Law of Conservation of Superpowers

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

Baron Strucker nearly snapped, roaring through gritted teeth:

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

Though Baron Strucker looked down from the bottom of his heart on those "junkies" who had gained superpowers through Compound V,

there was no denying that the six carefully selected superpowered individuals in this capture team all possessed extremely formidable strength.

Moreover, all six had previously been outstanding Hydra soldiers.

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

So what if that brat was highly talented?

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

Superpowers could neither appear from nothing 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 the Sokovia Base fell and the first capture operation failed, he had remained undiminished in his enthusiasm.

He had simply believed that as long as they intensified the capture efforts and gave Carl no chance to recover, they could easily solve the problem.

But reality punched him square in the face.

He had fucking failed again!!!

Suddenly, as if he had remembered something, Baron Strucker hurriedly pressed the phone to his ear and demanded, "Tell me quickly, how is the 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 there was an even more devastating blow to come.

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

But Baron Strucker never heard the rest.

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

Yet he was completely unaware of it, still immersed in a bone-chilling sense of lingering fear!

If he had not happened to leave the Caucasus Base early because of an unexpected matter,

Carl would likely have already killed him by now.

A surge of relief at having survived the disaster rose in Baron Strucker's heart.

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

"In just one week, he has already grown this terrifying!"

As early as one week ago, when Baron Strucker first learned that the experiment had succeeded and Carl had awakened his superpowers,

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

However,

this failure snapped him out of his previous state of near-obsession.

Not only because Carl had killed those six superpowered individuals,

but also because he had suddenly realized something...

Previously,

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

he had even mocked him as a loser who only wanted to become an internet celebrity.

But judging by his current moves, perhaps he was the one who looked more like a loser!

If nothing unexpected had happened,

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

It had to be said,

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 was taking place!!

Furthermore...

His purpose in releasing the news three days in advance was equally obvious.

It was to disrupt their plans, force them to act ahead of schedule, and seize the initiative.

Baron Strucker had not encountered such a terrifying opponent—one who planned every step carefully and gave his enemies no chance to catch their breath—in a very long time.

"..."

A strange sense of powerlessness and frustration suddenly filled Baron Strucker's heart.

Because things had reached this stage,

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

He could only watch helplessly as the situation deteriorated further.

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

He had gone from hunter at the beginning to prey now!

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

Even when he had faced off against that notoriously cunning black bastard from S.H.I.E.L.D., he had never suffered such a disastrous defeat.

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

Powerful strength, meticulous planning, and unknown ambitions!

For no apparent reason, Baron Strucker suddenly felt fear.

Most critically...

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

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

Perhaps withdrawing 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 briefly, Baron Strucker picked up the phone from the floor.

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

Forget it, I should send a text instead...

Otherwise, that bastard will definitely chew me out!

I, Strucker, have my pride too, okay?

He quickly composed a message and sent it.

It read:

"Mission failed. I'll leave the remaining cleanup to you... Do a good job. I actually think highly of you."

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

"Um... it seems the Mind Scepter has fallen 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 I really send this, Pierce won't be so angry that he drops dead on the spot, right?

Probably not, but that old bastard would surely travel all the way here just to chop me to death, wouldn't he?

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

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

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

Security Council Headquarters.

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

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

"He couldn't even take out the press spokesperson 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 massive piece of trash?"

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