Ghost File

The top floor of the Triskelion, S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, housed the office of Alexander Pierce.

Pierce sat at his desk, his face etched with worry. Ever since the Ghost File went missing, he had been deeply anxious, fearing that Hydra's secrets would be discovered and their true identities exposed.

Yet, so much time had passed, and nothing had happened. In such a situation, there were only two possibilities: either that person had no intention of exposing their secrets, or they had yet to crack the encryption on the Ghost File.

Pierce naturally leaned toward the second possibility. One had to understand that the Ghost File was protected by two layers of encryption and a self-destruct mechanism; no one should be able to unlock the secrets within.

However, caution is the parent of safety. In the event that someone actually managed to bypass Hydra's traps, they had to be prepared.

Just as he was lost in thought, a bald agent knocked and walked in.

"Agent Sitwell, is there something you need?" Pierce slowly looked up; the man who had entered was indeed Sitwell.

Sitwell replied with a solemn expression, "Sir, General Ross and Tony Stark have reached an agreement. In the name of the military, he has purchased a large quantity of arms and weapons from Stark Industries, including a special type of weapon."

"What kind of weapon?" Pierce asked curiously.

"The newly developed Sonic Cannon," Sitwell said. "This weapon inflicts massive damage on the human body, can cause metal to resonate and warp, and can instantly level a building..."

Pierce smiled and said, "I assume this isn't intended for use against ordinary people."

"Correct," Sitwell replied with a helpless expression. "It's all to deal with that big guy."

"Hulk?" Pierce raised his glass. "I must say, Ross has created a true monster!"

Sitwell continued, "General Ross has requested that we, S.H.I.E.L.D., assist the military in capturing the Hulk."

"He thinks it's all so simple. If it were an ordinary enemy, we might agree. But the opponent is the Hulk; that's a thankless job. Go and tell him we will give it serious consideration," Pierce replied.

Sitwell nodded. At that moment, he took off his glasses and wiped them with a cleaning cloth.

This was their secret signal—the signal of Hydra. What followed could not be known by others!

"Seal the office."

Protective panels rose from the floor-to-ceiling windows and walls, instantly sealing the entire room. Pierce took a sip of his drink and said, "Sitwell, how is the investigation I tasked you with going?"

"I apologize. I still haven't found any leads on the Ghost File," Sitwell sighed.

Following the destruction of the Skull Gang and the disappearance of the Ghost File, the Hydra members within S.H.I.E.L.D. had severed contact with the outside world for a time to avoid drawing Nick Fury's attention, only resuming communication in recent days.

This had led the Hydra members outside to wonder if Pierce and his group had been exposed and secretly dealt with by Nick Fury.

As Hydra resumed operations, Pierce had also tasked Sitwell with investigating leads on the Ghost File.

"Idiot!" Pierce's face changed instantly upon hearing Sitwell's words.

He knew the secrets within the Ghost File were of the utmost importance; if they were leaked, they would be in serious trouble!

"However, we have been secretly vetting those in the military based on that sketch. Although there are many of them, it won't be long before we have results," Sitwell said hurriedly.

"You lot are quite clever..." Pierce smiled.

The next moment, his expression shifted. He picked up his glass, intending to smash it at Sitwell. Having learned his lesson from last time, Sitwell instinctively tried to dodge, but Pierce said coldly, "Did I tell you to move?"

Sitwell thought to himself, If I don't move, am I just supposed to wait for you to hit me? Before he could react, the glass smashed against his bald head. The wine spilled out, soaking his clothes and the floor.

The glass hit the sofa first before rolling onto the floor, where it developed several cracks.

"A bunch of fools!" Pierce said, his expression furious. "Are you trying to draw the military's attention?"

"No, no, sir," Sitwell hurriedly explained. "The military has been busy with the Hulk lately. General Ross and his men have no energy to pay attention to our movements..."

Sitwell walked out of the office looking miserable. He had just been severely reprimanded by Pierce and ordered to find leads on the Ghost File within a week. But finding that thing was harder than finding a needle in a haystack, making him feel like his head was going to go bald.

Wait, he was already bald.

Sitwell was furious. Not far away, he saw a logistics worker cleaning the floor. The person was wearing white work clothes, a white cleaning cap, and a mask, leaving only their eyes visible.

Such logistics staff held the lowest status in S.H.I.E.L.D.

"You, come here!" Sitwell said with a hostile tone.

The cleaner looked up, set down their broom, and said with a look of surprise, "Sir, what happened to your head?"

Sitwell froze for a moment. He touched the bump on his head, wincing in pain.

This Pierce is truly detestable. Every time he gets angry, he smashes his glass against my head, and he doesn't even let me dodge. So what if I'm bald? Does being bald mean you can just smash things on me?

"Mind your own business!" Sitwell glared at the person and said, "Go clean the Director's office. He just knocked over his glass; get it cleaned up as soon as possible!"

"Yes, sir," the person nodded immediately.

Once Sitwell was far away, the person rubbed their hands together and said, "After waiting so long, the opportunity has finally arrived!"

Who was this person? Naturally, it was William, disguised as a janitor.

Ever since the "Mission: Impossible" hidden task was triggered, he had been trying to find a way to get close to Pierce's office. Through his research, he learned that the World Security Council was on the top floor.

If he went there as a S.H.I.E.L.D. consultant, it would certainly arouse suspicion. Besides, Coulson would have been following him.

He had finally managed to shake off Coulson and disguised himself to sweep the floors nearby, hoping to try his luck. He hadn't expected the opportunity to come so soon. Seeing the large bump on Sitwell's head, he figured it must have been Pierce who did it.

Just like that, William successfully entered Pierce's office. Pierce was sitting at his desk, deep in thought. Seeing William walk straight in, he immediately asked, "Who told you to come in?"

"Agent Sitwell told me to come in and clean!" William said quickly. He scanned the room, wondering how he could steal Pierce's fingerprints. Should I knock him out? No, that would expose me.

Hearing the name Sitwell, Pierce felt his temper flare. That guy might be obedient and honest, but he wasn't smart in the slightest.

He was even starting to hesitate now, wondering if he should find an opportunity to kill him and replace him with a smarter subordinate.

William wiped up the spilled wine from the floor. Just as he was at his wit's end, he noticed the glass wine cup rolling on the ground. It had already cracked, but with the help of the sunlight streaming through the window, he faintly caught sight of a mark on the surface of the glass.

It was Pierce's fingerprint!

He knew that the level-two password for the Ghost File required a fingerprint to unlock. He had disguised himself exactly for the purpose of finding a way to obtain Pierce's print, as he was, after all, the Hydra boss hidden within S.H.I.E.L.D.

If a fingerprint was truly required, it had to be his.

He calmly collected the wine cup into a trash bag. Since the cup was already broken, Pierce would likely let him take it away. However, he didn't rush to leave; instead, he cleaned the entire office.

"Working so diligently," Pierce couldn't help but remark. "You're new, aren't you?"

William nodded and said, "It is my honor, sir!"

Pierce smiled slightly, and William smiled back, though his smile was incredibly fake—not that it mattered, as the mask hid it from view.

Having finally finished cleaning the room, William wanted to leave without a moment's delay, but just as he reached the door, Pierce suddenly called out to him, "Wait a moment!"

William's body stiffened instantly. Pierce was a Hydra boss, different from the villains he had encountered before. If the man discovered anything amiss, he was a dead man!

Good morning~