"Sir, the spokesperson who came this time is no ordinary man."
On the other end of the phone, Sitwell, his bald head gleaming, pulled up an electronic file and explained:
"After Dr. Zola's comparison, we confirmed his true identity as Colonel Helmut Zemo, the former head of Sokovia's intelligence department. He once commanded a secret assassination squad called Echo Scorpion."
"That barely explains it..."
Alexander Pierce's anger finally eased slightly upon hearing that.
"However, judging from how cautious they are, whatever they plan to reveal tomorrow is most likely connected to Strucker's secret experiments in Sokovia."
"No choice. It seems we can only take a risk now."
"Tell the Winter Soldier to get ready. He must eliminate that man before the meeting begins tomorrow!!"
The next day.
A black Chevrolet Suburban slowly pulled out of the underground parking lot of a hotel.
Then, amid the roar of its engine, it sped off and vanished at the end of the street.
However, when it was only two blocks away from UN Headquarters,
the traffic light at the intersection, which had just turned green, switched back to red.
Before the Chevrolet Suburban's driver could react, four police cars rammed straight into it from four different directions.
Bang...!!!
A burly man with shoulder-length short hair and black tactical gear stepped out of one of the vehicles.
He raised his metal-glinting left arm and smashed the Chevrolet Suburban's rear window with a single punch.
But—
when he prepared to open fire, he discovered that the back seat was completely empty.
No!
More accurately, there was only a small holographic projector capable of simulating another person's image.
Because of the violent impact, Zemo's projected figure flickered several times before disappearing completely.
"Mission failed. The target is not in the vehicle!!!"
"Good morning, dear viewers. In a little over ten minutes, a special United Nations conference will be held in the United Nations City behind me. The meeting was initiated by Sokovia, an Eastern European country that has suffered through more than a decade of war..."
Before the meeting had even officially begun, the area outside United Nations City was already packed tight with reporters and photographers who had caught wind of it.
To most of them, Sokovia was merely an obscure little Eastern European country.
Some had never even heard of it before.
Yet these news workers, with their sharp instincts, caught the scent of a major scoop.
And one that was guaranteed to be real.
So, in order to obtain firsthand information about the conference before anyone else, many of them had arrived early, hoping to secure a favorable spot.
Before long, an armored vehicle slowly pulled up before the entrance.
After undergoing strict security checks, it finally entered the compound and stopped in front of the International Conference Building, where the press conference would be held.
The door opened, and Zemo calmly arrived outside the designated conference hall on the third floor.
He raised a hand to straighten his expensive custom-made suit, then pushed open the door... Under the astonished gazes of the Security Council members, he strode unhurriedly onto the podium.
"I am Helmut Zemo, Sokovia's newly appointed foreign affairs spokesperson. On behalf of all the Sokovian people who have suffered under the flames of war, I am here to demand an explanation from the Security Council for the injustice we have endured for more than a decade..."
"Sorry, sir, but allow me to interrupt."
At that moment, Sitwell, seated in the front row, reached for the microphone and cut in indignantly:
"Baron Zemo, before you begin your formal statement, I would like to express, on behalf of all Security Council members, our deep disappointment over Sokovia's previous refusal to accept peacekeeping forces."
"This has invisibly intensified international conflict and placed the Security Council's honor and authority under an enormous challenge!!!"
Hydra's people?
They were jumping out so eagerly?
"That is precisely what I was about to say..."
At this moment, Zemo was like a drawn sword, his edge fully exposed as he shot back bluntly:
"We have all been deceived, because what the Security Council sent was not a genuine peacekeeping force at all, but... Hydra!!!"
"Hydra???"
Whispers immediately broke out throughout the conference hall.
Most of the attendees wore puzzled, bewildered expressions.
It was as if they had never heard of the organization before.
On the other hand, the older attendees all revealed looks of shock upon hearing the name.
"Does anyone know what Hydra is?"
At last, someone quietly voiced the question on everyone's mind.
"It was a Nazi organization during World War II, but it should have been wiped out long ago. How could it possibly have survived until now?"
"That's right. Even if Hydra still exists, it could never possibly have infiltrated the Security Council... Our Security Council represents justice and order!!"
Faced with everyone's doubts, a cold sneer appeared at the corner of Zemo's mouth.
Impossible?!
If things were truly as Boss had said, let alone the Security Council, even S.H.I.E.L.D. had long been infiltrated until it was riddled with holes!
But he did not rush to answer their questions.
Instead, he continued speaking on his own:
"When our resources were secretly controlled by Hydra and turned into an endless source of money for their weapons research and wars,
the people of Sokovia suffered the threats of hunger and death amid the flames of war..."
More than a decade ago, Sokovia had still been a peaceful and prosperous country. But when those forces arrived under the banner of peacekeeping,
forces that were actually Hydra, the shadows of war and terror completely descended upon the entire nation."
"Our people waited far too long amid despair and oppression, but that does not mean we will compromise."
"We will seize every opportunity to resist and reclaim our lost homeland from those vicious criminals... And the facts have proven that we succeeded!!"
"Today, Sokovia is no longer what it once was. We will never again tolerate any outside force defiling that peaceful land.
We have the right to enjoy peace, the strength to defend peace, and the willingness to contribute our own share toward world peace..."
"Additionally, given the Security Council's grave negligence in this matter, we will later apply to the International Court for $600 billion in compensation!!!"
Σ(⊙▽⊙"a?!!
What, $600 billion???
Why the hell don't you just rob us!
No, even robbing us wouldn't be this fast.
Many people were stunned by that astronomical figure!!!
Before you continue