Hydra's Secret Schemes!

"Pierce! You have to give me an explanation!" The decision to send those Animal Warriors to rescue Bucky was not Baron Strucker's own initiative, but rather a result of pressure from Alexander Pierce.

After all, Alexander Pierce is now the most powerful faction within Hydra. Even if he hasn't truly unified Hydra, he is still the most important person in charge. Normally, the other Hydra branches would cooperate with him to some extent.

Of course, this is also related to the fact that Baron Strucker initially didn't think the Animal Warriors would be in trouble...

However, since his Animal Warriors had already suffered losses, Baron Strucker was determined to shift the blame; otherwise, it would be too much of a loss for him to bear the burden alone!

"So, did you bring the Winter Soldier back?" Alexander Pierce was silent for a moment, listening to Baron Strucker's complaints, before slowly asking.

"Whether it was brought back or not, don't you know? The Winter Soldier has a tracking device in his arm..." Baron Strucker replied instinctively.

"Then why are you calling me that here?!" Alexander Pierce interrupted Baron Strucker instantly, his voice carrying a hint of authority and anger. Even through the phone, Alexander Pierce's powerful aura could still be felt!

As the most important person in charge of Hydra today, and one of the key figures who helped Hydra formulate its development and expansion plan, making Hydra the size it is today, Alexander Pierce usually keeps a low profile, but when he truly unleashes his power, it is something no one wants to face!

In particular, the other branches of Hydra each have their own methods, but no one knows what kind of trump cards Alexander Pierce has up his sleeve, after all, Alexander Pierce now sits in one of the most powerful positions in the world!

With such a high position, access to countless intelligence, countless people working for him, and knowledge of numerous extraordinary secrets, would Alexander Pierce possibly have any trump cards up his sleeve? Impossible!

Therefore, when Alexander Pierce unleashed his power, even though he was very displeased, Baron Strucker instinctively shut his mouth.

"Your Animal Warriors failed, can you train more? Looks like those guys are good as cannon fodder..." Seeing Baron Strucker fall silent, Alexander Pierce softened his tone and continued.

"It's not that simple. I've spent several years training these Animal Warriors, and now they've all been lost. The success rate of training Animal Warriors is just too low..." Baron Strucker said, somewhat unwillingly, as he came to his senses.

"Then can you still send your men to continue the operation and capture the Winter Soldier?" Alexander Pierce paused again before asking.

"I don't have many Super Soldier left, and Super Soldier strength is far inferior to the Animal Warriors. Even the Animal Warriors have failed. Sending these Super Soldier out would only be suicide!" Baron Strucker immediately rejected Alexander Pierce's suggestion. What a joke! Even if you're a key figure in Hydra, you can't keep exploiting him like this. He only has a handful of usable subordinates. If he really runs out of them, how will he survive?

"Let's forget about it then!" Alexander Pierce thought for a moment, then made the decision. "He's just an ordinary Super Soldier. Although he's slightly stronger than a regular Super Soldier, he's not among the strongest super soldiers..."

"At worst, we can find a few Super Soldier, modify them, spend some money, and give them two metal arms as well, ensuring their combat power is even stronger than the Winter Soldier!"

Back in the days when Captain America and Hydra were active, a single Super Soldier was enough to strike fear into the hearts of the rest of Hydra. But the Hydra of today is different.

For Hydra now, while the success rate of the Super Soldier Serum is still low, they have each trained a considerable number of Super Soldier. Furthermore, with more and more extraordinary powers coming to their attention, the combat power of Super Soldier is no longer considered significant in their eyes...

Even Bucky, the Winter Soldier with an extra metal arm, only wanted to bring Bucky back because he was used to using it and worried about revealing some secrets.

After all, Hydra has witnessed a great deal of supernatural power over the years. Talisman supernatural items like talismans, even the Hulk, Abomination, Great Ape, Iron Man, and Superman of the last two years—aren't they all far more powerful than mere Super Soldier?

In this era, Super Soldier have returned to their original purpose: to train a group of more capable soldiers who obey orders.

Only special Super Soldier like John Walker, capable of lifting ten tons, can garner even a modicum of attention. After all, Times Have Changed; Captain America and the like are outdated in Hydra's eyes...

Unbeknownst to Hydra, the old man they considered obsolete had rekindled his fighting spirit and was ready to continue the battle against Hydra!

Soon, the conference call between the Hydra leaders ended. A hint of resentment flashed in Baron Strucker's eyes. He certainly couldn't accept losing a group of Animal Warriors for nothing without any compensation, but he couldn't bring himself to actually turn against Baron Strucker Alexander Pierce, who was displaying a tough stance...

"It seems the time has come!" At the same time, Valmont, who had witnessed Alexander Pierce's imposing presence, had a glint in his eyes. He looked at Hak foo beside him and said, "Go, I've prepared a private jet for you. Bring Baron Strucker back. Remember to be careful; a guy like him might have some hidden cards up his sleeve!"

"I won't lose to a clerical worker!" A hint of disdain flashed in Hak foo's eyes as he said in a deep voice, "Besides, I'm not the same person I used to be. That serum is very effective; I'm much stronger than before!"

"It's better to be careful. Since he was able to create so many Animal Warriors through the Monkey Talisman, who can know what improvements he made to himself?" Valmont shook his head and looked at Hak foo seriously.

"I remember you once told me that the most taboo thing for a martial arts master is arrogance and looking down on others. A martial arts master can be proud, but he cannot be arrogant..."

"I'm sorry, boss, I got a little cocky. That serum seems to have a mind-altering effect..." Hak foo's expression hardened upon hearing Valmont's words, and then he realized something and spoke with a serious expression.

"In history, only one person has been able to perfectly accept the serum without being affected. Others have been affected to some extent. However, that person was only unaffected in terms of mentality. Apart from that, his strength is not considered impressive by today's Super Soldier standards..." Valmont waved his hand dismissively, then gave another instruction.

"Be careful. I'm worried that Baron Strucker might still have some trump cards up his sleeve. If all else fails, try to lure him here by using the Alexander Pierce incident to provoke him. Don't be too rigid, understand?"

"And most importantly, we must bring back the Monkey Talisman. Even if we ultimately fail to bring Baron Strucker back, the Monkey Talisman must be kept safe!"

"Hak foo knows what to do!" Hak foo replied, then turned and left.

After witnessing the power of Kingpin, Robet, and other formidable figures, Hak foo underwent rigorous training. However, upon learning of his repeated failures to seize the Talisman, he decided to inject himself with the Super Soldier Serum to repay Valmont's kindness.

Valmont initially refused because the Super Soldier Serum was not guaranteed to be successful; it still had an extremely high lethality rate, and Valmont did not want one of his top generals to die in the laboratory.

After all, Valmont's plan was that once he obtained all the Talisman, he could try to improve the strength of his subordinates. To this end, he specifically transferred his closest subordinates, such as Zhou, Ratso, and Tohru, to clerical positions to prevent them from encountering any danger.

The trio of Ratso were alright, but Tohru and Hak foo were clearly not suited for such purely clerical jobs. Tohru went home on vacation, feeling dejected, and didn't return for a long time. Hak foo, on the other hand, was determined to inject himself with the Super Soldier Serum to enhance his abilities...

In the end, Valmont reluctantly agreed. Fortunately, Hak foo not only succeeded, but also seemed to become even stronger, surpassing all the records Valmont knew about Super Soldier. Hak foo's combat performance was even stronger than those Animal Warriors!

Valmont didn't know if it was because Hak foo's will was stronger or because he was a martial arts master, but having another powerful subordinate was definitely a good thing for Valmont, especially in this operation against Baron Strucker...

This operation was Valmont's final preparation. Before obtaining all the Talisman, Valmont needed to deal with Baron Strucker, an unstable factor, so that he could safely retrieve the Talisman Valmont, and even, after restraining Baron Strucker, allow Baron Strucker to continue researching the Rat Talisman and other Talisman!

"The Demon Sorcerer is now completely asleep. I've tested him many times during this period, but he hasn't made a move. He must have been weakened during the last riot. This is undoubtedly my opportunity!" After Hak foo left, Valmont looked in the direction of the secret chamber where the Demon Sorcerer was and began to plan.

"The Rat Talisman is with the DEO. Although we sent out Shadowkhan to alert them, they didn't move the Rat Talisman Rat Talisman, nor did they seem interested in studying it. In their eyes, the Rat Talisman is just an extraordinary artifact..."

"Their attitude will make it easier for me to steal the Rat Talisman. After all, I've replaced several mid-level personnel from the DEO with my own people. They have access to the Rat Talisman and are just waiting for my order to act!"

"As for the nine Talisman —the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Rooster, and Pig—they're all in Section 13. My people have already infiltrated that area. The Monkey Talisman is with Strucker. If Hak foo's operation goes smoothly, he can bring the Monkey Talisman back..."

"And finally, there's only one Dog Talisman left. Nick Fury, right? This guy is a bit troublesome. We'll have to wait for an opportunity. After all, none of my people can infiltrate his inner circle and gain his trust, and Alexander Pierce's men won't obey my orders. It'll be quite difficult to snatch the Dog Talisman from him!"

"However, it's not entirely without a chance. After all, he can't stay in S.H.I.E.L.D.. forever, and Alexander Pierce's subordinates won't obey my orders, but passing on some intelligence between them shouldn't be a problem..."

"But to prevent Nick Fury from also keeping an eye on the Talisman, we must act simultaneously to avoid being discovered in advance. Once Hak foo brings the Monkey Talisman back, we can notify all three parties to choose a time to act together!"

Let's adjust the update schedule. Five updates a day will mean around 2100 words per chapter, with the same timing. Three updates a day will mean around 3500 words per chapter, at 00:08, 12:08, and 20:08. Let's see how the three-update-per-chapter strategy works first. Subscriptions have been quite low lately. If this continues, even if we reach the word count, the average subscription rate will drop below the standard for climbing the rankings, let alone updating more to try and climb the charts.

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