What Is the Price Then

What Is the Price Then

It hadn't worked. Howitzer felt that made sense. Back then, Captain America had led a squad of commandos and beaten Hydra so badly they could barely fight back. Though there had been an element of surprise, that still wasn't something an ordinary person could pull off. A regular army would need at least a company of elite soldiers to accomplish the same thing.

If superhumans like this could be mass-produced on an assembly line like rifles, Umbrella Corporation would have flattened the entire world long ago—unless every other country decided to go down together in a nuclear holocaust. Why would they need to sit here talking this ******* nonsense with him? "So, what's the price, Wiske?" Howitzer had thought of something else. There was no such thing as a free lunch. Calling the serum they had brought priceless would probably be a conservative estimate. Any country or organization in the world would scramble for it. Without exaggeration, as long as Ultimate Weapons like Nuclear Bombs were not used, this serum would be the key to winning a war.

"The price? Heh heh." Evenson discreetly pinched his own lower back before forcing himself to say something as demeaning as asking for a few million US dollars.

"You should know, Mr. Howitzer, that you aren't the only ones who want to bring the entire world under your control. Umbrella Corporation has the same ambition." Evenson elegantly picked up the brandy glass from the table and took a sip. "But with the colossal S.H.I.E.L.D. looming over us, all our ambitions and ideals can only remain empty talk and delusions."

"So you're helping us grow stronger and draw S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention, giving Umbrella Corporation more room to develop." Old and cunning as he was, and over a hundred years old to boot, Howitzer easily understood the meaning behind Evenson's words.

"Correct." Evenson admitted it readily. That had been his plan all along.

"You're using us as a shield." Howitzer's expression darkened. Hydra, which had once nearly conquered the world, was now being used so casually. It was a serious blow to his pride. But...

"Can you give up the Obelisk, Mr. Howitzer?" Evenson voiced Howitzer's concern.

Could he give up the Obelisk? Of course not, Howitzer thought without hesitation. He had pursued the Obelisk for half his life. It had become the meaning of his existence. No matter the price, he would never give it up. Besides, if this operation was secret enough, Hydra's secrets might not necessarily be exposed. Wait. Howitzer suddenly noticed a flaw. "Why choose us? No one would refuse your serum, no matter who you gave it to. The bearded men in the Middle East, Persia, the Land of the Rising Sun, Cuba—if you gave them your serum, they could cause an even bigger stir. And you would gain immeasurable resources. So why choose us?"

"Heh heh." Evenson picked up the brandy glass again. This time, he drank even more elegantly. Before taking a sip, he even swirled the glass and examined the color of the liquor. Of course, he was not actually savoring it. In truth, Evenson could not taste any difference between this premium brandy worth over ten thousand dollars and a cheap bottle that cost only a few dollars.

The reason Evenson did this was simply because he had overlooked something. He had anticipated that the other party would ask why he was helping them, but he had not expected that even after he gave the reason of using them as a shield, the man would keep pressing him, determined to get to the bottom of it. Worse, the question was entirely justified, and he could not brush it off casually. Dealing with these old foxes was the most troublesome thing. One conversation could kill several hundred million brain cells.

Evenson slowly set down the glass, his face still calm and showing no trace of nervousness. "I need something, and it is in Hydra's hands."

After that brief moment of thought, he had decided that he needed an item from Hydra as the price to put the other side at ease, rather than make them shout that Hydra would never be slaves before splitting his head open with an axe.

Moreover, it could not be his beloved cash. That would lower his standing, and Howitzer would not believe it anyway. As he had said, if Evenson sold this serum to any country at random, he would become a super arms dealer surpassing Tony Stark, one specializing in biological weapons. The money he earned might account for more than thirty percent of a country's total military budget. Those countries might even allocate special funding to support his continued research. That would definitely be more worthwhile than dealing with Hydra.

Second, it could not be something Hydra absolutely could not bear to part with. He needed this deal to go through smoothly, not end in an ugly breakup.

That made things difficult. Hydra possessed many things, but Evenson knew little about them. How could he choose something valuable enough, yet not so valuable that they would refuse to part with it?

"What is it?" Howitzer was equally nervous. He feared that Evenson would make some outrageous demand. If the item was in his hands, that would be manageable. But if it was at another branch, things would become troublesome. Wouldn't that mean missing out on his beloved Obelisk again?

"Mission report, December 16, 1991." Evenson finally figured out what he wanted. "A hint: it's from your Siberia branch. I need that item. I want all the audiovisual records and files."

A mission report? From the Siberia branch? Judging from the date, it should have been something that happened a long time ago. Although Howitzer did not know what the report contained, he could tell it was no ordinary report. For no other reason than the enormous price the other party was willing to pay.

"What if I say no?" The Hydra members in Siberia were all juniors to Howitzer. If he was willing to negotiate, he could probably obtain at least a copy of the report, even if he could not get the original. But it was still an internal Hydra secret, likely an important one, so he wanted to test him. Was this report truly indispensable?

"Then I'm afraid we won't be able to complete this transaction." Evenson was very firm, leaving no room for compromise. First, because the other party had used the word "if," which meant he was likely testing him. Second, he really did have to hang himself from this tree. If pushed too far, he could just go to the Middle East and find that big-bearded man. Hubbs had been wandering around Afghanistan recently anyway.

"Then I say no as well." Howitzer placed one hand over the serums, his manner equally forceful. At the same time, the bodyguards around him reached into their jackets.

"Heh heh heh." Evenson slowly rose to his feet and removed his sunglasses, revealing eyes he had already adjusted to crimson. Then he pointed behind him with his left hand. The stainless-steel chair he had been sitting on instantly melted into a puddle of molten iron, sizzling on the floor.

"Mr. Howitzer... would you like to test Veronica's enhancements while we're at it?"

PS: Sorry, the update is finished. There will be an extra chapter tomorrow.