What Has Long Been Divided Must Unite

Richard's voice was calm, without a single aggressive or threatening word, yet he seemed to have cowed every leader present. Not one of them dared speak up in opposition.

Or rather, they had been stunned by what he had done.

Even Gideon Malick was startled. Even he had not known his ancestor could do something like this. No one understood how Richard had done it. They had only seen their weapons rise into the air, disassemble, and vanish, like something out of a science-fiction film.

In the blink of an eye, everyone was unarmed again.

"Excellent. I believe we now have a solid foundation for a conversation," Richard said. "This is a good start. Like I said, we're all civilized people. There's no need for knives and guns. We should be rational and settle this peacefully whenever possible."

The Hydra leaders exchanged glances for a moment before Baron Zemo rose to his feet. "Fine. Since you put it that way, let's talk.

"I don't think the proposal just now is a good idea. The balance among Hydra's various factions has been maintained for many years. Each of us governs our own territory and takes responsibility for our own sphere. Hydra has prospered as it has today because everyone has done their own job. I don't believe this balance should be broken.

"Unified management has many drawbacks. One leader can hardly attend to everything. After all these years of development, every branch and department has its own system of management and operations. If changes are made, the organization may struggle to adapt to the new system, leading to reduced operational efficiency, loss of resources, and so on..."

At the old man's words, everyone inwardly sneered.

Everyone knew that before coming to this meeting, Baron Zemo had been plotting to become king.