Gathering Everyone

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And as the largest arms manufacturer, Tony has connections that even Nick Fury cannot underestimate.

So Nick Fury pretended not to hear what Tony said.

Kai looked at Tony, who had just walked in, and then briefly explained what had happened.

"What? You said you want to get everyone to act together this time?"

Tony didn't pay much attention to the news about Hydra. He thought it was just another terrorist organization like the Ten Rings. Instead, he focused on Kai's words about acting together.

Curious, Tony asked, "Why does everyone need to go in together this time?"

Kai thought about it and decided to tell Tony what he and Steve had discussed. He laid out the plan in front of Nick Fury.

At first, Tony didn't understand why Kai was suddenly getting involved in Earth affairs again.

Instead of questioning him directly, Tony pulled out his phone and asked Jarvis to gather all available information on Hydra. Within moments, Jarvis had compiled a file and sent it to Tony's phone.

After reading through the information, Tony finally had some understanding of Hydra.

But he was still confused. "Kai, I don't get it. This is just an Earth problem. Why would you—" Tony hesitated before finally asking.

Kai explained, "Actually, Hydra has had connections to extraterrestrial forces from the very beginning."

"Oh?" Tony was intrigued. "What do you mean?"

Kai turned to Steve. "Since this is about the Red Skull, I think Steve should explain. He fought him more than anyone else."

Steve nodded and said, "Kai's right. The Red Skull's original abilities came from the incomplete SS serum."

Steve explained, "The Red Skull got his hands on the Tesseract and started experimenting on it. It gave him access to advanced weapons, and he even mutated from its energy and SS serum. That's how he gained his abilities."

"By studying the Tesseract, Hydra developed weapons far beyond what the Allied forces had at the time. That's how they became a real threat."

Kai continued, "Fortunately, Steve took him down and dismantled Hydra—"

Steve shook his head with a bitter smile. "I thought I had wiped them out. But as we now know, they just went underground. They infiltrated SHIELD and used it as a cover to advance their own goals."

Steve's voice grew colder as he spoke, and his gaze shifted to Nick Fury.

Nick Fury didn't expect this conversation to loop back to him. But Hydra had indeed grown under his watch, and while he hadn't been the one to let them in, he couldn't deny his responsibility.

Nick Fury clenched his fists, silently cursing Pierce. That man had promoted him to Director not because of his skills but because he wanted a scapegoat who had no idea what was really going on.

And Nick Fury had walked right into the trap.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. He wanted nothing more than to find Pierce and put a bullet in his head.

But now wasn't the time. Steve was furious, and arguing with him would only make things worse. So Nick Fury stayed quiet and played along.

Meanwhile, Tony had processed everything. Hydra was no longer just a terrorist organization in his eyes—it was something much worse.

After hearing Kai's full plan, Tony asked, "Did you already notify everyone to meet at the manor?"

Kai froze.

Right. He had planned everything, but he hadn't actually told anyone yet.

Feeling slightly embarrassed, Kai was about to correct his mistake when Tony waved him off.

Without waiting, Tony called Jarvis. "Send a message to everyone. Tell them to drop what they're doing and get to the manor ASAP."

Jarvis quickly drafted and sent the messages.

Thor, who had been training with Jane, heard his phone chime. Picking it up, he saw the message from Tony.

After reading it, Thor turned to Jane and said, "Jane, Tony is calling for me. I must go."

Jane stepped forward, wrapping her arms around his waist. She kissed him lightly and asked, "How long will it take?"

"Tony didn't say." Thor rechecked the message. "But I will try to return as soon as I can. Wait for me."

With that, he grabbed Mjolnir and took off toward Kai's manor.

Elsewhere, Coulson and Natasha received Tony's messages at the same time.

Coulson put on his sunglasses and announced, "Mission's on hold. Get me back to HQ."

Natasha, in the middle of an operation, read the message, exhaled, and immediately disengaged. Boarding a private jet, she whispered to herself, "I'll be back for you later."

As for Yinsen and Banner, Kai and Tony had Gear and Jarvis notify them separately.

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