John looked utterly helpless. Pietro was not surprised by his answer and said calmly, "I know this will be difficult, so you won't be the only one involved in this operation. You can rest assured. All you need to do is speak up when we need you."
Hearing this, John finally relaxed and let out a long sigh of relief.
As long as he did not have to face Stark Industries alone, that was fine. Taking on Stark Industries by himself would be suicide, but doing it with a group was an entirely different matter.
Even in the United States, there was safety in numbers when it came to punishment. As long as enough people were involved and they were powerful enough, even Stark Industries could not do anything to all of them.
"I see. Mr. Pietro, rest assured, I'll give it my all. I won't disappoint you."
John thumped his chest in assurance.
Pietro beckoned to a Hydra member standing nearby.
The Hydra member soon brought over a bank card.
Pietro took the card and slid it forward. A smile immediately spread across John's face, though he still said politely, "Mr. Pietro, what's this for? Helping you is only what I ought to do."
At that, Pietro smiled. "Those are two separate matters. We at Hydra can't let you work for nothing, can we?"
John no longer refused and accepted it, his smile growing even brighter.
For the next few hours, Pietro went nowhere. He stayed in the villa, meeting one legislator after another.
All of them had some connection to Hydra, to varying degrees. Together with others they had contacted in secret, Hydra had assembled over a hundred people.
The villa did not quiet down until after sunset. Pietro leaned back on the sofa and rubbed the bridge