Thud!
At the very moment Hawk sped towards Washington D.C., Ophelia, who was in her office, suddenly went limp and collapsed on the floor.
A male Hydra agent, hearing the commotion from the office, rushed in nervously, and upon seeing Ophelia on the ground, froze for a moment. A gleam flashed in his eyes before he hurried over in a panic.
"Boss..."
This young man had joined Hydra last year and was chosen by the alluring Lady Viper to be her personal guard. He had ambitions for advancement.
Though only twenty-five this year, Ophelia's age was unknown.
But...
Men are driven by progress, and with such an opportunity, if he could win over his boss, a century less of struggle was certain.
Though he didn't know what happened to his boss in the office,
there was no error in stepping up at this time.
Indeed, this was true.
Ophelia, watching the male agent rush to support her, did not refuse but smiled, letting him hold her in his arms and help her up. Leaning against him, she smiled and beckoned him with a finger.
The male agent's heart melted with excitement.
And then...
He truly melted.
In the physical sense!
Just as he thought his dream was coming true, leaning in towards Ophelia's verdant lips, his eyes widened as a pervasive green light swiftly penetrated his body.
In an instant, his internal organs dissolved completely.
Bang—!
With a sound like a bursting water balloon, the male agent, who imagined marrying his boss and reaching the pinnacle of life, turned into a puddle of green liquid on the office floor.
The puddle seemed alive, squirming, reaching Ophelia's high heels, and was fully absorbed by her.
After absorbing the liquid, Ophelia instinctively raised her swan-like neck, eyes half-closed, exhaled a breath, and as she reopened her eyes, if Hawk were present, he would be amazed to see that Ophelia seemed younger.
Very soon.
Ophelia completely recovered from the pressure Hawk had just exerted, walked behind her desk, sat in her chair, and her gaze fell on a photo of herself and Anna on the desk.
This photo had always been here.
She and Anna were indeed good friends.
However...
Her motives were impure.
After all, she, along with Zola and Strucker, were traditional Hydra leaders, while Anna was one of the capable aides of the new generation's leader, Alexander Pierce.
As everyone knows.
The old and the new must clash. Her decision to befriend Anna and ally with Alexander Pierce was a strategic move.
But fortunately, she hadn't had the chance to execute her plans yet.
This was a blessing in disguise.
Ophelia's eyes sparkled.
Just then.
The door knocked.
"Enter!"
"Chief."
Her assistant walked in from outside, holding her phone, approaching Ophelia.
"A call from Mr. Pierce."
"..."
Ophelia remained silent for a moment, took the phone, but did not immediately speak to Alexander Pierce on the other end, instead looked at her assistant: "Choose another personal guard."
The female assistant nodded.
"Understood."
"Leave now."
"Yes."
The female assistant turned and left.
After the assistant left the office, Ophelia glanced at the phone call with a verdant green-painted finger and hung up on Pierce.
Didn't she hear what Hawk just said?
If she dared to deceive him, she'd die more miserably than Alexander Pierce.
So...
A dying person, what words to waste, what expressions to spend?
After hanging up on Pierce, Ophelia turned off the phone and tossed it onto the desk, then leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes.
She had just survived a calamity. She needed some peace now.
Meanwhile, in Washington D.C., at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters within Three Feathers.
The battle between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra had commenced.
At this moment, the voice of Captain America, Steve Rogers, echoed through every corner of S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters, with no dead angle.
"...Hydra has been growing inside us."
"The members of the strike team and Project Insight are also Hydra members. Not sure who else is with them, but they are here, possibly right beside you. They are about to succeed; once Insight Mother Ship takes flight, they gain absolute control."
"They assassinated Nick Fury."
"They control all S.H.I.E.L.D. branches except the New York S.H.I.E.L.D Command Center."
"...But freedom comes at a high price, it always does. I am willing to pay it, even if I'm the only one. But I believe I am not alone!"
"..."
As Captain America spoke, the S.H.I.E.L.D agents came to a halt, listening to Captain America's speech.
Hydra members, especially those ready to activate the Insight Mother Ship, showed their fierce looks and drew their guns.
Instantly!
Gunfire erupted.
The remaining four Security Council members, who were deceived by Alexander Pierce under the pretense of reporting about Project Insight, also heard Captain America's speech in the top-floor conference room of S.H.I.E.L.D. Three Feathers Headquarters. They looked at Alexander Pierce, who had already put down his champagne and retrieved his phone, with disbelief and anger.
One was Captain America who had once sacrificed himself to save the world.
One was Alexander Pierce.
Choosing whom to believe wasn't a multiple choice.
The Paris Councilor was the first to address Alexander Pierce with anger, saying in a stern voice, "You bastard!"
Alexander Pierce shrugged with a smile that didn't reach his eyes.
The next moment.
A Hydra agent captain led his five subordinates inside, without any expression on their faces.
The five quickly surrounded the four council members, one of them even drew his gun, crossing his arms, and looked coldly at the four members.
The meaning was clear.
Do not move.
Or die!
The Hydra agent captain then swiftly approached Alexander Pierce, passing the tablet while whispering, "New Mexico, Texas, Arkansas... Minnesota have recently lost contact. This is the footage sent back the moment before the base lost contact."
Alexander Pierce took the tablet with a blank expression.
Before his eyes.
The S.H.I.E.L.D base in Texas caught a dazzling scarlet light without any defenses or warning.
Same for Arkansas.
These S.H.I.E.L.D Hydra Bases, which were reporting loss of communication almost every five minutes, captured the same scarlet light the moment they lost contact.
But...
Alexander Pierce remained indifferent as he passed the tablet to the Hydra agent captain next to him, his voice calm.
"How long until the Insight Mother Ship goes online?"
"Five minutes."
"Activate it first, then talk."
"Understood."
The Hydra agent captain nodded in response and used a communication device to contact the Hydra members responsible for the three Insight Mother Ships.
Bang!
The gigantic fountain in front of Three Feathers Headquarters started retracting aside, exposing Hydra's sinister intentions under the morning sun.
Buzz, buzz, buzz!
As the first Insight Mother Ship's power went online, the immense ship, resembling an aircraft carrier, started channeling energy to prepare for a vertical ascent.
Alexander, still expressionless, reached for his phone, found a number, and dialed it.
Ring-ring!
Having barely slept through the night but lay on the sofa waiting for Hawk's return while watching TV, Gwen saw Hawk's phone charging at home ringing and blinked, reaching out to grab it.
What she saw.
Was an unfamiliar number without any notes.
Gwen thought for a moment, sat up from the sofa, looked at the unfamiliar call, and decided to answer.
"Hello..."
"Hawk..."
In the Three Feathers Headquarters, Alexander Pierce paused upon hearing the voice over the phone, then smiled and said, "Gwen Stacy?"
Natasha, who had intercepted the Paris Councilor's motorcade right before reaching S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters and, through Captain America's strong charisma, gained the councilor's trust and disguised herself as him to arrive with the other three members, instinctively glanced in Alexander Pierce's direction when she heard this.
Gwen, at home on Palm Street, frowned slightly.
"This is she, and you are..."
"Alexander Pierce!"
Wrinkles gathered on Pierce's old face as he smiled, saying, "I'm a friend of Hawk. Has Hawk returned yet?"
Listening to Pierce introduce himself, Gwen reacted to the statement.
"Hawk mentioned he had a friend in Hydra named Anna, but he never mentioned you were also his friend."
"Anna..."
"Hawk has already gone to Japan to find her. By the way, Mr. Pierce, is Anna really in Japan?"
"..."
Alexander Pierce paused for a moment, then said, "There's a misunderstanding with this, if Ms. Stacy could help..."
"Don't even think about it!"
Gwen decisively refused.
What a joke.
Who is she?
Gwen Stacy, daughter of Chief Stacy, the most righteous and incorruptible in the New York Police Department.
Help Hydra?
Dream on.
Alexander Pierce halted momentarily at Gwen's outright refusal, but not feeling surprised, even letting out a chuckle before apologizing.
"Then my apologies, Ms. Stacy!"
"..."