Self-Exposure

Vampires have incredibly powerful physiques, and Blade, being a half-blood, is no exception. Even though he was severely injured by Pearl and fell unconscious for a time, and the KIVA system's toxins were enough to shorten an ordinary person's lifespan by half, he had already recovered after a night's rest and the administration of a special nutrient solution developed for his unique physiology.

After finishing his meeting with the two Hydra leaders, Wei Xiuming was sent back to the Osborn Industries park at top speed. He then spent half the day in the laboratory, manufacturing the follow-up upgrade items and weapons prepared for the KIVA system.

In the rest area designated for Blade's activities, Wei Xiuming placed an ancient and ornate longsword and a palm-sized box on the table. He said, "Regarding KIVA's power, how do you, the wearer, feel about it?"

Blade Warrior Brooks recalled for a moment and said, "It's strong. My strength, speed, endurance, agility, and defense have all significantly improved. The mechanical parts linked to my nerves provide a lot of auxiliary data—but against that mutated vampire, it was still not enough."

As a warrior, Blade did not hide his weaknesses. Facing one's flaws was the only way to become stronger. Furthermore, seeing the scientist's demeanor, Blade could clearly tell that he had anticipated this situation. The items on the table were obviously countermeasures.

Wei Xiuming then said, "I wasn't asking about that. Do you feel uncomfortable anywhere, like your body has been hollowed out? The KIVA system you have is only the initial version, much like a skin test hospitals perform before injecting certain medications to check for allergic reactions."

As he spoke, Wei Xiuming opened the box, revealing a red vial of liquid. "Since you feel fine, this neutralizing injection to remove negative effects can be saved. Take this sword. It serves as a weapon to complement the KIVA system and as an upgrade item—but please note, you can only draw it from its sheath after transforming. Otherwise, your body won't be able to withstand it."

Whistler interjected, asking, "Doctor, is this sword some kind of magical artifact, like King Arthur's Excalibur, which only someone with royal qualifications could pull from the stone?"

Wei Xiuming, dressed in a lab coat and gas mask, looked like a mad scientist, making his claims highly believable. He was far from the mythical witches who tinkered with various minerals, herbs, and living organisms.

"No, this is a perfect fusion of biotechnology and mechanical creation," Wei Xiuming explained. "The specific principles are beyond your current knowledge base, so just think of it as a filter. Through contact, it extracts the user's blood, filters out redundant components internally, and mixes in high-level toxins, doubling or even tripling the wearer's original physical capabilities."

"However, this is only for short bursts of power, much like anaerobic exercise. I can't say for sure what changes would occur with prolonged use, as there's a lack of biological testing and supporting data. But your hatred for vampires—you must have prepared yourself for certain things, right?"

Blade looked at the sword, remaining silent.

Meanwhile, back at S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Triskelion headquarters, Nick Fury stayed in his office, resting with his eyes closed on his leather sofa. In reality, he was organizing the information left by Agent Coulson from a parallel world to finalize his next steps.

After all, enemies were everywhere, and he didn't know whom to trust. The individuals who would become the Avengers were not yet well-known. Although Hawkeye and Black Widow were already working for him, their combat power would essentially be that of mascots given the future circumstances. Tony Stark, the playboy, had not yet undergone his life-altering transformation and lacked the resolve to become a superhero. The development of his iconic Iron Man suit was still nowhere in sight.

The Hulk, Bruce Banner, was still on the run, relentlessly pursued by General Ross. Without the destruction caused by the battle with Abomination, S.H.I.E.L.D. wouldn't have had the opportunity to clean up Ross's mess and save him from a court-martial, thereby dissuading him from pursuing the Hulk. Otherwise, they could have sent someone to the Arctic to dig up that old popsicle, Captain America.

The most critical task currently was to root out the Hydra elements within S.H.I.E.L.D., much like picking out fish bones when eating fish. Self-scrutiny was essential.

However, without a definitive list, initiating the investigation was a troublesome issue. If mishandled, it could turn into an investigation into Hydra's infiltration of S.H.I.E.L.D. conducted by Hydra agents under the surveillance of Hydra agents, with Hydra agents investigating Hydra agents. In the end, the outcome would likely be that nothing happened, and some S.H.I.E.L.D. agents might even be offered up as scapegoats.

Furthermore, further interrogation of Pearl yielded no useful information. After the initial questioning, it had revealed all the useful intelligence it possessed, including the origin of the Amazon Cells it had been injected with—a transaction between the non-pureblood Blood Clan member, Daken Fies, and other vampires.

As for other information regarding Amazon Cells, including their developer, Doctor Death, and the Shuka organization behind him, Pearl truly knew nothing. To obtain further information about Shuka, they would have to target Daken Fies.

Pearl, its usefulness drained, had already been taken for humane disposal.

A knock on the door interrupted Nick Fury's thoughts. He opened his eyes to see his old superior, Alexander Pierce, the big boss of the Hydra S.H.I.E.L.D. division, entering with a file folder.

Knowing his true identity, Nick Fury's vigilance reached its highest level. However, he maintained a facade of extreme enthusiasm, greeting him, "Hey, old friend, how did your talks with those World Security Council folks go? Was the vampire eradication plan approved? How much funding and manpower will they provide?"

Alexander Pierce, however, wore a stern expression, as if he had just discovered his newborn child resembled Nick Fury. "Our conversation from this point forward needs to be kept strictly confidential and classified as Level 10. No third party other than you and I can know."

Nick Fury's expression turned serious. Although he didn't know what this old Hydra agent was up to, he activated his office's jamming device. "What's happened?"

"A ghost. An organization we mistakenly believed was defeated and utterly destroyed. It's back. No, it never left." As he spoke, Pierce handed the file folder to Nick Fury.

Opening the folder and pulling out the documents, Nick Fury's eyes fell upon a large emblem on the first page, composed of red and black. It was a design of a skull intertwined with tentacles.

Then, Nick Fury and Pierce spoke the meaning of the emblem in unison.

"Hydra!"