Standing to one side, Simona's lips parted slightly, a trace of unmistakable shock flashing in her eyes. She knew Pierce could bend when he needed to, but she had never imagined that this old fox, whose influence reached every corner of Washington, could lower himself to the point of offering up his entire organization with both hands.
Wanda raised her eyebrows slightly as well, giving the shrewd politician a peculiar look. He was nothing like the man who had been in the conference room moments earlier.
Only Lucian, seated in his chair, showed not the slightest change in expression.
"Pierce, if I remember correctly, this Hydra of yours has more than just the faction you control, doesn't it?"
Pierce's pupils abruptly contracted.
Hydra's internal divisions and numerous factions were secrets within secrets. The outside world did not even know Hydra was still alive, yet Lucian knew its internal structure like the back of his hand!
After that brief shock, Pierce's awe of Lucian only deepened. Just as he had thought, this world held no secrets before this man.
"Mr. Lucian, you truly are extraordinary, seeing even secrets like these so clearly." Pierce gave a self-deprecating smile, then grew solemn, his voice taking on deep contempt and disdain.
"It is exactly as you say. Hydra's origins are extremely ancient, tracing back to a secret cult of the Malick family, an old European aristocratic house. That was Hydra's earliest incarnation. They worshipped some entity from another dimension in the darkness, clinging to existence for over a thousand years."
"During World War II, Red Skull, Johann Schmidt, used that ancient sect's resources to build his initial power base, then broke away from religion and created a fully militarized Hydra. From that point onward, the organization split completely into the so-called Theocratic Faction and