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Sitwell had been quite troubled lately. Nick Fury had initiated another internal investigation, and while he wasn't worried about being exposed—since he was the one handling the paperwork—he was stressed about how to hide everyone else.
Nick Fury was not a man easily fooled. During the last few rounds, if not for Sitwell's own brilliant maneuvering, several people might have been outed. He hadn't expected another sweep to start so soon.
"It's all Loki's fault."
Thinking back to the Helicarrier incident, Sitwell sighed and pushed up his glasses. As he walked home, he pondered how to resolve this matter quickly.
Despite his glasses, he failed to notice a figure quietly shadowing him.
Fini followed alongside Sitwell but didn't make contact immediately. They were still at the doorstep of S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters; it would be troublesome if any abnormality were detected here. He followed him all the way back to his house before preparing to have a chat with the bald agent.
"Hail Hydra!"
Greeting Hydra didn't require much—just that one phrase was enough.
Hearing the slogan whispered in his ear, Sitwell, who had just entered his home and hadn't even had time to change his shoes, instinctively blurted back: "Hail Hydra!"
The moment the words left his mouth, his hair stood on end. He frantically scanned his surroundings but saw no one. For a moment, he wondered if he was hallucinating from the stress.
"Who's there?"
As an agent, Sitwell didn't believe in auditory hallucinations. He might be under pressure, but not to that extent. He swallowed nervously and stared into the empty room.
"Hail Hydra, Agent Sitwell!"
Fini spoke again, slowly disengaging the invisibility of Incursio, materializing directly in front of Sitwell.
"The Knight of Divine Punishment?!"
Sitwell broke into a cold sweat. Looking at Fini, he was momentarily stunned, but then, connecting the dots with the slogan Fini had just used, a thought exploded in his mind:
The Knight of Divine Punishment is actually one of us?!
Sitwell was a high-ranking member, but even he didn't know the full extent of Hydra's reach or every member's identity. He only knew that a significant portion of his colleagues in S.H.I.E.L.D. were brothers-in-arms.
But he never could have imagined that the world's most mysterious and powerful "Knight" was a fellow Hydra operative. In that moment, a bizarre sense of pride welled up within him.
"I... I didn't know. What can I do for you, Sir?" Sitwell wiped the sweat from his forehead. Knowing the Knight was "on his side" lessened the immediate fear, but he still couldn't fathom why Fini was here.
"Can we talk?" Fini walked into the living room and sat on the sofa, looking toward Sitwell as if he were the master of the house.
"Of course!" Sitwell didn't mind in the slightest. He didn't even bother changing his clothes or shoes; he hurried over to Fini, not daring to sit, standing instead like a subordinate awaiting orders.
Fini couldn't help but marvel. There was a reason Sitwell was such a successful mole; his adaptability and reactions were far beyond the average person.
"Do you know who I am?" Fini asked slowly from the sofa.
Sitwell blinked, then quickly replied, "The Knight of Divine Punishment, the most powerful man in the world. Though I heard you prefer being called 'Mage'."
"I mean my real identity under the armor. Do you know it?" Fini asked with interest. Sitwell was a high-ranking Hydra official, so he wanted to gauge if the organization had compromised his secret identity.
Sitwell shook his head. He truly did not know. Fini studied him carefully and sensed he wasn't lying.
"Don't be so stiff. We're all Hydra here. Sit down and let's talk," Fini said suddenly.
At these words, Sitwell's heart tightened inexplicably. After a moment's hesitation, he gingerly sat opposite Fini, his posture still incredibly respectful.
"You might find this hard to believe, but I am actually a leader of Hydra."
As expected, Fini's first sentence made Sitwell shudder. It was a good thing he was already sitting; had he been standing, he might have collapsed from the shock.
"This... I... uh..." Sitwell mopped his brow, at a loss for words.
"You don't believe me?"
"No! No, not at all!" Seeing Sitwell's panicked state, Fini offered a reassuring look. "Relax, it's normal to be skeptical. After all, you're the only one who knows this."
Instead of feeling relieved, Sitwell grew even more terrified. Sweat poured down his face like a waterfall. He stammered repeatedly, "I believe you! I believe you!"
"Here, I actually have proof."
Ignoring the trembling agent, Fini pulled out his phone. Originally, he had planned to squeeze Whitehall's location out of Sitwell and then wipe his memory. But after interacting with him, he realized Sitwell might be worth developing as a personal mole within Hydra.
He decided to show the "succession video" featuring the Red Skull to prove his "status."
Watching Fini approach with the phone, Sitwell was scared to death. He knew that the more one knows, the faster one dies. At the very least, a powerhouse like this wouldn't reveal such secrets without a reason.
"I really do believe you!" Sitwell looked at Fini piteously, but Fini ignored him and pressed play.
"I, Johann Schmidt, hereby... declare you the new leader of Hydra!"
After watching the video with bated breath, Sitwell was stunned. He never expected Fini's "proof" to be so definitive.
"That was Johann Schmidt? He's still alive?" Sitwell was well aware of the WWII Hydra leader. He hadn't expected the man to still be breathing, even if the environment in the video looked eerie and otherworldly.
"Captain America was rescued by your people; is it really so surprising he's alive?" Fini glanced at the shocked agent. "Do you believe me now? I am the leader of Hydra."
"I have always believed in you!" Sitwell forced a smile, but a weight had truly lifted from his heart. A video like that couldn't be faked, and given Fini's strength, there was no reason to lie to someone like him. Besides, the mere fact that Fini knew he was Hydra meant Fini already held his life in his hands.
"Good. Then, let's get down to business." Fini leaned back into the sofa, looking at Sitwell. "Are you interested in following me?"
(End of Chapter)