Peter had truly found himself with little to do lately—or rather, in the week or so since Harry's kidnapping. He continued his usual patrols and investigations into the Hand, but they remained eerily quiet. Even underworld activities had been suppressed to a standstill; aside from a few common thugs, there was almost no one to catch.
This was undoubtedly the calm before the storm. However, as long as the storm hadn't broken yet, life, naturally, had to go on.
He had indeed received an invitation to join the photography club. After checking it out, however, Peter eventually declined. Compared to the detective agency, the photography club's schedule was exhaustingly packed.
"Besides, you don't necessarily need to join a club to take photos, right? With the internet being what it is today, I don't get why they act like you aren't an 'official' photographer if you don't join," Peter said, snapping a photo of the girl in front of him.
Cindy, taciturn as always, merely nodded in response to Peter's thoughts. After taking her picture, Peter asked casually, "You weren't at school these past two days. Did you go to S.H.I.E.L.D.?"
"S.H.I.E.L.D. has some new arrangements. They seem to be planning a sweeping operation across the United States. The target is Hydra."
Ever since the strike on the underground Hydra city in Budapest, the Hydra propaganda machine had been operating at full capacity, claiming that Hydra had been eradicated, was no longer a threat, and asking if people didn't trust Captain America. Such nonsense might fool ordinary citizens, but it wouldn't work on the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D.
Of course, the Budapest incident had its benefits: it was now possible to discuss Hydra matters openly. Nick Fury certainly knew that Hydra still possessed many hidden strengths.
The problem was that Fury also knew S.H.I.E.L.D. was like a sieve. It wasn't even a matter of Hydra planting spies in S.H.I.E.L.D. anymore; it was more like the spies had planted a S.H.I.E.L.D. inside Hydra.
This was why Nick Fury was training a new generation of superhumans like Cindy, Jessica, and their senior, and why he had established a specialized "Bus" team with Level 8 clearance—equivalent to a regional director—that could intervene in anything despite only consisting of a single small squad.
And why would he organize the Thunderbolts, a team he knew was almost entirely composed of double agents?
The answer, quite obviously, was that he was convinced everyone inside S.H.I.E.L.D., including his deputy Maria Hill, was untrustworthy. Only outsiders, organizations formed without long-term premeditation like the Avengers or the Defenders, or pure rookies who gained powers by accident, were reliable.
So why was he starting a "grand cleanup" now?
Thinking of this, Peter put his camera away, and the two continued chatting as they walked. Peter activated the audio filtering function of his nanotech suit, wanting to hear more about the situation from Fury's end.
"I feel like Fury is doing this on purpose," Cindy said, sounding puzzled. "Deliberately and loudly telling Hydra that he knows they still have many people and resources hidden away. I don't quite understand it, because while 'beating the grass to startle the snake' can eliminate some Hydra agents, it will only make the rest hide even deeper."
Peter was about to say something when he suddenly remembered a detail. He recalled Nick Fury mentioning that he had eyes inside Hydra as well—a spy who might have even climbed to a fairly high position within the Hydra hierarchy.
"Perhaps it's because he's certain they won't dare stay in the shadows forever that Fury is doing this. He must have obtained information through certain channels and made an inference. Just like back during the Kang Dynasty, when Baron Zemo showed up with that unfinished Cosmic Cube..."
Wait, if Hydra could create an empty shell of a Cosmic Cube, would they be thinking of creating a complete, brand-new one?
Peter considered the possibility with uncertainty, then shook his head. "No, it's unlikely. Even if Hydra planned to build a second Cosmic Cube, they shouldn't have any way to tear open a passage from the physical universe to the Beyond Realm. Even Kang had to rely on future technology to achieve that. If they had that level of tech, they would have struck long before the Avengers were even formed."
Or had they recently discovered a way to solve that problem?
Peter was still pondering this when he saw an "acquaintance" walking toward them. It was a young man in sunglasses, appearing to be in his early thirties. Peter, of course, recognized him: it was Daredevil, or rather, the professional Hell's Kitchen lawyer, Matt Murdock.
Cindy clearly didn't recognize Matt. She simply watched as Peter, who had been talking to himself, suddenly narrowed his eyes at the approaching blind man. However, her spider-sense didn't tingle, meaning the man wasn't an enemy.
"I didn't know I'd offended anyone enough to have the most famous lawyer in Hell's Kitchen come looking for me," Peter joked as Matt approached. He then shook Matt's hand. "Hello, Mr. Murdock. I'm Peter Parker, just an ordinary high school student."
Matt raised an eyebrow in genuine surprise, then smiled as he returned the handshake. "Hello, Mr. Parker. I do indeed have some business with you. Oh, and this is..."
"My friend, Cindy Moon. Rest assured, she's very reliable—even if her boss, Nick, isn't necessarily so."
Hearing this, Matt nodded understandingly. He then looked around warily, though Peter wasn't sure what a blind man was looking for. Afterward, Matt "looked" back at Peter. "Can we talk, Mr. Parker?"
"Hmm? Oh, sure. Let's talk. I'm quite curious to know what this is about."
After Peter gave Cindy a hand gesture, she obediently departed. Peter walked side-by-side with Matt. As they walked, Matt heard the sound of the girl leaving and asked Peter curiously, "Mr. Parker, you don't seem surprised that I recognized you?"
"For a blind man, I imagine his hearing is sharp enough to distinguish a person by their footsteps or other subtle cues. It should be possible."
Matt gave Peter a meaningful "look" but said nothing more. He felt that, perhaps, Spider-Man really could lead him to the Hand.