Meanwhile, on the other side of Washington.
Inside a secluded study in a villa.
Pierce stood by the window, holding a steaming cup of black tea, gazing at the night view outside.
At this moment, he was in a very good mood.
The screen on the table was lit up, displaying the encrypted intelligence that Jessica had just sent back.
Wakanda.
Vibranium mine.
Technology ahead of its time.
"This is a godsend."
Pierce took a sip of his black tea and smiled smugly.
"For many years, Hydra has been searching for a metal capable of containing the energy of the Tesseract."
"If we can get our hands on Wakanda's Vibranium, Dr. Zola's superweapon blueprints can all become a reality!"
"At that time, Hydra will possess an immortal Vibranium army. The entire world will bow down at our feet!"
Pierce put down his teacup, walked to his desk, and pressed the button on his communicator.
"Connect with Agent Sitwell."
A few seconds later, a somewhat smooth male voice came through the communicator.
"Sir, what are your orders?"
" Sitwell," Pierce said seriously.
"Immediately mobilize the remnants lurking on the fringes of Europe and Africa, as well as the two mercenary legions under our control."
"Have them immediately assemble towards East Africa. Target: Wakanda."
Sitwell on the other end of the communicator paused for a moment.
" Wakanda? Sir, that's just an agricultural country. What are we going there for? To harvest corn?"
"Don't ask so many stupid questions," Pierce interrupted him.
" The Stark brothers will be there with their men tomorrow. I want you to lie in ambush on the outskirts."
"Listen carefully, don't engage Luca in a direct confrontation."
"Your mission is to wait until the Justice League and the Wakanda are both exhausted from fighting, and then sneak in during the chaos."
A ruthless glint flashed in Pierce's eyes.
"Take as much Vibranium ore as you can once you find it. Once you have it, retreat immediately and don't linger."
"This is a mission where only success is possible; failure is not an option."
Sitwell immediately realized the importance of the mission, and his tone became extremely respectful.
"Understood, sir! I'll arrange it immediately."
After hanging up the call, Pierce leaned back in his chair with satisfaction.
Well, he felt his plan was flawless.
As everyone knows, Luca Stark is a madman with no bottom line.
If the other side were to rob Wakanda, it would definitely trigger an earth-shattering war.
Hydra only needs to play the role of the oriole, following behind and reaping the benefits.
However, Pierce's dream was not over yet.
"Bang!"
The study door was suddenly pushed open roughly.
Sitwell scrambled in.
"Sir! Something terrible has happened!"
Pierce frowned, looking at the other person with displeasure.
"What's the panic? Is the sky falling down?"
"The sky has truly fallen, sir!"
Sitwell swallowed hard and cried out in terror.
Nick Fury has made his move!
"Just ten minutes ago, Fury sent a small team to raid several key departments at S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters!"
"The commander of the Seventh Operations Squad, the director of the Logistics and Equipment Department, and several senior officers from the Intelligence Analysis Division... they've all been arrested!"
"They were caught red-handed while destroying the documents. Two men tried to resist and were shot dead by Fury's men in the office!"
Upon hearing this news...
Pierce dropped the teacup he was holding.
"What did you say?!"
" Fury gone mad?! How dare he openly shoot and kill someone in headquarters without authorization from the council?!"
"He didn't consult the council, sir."
Sitwell was on the verge of tears.
"The other side cut off half of the headquarters' communication lines, turning that area into a vacuum. They're planning a massive purge!"
"Sir, Fury definitely has the personnel list."
"If we let him continue interrogating us, our spies within S.H.I.E.L.D.. will be pulled out one by one!"
"At that time, even your identity on the World Security Council will be exposed!"
Pierce's face instantly turned ashen.
That bastard Fury, he moved way too fast!
It was so fast that Hydra didn't even have time to react.
"Damn it! Damn Stark! Damn Nick Fury!"
Pierce slammed his fist on the desk, veins bulging on his forehead.
He knew that the moment of life or death had arrived.
We can't wait any longer.
If Fury continues his investigation, Hydra's decades of hard work will be wasted.
" Sitwell."
Pierce looked up, his eyes filled with a desperate madness and murderous intent.
"Let's put the Wakanda operation on hold for now."
"Pass on my command: Initiate pre-cleanup."
Sitwell gasped.
"Sir, start now? But our aircraft carrier isn't ready yet..."
"I said, start it now!"
Pierce roared, interrupting Sitwell's doubts.
"Notify all commando teams stationed in Washington to immediately take to the streets fully armed!"
Pierce said through gritted teeth.
"Since Nick Fury wants to play the purge, then we'll play along with him on a big scale."
"I want Fury to never see the sun rise again. I'll settle this with him on the streets of Washington!"
"Yes, sir! Hail Hydra!"
Sitwell bowed, turned and hurried out of the study.
Pierce walked to the floor-to-ceiling window and silently looked at the quiet streets of Washington.
Half an hour later.
On a street in downtown Washington, D.C..
A black Chevrolet SUV is driving smoothly through traffic.
Inside the train carriage.
Nick Fury sat in the back row, holding a newly delivered interrogation transcript.
At this moment, his face looked extremely pale.
"Chief."
Coulson, in the driver's seat, glanced in the rearview mirror and reported.
The cleanup operation is ongoing, but the situation is far from optimistic.
"Even when faced with the threat of death, those people will only shout ' Hail Hydra! ' at the very end."
"They've been thoroughly brainwashed. The extent of their infiltration is deeper than we imagined."
Fury tossed the interrogation transcript aside and snorted coldly.
"A bunch of rats hiding in the gutter, they've been hiding for so many years, they're quite tough."
"But it's okay. As long as they're still inside the building, I can find them one by one."
"Go to the safe house, Coulson. We'll be working there tonight."
"Understood, Chief."
Coulson turned the steering wheel, preparing to turn right at the intersection ahead.
Just then...
At the intersection ahead, two police cars that were driving normally suddenly braked sharply and blocked the road.
This completely blocked the Chevrolet's path.
"What's going on? Are the police blocking the road?"
Coulson frowned and slammed on the brakes.
Something's not right.
Fury narrowed his one eye; years of intuition instantly gave him a sense of danger.
"This isn't a police officer! Back up! Coulson! Back up now!"
However, it was too late.
Two more black heavy armored vehicles rushed out from the street behind them, blocking their escape route.
Immediately afterwards.
The car doors of the vehicles parked on the roadside were opened.
A dozen or so fully armed men jumped down.
He then immediately raised his automatic rifle and grenade launcher, aiming them at Fury's Chevrolet.
"Fire!!!"
The leader of the armed men roared.
Da da da da da!!!
The deafening gunfire instantly shattered the tranquility of Washington.
Countless bullets rained down on the Chevrolet.
Bang bang bang!
Under intense fire, the bulletproof glass developed large cracks.
Sparks flew everywhere from the car body.
Warning! Vehicle integrity has dropped to 70%!
The car's AI issued an alarm.
"Fuck!"
Fury drew his pistol and cursed.
"These bastards! How dare they attack someone right here in the street!"
Coulson lay prone under the steering wheel, dodging the flying bullets.
"Chief! It's Hydra! They've counterattacked!"
"I have eyes, I can see!"
Fury gritted his teeth, staring at the ever-widening cracks in the car window.
He knew the bulletproof glass wouldn't last long.
"Activate the weapon systems!" Fury shouted.
"Weapon system offline, severely damaged!" the AI reported.
boom!
A miniature grenade exploded directly at the front of the vehicle, creating a huge flash of fire.
The Chevrolet was violently shaken by the explosion, and its hood was blown off.
"These lunatics want to blow us to ashes!"
Fury's eyes were filled with anger, but also with a hint of despair.
No matter how much we planned, we never expected Hydra to be this arrogant.
This is the center of power in the United States, less than a few kilometers from the White House.
They actually dared to use heavy firepower to assassinate S.H.I.E.L.D. here!
"Chief, the glass can't hold up!" Coulson shouted.
A snap.
The bulletproof glass on the side finally shattered, and several bullets grazed Fury's scalp before hitting the seat.
"Damn Hydra!"
In his Extremis, Fury couldn't help but curse.
" Coulson, open the chassis escape pod!"
"I'll count to three, then I'll prepare to abandon the vehicle!"
"Three!"
"Two!"
"One!"
As Fury counted down, a muffled thud came from the undercarriage of the Chevrolet, and a hidden escape tunnel opened.
Fury and Coulson rolled down the passage and directly into the city's sewer system.
The very next second they entered the sewer.
Boom!!!
Several grenades hit the Chevrolet simultaneously.
Amidst the towering flames, the vehicle was reduced to a pile of burning scrap metal.
In the sewers, Fury and Coulson were covered in mud and looked utterly disheveled.
Hearing the commotion above, Fury's eyes burned with a fierce fire of revenge.
Then, he took out a spare communicator.
"We're going underground."
"This war is one we must fight to the death!"
That night, the Washington sky was illuminated red by the firelight.