Darian did not deny this, letting Killian fill in the blanks himself.
This armed team was actually Sokovia's top special forces unit. Every member was a warrior who had undergone rigorous screening and possessed absolute loyalty to Sokovia.
Their physical fitness far exceeded that of average Sokovians, and equipped with Sokovia's most advanced technological gear, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them a low-budget version of Super Soldiers.
Leading the team was Bucky, a genuine Super Soldier. They had quietly slipped into America through HYDRA's secret channels, and the entire operation required strict confidentiality.
Since Killian had put it that way, Darian was naturally happy to go along with it and shift the blame to the Ten Rings Gang; if anything went wrong, it wouldn't be traced back to them.
Darian said calmly, "I'm giving you a chance now. Join us and serve the organization. As for your previous act of impersonating us, we can choose to let bygones be bygones."
Killian's expression changed abruptly.
The meaning of these words was clearly that he was to sell his life to the other party from now on.
He looked at the surrounding Sokovian special forces soldiers and then at Bucky, who had been locking onto him with a cold gaze from start to finish. He sighed as if giving up the struggle and slowly stood up from the ground.
"Fine, things being as they are, I can only agree to your..."
Before Killian could finish his sentence, his figure suddenly exploded into motion, lunging toward Darian with speed exceeding that of a normal person!
He had also been injected with Extremis, and his compatibility was extremely high; his physical fitness was even better than that of other Extremis Soldiers.
Killian's outward appearance of resignation and submission was merely to lull the opponent into a false sense of security, gaining him the perfect opportunity for this close-quarters strike.
In his view, as long as he captured Darian—who appeared to be the spokesperson—he would have a bargaining chip to negotiate and a hope of fighting for a slim chance of survival from this desperate situation!
As for joining the so-called organization Darian mentioned, Killian didn't even consider it.
He was Aldrich Killian, the founder of AIM Advanced Idea Mechanics and one of the developers of Extremis, an entrepreneur who believed he could surpass Tony Stark!
And now he was expected to work like a dog for this unknown organization, following orders like a stray?
What a joke!
Seeing Killian's sudden attack, Bucky's muscles tensed almost simultaneously, and he slightly raised his metal left arm, about to intervene.
However, Darian's movements were even faster than his.
Just as Killian was about to touch Darian, Darian suddenly thrust out his right hand, grabbed Killian by the throat, and lifted him several inches off the ground!
"Ugh—!"
Killian only felt an unimaginable force tightening around his neck; a powerful sense of suffocation instantly overwhelmed him.
He instinctively struggled frantically, but no matter how much force he exerted, the hand gripping his throat remained motionless. His enhanced strength was as weak as an ant's before Darian's terrifying power.
Bastard!
Killian's eyes turned blood-red, and he went completely mad!
He no longer held back. His entire skin instantly became like glowing charcoal, dark red and bright. A terrifyingly high temperature erupted from within his body, causing the surrounding air to warp and distort from the heat as he tried to force Darian back!
However, to Killian's shock, the large hand on his neck showed no sign of letting go. The high temperature, which was enough to instantly incinerate an ordinary person, seemed to have no effect on that hand or its owner.
No matter how much Killian raised his temperature, he could not make Darian's expression change at all.
How is this possible!?
Killian let out a thunderous roar in his mind.
How could a human body of flesh and blood touch such a high temperature with bare hands and remain unharmed!?
This completely violated all the physical and physiological common sense he knew!
"I gave you a chance, but you're useless."
Darian chuckled.
He had the protection of the Fire-Repelling Bead, which formed an invisible, absolute fireproof field around him. No form of flame or high temperature had any effect on him.
Even if Killian had the ability to heat himself to over ten thousand degrees, to Darian, he was nothing more than a human-shaped hand warmer, without the slightest substantive threat.
Seeing that his struggle was useless, Killian completely panicked and strained to make a sound.
"I... join... you..."
"Only thinking of joining now? Too late!"
Darian grinned, ignoring the struggling Killian, and turned to instruct Bucky: "Pack him up and send him to our research Base. Have Wanda extract all his useful memories first, then have Pierce use the brainwashing device to wash him a few times. Throw him to Strucker and Mary as research material for Extremis. Once all his value has been squeezed out, use him as a human bomb."
Bucky: ...
Darian:....
Darian said helplessly, "Fine, I forgot you still have that taciturn persona. I'll contact Zemo in a bit."
Ever since Bucky gave up on exploring his own memories, he had reverted to that cold killing machine from before; only the name Steve would elicit a slight reaction from him.
After hearing Darian's words, Killian was terrified!
He had thought that by orchestrating multiple bombing attacks in various places, he was already a fairly evil terrorist organization.
He hadn't expected that compared to a real terrorist organization, he was simply a small fish in a big pond!
Is this even human speech!?
Is this something a person would do!?
Killian struggled desperately, his body temperature rising higher and higher. He would rather self-destruct than be taken back by them!
Darian had long been prepared for this desperate move, and his palm suddenly erupted with a powerful electric shock!
Crackling!
High-voltage current instantly surged into Killian's body. He twitched violently, his eyes rolled back, his hair stood on end, and white smoke billowed from his mouth.
Soon, his whole body went limp, and he completely lost consciousness as his body temperature gradually dropped.
Bucky waved a hand expressionlessly, and two Sokovian soldiers immediately stepped forward.
They used bandages and tape to quickly pack Killian up and then injected him with a potent anesthetic—a dose sufficient to knock out an elephant. They would inject it every half hour to ensure he wouldn't suddenly wake up during the subsequent transport.
An hour later, several camouflaged heavy trucks quietly drove out of the area and disappeared into the night.
Almost as the convoy moved away, several massive fireballs erupted one after another inside Killian's experimental Base behind them. They quickly spread into a sea of fire, consuming the building and any traces that were inconvenient to take away.
After an unknown amount of time, a gold-and-red tail flame streaked across the night sky.
Tony, wearing the Mark 42 Iron Man Suit, descended from the sky and looked at the experimental Base, which was now a pile of ruins.
"...Am I late again?"
Sokovia HYDRA Research Base!
Killian and his experimental Base had been completely packed up by the Sokovian special forces led by Bucky and transported here together.
In the depths of the research Base, Strucker looked quite excited after reading the research report on Extremis.
"This research data is very valuable and can save us a lot of time in our subsequent research. Our existing biological gene team can completely digest these results in a short time and continue to push forward on this basis, taking over the current research progress of Extremis."
Maya spoke up: "However, the most critical flaw of Extremis at present is still the stability issue. There is a certain probability that the Extremis virus in the host's body will lose control and trigger a self-explosion. If we apply it on a large scale or develop it further, this flaw must be prioritized, otherwise, it will bring significant losses to the organization."
In the past few days, Maya had completely integrated into the HYDRA research Base.
Originally, she thought the HYDRA research Base would be a dark and damp place that never saw the light of day, where every member only had endless work to do, and if they couldn't do it, they would die, just like a classic evil organization in the movies.
But after actually coming here, she found that it wasn't like that at all.
This research Base was massive and highly modernized. It was located within Sokovia, possessed official national scientific research institution qualifications and government permits, and enjoyed national funding and military protection. It could be said to be a completely legal and compliant, legitimate institution.
Compared to Killian's secret laboratory that required hiding everywhere, it was simply many times better.
Not only that, the research Base was equipped with the most advanced scientific research equipment, some of which Maya had never even seen before. Maya was certain that such technology was definitely not something Earth's current technological level could possess.
The scientific research projects simultaneously being pushed forward in the research Base were even more astonishing. Among the projects that could be made public, she saw a spacecraft capable of traversing wormholes.
This kind of conceptual technology, which was still in the thesis stage in the academic world, had actually entered the actual building stage here, and according to the progress, even the core verification had been completed.
If she didn't know this was a HYDRA research Base, she would have thought it was one of Earth's top cutting-edge technology research centers.
Most importantly, the treatment of all scientific research personnel in the research Base was not low.
In addition to a generous Base salary, they enjoyed a series of special benefits. Not only were three meals a day plus afternoon tea included, but they could also receive free housing in Sokovia and even regularly receive some civilian-grade technological products from Alien civilizations to ensure their quality of life.
As long as one served the organization until retirement or left due to a work-related accident, these benefits could be enjoyed until the moment their lifespan ran out.
And that wasn't even the most attractive part.
HYDRA operated a highly confidential point exchange platform internally.
This platform was like a surreal department store, with enough items on display to make one's head spin: equipment, consumables, daily necessities, and so on. It not only had the world's latest popular Alien beauty products but even incredible medicines like life potions.
All of these required points to exchange.
As for how to obtain points, it was very simple: one must make a substantive contribution to the organization. The greater the contribution, the more points.
For example, someone like Maya—if she could lead a team to develop a stable and perfect version of Extremis, she would receive an extremely considerable point reward.
Of course, Maya could also research other scientific research projects. As long as her new project proposal passed the feasibility judgment of the internal review panel, the Sokovian government would quickly approve sufficient funding and allocate corresponding resources and personnel.
She no longer had to run around with research reports looking for investors like she did back then, or depend on a paranoid collaborator like Killian to continue her research.
What kind of evil terrorist organization was this!?
It was clearly paradise!
Previously, Maya regretted falling into the deep pit of HYDRA, but now she only regretted not jumping into this pit sooner.
In just a few days since coming to this research Base, Maya could already sincerely shout the slogan 'Hail HYDRA,' and even her posture for raising both arms was standard to the extreme.
There was no pretense, only full loyalty!
Looking at Maya, whose favorability (loyalty) had surged, Darian was very gratified. He spoke up: "Don't worry, I'll find someone... well, find a raccoon to solve this problem. You just need to compile a complete Extremis research report for me."
Soon, Darian took a tablet and teleported to Bohet Planet, finding Rocket Raccoon, who was teasing his child bride.
After a period of being fed by Darian, Rocket Raccoon had now visibly rounded out a lot. His originally lean and tight physique had become somewhat soft, his cheeks were puffed out, and as he crouched there like a fuzzy ball, he showed quite a tendency toward becoming a little raccoon-pig.
It couldn't be helped; Rocket Raccoon's race was different from others, and he was naturally more prone to storing fat.
Since Darian had a favor to ask of him, the amount he fed him every time was much more than that of the others in the Silly Bird Group.
Coupled with the fact that Rocket Raccoon hadn't exercised much during his time on Bohet Planet, his weight naturally shot up.
The members of the Silly Bird Group didn't mock him for it.
After all, they weren't doing much better themselves; it was the pot calling the kettle black.
But truth be told, since Rocket Raccoon's appearance had changed, he did look quite a bit cuter. Even his usual sarcastic remarks and foul-mouthed rants felt like he was just acting cute.
"Hey, Rocket, I need your help with something."
As Darian spoke, he casually stroked Rocket Raccoon's fuzzy head. The feel was soft and thick; he had been raised quite well.
Rocket Raccoon's fur stood on end as if his tail had been stepped on, and he immediately jumped up... er, he didn't quite make it.
He used all four limbs to struggle to his feet and slapped away Darian's hand: "You bastard, nothing good ever happens when you come! Speak, what kind of crap do you want to trouble me with this time?"
Rocket Raccoon had pretty much figured it out; he had fallen into Darian's trap and inexplicably become the other party's worker.
But what was the use of seeing through it?
He only had his own lack of resolve to blame; he really couldn't resist the temptation of Darian's barbecue.
Even though he swore every time that he wouldn't eat it again and was determined to lose the belly, as soon as Darian handed over the barbecue, he would immediately scurry forward. He would decide to officially start his weight loss plan tomorrow and just kept pushing it back; it had never actually been implemented.
Darian chuckled and handed over the tablet: "I need you to help improve this formula and make it more stable."
Although Rocket Raccoon looked reluctant, he still honestly took the tablet, his eyes quickly scanning the screen.
Soon, he let out a mocking sneer: "Extremis? Ha! Which idiot came up with this human explosion plan?"
Rocket Raccoon saw through the flaw of Extremis in one go.
Darian's eyes lit up: "Then can you fix the flaw in Extremis?"
Rocket Raccoon said disdainfully: "Of course I can. Something like this, I could have handled when I was three months old."
Darian could tell that Rocket Raccoon wasn't bragging; he really could do it.
It was fortunate that Killian and Maya weren't here. If they knew that the thing they had spent over a decade researching and failed at countless times was seen through and fixed by a raccoon after just a few glances, their mental state would probably have shattered on the spot.