Chapter 95: Damn It, He Is Scolding Himself.

At the time, Polaris was still young and clearly didn't see anything wrong with Hydra introducing itself on live television.

Seeing her lack of reaction, Stark couldn't help but ask, "Don't you think there's something off about Pierce openly revealing his identity and exposing Hydra's secrets?"

Polaris was stunned for a moment. She looked at Stark with a confused expression, then turned to Luo Bai and asked, "What's wrong? Wasn't he just threatening us?"

Stark shrugged and sighed helplessly. "But by doing that... he put Hydra in a vulnerable position. Do you really think Hydra has the ability to take on every super-powered individual on Earth?"

"Of course not! If Master Luo Bai had shown up, Hydra's base would've exploded long ago!" Polaris answered seriously.

Come on, how arrogant could Hydra be?

There were far more super-powered individuals on Earth than they could possibly imagine.

Thinking about it, Polaris couldn't help but mutter, "I don't get why they think they can take on all the super-powered people in the world."

Stark explained, "He did it because he was being controlled by Luo Bai. The Insight Project was also exposed by your Master Luo Bai. He wanted to show the world how dangerous things had become."

With this explanation, Polaris finally understood.

"I knew something felt off. So that's what happened." She suddenly realized.

"Exactly. So Hydra doing something this reckless was entirely because they were being manipulated," Stark said seriously.

Hearing this, Luo Bai couldn't help but smirk and say, "Stark, I wouldn't recommend making that argument."

Stark was caught off guard. "Why not?"

Luo Bai raised an eyebrow. "Did you forget that you did something similar once? Which almost got your house blown up?"

"......."

The memory hit Stark like a truck.

He had to admit—he had acted pretty stupidly back then.

Great. While mocking others, he ended up mocking himself too.

If it weren't for Luo Bai, both he and Pepper would've been in serious trouble.

Thinking about it, Stark sighed and admitted helplessly, "Alright, I'll admit I can be an idiot sometimes. But I was really pissed off at the time."

Hearing this, Luo Bai suddenly remembered something and asked, "By the way, how's Happy doing?"

"Recovering well," Stark replied.

After saying that, his gaze shifted to Wanda.

His previously relaxed expression turned serious.

It was clear he was still thinking about what Captain America had said earlier. Now that he had confronted the issue with Bucky, he wanted to have a conversation with Wanda as well.

Some things couldn't be avoided forever.

Taking a deep breath, Stark spoke up, "Wanda. I know you and your family hate me. I just went through something that might help me understand your hatred a little better. If you really want to kill me, I won't resist. I'll even make sure Luo Bai doesn't interfere or try to save me."

His words were firm and sincere.

For the first time, Wanda, who had been silent, turned her full attention to him.

She didn't say anything at first. No one could tell what was going through her mind.

Then, after a long pause, she finally spoke.

"I really do hate you, Stark. In fact, I never understood why everyone treated you like you were innocent from the start."

"But now... I think I understand something."

"It's just... I've hated you and Stark Industries since I was a child. That hatred became my reason to keep going."

"And now that I've realized I was wrong… my life suddenly feels empty."

"Honestly, I feel lost."

Wanda muttered, her voice filled with uncertainty.

She had hated Stark for so long.

As a child, the missile that landed in her home had the words "Stark Industries" engraved on it in bold letters.

Hydra had exploited that moment, manipulating her thoughts and making her believe that Stark was the one who had started the war.

But after carefully studying the news and Hydra's leaked information, Wanda finally understood.

Stark Industries was only responsible for selling arms, and its biggest fault might have been failing to regulate its buyers.

Even they had no way of knowing exactly where their weapons would end up.

More importantly, as Polaris had mentioned, Stark was a well-known playboy before all this. He never actually managed the company himself—everything was handled by Obadiah Stane.

And if she followed the timeline logically…

When Wanda's family was killed by a Stark Industries missile, she was still a child, and Stark himself wasn't much older.

At that time, Stark Industries had been operating under the same business model for years, meaning Stark was at most just a figurehead.

It wasn't until he was kidnapped by terrorists that he began to take his company seriously. The first thing he did was shut down Stark Industries' weapons division.

And because of that decision, he ended up clashing with Obadiah.

If responsibility was to be assigned, Stark wouldn't even be high on the list.

The real culprit was Hydra.

Next in line were the neighboring countries of Sokovia that started the war.

Then came the military forces that purchased the weapons for battle.

The people who ordered the missile strike were also accountable.

Only at the very bottom of that list was Stark Industries, which simply sold the weapons.

And as for Stark himself…

If she were to direct her hatred according to responsibility, Stark wouldn't even be a primary target.

But now that she fully understood the truth, she suddenly felt like she had been hating the wrong person all these years.

She had spent so much time consumed by hatred, only to realize it had been misplaced.

Wanda felt lost.

Stark could see her confusion and said, "I get how you feel. I just went through the same thing."

Wanda seemed to already know. "You mean… about your parents?"

Stark looked at her, surprised. "How do you know?"

"Someone leaked all of Hydra's files onto the internet, including classified footage of the Winter Soldier's assassinations. One of those videos… was about your father." Wanda explained.

Stark froze.

He had been so focused on dealing with the immediate crisis that he hadn't checked the news.

After hearing Wanda's words, he quickly pulled up the latest reports.

Only then did he realize—there were now countless leaked videos circulating online. Someone had even compiled a detailed list of Hydra's crimes.

One document outlined every assassination carried out by the Winter Soldier, dating from World War II to the present. The number of victims was staggering.

Each target had been a highly influential figure—scientists, politicians, military leaders. People whose deaths had significantly impacted the course of history.

And among them was Howard Stark, one of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s founding members and one of the most powerful industrialists in the United States.

It was precisely because of his status and importance that he had been assassinated.

Even though the Winter Soldier had been brainwashed by Hydra, the damage he caused was undeniable. Many of his victims had been individuals who could have shaped the future of their respective countries.

Because of this, the international community was divided on how to handle him.

But the U.S. government had made their stance clear—every last Hydra operative was to be hunted down, including the Winter Soldier.

And if they resisted… they would be killed on the spot.

The justification was simple: Hydra operatives were too dangerous to be left alive.

At the same time, the International Security Council had authorized super-powered individuals to assist in the hunt.

The Hydra crisis had made one thing painfully clear—without the help of super-powered beings, humanity alone wasn't strong enough to deal with such threats.

Stark watched the video of his father's death, the brutal footage now exposed to the entire world.

He fell silent.

After a long moment, he finally spoke, his voice low and filled with anger. "I still can't forgive him."

His hands clenched into fists. His breathing was uneven.

The hatred in his eyes was unmistakable.

That video… it was more than just evidence. It was a firsthand account of how Bucky had personally beaten Howard Stark to death.

Stark felt like he was on the verge of breaking down.

Just as his emotions were about to spiral, Wanda suddenly spoke.

"That's normal. If it were me, I wouldn't be able to forgive him either. I'd kill him myself."

Her words startled Stark.

Of all the things he expected her to say, that wasn't one of them.

Looking at her in surprise, he asked, "I thought you'd tell me to forgive him… the way you forgave me."

Wanda's expression turned cold, her voice laced with bitterness. "If you had personally launched the missile that destroyed my home, I wouldn't care whether you knew the consequences or not—I'd kill you."

"I still hold you responsible for selling those missiles, and I still don't like you."

"But… it seems you're not the one who deserves to die."

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