Targeted

Meanwhile.

Inside a large laboratory at the base.

Despite it already being late at night, a large number of researchers were still busily working at test benches piled with strangely shaped weapons.

If members of the Avengers or S.H.I.E.L.D. agents had been present.

They would have recognized at a glance that nearly all these weapons had come from the defeated Chitauri army in the Battle of New York three months ago.

The only difference was.

The Energy Storage Department responsible for powering these weapons was no longer using the purple energy crystals exclusive to the Chitauri.

Instead, they all drew their power from the Mind Scepter.

No, to be precise, they all came from the energy continuously released by the Mind Stone!!

After obtaining the Mind Scepter.

Hydra had used some advanced technology to store all the immense energy released from the scepter.

They then used mature reverse-engineering techniques to dismantle and modify some of the alien weapons left behind by the Chitauri.

In the end, they successfully developed several new energy weapons and pieces of equipment that could be mass-produced on a small scale...

The reason Hydra had been able to integrate alien technology they had only recently encountered into their existing weapons and equipment in such a short time.

Was entirely thanks to the cutting-edge technology and forward-looking concepts their researchers had accumulated bit by bit through years of innovation.

Especially Dr. Zola during World War II, who had pioneered a revolutionary technology capable of stably filling specially made containers with the energy released by the Cosmic Cube... the Space Stone.

This made it effortless for Hydra's current researchers to successfully collect and study the energy of the Mind Scepter.

How did that saying go again?

You could mock Hydra for being weak, but you could never call their technology trash!

At this moment...

Dr. List, the chief scientist overseeing every experiment in the base, stood respectfully before a large screen.

"Doctor, how are the human experiments for the Enhanced Soldier progressing?"

On the large screen, a bald man in a black leather coat and a monocle over his right eye questioned him expressionlessly.

"Well..."

Dr. List immediately answered with a troubled expression.

"Mr. Strucker, the results of the first two rounds of human experimentation have been far from ideal. Every test subject who directly came into contact with the scepter died on the spot without exception."

"Ordinary people seem completely unable to withstand the energy released by the scepter..."

"If we are to achieve the progress you expect, I am afraid we will need more test subjects."

"Oh?"

Baron Strucker seemed to read something from the other man's expression and asked indifferently.

"What? Doctor, do you think this turbulent country lacks such things?"

"As far as I am concerned, you merely need to take some men onto the streets and pick a new batch of unlucky fools from those idiots who love protesting and demonstrating!"

However.

Dr. List's concerns did not fade. Instead, he reminded him even more anxiously.

"But, Mr. Strucker, if we conduct human experiments on a large scale, won't it draw S.H.I.E.L.D.'s attention before long?"

"If they discover the experiments we are conducting here, as well as our true identity as Hydra loyalists, the consequences will be unimaginable..."

"Consequences?!!"

As though he had heard some absurd joke, Baron Strucker revealed an extremely disdainful sneer on his vulture-like, sinister face.

"Hydra and S.H.I.E.L.D. are as inseparable as the two sides of a coin."

"But now, those fools at S.H.I.E.L.D. have long since been pushed out of the game. The cards in our hands far exceed anything they can imagine!!"

"Doctor, I have a feeling... we have only brushed the surface of this scepter's secrets so far,

so I hope you will devote all your energy to researching and developing the scepter."

"As for S.H.I.E.L.D., there is no need for you to worry, because they will soon be too busy to look after themselves."

"And Captain America and his colorful friends will have their attention drawn away by other organizations working for Hydra."

"Doctor, the coming age will be one filled with miracles. Heroes and the like will all become obsolete..."

"Because nothing is more terrifying than a 'miracle'!!!"

Finally, Baron Strucker gave a meaningful reminder.

"I hope that, before I finish dealing with matters on my end, I will see brand-new progress in this experiment!!"

The communication ended, and the large screen went dark again.

"Whew..."

Dr. List raised a hand and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

When he turned around, his face had already been replaced by a spirited expression, and he loudly announced to everyone in the laboratory.

"Everyone, hurry and prepare yourselves. The third round of human experiments will begin in two hours!!!"

[Would the host like to immediately abandon his physical body, return to his exclusive dimension, and become the omniscient and omnipotent Lord of Dimensions?!!]

When the first ray of dawn shone through the narrow skylight at the top of the cell and fell on Carl, he shook his head helplessly and chose to refuse.

Time was too tight. He had not been able to come up with a good way to break the deadlock.

It seemed he could only take things one step at a time.

At that moment.

A burst of noisy footsteps suddenly echoed through the corridor outside the cell.

Then the cell door was violently thrown open.

Several heavily armed Hydra soldiers filed in.

"Oh my, what a pity. Your breakfast time has been canceled today..."

The leader wore a malicious grin. "Come on. You two are up next for the experiment."

"You bastards! Scum!!!"

Wanda and Pietro's eyes immediately filled with fury.

Because the Hydra soldier who had just spoken was the very culprit who had injured Carl and Pietro yesterday.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Still full of fight, huh? Looks like the lesson we gave you yesterday was a little too light?"

Pick raised his brows, completely unconcerned by the siblings' anger.

Instead, he kept staring greedily at Wanda.

What a damn pity!

Such a beautiful girl was about to die before I even got my hands on her!

It was all that meddlesome bastard's fault yesterday.

After taking two of my liver-busting punches, he had to be dead by now... Huh?!!

However.

When his gaze inadvertently swept over the lively and healthy Carl across from him, a look of surprise immediately appeared in his eyes.

What was going on?

Had this piece of trash been playing dead yesterday?

Fuck, not only had he ruined my plans, he even dared to fool me?!

Fine, fine, fine. Just wait and see how I deal with you later.

Of course, that was assuming you even had a later...

"Hm? Looks like someone's got it out for me?!"

Facing Pick's venomous glare, Carl calmly chose to ignore him.

Right now, for Carl.

The key was how to resolve the looming crisis of death.

He had no mind for anything else.

Then, under the escort of several Hydra soldiers.

Carl and the other two passed through several heavily guarded checkpoints in succession and arrived at the core experimental area deep within the base.

Inside the monitoring room, which was responsible for collecting data and recording the entire experimental process.

A researcher in a white lab coat pointed at the dozens of corpses laid out along both sides of the passageway outside and reported to Dr. List, who was checking data at a computer.

"Doctor, there have been far too many bodies piling up these past two days. Even the corpse incinerator has started operating beyond capacity..."