Chapter 493: I Am Hydra (VII)

The most important trait of a kind person is empathy—no truly kind person could remain indifferent to the lives of twenty million people. However, Solomon's apparent indifference to this matter unsettled Natasha, who had always known he had psychological issues. She felt as if she were looking at a massive black hole, devouring everything in its path, mocking life itself. Yet, in the next moment, Agent Natasha Romanoff cast aside her emotions and relied on her rational, professional instincts to interpret the situation from another perspective.

"It seems you're very confident in this operation. Aren't you willing to tell us what's still missing for it to succeed?" she asked. "You never say things outright—is that a unique way of speaking for magicians?"

She wouldn't waste time suggesting psychotherapy or any other foolish remedy to Solomon. She knew he despised such treatments, considering them tools of the bourgeoisie or methods reserved for white people. More importantly, she knew that Solomon never considered himself sick. Or perhaps he was aware that he had problems but simply didn't care. People like him were the most deeply afflicted.

One day, Solomon would end up in a psychiatric hospital—that was Maria Hill's private assessment when she had discussed him with Natasha. Both had access to his file, and both knew that his birth was surrounded by a series of absurd religious anecdotes. If S.H.I.E.L.D. had discovered him at birth, or had reached him earlier, perhaps some treatment could have been attempted.

If Solomon had been adopted by a normal family, his issues wouldn't be this severe. But it was too late now. The older one gets, the more resistant they become to treatment. And Solomon had spent years in a place no one could locate, learning magic. He knew nothing about the real world, having only learned from books. By the time Nick Fury and Agent Coulson realized this, Solomon was already at Eton College—and had already clashed with S.H.I.E.L.D.

Looking back now, those strike team members were probably Hydra operatives.

"You're very smart, Natasha. But this time, you're wrong. I'm merely prepared," Solomon said with a smile. "This isn't prophecy; it's just a suggestion from an advisor's perspective—an attempt to find ways to minimize losses. The proposal to seize control of the Helicarriers' operating system with artificial intelligence is just a backup plan in case the operation fails. Fury has agreed to it; he still has a few computer experts he can use. If your mission fails, this plan will be implemented immediately."

Of course, Solomon wasn't telling the whole truth—or rather, every word he spoke was a lie. He did possess artificial intelligence, but he wasn't referring to the one housed in the Eternal City's server rooms. As a heavily armored, nuclear-powered tank with less mobility than an assault transport, Solomon had positioned it at the most critical location. Right now, a Sisterhood combat squad was en route to a hidden base, seizing a key item for Solomon's next plan.

Even Romanoff, a micro-expression expert, had to admit that although Solomon's expression wasn't entirely sincere, his logic was impeccable. He and Nick Fury were indeed the same type of person—they both preferred to prepare multiple contingency plans. The only difference was that this time, they had laid out their contingency plans openly for all to see.

"Do you know who attacked you on Highway 4 in London?"

"Of course I do." Solomon blinked and bared his fangs. "I've known from the very beginning."

"Neither S.H.I.E.L.D. nor Hydra can be allowed to remain." That was Steve Rogers' exact wording. S.H.I.E.L.D. had undeniable problems—even Nick Fury himself didn't know how many loyal agents were left within the organization. Even Maria Hill agreed with this approach; only a complete purge would allow S.H.I.E.L.D. a chance to be reborn.

Nick Fury put on a reluctant act before agreeing to the plan. But aside from Maria Hill and himself, no one knew what he had left behind for Agent Coulson. Even now, Fury wasn't about to reveal all his cards.

The price for doing so was merely shifting from the forefront to the shadows.

Agent Natasha Romanoff glanced at Solomon, who was silently listening in. When she saw the mystic raise his cup to hide his smile, she shivered.

She had no idea how long Solomon had waited after the Highway 4 attack.

Had he always known that Hydra would eventually emerge from the shadows?

Had he foreseen that S.H.I.E.L.D. would collapse?

Had he been waiting all this time for Captain Rogers to say those exact words?

————————

"Am I dead?" Agent Victoria Hand still looked dazed.

She had no idea that just moments ago, the organization she had sworn allegiance to—S.H.I.E.L.D.—had completely fallen apart. Nick Fury had decided to purge all agents whose loyalty couldn't be confirmed, leaving space only for those he could trust. But collateral damage was unavoidable in the process, and Victoria Hand, along with the faction she had gathered, had been among the casualties.

"Yes, you are dead," Tita said coldly. The resurrection scrolls that Solomon had provided were limited, so the Sisterhood had to prioritize targets based on importance. "John Garrett was Hydra. Grant Ward, too," she continued. "We found your corpse and brought you back."

"Resurrected? You're…"

"I am a servant and follower of the Great Lord. For your understanding, you may refer to Him as Solomon Damonet."

Victoria Hand took a deep breath, recalling the moonlit banquet of dancing silverware Solomon had once shown her. That dreamlike scene still appeared in her dreams sometimes, as beautiful as the fairy tales of her childhood.

"What do you want me to do?" she asked in a daze. "What does your master want from me?"

Tita opened a file. The once-imposing cyborg battle squad commander suddenly seemed to hesitate.

"Draw… a cartoon mouse face on the Helicarrier deck and wait for Disney to launch an airstrike? Oh, that's the Master's joke!" Tita quickly corrected herself. "The actual order is for you to lead us in suppressing the mutiny on the Helicarrier. As of now, this ship belongs to the Master."

"This is S.H.I.E.L.D. property! It belongs to the World Security Council!"

"Not anymore, Ms. Hand," Tita said, putting away the document. "If we handle this ourselves, it will take a long time to suppress the Helicarrier's rebellion. We can't tell who is Hydra and who isn't—we will leave only corpses. You've seen how we deal with enemies: nothing but shredded flesh and charred remains. If you want to save the loyalists, you must follow our orders."

Inside Tita's helmet, a mission progress bar reached its endpoint, emitting a soft notification sound.

A massive cannon barrel rose, locking onto an abandoned house in the outskirts.

The heavy nuclear-powered tank had enough space to accommodate a full crew, with a passageway between the reactor room and the artillery deck wide enough for a person to walk through. The top of the passage led to the tank's exit, and a heavy explosive machine gun was mounted on the turret. Even with an automatic loading system and vibranium shock absorbers, the recoil of the fired shell still pushed the entire tank slightly backward. With a deafening explosion that shook nearby structures, the shell broke the sound barrier and slammed directly into the house.

The disguised base immediately went on high alert. Armed personnel trying to defend the site were crushed beneath the tank's treads. No one had expected such firepower to be deployed in a suburban area within the United States. An android, fully equipped for combat, manned a heavy machine gun, preparing to take down Homeland Security helicopters and National Guard gunships as they arrived.

Other Sisterhood warriors, clad in powered armor and wielding explosive rifles and chainswords, stormed out of the tank. Aside from the necessary crew and anti-air support, every Sisterhood member was entering the ruins to complete a singular objective.

To locate the artificial intelligence: Samaritan.

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