Just as Makima expected, watching the private jet take off smoothly, Rumlow withdrew his gaze, pulled out an encrypted phone, held it to his mouth, and reported the situation in a low voice.
At this time, inside the plane.
The layout inside the cabin was low-key and luxurious, with leather sofas and expensive drinks readily available.
The several Agents sent by Rumlow were fully armed; as soon as they took their seats, their eyes instinctively scanned the surrounding environment.
Soon, the leader's brow furrowed.
In the corner of the cabin, an unfamiliar figure sat quietly.
Esdeath, clad in a military uniform, rested her chin on one hand, looking boredly at the clouds outside the window.
This was her first time on a plane.
The Agents exchanged subtle glances and immediately became alert.
Why was there someone outside of the plan on this plane?
Who was this woman? One of Makima's people? Why hadn't this been reported in advance?
They should report this to Mr. Rumlow!
But before they could take any action, they suddenly discovered that Makima, who had been sitting in the front row, had turned around at some point and was looking at them with a smile. What made their skin crawl was—
The pair of light green contact lenses in Makima's eyes had long been removed, revealing those eerie golden ringed eyes.
The Agents' pupils shrank violently.
Makima wore a gentle smile, placing a slender, white finger against her lips.
"Shh."
Before the Agents could understand what those eyes represented, several pitch-black chains shot out from Makima's abdomen.
[villainess points +5]
[simulation value +24]
Silence returned to the luxurious private jet.
...
After twelve peaceful hours, Makima's private jet landed smoothly on the soil of Eastern Europe.
This was a small country named Sokovia, mountainous and impoverished, sandwiched between Slovakia and the Czech Republic.
The economy here could be described as a complete mess, mired in the swamp of war year-round. Scenes of decay were written on almost every inch of the streets, but there were many beautiful Caucasian women here; just like in the Czech Republic, the adult film industry was quite developed here.
Even in such a tiny, dirt-poor place, quite a few remarkable individuals had indeed emerged.
Besides the twins, Scarlet Witch Wanda and Quicksilver, Sokovia also had a famous, ruthless character—
Baron Helmut Zemo.
Zemo
This Sokovian Colonel vividly illustrated the saying that treacherous terrain breeds unruly people.
On the surface, Sokovia was so poor it could barely keep the pot boiling, but behind the scenes, it was very proficient in the shady business of espionage and assassination.
Zemo had served in one of those assassination units. Later, because the Avengers and Ultron fought a massive battle here, his family was accidentally caught in the war, leading to the destruction of his home and family. Consequently, he bore a deep grudge against the Avengers.
However, Baron Zemo was indeed quite a character.
With a mortal body, he managed to trigger the first Civil War of the Avengers purely through sowing discord, playing that group of superheroes like fiddles.
It is worth mentioning that in the comic book timeline, the Thunderbolts were founded by Zemo to replace the Avengers.
Now, it seemed Makima had indirectly wiped out Zemo's yet-to-start entrepreneurial project in one fell swoop.
The cabin door opened, and Makima walked down the airstair.
The welcoming party was by no means small.
Led personally by Dr. List, Baron Strucker's deputy and a top HYDRA scientist, two rows of HYDRA Agents dressed uniformly in Sokovian tactical gear stood behind him, ramrod straight.
With this level of pomp, it was likely that even Sokovia's own President didn't receive higher treatment than Makima during his travels.
"I've heard much about you, Miss Makima." Dr. List stepped forward, his face covered in a warm smile.
Though his words were polite, his eyes were wandering restlessly, constantly glancing behind Makima.
Obviously, he was looking for something.
Makima saw through him but didn't call him out on his eager little thoughts.
She simply maintained a gentle smile and gave a light wave of her hand.
The HYDRA Agents behind her immediately stepped forward and brought out the silver suitcase containing the Mind Stone.
Seeing the suitcase, a hint of fanaticism flashed in Dr. List's eyes, and he instinctively raised his hand as if to take it.
However, a tower-like figure intervened, blocking Dr. List's path.
Bronski looked down at him from above, his presence full of overwhelming pressure.
Dr. List's outstretched hand froze in mid-air, and his expression darkened: "Miss Makima, what is the meaning of this?"
Makima remained her usual unhurried and composed self: "Don't be nervous, Dr. List."
"I will hand this over to Baron Strucker personally. Also, Mr. Pierce specifically instructed me to take this opportunity to visit your fortress and see your latest research results."
"It can be considered as promoting win-win cooperation between our U.S. and Sokovian sides, can it not?"
Invoking the name of Pierce, combined with this airtight explanation, Dr. List could only swallow his complaints no matter how much he grumbled inside. He gave a dry laugh and stepped aside to clear the way: "The Baron has been waiting for a long time. This way, please."
Makima and Bronski got into the pre-prepared bulletproof car.
The engines roared, and several black SUVs filled with armed personnel quickly lined up front-to-back, sandwiching the private car in the middle.
Whether it was for protection or for control... that remained unknown.
The grand convoy drove out of the airport and passed through the downtown area of Sokovia.
This massive display drew the attention of civilians on both sides of the street, who stopped to watch.
Those who didn't know better would truly think some national leader had arrived in Sokovia.
Before long, the convoy left civilization behind and plunged into the vast coniferous forest covered in snow.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the private jet.
Esdeath walked down the airstair alone. She did not follow Makima's grand entourage but instead quietly vanished into the wind and snow. She had other matters to attend to.
The convoy wound its way through the coniferous forest covered in thick white snow.
As they moved deeper into Baron Strucker's territory, they passed through several heavily guarded checkpoints.
Beside the roadblocks were not only heavy tanks with tracks that crushed the frozen earth, but also large groups of garrison troops patrolling in formation.
It is worth mentioning that as HYDRA's scientific research and development department, the armament level and R&D efficiency here were clearly not something that scavengers like Vulture and Shocker could compare to.
The firearms held by the sentries had their barrels completely modified.
The muzzles faintly shimmered with the eerie blue light characteristic of Chitauri weaponry.
Finally, the convoy slowly emerged from the snowy forest.
A gloomy and solemn medieval castle revealed itself amidst the wind and snow halfway up the mountain.
This was Baron Strucker's castle.
Dear Reader,
A special 60% discount offer available Don't miss this opportunity to enjoy your favorite stories at a greatly reduced price.
The offer is available for a limited time only — grab it before it ends!
Ãdvåñçé çhàptêr àvàilàble óñ pàtreøn luffy1898