Meanwhile.
In the suburbs over a hundred kilometers from downtown Los Angeles.
Inside a secret Hydra base.
The decor was cold and oppressive, and guards armed to the teeth were everywhere.
In a heavily guarded office.
John stood trembling before the desk, looking utterly miserable.
His legs were still trembling slightly from the trauma they had suffered.
But he did not dare sit down. He could only grit his teeth and force himself to remain standing.
That was right. After untold hardships, he had finally made it back to the base.
John was suffering!
Only the devil knew what inhuman torment he had endured to escape back here with his legs crippled!
All he wanted now was to finish his report and await his superior's decision.
As long as he could stay alive, he would accept it even if they made him clean toilets!
Damn Stark!
Those two weren't even human!
Seated behind the desk was a middle-aged man in a black uniform.
His eyes were sharp and his face sinister. He was clearly a senior Hydra leader at this stronghold.
After studying the miserable John for a moment, he spoke coldly.
"Go on. You went to carry out a simple assassination. Why were you the only one who escaped back?"
"What happened on the mission?"
John swallowed and began his report.
"Sir! The mission... the mission failed!"
"The Stark brothers aren't dead."
John put on an expression of utter grief and indignation and began loudly denouncing them.
"It was S.H.I.E.L.D.! S.H.I.E.L.D. agents ambushed us!"
"They seemed to know about our plan all along. They set up heavy firepower in the hotel hallway beforehand, and they even used miniature missiles!"
"Jack and Mark were caught completely off guard and killed on the spot by S.H.I.E.L.D. agents! I fought for my life to break through, just so I could bring this important intelligence back to you!"
When he heard John's report.
The leader slammed the desk and stood up, his face filled with fury and murderous intent.
"Damn S.H.I.E.L.D.! Them again!"
"Those flies just won't leave us alone! They've interfered with Hydra's plans again and again!"
That was right.
As he saw it, aside from S.H.I.E.L.D., there was no one else who could deploy missiles and know about the assassination plan in advance, and would do such a thing.
He completely believed John's story.
He also believed that S.H.I.E.L.D. had become fully aware of Hydra's assassination network and was issuing Hydra a warning and a challenge!
The leader paced back and forth in the office, already beginning to plan a retaliatory strike against S.H.I.E.L.D.
But when he saw John, covered in blood yet still standing ramrod straight.
His original intention to execute the man began to weaken.
Against S.H.I.E.L.D.'s overwhelming firepower, the man had still fought for his life to bring back the intelligence.
That showed he was quite useful and absolutely loyal to Hydra.
If he spared the dog's life, he might be able to use him on a suicide squad someday.
The leader's expression softened slightly.
He looked at John and nodded.
"You did well. Bringing back the intelligence was a major achievement."
"You may go now. I'll have the medical department treat you immediately. Once you've recovered, the organization will give you an important position."
When John heard his superior say that.
His taut nerves relaxed.
He felt as if he had returned to heaven from hell.
Great! I don't have to die!
The boss believed me! I'm alive!
Once I've recovered, I can keep serving the organization!
Overcome with excitement, John answered loudly, his eyes brimming with tears.
"Thank you, sir! I'm willing to give everything for Hydra!"
But.
Just as he was about to turn and leave the office.
Suddenly!
John felt his heart spasm!
An indescribable sensation of heart palpitations instantly spread through his entire body.
His face turned deathly pale, and beads of sweat the size of beans rolled down his forehead.
"Ugh..."
John clutched his chest in agony, the foot he had been about to step forward with frozen in midair.
The leader also noticed that something was wrong.
He frowned and hurried forward to ask.
"What's wrong? Is your wound inflamed?"
John's eyes widened as he felt his heart pounding faster and faster in his chest.
He instantly guessed what was happening!
The damned bomb must have activated!
But the excruciating pain made it impossible for him to speak.
"Damn you, Stark! You lying swindler! Didn't you say I could stay alive as long as I obeyed?!"
"You actually lied to me!! You're not human!!!"
However.
Before he could finish cursing the Stark brothers and eighteen generations of their ancestors in his mind.
The five-minute countdown mercilessly reached zero.
"Beep!!"
Under John's desperate and terrified gaze.
"Boom!!!"
A muffled explosion thundered through the office!
The miniature bomb unleashed terrifying heat and destructive force.
In an instant, John became a dazzling firework!
Flesh and blood flew everywhere! Fragments of bone sprayed in all directions!
The enormous blast not only blew John to smithereens.
It also sent the leader standing in front of him flying.
Scalding blood and chunks of flesh struck him all over, from head to toe!
"Ahhh!!!"
The leader let out a scream and climbed to his feet.
His face was covered in blood, and his ears were ringing from the blast.
A huge crater had been blasted into the spot, and bits of flesh lay everywhere around it.
Where was he?!
How had that guy suddenly blown himself up right in front of him?!
The leader froze for quite a while before he finally managed to make sense of it.
Then humiliation and fury instantly filled his mind!
"S.H.I.E.L.D.!!! You've gone too far!!!"
The leader roared in a rage.
He naturally assumed that S.H.I.E.L.D. had implanted a bomb in John and deliberately let him return.
Their aim was to carry out a terrorist attack inside Hydra's base and assassinate its senior leaders!
What a vicious tactic!
Hearing the explosion, the subordinates outside rushed in with their guns raised.
"Sir! What happened?!"
Without bothering to wipe the blood from his face, the leader grabbed a subordinate by the collar and shouted furiously.
"Go find out! Did S.H.I.E.L.D. launch a surprise attack on one of our strongholds this morning?!"
Terrified by his superior's demon-like appearance, the subordinate hurriedly answered, trembling.
"Y-yes, sir! We received word from a spy inside S.H.I.E.L.D. half an hour ago. S.H.I.E.L.D. suddenly sent the Defenders squad to take out one of our supply transfer stations!"
The news made the leader even more certain.
S.H.I.E.L.D. was launching an all-out war!
"Now! Take a field team and investigate immediately! Find Nick Fury's whereabouts! Then kill him!! I want him dead!!!"
The subordinate was dumbfounded.
Kill Nick Fury?! Was he serious?!
That was the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.! Could they really just kill him because he said so?!
But when he saw the leader's murderous gaze, the subordinate did not dare argue and could only steel himself and agree.
"Yes, sir! We'll get on it right away!"
The subordinate then scrambled out to issue the order.
Soon, several logistics personnel wearing gas masks ran in and began clearing up the mess in the office.
The leader went to the washroom and angrily washed the blood from his face.
Seeing his disheveled appearance in the mirror, he still could not calm his anger.
"Damn S.H.I.E.L.D..."
"Director Pierce was absolutely right! Those self-righteous bastards are the biggest obstacle to Hydra ruling the world!"
After washing his face, he gradually calmed down a little.
He knew that ordinary assassination methods would never make it easy to kill that old fox Nick Fury.
But he could not swallow this insult! He had to make S.H.I.E.L.D. pay a painful price!
Then he made a decision.
He thought he had to report the matter to Pierce immediately.
Nick Fury had to be hit with severe sanctions!
He would have Pierce use his position on the World Security Council to make Nick Fury's life miserable!
For example, he could find an excuse to completely block S.H.I.E.L.D.'s operational funding for the next quarter!
"Just you wait, Nick Fury. You crossed Hydra, and I'll make sure you don't even have enough money to pay your people!"