He's Here!

Beside Heisenberg, Rumlow and Eliza were equally stunned by the alien Arida.

But beyond the shock, they quickly calmed down.

After all, with an alien like Heisenberg setting the bar, what was this ugly, weak alien in comparison?

So they both turned to Heisenberg, waiting for his decision.

And that's when they saw the current Heisenberg—

The one lying in his chair like a salted fish.

"Huh?"

Rumlow blinked. How had their newly acknowledged boss turned into this?

Was it that Kryptonians feared not just Kryptonite, but also green?

If Heisenberg could hear Rumlow's thoughts, he'd definitely nod in agreement.

These days, no one—man or woman—wanted a green glow over their head.

"Boss!"

Rumlow called softly to Heisenberg, who finally snapped out of his daze.

He looked at the alien before him with a helpless expression and asked, "Judging by your look, a Skrull?

How long have you been on Earth?"

"I arrived on Earth just two days ago. Nick Fury sees you as a threat, so he reached a temporary agreement with Talos, the interim leader of us Skrull refugees."

"Oh!!!"

Heisenberg nodded and continued, "Since he has an agreement with you, why are you seeking my protection?"

"I must admit, sir, the one allied with us is Nick Fury in his capacity as Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., but S.H.I.E.L.D. is no more!"

As she spoke, Arida began describing S.H.I.E.L.D.'s current situation to the group.

After the explanation, Heisenberg nodded in understanding.

He looked at Rumlow and asked quietly, "You heard that, right? The situation's just as I guessed—the war between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra has fully begun."

"Exactly, Boss. This war might drag on for days. I think I should set off soon to carry out our plan!"

With that, Rumlow decisively left with Eliza.

Once they were gone, Heisenberg turned to Arida.

"It's not impossible to establish relations with you Skrulls, but I'll say this upfront—I won't interfere in the war between S.H.I.E.L.D. and Hydra!"

At that, Arida knelt helplessly.

She stayed there on one knee before Heisenberg, silent.

Heisenberg thought it over as he looked at her.

He really didn't know enough about the universe in the Marvel Universe, and the Skrulls could help him in the backstabbing department.

The reason he refused to act was that he'd just told Coulson he wouldn't help S.H.I.E.L.D., and he absolutely wouldn't break his word.

So, he'd send a sufficiently powerful subordinate to get involved!

"Arida!"

Heisenberg suddenly spoke.

"I can save your people, but I need confirmed news of Nick Fury's death. Can you manage that?"

The moment he finished, Arida instantly grasped his meaning.

She nodded rapidly, blurting out without hesitation, "No problem. Nick Fury will die in public, and we'll survive!"

"Good, but that's just the start. I need Nick Fury to appear before me—the real Nick Fury. Understand?"

"Yes. Without S.H.I.E.L.D.'s power, even if Nick Fury has a few secret bases left, it's not enough to cooperate with the Skrull Empire. We'll deliver him to you!"

"Excellent!"

Heisenberg was satisfied.

Since the alien was so cooperative, Heisenberg wouldn't be stingy either.

"Where are your Skrull refugees staying now?"

"We've temporarily set up a small base on the Moon."

"Heh. That barren, lifeless moon? Forget it."

Go back and tell Talos: as long as you fight for me as agreed, I'll give you a sufficiently excellent ecological planet.

You can choose the planet yourselves—even if you pick Thanos's territory, I'll help you take it and provide you with shelter!"

"This...!!!"

Arida was overjoyed on the spot, but before she could smile, she saw Heisenberg stand up from the stool.

At that moment, Heisenberg's Biological Field formed a colorless domain around him.

Arida, caught inside the field, felt as if struck by a thunderbolt and collapsed to the ground.

She barely adjusted her posture to keep Heisenberg in sight.

In her eyes, Heisenberg, like a demon god, spoke in a low voice.

"The power Thanos has, I also have.

The qualities Thanos possesses, I also possess.

But there's one difference between us: I won't treat traitors the way he does!"

With that, Heisenberg let out a cold laugh.

"Hmph, randomly wiping out half of a race's population—that kind of act can be undone within a few generations.

Compared to his meaningless order, I prefer to refine the dross and keep the essence.

Keep everything that satisfies me, remove everything that displeases me.

Once those races are completely gone, the universe naturally gains population space.

Don't you think so?"

"Yes!"

Arida trembled all over as she nodded, then, bearing immense pressure, she crawled to her feet and prostrated herself before Heisenberg in submission.

Heisenberg withdrew his Biological Field and simply waved a hand at Arida.

"Go down to the Nightclub and find a woman named Jessica. Tell her it's my order to have her escort your people back here!"

"Understood!"

Arida finally found a trace of joy again, but even so, she no longer dared to face Heisenberg directly.

She scrambled up awkwardly and rushed to the hole she'd shot through the floor, jumping back into the Nightclub.

With that, Heisenberg finally had some free time tonight. He took a couple of sips of wine and thought about heading back to his recliner to rest.

But then it hit him—his favorite recliner was gone!

He sighed in frustration and ended up lying down on another recliner.

What do you do when your favorite is gone? Cultivate a new favorite.

A true heartbreaker!

No sooner had he lain down than his men rushed up to clean the place, first wiping away the bloodstains, then repairing the ceiling.

As he watched them work, Heisenberg's mind churned.

These Hydra agents were far more decisive than the ones in the movies.

What the hell was Alexander Pierce thinking?

As the former Director of S.H.I.E.L.D. and now the head of Hydra's American branch, Alexander Pierce was also keeping a close eye on the Purple Man.

Heisenberg's appearance had not only sounded an alarm for S.H.I.E.L.D. but had also made Hydra deeply wary.

So...

When Pierce personally heard those agents in the video claiming to be Hydra...

His state of mind was no better than Nick Fury's.

Then John Garrett's declaration of war practically cornered him into a dead end!

What was he supposed to do?

How should he choose?

Should he rise up immediately and launch a full-scale assault on S.H.I.E.L.D.?

Or should he side with S.H.I.E.L.D. again, suppress John Garrett first, and then bide his time?

No, no, no—that wasn't a choice; that was a foregone conclusion.

He could no longer bide his time!

John Garrett, one of his most trusted subordinates, had worked with him for over thirty years.

Back when Pierce was still the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D., he had already taken Garrett under his wing and handed over most of his elite mobile forces to him.

He had no way to retreat, because if he lost all of Garrett's power, he would never be able to launch a full counteroffensive against S.H.I.E.L.D. again!

Time was of the essence—he had to act now!

"Dr. Zola!"

He immediately contacted Zola, who had already transformed into a sentient digital lifeform.

"Lock down all of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s networks, revoke all privilege levels across the board, especially any permissions tied to Nick Fury, and declare to every Hydra member: the war has begun!"

The moment he finished speaking, Zola hung up the phone.

Right after that, Pierce's phone buzzed with a text message.

It contained only a single short line of letters.

"Hail Hydra!"

After closing the message, Pierce made his second call.

"Sitwell!"

He spoke into the phone.

"Release the Beast. By any means necessary. We need chaos more than S.H.I.E.L.D. does!"

"Understood. But aside from the Beast, what about Tony Stark? He's already joined the fight, right in Hell's Kitchen."

"Take them all out—Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow, and everyone following Nick Fury's orders!"

Smack!

He threw his phone to the floor, shattering it completely.

Sitwell listened to the dial tone on the line, then jumped up from his seat, his face tense with urgency.

He wasn't alone—over three hundred people in the entire office leaped up at the same time!

They had all received the war-start text simultaneously, and they sprang into action without a moment's delay.

"Hail Hydra!!!"

Someone shouted it first, and then the cry spread from the room to the hallway, up and down the floors, and throughout the entire Three-Winged Building.

The roar of "Hail Hydra" was deafening!

This was exactly why Heisenberg loved having an organization like Hydra under his command.

It was all about that unity and fanaticism.

Thrilling!

Gunfire grew louder and more relentless, and countless S.H.I.E.L.D. agents in the Three-Winged Building died without even knowing what hit them.

Meanwhile, the bald little Sitwell led two strike teams toward the place where the monster was being kept.

In less than five minutes, they reached their destination. Facing the seemingly ordinary door, Sitwell was so nervous that sweat was pouring down his face.

"Once we open the door, use flashbangs as a feint, then lure him to the Command Center and out onto the streets!

After that, the rest of you mobilize every flying asset we can get our hands on and launch a surprise attack on the White House!

The leader needs this country to descend into total chaos—and what could cause more chaos than the complete destruction of the highest administrative institution?"

With that, he waved his hand, and the strike team members immediately got to work.

Inside the room, Bruce Banner was still reading a book. He had no other pastimes; quiet reading was the greatest pursuit he could ask for.

His room was like a prison cell, cut off from any view of the outside world, and he couldn't hear a single sound from beyond the door.

Still, there was no risk of him developing psychological issues, because the room was exceptionally spacious. The ceiling projected a starry sky, and the windows adjusted to display the beauty of all four seasons in sync with Banner's heartbeat.

But the next second, the beauty vanished.

He looked around in confusion, thinking the projection equipment in his room had malfunctioned.

Then, he heard the door open.

The moment that door swung open, Banner heard countless gunshots, and his heart rate instantly spiked.

Right after that, over a dozen grenade-like objects landed around him.

And then...

The giant was unleashed!