate Nick Fury had failed because a mysterious person had appeared halfway and rescued the target.
Even the Winter Soldier, HYDRA's gold-medal hitter, was no match for that person, which was enough to show how powerful the other party's skills were. I'm afraid that even if Rumlow and the others were to go up together, they would have to kneel.
Sitwell secretly glanced at Darian's noticeably bulging belly and really didn't think his Officer had this kind of strength.
Darian narrowed his eyes: "Agent Sitwell, you seem to be thinking about something bad."
"Absolutely not, Officer!"
Sitwell didn't dare to pursue the question and immediately changed the subject: "Then how should we act now?"
"Return to S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters first."
Darian used the commanding tone Pierce usually used, then pointed to the bulletproof car.
"In addition, call a tow truck to transport my car back. Remember, without my personal permission, even if it suddenly transforms into a robot, no one is allowed to touch it."
"Understood, I will arrange it right away." Sitwell immediately agreed.
This was the style of HYDRA; they would never question any decision of their Officer; loyalty was all that mattered.
Under the close protection of a group of HYDRA elites, Darian sat in a brand-new bulletproof car and drove toward S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Along the way, Sitwell and the others were highly vigilant, fearing that the mysterious attacker would suddenly return.
Eventually, the motorcade arrived safely at the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters building.
Darian got out of the car and waved at the accompanying strike team members: "You can go back now. Sitwell, come to my office with me."
"Yes, Officer."
The two walked into the elevator one after the other, went straight to the top floor, and arrived at Pierce's office.
As soon as Darian entered the office, he sat down naturally in that leather chair.
He crossed his hands on the desk and went straight to the point: "Agent Sitwell, report the latest progress on the Insight Project."
Sitwell didn't think much and said: "Currently, all preparatory work for the Insight Project has been completed. The Zola algorithm has successfully connected to the main systems of the three helicarriers. Now, the positioning system of each helicarrier can be connected to the satellite network in real-time."
"As long as the helicarriers take off and reach the predetermined altitude, they can cover the entire American mainland at the first moment. The positioning system can simultaneously lock onto millions of potential threat targets and implement precision strikes in the first round of the clearance operation."
"After completing the first round of clearance, the three carriers will head to Europe, Asia, and other key areas respectively to launch multiple rounds of sweeping. According to the Zola algorithm's prediction model, it is expected to eliminate 92% of potential threats globally within 72 hours."
It really was "Earth elimination game."
Darian could fully imagine that once the Insight Project was successfully implemented, the Earth's population would probably shrink by a small half.
"How long until the helicarriers take off?"
"Five days later."
"Very good. Since that's the case, then cancel the project."
"Okay... huh?"
Sitwell answered subconsciously, then was stunned, thinking he had misheard.
He stammered to confirm: "Officer, you mean... cancel the Insight Project?"
Darian remained calm: "That's right, is there a problem?"
Sitwell hesitated: "But Officer, we have prepared for this project for so many years, all systems are in place, and we have our people cooperating in countries around the World. Canceling the Insight Project at this time, isn't it..."
"Are you questioning my decision?"
Before Sitwell could finish his sentence, Darian interrupted directly.
"Of course not!"
Sitwell denied it hurriedly, cold sweat breaking out on his back instantly.
He only then realized how overstepping his previous questioning was. In the strictly hierarchical HYDRA organization, this kind of questioning of a superior's decision was simply playing with fire.
Fortunately, the Officer in front of him didn't seem to be angry, but said in a deep voice: "In fact, it's not that I want to cancel the Insight Project, but that we have to do so right now."
Sitwell couldn't help but ask: "Can I ask for the specific reason?"
"Because I discovered that the Insight Project has too many loopholes."
Darian tapped his fingers on the desk and said in a deep voice: "According to the intelligence I have, there are many hidden Guardians of Earth in this World, and even the Insight Project cannot eliminate them."
Sitwell said in surprise: "Are they super-powered individuals?"
Darian nodded: "You could say that. These people consider themselves partners of justice. If the Insight Project leads to large-scale casualties of humans, they will definitely not sit idly by."
"Perhaps we can use the bureau's resources to form a few special teams to deal with them." Sitwell suggested.
As a senior Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., he often dealt with various supernatural events and also had some understanding of the strength of super-powered individuals.
In his view, except for a very few special cases, most super-powered individuals could be solved by technological means; at the very worst, even a single bullet could do it. They were no different from ordinary people at all.
Darian immediately shook his head and vetoed it: "No, their strength is a little bit strong."
"How strong?"
"Hmm, about the strength of being able to fight a Dimensional Demon God."
"..."
Although Sitwell didn't know what a Dimensional Demon God was, just hearing the name, combined with the high-level concept of "dimension," he knew with his toes that it was definitely not an existence to be trifled with.
Darian continued: "Besides the Guardians of Earth, we also have to consider threats from the outside World. Without a group of superheroes standing at the forefront, the responsibility of protecting the Earth will fall entirely on our shoulders in the future, just like the Chitauri army during the Battle of New York. Such invasions could happen again at any time."
"However, as far as I know, the Chitauri army doesn't even rank in the entire Universe. It's purely a cannon fodder troop relying on human wave tactics. There are countless forces in the Universe stronger than the Chitauri."
"Many interstellar legions are equipped with energy ship cannons. The power of a single shot exceeds our most advanced missiles, and their warships are generally equipped with energy shields. Unless we use nuclear weapons, we can't penetrate their defenses at all. In front of them, our technology is just like the stone tools of primitive people."
"The worst part is that Earth is a piece of cake in the eyes of many interstellar civilizations. Everyone wants to take a bite."
Sitwell: "..."
Why did he feel more and more like the Earth was an egg that could be crushed at any time, in imminent danger?
Looking at Sitwell's pale face, Darian added: "This doesn't count those evil existences with the power to destroy World. They are not as kind as us in HYDRA, just wanting to build an orderly new World. These guys are full of how to blow the Earth into pieces, or wipe out all of humanity."
Sitwell swallowed.
Listening to it this way, the Insight Project did indeed have too many loopholes, which was that it couldn't kill those powerful existences.
He didn't doubt what Darian said.
For one thing, Darian had no reason to lie, and for another, more and more supernatural events occurring on Earth could well prove that what Darian said was true. Even the legendary gods like Thor existed; what else was impossible?
"Officer, then what should we do?" Sitwell asked in a low voice.
Darian said without hesitation: "Immediately suspend the Insight Project. HYDRA will continue to lurk in the dark, accumulate strength, collect all available resources, and recruit all talented people with abilities, for example, the Avengers."
"..."
The corners of Sitwell's mouth twitched slightly, and he couldn't help but push his glasses: "Officer, please forgive my bluntness, I'm afraid the Avengers wouldn't be willing to join HYDRA, right?"
Darian said cheerfully: "Agent Sitwell, your thinking is wrong. Who said we are HYDRA? We are S.H.I.E.L.D. dedicated to maintaining World peace!"
Sitwell understood Darian's meaning instantly.
HYDRA was notorious and destined to have no fate with superheroes, but S.H.I.E.L.D. was different. Although their reputation wasn't that great either, at least on the surface, they were a positive organization standing on the moral high ground.
If they used the name of S.H.I.E.L.D., even if the superheroes were unwilling to join them, they wouldn't cause them trouble.
"Officer, you are truly old and cunning... resourceful!"
Sitwell noticed the wrong look in Darian's eyes and immediately changed his words.
Darian nodded with satisfaction: "Remember, from now on, there is no HYDRA within S.H.I.E.L.D., only S.H.I.E.L.D. Agents. Do you understand?"
"Understood!"
Sitwell immediately straightened his posture, his expression solemn as he shouted: "Hail HYDRA!"
Darian did not accept this slogan, but frowned instead: "Agent Sitwell, did you forget what I just said so quickly?"
"Ah?"
Sitwell looked blank.
"Ah what? Ah."
Darian rebuked sternly: "I just said there is no HYDRA within S.H.I.E.L.D., and you turn around and shout the slogan. Such an obvious organizational slogan, what if it's heard by someone who shouldn't hear it? Wouldn't our identities all be exposed?"
"More importantly, if someone uses this slogan to impersonate our people, how are you going to screen them?"
Sitwell scratched his bald head: "Then what should I shout?"
"Shout Hail S.H.I.E.L.D. From now on, whoever shouts Hail HYDRA within S.H.I.E.L.D., treat them as a spy without exception, and beat them hard for me!"