In a secret Hydra Base, several holographic projections slowly appeared.
"It's been a month. Have you figured out why Baron Strucker's base self-destructed? Did Nick Fury notice something and interfere?"
"Probably not. If Nick Fury had noticed anything, I would have known immediately. He's focused on preparing his Avengers Initiative right now. Just yesterday, he discussed it with me and asked me to help him apply to the Security Council for funding."
"What did the survivors say?"
"They only received defensive orders from within the base before the explosion. They don't know anything else."
"Set this matter aside for now. Maybe there was a problem with those superpowered individuals he was researching, and someone used some special ability to trigger the self-destruct mechanism."
"I told you long ago not to waste energy on such useless things. Right now, we should devote everything to completing Project Insight."
"Once Project Insight succeeds, all of Hydra will be able to step out of the shadows openly and rule the entire world!"
"Long live Hydra!"
"Long live Hydra!"
"Long live Hydra!"
The brief conversation between Hydra's upper ranks ended, and the screen gradually went dark.
The lights in the room came on. A middle-aged man in his forties or fifties slowly stood up, paced around the room a few times, then pressed a button.
"Ward, come to my office."
This man was none other than John Garrett, one of the Hydra leaders who had previously made a deal with Baron Strucker.
He had once been an exceptionally skilled S.H.I.E.L.D. agent, but organ failure caused by a mission had left him waiting for death. During that time, he joined Hydra's Deathlok enhancement program, temporarily extending his life.
To escape the threat of death and become a superhuman, he resolutely betrayed S.H.I.E.L.D. and threw himself into Hydra's embrace, becoming a double agent.
It was precisely because he held identities in both S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra that he had been able to cultivate a faction loyal to himself.
After learning that the now world-famous Power Pill could strengthen the body with long-term use, he made a deal with Baron Strucker, the person in charge of Hydra's Sokovia base.
He offered part of the list of superpowered individuals he knew through his authority within S.H.I.E.L.D. in exchange for Dr. Smith, the inventor of the Power Pill, and the formula.
But just after receiving Baron Strucker's notice about the deal, before he could reach the meeting place, he received news that the Sokovia base had self-destructed.
Now that Dr. Smith was dead, if he wanted the Power Pill formula, he could only make a move against the president of Li Group.
"Garrett, what's the mission?"
A moment later, a handsome yet cold-looking young man pushed open the door and walked in.
Garrett looked at the young man and nodded.
"Not bad, Ward. I think more and more highly of you these days. Take a look at this."
As he spoke, he handed a stack of documents to the young man named Ward.
Ward took the documents and scanned them. At the top was a photo of a smiling Chinese man, with his detailed information below it.
Name: Li Chuan, Age: Twenty, Chairman of Li Group.
"Get the Power Pill formula and find out where the Power Pill came from. It's that simple."
Garrett gave the order.
Ward put away the documents and nodded.
"Understood."
As a top agent capable of dismantling a nuclear bomb, this mission was far too simple for him. The target was merely an ordinary businessman, at most with a few fairly skilled bodyguards.
Early in the morning, at the Li family's private airfield in Sokovia.
"Uncle Li, I'll leave the business here to you for the time being. Contact me anytime if there are any problems."
After briefly giving Uncle Li a few instructions, Li Chuan boarded his private plane with his wife Wanda and his brother-in-law Pietro.
The new medicine had already entered production, and Jack's preparations in New York were mostly complete. It was time to move to New York and claim those six months in a Minor World.
If he remembered correctly, the Chitauri alien invasion of Earth seemed to happen in 2012. There were not many years left until then. It would not be wise to neglect strengthening himself and place his fate entirely in the hands of the Avengers.
More importantly, his appearance had already created no small butterfly effect. No one could say what the future would become.
Scarlet Witch had become his wife and had not joined Hydra, while the Sokovia base the Avengers would have dealt with in Avengers 2 had already been blown up by him in advance.
Now that he was going to New York to complete missions and obtain rewards, who knew how much greater a change he would bring about.
But he felt all of it was worth it. Only by becoming strong himself could he seize the initiative. He could not always place his hopes on others.
Seven hours later, just as the plane landed, Li Chuan heard the mission notification from the panel in his ear.
"Side mission: Settle in New York completed. Six months of time have been issued and may be used to enter any Minor World for six months."
"Finally, I can cultivate again!"
Although he could practice ninjutsu in Marvel World, it was ultimately very inconvenient. If he did not go to the base, he might be discovered if he was not careful.
And practicing ninjutsu was the same as practicing martial arts. No matter how hard one trained alone, one could never become a master. Only real combat could improve one's strength more quickly.
The Monk Ninjas of the Fire Temple were not strong precisely because they stayed inside the temple and trained themselves to death.
Look at the ninjas of the five Great Ninja Villages. Which powerful ninja had not fought their way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood? Many had experienced brutal wars, and even the younger generation had plenty of difficult missions to temper themselves.
Li Chuan simply could not find anyone in the main world to help him hone his ninjutsu. Other than Chakra, his progress in every other aspect had been slow.
Once I reach the new house, I'll immediately go to the Naruto world to train.
On the way to his new home after getting off the plane, Li Chuan listened to Jack's report on the situation in New York while silently making his decision.
However, at that moment, he suddenly caught sight of a news report playing on a screen mounted to a building outside the car window.
"Breaking news! According to the latest information, Tony Stark, the CEO of Stark Industries and renowned playboy, has been confirmed missing in Afghanistan."
"At two o'clock yesterday afternoon, Tony Stark... Please continue following the Daily Bugle for further updates. I'm your favorite host, J. Jonah Jameson."
"I didn't expect to see such good news the moment we entered New York."
Wanda, sitting beside Li Chuan, also noticed the news report outside the car window. Her mood instantly improved considerably.
Although she had already let go of her hatred for Tony Stark, she still could not help feeling a little schadenfreude upon hearing such news.
At the same time, a new side mission notification sounded in Li Chuan's ear once again.
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