The Hydra's List

"Sir, is there anything else you need?" William asked, turning back while suppressing the tension in his heart.

Pierce smiled, picked up the empty wine bottle, and said, "Tell the service department that I'm out of wine here, and have them send up a fresh bottle of whiskey."

"Yes, sir." William's heart nearly jumped out of his chest. He hurried out of the office, feeling that the situation had been far too dangerous; thankfully, he hadn't been discovered. He glanced at the wine glass in the trash bag—Pierce's fingerprint had been successfully stolen!

A few days ago, Coulson had taught William the method for lifting fingerprints. First, one needs an original print—the fingerprint of the target. People leave many fingerprints in their daily lives, such as on glass, doorknobs, or the mobile phone one carries around.

After obtaining the original print, it must be preserved intact. The professional method involves brushing colored powder over the print, as the powder makes the ridges stand out more clearly.

However, this material is hard to find, and even S.H.I.E.L.D. doesn't have much of it. The simplest method is to use transparent tape.

Transparent tape is ubiquitous and easy to carry. By sticking the tape onto the fingerprint and gently peeling it off, one can obtain a complete print.

The next steps involve photographing the fingerprint. If one has the equipment, laser printing after image processing is the most reliable method, but that is far too troublesome.

Coulson taught William a more convenient way: all it takes is a small bottle of silicone, a metal ring the size of a ring, and a lighter.

First, place the metal ring over the tape; this is to secure the fingerprint inside. Then, pour the silicone into the ring, being careful not to let it overflow.

The most critical step comes next: hold them over a flame. Even with a powerful lighter, it takes some time.

Once the silicone has completely cured, peel it off the metal ring, and the job is done. William couldn't help but feel he had seen this method in a movie before, though he couldn't quite recall which one.

The USB drive, having been hacked by Sombra, had its protection programs essentially destroyed. He didn't need to worry about being caught by Hydra; only the final level-two password remained before he could fully unlock the secrets within.

Now that he had the replicated fingerprint, all he needed was a computer!

S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, the Triskelion, had plenty of computers, but they were all connected to the building's main system. Every move he made would be monitored, and he knew this USB drive could not be discovered by anyone from S.H.I.E.L.D. or Hydra.

After wandering for a long time, he found a dusty utility room filled with discarded computers—some were completely broken, but others looked like they might still function.

The place was so cluttered that he knew few people would ever come here. He quickly ducked inside and locked the door.

Although the computers before him were old, they could barely boot up and were still capable of reading data.

William plugged in the USB drive. With a ding, the drive lit up with a purple glow—the color left by Sombra's hack, signifying that it was now safe to use.

To be honest, he wasn't sure if the fingerprint he'd lifted was the correct one, but he had no choice but to try his luck.

The familiar Hydra opening animation played; the fingerprint was correct. The hidden storage space finally revealed its true face—the Ghost File!

"What a strange name..." William opened the Ghost File in confusion, finding only a spreadsheet inside. He opened it, and names immediately flooded his vision. It was a list.

A list of Hydra members!

The list contained many names, all of them members of Hydra.

At the very top was the shadow within S.H.I.E.L.D., Alexander Pierce. There was no need to elaborate on him; on the surface, he was the Secretary of S.H.I.E.L.D., responsible for liaising with the World Security Council, but in reality, he was the boss of Hydra.

Next was Sitwell, that bald man. His level within S.H.I.E.L.D. was also six, and he was Pierce's most loyal subordinate. He had appeared quite a bit in the movies and didn't seem like a bad guy; who would have thought he was actually Hydra?

Brock Rumlow, the captain of the S.H.I.E.L.D. Strike Team and an elite agent who had clashed with Captain America many times—the future Crossbones.

John Garrett, a level-eight S.H.I.E.L.D. agent with high-level clearance. In reality, however, he was The Clairvoyant, a Hydra mole embedded in S.H.I.E.L.D., providing intelligence to the outside Hydra and disrupting S.H.I.E.L.D.'s operations.

Grant Ward. William had complex feelings about this character—a mix of love and hate. He seemed so much like a hero within S.H.I.E.L.D., yet who could have guessed he would eventually turn evil? He had been groomed by The Clairvoyant, lying in wait for the day S.H.I.E.L.D. would fall.

There were many other names, some of which William had never even heard of. It seemed S.H.I.E.L.D. had long since been riddled with Hydra rot; eighty percent of the entire organization consisted of Hydra agents.

Beyond the Hydra members within S.H.I.E.L.D., William also saw names of Hydra members from the outside world.

Daniel Whitehall, originally named Reinhardt. A subordinate of Red Skull and a Hydra scientist. After World War II, he had been imprisoned but was released due to S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Project Paperclip. He had used Inhuman organs to regain his youth and had been researching Inhumans and the Obelisk ever since.

"Reinhardt, do you want a hammer?" William couldn't help but quip, then continued reading.

Sunil Bakshi, Dr. Whitehall's subordinate, skilled in interrogation and brainwashing. William couldn't remember much else, but he recalled that the man's accent was quite interesting.

Among the entire Hydra list, one name caught his attention.

Gideon Malick, the final leader of Hydra and one of the members of the World Security Council, shrouded in mystery. He understood all the historical background and data regarding Hydra, worshipping the ancient Inhuman Hive as a god. He had gone to great lengths to bring Hive back, only to discover that what he had found was not a god, but a demon!

"William, you have successfully completed the hidden mission: Mission Impossible. Congratulations on receiving an experience reward. Rewards obtained: Loot Box x1, Gold Coins x400."

Just as William finished reading the entire Hydra list, Athena's voice rang out.

No wonder Hydra was willing to destroy the entire Skull Gang just to cover up the secrets of the Ghost File. Who could have imagined that this file contained a list of Hydra's members!

From S.H.I.E.L.D. to the global stage, from the World Security Council to the U.S. Congress, every Hydra name was recorded here. If this information were leaked, Hydra would be completely exposed, and the entire world would fall into unprecedented chaos.

William had actually hesitated about whether to hand the Ghost File over to Nick Fury. With this list, Nick Fury could eliminate all of Hydra, preventing the later fall of S.H.I.E.L.D., Project Insight, and even disasters like the return of Hive.

But he immediately dismissed the thought. He dared not imagine the impact and changes it would bring to the Marvel world if Hydra were fully exposed right now.

A butterfly flapping its wings in the tropical rainforests of the Amazon basin in South America can occasionally trigger a tornado in Texas two weeks later.

Once the Hydra list was exposed, it would be enough to change the entire Marvel world!

He dared not take that risk. William's advantage was his foreknowledge of the cinematic universe's plot and the events that were about to unfold. If the whole world changed because of his actions, he would lose that advantage forever.

No, the Hydra list could not be given to anyone!

He decided that he would keep the Ghost File safe and hidden from everyone. Because there were many names on the list he had never even heard of, this would provide him with a new advantage, allowing him to maintain dominance in the Marvel world.

After hiding the Ghost File, William carefully stepped out of the utility room. Acting like a thief, he looked left and right to ensure no one had spotted him before turning to leave.

Just then, Coulson appeared in the hallway. He happened to see William walking out of the utility room.

"William, why are you here? I've been looking for you for ages!"

The Green Giant is about to go online~