Chapter 20: Plans for the Future

Although Jasper didn't give a clear answer, his question already indicated that he had made his choice.

"You won't regret this. In the future, you'll thank yourself for the decision you made today. And you'll find that following me is more promising than following Hydra..." Russell didn't directly answer Jasper's question either. Instead, he gave Jasper a guarantee that, for now, seemed baseless.

After putting his freshly cleaned glasses back on, Jasper's demeanor changed completely, "I hope so."

The timid, terrified bald man was gone, replaced by a determined and serious elite professional, "You asked Dr. Wilson to tally the personnel and supplies, which means you're already planning to abandon this base. There's really no need to stay here anymore. To break free from Hydra's control, you'll definitely need to find a new base. "

Jasper quickly adapted to his new role and began discussing the specific challenges they would face next, "Where do you plan to establish the new base? Also, what do you plan to do with the surviving personnel? Even if they're not die-hard Hydra loyalists, they won't easily follow you. Not everyone has the courage to go against Hydra..."

As expected of someone who had caught the attention of both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra, Jasper in his normal state was indeed exceptional.

Noting Jasper's questions, Russell thought for a moment before replying, "The new base will be in New York, in Hell's Kitchen. As for the people in this base, if they're willing, I'll take them with me. I need their expertise. As for how to convince or select them, you'll get to witness it firsthand later..."

"Witnessing it firsthand won't be necessary. It's not suitable for me to appear in public with you," Jasper declined Russell's suggestion.

After all, he was supposed to return to Hydra as a spy, and he didn't want to expose his identity so easily, "You plan to establish a base in Hell's Kitchen? That's Kingpin and the Hand's territory. Aren't you afraid of exposure?"

Before Russell could answer, Jasper continued, "I see... You want to continue research on enhancing soldiers. You're planning to steal Hydra's Extremis data!!!"

When Jasper said this, Russell was genuinely shocked.

He had only briefly mentioned that the new base would be in Hell's Kitchen, and Jasper had immediately guessed his intentions, even deducing his plan to steal the Extremis data.

It was easy to guess that Russell wanted to continue research on enhancing soldiers, as he had mentioned needing the expertise of the base's personnel.

But the plan to steal the Extremis data was a secret agreement between Russell and Dr. Wilson. No one else knew about it.

Yet Jasper had inferred this just from the location of the new base, and from his expression, it was clear he wasn't just making a wild guess.

"How did you know?" Russell inquired.

"It was easy to figure out," answered Jasper like it was the most obvious conclusion to reach.

Russell didn't think it was that obvious, so he pressed Jasper, "Explain..."

So Jasper began explaining his train of thought, "You're unwilling to abandon the researchers in the base, which means you still need to continue research on enhancing soldiers..."

"But as far as I know, the third-generation Abomination project is already quite mature. Even without these researchers, Dr. Wilson alone could handle all the remaining work. You need these researchers because you have a new research plan. Only then would you need these researchers, whose skills are inferior to Dr. Wilson's, to share his workload..."

"Plus, you chose Hell's Kitchen in New York as the base location, which means you have no intention of hiding. Or rather, you don't believe the new base can be kept secret from Hydra. Although Hydra is powerful, if you and Dr. Wilson were determined to hide from them, it wouldn't be too difficult..."

"If you were just defecting, Hydra wouldn't devote too much effort to tracking you down, since all the research data here is backed up at headquarters. But you know Hydra will go all out to find you because what you plan to do is far more serious than just defecting..."

"Something more serious than defection, and requiring Dr. Wilson and those specialized researchers makes the answer obvious... You plan to steal the Extremis data! Only then would Hydra go all out to find you, and only then would you need so many specialized researchers..."

After hearing Jasper's reasoning, even Russell had to admit it was impressive.

This further solidified his determination to firmly bind Jasper to his cause.

"I'm starting to wonder if sending you back to Hydra as a spy is a bit of a waste of talent..."

Russell's words pleased Jasper.

The feeling of being highly recognized was always gratifying, no matter the circumstances.

"Although Hydra can't openly attack you, that doesn't mean they'll be easy to deal with. Don't forget, they can still use S.H.I.E.L.D. to go after you." Jasper pointed out.

After witnessing Russell's battle with the mutated Jack, Jasper wasn't worried about their safety, but attacks from other fronts couldn't be resisted by sheer individual strength.

For example, official investigations or interference from S.H.I.E.L.D.

"Don't worry about that. This is America, the home of capitalism." Said Russell.

"Oscorp? Or the military?" Although Russell didn't mention any key terms, Jasper keenly guessed his thoughts.

Hearing Jasper's words, Russell was momentarily stunned, then laughed. "I've decided that from now on, I'll need to be fully alert when talking to you. Your insight is terrifying!"

Both Oscorp and the military were targets Russell needed to engage with next.

He needed their power to help him deal with the official forces, primarily to avoid interference from S.H.I.E.L.D.

The U.S. military had never given up on super-soldier research, and Oscorp was the most powerful biotech company in America.

For Russell, who currently only had biological enhancement as his trump card, they were undoubtedly the most suitable partners.

And Jasper had deduced this from that very point.

For both Oscorp and the military, whether it was the Abomination soldiers or the Extremis soldiers, they were impossible to resist.

"It seems you've already planned everything. I was worried you'd use brute force to fight Hydra, but now I see I was overthinking it."

After understanding Russell's entire plan, even Jasper had to admit it was the optimal solution under the current circumstances.

As long as this plan proceeded smoothly, both Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. could only watch helplessly as Russell's new force rose to power...