Smearing the Dead
"Marvel's Magnetic Field Rotation"
"Let's postpone this for a bit," Nick Fury stopped Wei Xiuming from his plan.
"What, does your S.H.I.E.L.D.. also have traitors, holding high positions and using their power to resell S.H.I.E.L.D.. resources and even intelligence for profit, and even plan their escape route?" Wei Xiuming casually complained.
Nick Fury found a chair and sat down, asking, "Does your research team have such low-level petty thieves?"
He was adept at embezzling funds, and there was nothing suspicious about it on the books. The method Wei Xiuming described was far too rudimentary; it could be detected without any investigation. Moreover, Wei Xiuming was only responsible for the Osborn Group's research and development work; he wasn't in charge of the company's operations. Furthermore, the differences in the times had shaped his perception, making Wei Xiuming not particularly concerned about money. But the fact that he had discovered this meant that the other party had gone too far.
Conglomerate B was just starting out, but in order to create a sense of realism, it had everything it should have. This office belonging to "Baron Zemo" was very well decorated, with no shortage of office supplies such as paper and pens, as well as high-tech devices. Wei Xiuming took out paper and pen and started writing and drawing.
"Yes, there is one. Richard Parker couple died unexpectedly, and his team was disbanded and reassigned to other research institutions. The equipment was distributed to other laboratories, and the research data was sealed. But a few days ago, the person in charge of the equipment sent a report and found that some of the equipment did not match the purchase list. Many expensive pieces of equipment that are prohibited from sale in certain regions are missing." Wei Xiuming said while casually scribbling.
"As luck would have it, all that equipment previously belonged to Richard Parker's research group. The Osborn Group nearly went broke due to the procurement of that equipment. Later, the lab was disbanded, and nobody cared about it anymore, until someone suddenly came across the Osborn Group's procurement list and discovered it."
Wei Xiuming knew where those devices went, because they had come from his hands and were now in the hands of the SHOCKER organization. Some were under the control of Doctor Death, while others were allocated to the Leader.
However, through their manipulations, they shifted the blame for the loss onto Richard Parker, since the dead can't defend themselves.
"What are those devices used for?" Although he trusted his old friend completely, one can never truly know another's heart, and while the Parker couple had avenged their great grudge, the cause of their deaths was too suspicious.
The vampire who made the move had no connection to Richard Parker, but the phone records left before the plane crash indicated that the vampire was after the couple. Why would it do that?
Wei Xiuming thought for a moment and said, "In my hands, we can do some cloning work and produce bio-engineered humans at a relatively low speed. For others, it can be used for gene research and editing, as well as cultivating specific organisms. If the raw materials are sufficient and the technology is up to par, we can even create bio-engineered weapons of mass destruction."
"As for the person he's trading with... please see." Wei Xiuming stopped writing and showed Nick Fury the finished design on the paper, just as he had drawn the SHOCKER logo before.
It was a skull, a skull wrapped with several octopus tentacles, the symbol of Hydra.
"The key part of the data left behind by Richard Parker was written in cipher, which no one but him could decipher. Even his team members couldn't recreate Richard Parker's technology, which is why it was sealed away." Wei Xiuming continued shamelessly to smear the dead, "And coincidentally, those devices could completely replicate the arthropods that Richard Parker bred, providing enhanced power to carriers of specific genes."
Upon seeing that symbol, Nick Fury instantly understood many things, yet also became confused.
It's an undeniable fact that Hydra exists within S.H.I.E.L.D..; the salaries paid to those purged each year amount to a huge sum, a fact that Nick Fury finds painfully painful. So why couldn't his friend Richard Parker be a potential Hydra...? Even if he was Hydra, couldn't his wife Hydra?
After prolonged contact, even if it's just whispering in someone's ear, it would be difficult for Richard Parker not to betray him.
As for the claim that he deliberately delayed the completion of the research for the sake of world peace and to prevent his technology from being misused, Nick Fury thought it was just his old friend's naive idea. Now he wondered if he was deliberately putting on an act to deceive him, and that his real purpose was to transfer the technology to Hydra and prevent his side from obtaining it.
Just like in Inception, once the seed of doubt is planted, it will take root, sprout, and grow strong on its own, even if left unattended.
Nick Fury is a suspicious person by nature. How could he not think of things from the worst possible perspective when faced with something that is merely a coincidence?
"What, you're familiar with this symbol?" Looking at Nick Fury's contorted face, Wei Xiuming asked, pretending not to know about Hydra. They had just given them a Biochemical cyborg, and there was a second contestant waiting for modification surgery.
"Hydra," Nick Fury gritted his teeth as he uttered the word, then continued, "a long-established evil organization that once collaborated with Hitler during World War II, ultimately defeated by the Allies... But just like their propaganda of 'cutting off one head and growing two,' Hydra has split into multiple factions that remain active to this day, with one even lurking within S.H.I.E.L.D.."
"No wonder." Wei Xiuming shrugged, indicating that he understood why Nick Fury didn't want the technology in his Iron Man suit.
Suddenly, Nick Fury seemed to remember something and asked Wei Xiuming, "Don't you have any memories of Hydra from your time?"
Wei Xiuming said blankly, "No, to be honest, if it weren't for so many things that are similar to what I remember, I would have wondered if I had come to a parallel universe. What I know about World War II is so different from what you have in your history books."
"In the history of my birth era, the United States only formally joined World War II when the war was almost over. Then, as a victorious nation, it set its own rules for the world and has always been the most unstable factor threatening world peace. However, its military power is too strong, and no one dares to challenge its authority."
"The United States has always warned people of other nationalities that peace and war are controlled by it, and that they should not resist its culture, its finance, or its hegemony. Peace is hard-won; otherwise, they will only face endless war."