[Law of Conservation of Superpowers]

"Trash... all of them are trash."

Baron Strucker nearly lost his composure and roared through gritted teeth:

"I knew this damn [Temporary Compound V] wouldn't be worth a damn."

Although Baron Strucker had always looked down on those "junkies" who gained superpowers through [Compound V],

he had to admit that the six superpowered individuals carefully selected for this capture team all possessed immense strength.

Moreover, all six had previously been exemplary Hydra soldiers.

So no matter how he looked at it, there was absolutely no reason they should have lost to Carl, who had only awakened his superpowers a few days ago!

So what if that brat was gifted?

Even if he was a monster, he should at least obey the "[Law of Conservation of Superpowers]," shouldn't he?

Superpowers could neither appear out of nowhere nor vanish into nothing. They could only transform from one form into another...

[Physical strength], [mental energy], even [vitality]...

No one could use superpowers without paying a "price"!!

It was precisely because of this belief

that even after Sokovia Base fell and the first capture operation failed, he had remained just as determined as ever.

He had naively believed that as long as they intensified their efforts and gave Carl no chance to recover, they could resolve the problem easily.

But reality punched him squarely in the face.

He had fucking failed again!!!

Suddenly, as if remembering something, Baron Strucker hurriedly asked into the phone, "Tell me, how is Caucasus Base doing?"

There was a brief silence on the other end before a trembling voice replied, "My lord, the base completely lost contact an hour ago."

And what hurt even more came next.

"Also, the agents we sent to assassinate the press spokesman at the airport fell into the enemy's trap and were all..."

But Baron Strucker never heard the rest.

The phone had already slipped silently from his hand and fallen to the floor.

Yet he was completely unaware of it, still immersed in a chilling wave of fear!

If he had not happened to have business elsewhere and left Caucasus Base early,

Carl would probably have killed him by now.

That filled Baron Strucker with the relief of having narrowly escaped death.

"Damn it, what kind of monster did Dr. List create?"

"In just one week, he's grown this terrifyingly powerful!"

A week ago, when Baron Strucker first learned that the experiment had succeeded and Carl had awakened superpowers,

he had once believed that this boy would become the sharpest spear in his hand, piercing through anyone who dared stand in his way.

However.

This failure snapped him out of his previous near-obsession.

Not merely because Carl had killed those six superpowered individuals,

but because he had suddenly realized something...

Previously,

when he learned that Carl had uploaded the video of Boka's team being killed to the internet,

he had mocked him as a worthless fool who only wanted to become an internet celebrity.

But judging from Carl's current moves, perhaps he was the one who looked more like a fool!

If nothing unexpected had happened,

that brat had probably wanted to use the power of public opinion to completely cut off Hydra's pursuit from the very beginning, hadn't he?

It had to be said,

that under those circumstances, it truly had been the lowest-cost and most effective method.

However,

because of Dr. Zola's existence, that plan had unexpectedly fallen through.

And it was precisely because of that that this United Nations meeting existed!!

And...

his reason for releasing the news three days in advance was equally obvious.

It was to disrupt their plans, force them to act early, and seize the initiative.

Baron Strucker had not encountered such a terrifying opponent in a long time—one who advanced step by step and gave his enemies no room whatsoever to catch their breath.

"Ah..."

A strange sense of helplessness and frustration suddenly rose within Baron Strucker.

Because things had reached this stage,

even though he knew exactly what Carl intended to do next, he was powerless to stop him.

He could only watch helplessly as the situation worsened further.

In just one week, the roles between him and Carl had undergone a complete reversal.

He had gone from hunter to prey!

This was the most thoroughly Baron Strucker had ever been defeated in his life.

Even when facing that notoriously cunning black man from S.H.I.E.L.D., he had never suffered such a crushing defeat.

Test Subject Number 380... no, Carl Mala, was far more troublesome and terrifying than they had imagined.

Overwhelming strength, meticulous planning, and unknown ambitions!

Baron Strucker suddenly felt fear for no apparent reason.

Most crucially...

it had only been one week since that brat gained his superpowers.

Who knew whether he would continue growing in the future!!

Perhaps stopping now was the wisest choice.

From now on, he should just focus on helping Dr. Fritz build the [Undead Legion]!

Oh, and that distant [God-Making Project]...

Without realizing it, Baron Strucker had already imagined Carl as an unprecedentedly powerful enemy.

After pondering for a moment, Baron Strucker picked up the phone from the floor.

He then found Alexander Pierce's number and prepared to call him.

Forget it, I'd better send a text...

Otherwise, that guy would definitely chew me out!

I, Strucker, have my pride too, okay?

So he quickly composed and sent a message.

It read:

"Mission failed. I'll leave the remaining cleanup to you... do a good job. Honestly, I think highly of you."

After thinking for a moment, Baron Strucker began composing another message.

"Um... it seems the Mind Scepter fell into that brat's hands. Whether you want to take it back is up to you!!"

But this time, after hesitating again and again, he ultimately did not dare press send.

If he really sent it, Pierce probably wouldn't drop dead from rage on the spot, would he?

Probably not, but that old bastard would surely travel all the way here to chop me to death, right?

Ah, I'm exhausted. Better not send it.

I'll personally take back the [Mind Scepter] when I get the chance!

Yes, that's right. Next time for sure!!!

[Security Council Headquarters].

Alexander Pierce was flying into a rage inside his brightly lit office.

"That bastard Strucker, who the hell does he think he is? How dare he speak to me in that tone?!"

"He couldn't even take out the press spokesman of some insignificant little country, and instead got played by them and had so many people blown up. How did the organization raise such a useless piece of trash?"

"In the end, I still have to clean up his shit. If I'd known, I should've sent the Winter Soldier to carry out the assassination directly!!!"