At the same time.
Washington, D.C..
Night has fallen over the heart of this power.
The dome of the Capitol gradually blurred in the night.
A few cars occasionally drive by on Pennsylvania Avenue, carrying the solemnity that belongs to the city.
This is the center of power in this country.
But in a building less than a few kilometers from the White House, one office still had its lights on.
The office is decorated in a very understated, or rather, somewhat simple, style.
There were neither expensive oil paintings nor ostentatious decorations.
There's only a desk, a swivel chair, and a bookshelf covering an entire wall.
The bookshelves were filled with various books on political science and military science, as well as several photos of him with past United States presidents.
If someone who didn't know better walked in, they would probably think this was just a university professor's office.
But in reality, the power wielded by the person sitting behind this desk is enough to make the Western Hemisphere tremble.
This is Alexander Pierce.
He was about sixty years old, with gray hair and a thin face.
He wore glasses and a suit vest, looking like a kind and approachable old neighbor.
His official position is that of a senior minister of the World Security Council.
How much power does this position have?
To put it simply, even Nick Fury has to report to him respectfully.
With just one phone call, he could bring S.H.I.E.L.D.. operations to a halt.
With a single word from him, he can decide the life or death of a nation.
But these are merely his outward identities.
Behind this gentle mask.
Alexander Pierce also has another identity: he is currently the highest-ranking executive officer of Hydra.
Of course, the so-called highest executive person in charge is only in name.
Above him were two real big shots.
One is Dr. Zola.
This is a Hydra scientist who was recruited by the United States government during World War II.
Everyone believed that Dr. Zola had died of illness decades ago.
But in reality, he was a mad genius.
And before he died, he uploaded his consciousness to a massive system.
He's like a ghost that will never die.
Normally hidden in a secret base, it continues to direct Hydra's operations through data.
The other one is Red Skull.
His more widely known name is John Schmidt.
That's right, it was him, the creator of Hydra during World War II, and the first super soldier.
Everyone believed that Red Skull had vanished forever in the final battle more than seventy years ago.
But in fact, he is still alive.
Not only are they alive, they are stronger than before.
However, Red Skull is not currently in charge of Hydra's day-to-day operations.
He was carrying out a much larger plan, one that even Pierce didn't fully know the details of.
Therefore, the actual operation of Hydra now rests on the shoulders of Pierce and Dr. Zola.
At this moment, Pierce was sitting behind his desk with a report spread out in front of him.
The light from the desk lamp illuminated the cover of the report, on which a title was printed in bold.
[Summary Report of Recent Activities of Luca Stark and Tony Stark ]
Pierce adjusted his glasses and turned to the first page of the report.
He read it very carefully.
With each line of text he read, his brow furrowed deeper.
The report was very detailed; it contained intelligence gathered by Hydra's undercover agents in Los Angeles over the past few days.
This includes everything the Stark brothers did after they returned to Los Angeles from Afghanistan.
For example, they announced at a press conference that they would no longer manufacture weapons.
And Tony Stark secretly built a high-tech mech suit.
Luca Stark has been confirmed to possess Superman abilities.
The two revealed their superhero identities during the live stream.
Tonight, they teamed up with two unidentified individuals to defeat S.H.I.E.L.D..'s Howling Commandos and arrested Nick Fury on the spot.
Finally, in front of the whole world, they announced the formation of a superhero team called the Justice League.
The more Pierce looked, the deeper his frown became.
He turned to the last page of the report, which included several high-resolution screenshots of Luca during tonight's battle.
In the picture, Luca's eyes emit white-blue energy rays as he punches the Teen Abomination, sending him flying.
The analysts' notes were also attached to the side.
Strength unknown, flight speed unknown, defensive capabilities unknown.
unknown?
Looking at this data...
Pierce's brow was furrowed into a tight knot.
Finally, he slowly put down the report, took off his glasses, and rubbed his temples vigorously with his thumb and forefinger.
"It's the Stark Family again," Pierce muttered under his breath, somewhat annoyed.
"Damn it."
For decades, this surname has been like a persistent curse, hanging over the heads of Hydra.
Pierce closed his eyes, and a face involuntarily surfaced in his mind.
Howard Stark.
This man died in a car accident seventeen years ago.
Luca and Tony's father.
They were also enemies that nearly wiped out Hydra.
Thinking of Howard brought Pierce's memories back to many years ago.
Back then, Pierce was just a mid-level leader in Hydra, far from having the powerful influence he wields today.
Howard Stark, on the other hand, is already the director of S.H.I.E.L.D..
Under Howard's leadership, S.H.I.E.L.D.. became so powerful that it was almost despair-inducing.
This guy is not only a genius scientist, but also a keen intelligence expert.
After nearly twenty years following World War II, Hydra finally managed to infiltrate a group of agents within S.H.I.E.L.D.., and the infiltration plan was on the verge of success.
And the result?
Howard somehow managed to uncover all of Hydra's spies, one by one!
Those days were a nightmare for Hydra.
Every few days, a secret agent who has been lying low for many years is exposed and arrested.
Hydra's intelligence network, which had been operating within S.H.I.E.L.D.. for over two decades, was uprooted almost overnight!
The thought of those dark years gave Pierce a toothache.
From the creation of S.H.I.E.L.D.. until the day he died.
Howard Stark was like an impenetrable wall, firmly keeping Hydra outside the gates of S.H.I.E.L.D..
For decades, Hydra never managed to set foot inside!
"If the Winter Soldier hadn't been used at the last minute, S. H. I. E. L. D. would probably still be Howard's S.H.I.E.L.D. fortress even now."
Pierce opened his eyes, a cold smile playing on his lips.
Winter Soldier.
Assassins created by Hydra.
That year, Hydra was driven to a dead end, and in order to avoid exposing their final plan, they had no choice but to launch an assassination plot.
then.
On a cold winter night, the Winter Soldier orchestrated a seemingly perfect car accident, sending Howard and his wife Maria to their doom.
With Howard's death, S.H.I.E.L.D.. has lost its gatekeeper.
Nick Fury, who succeeded Howard as director, was also a highly capable intelligence chief, but compared to Howard...
The thought of this made Pierce smile sarcastically.
Nick Fury is a complete idiot.
It may be harsh to say, but it's the truth.
During Howard's decades-long tenure, Hydra couldn't even get inside S.H.I.E.L.D..
And the result?
Nick Fury has been in office for less than five years.
Five years!
Hydra has now completely infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D..!
From low-level security guards to mid-to-high-level secret agents, from logistics departments to core decision-making levels, Hydra agents are everywhere!
Even Pierce himself, as the Minister of the World Security Council, openly sat above Nick Fury, becoming his nominal direct superior!
It's fair to say that S.H.I.E.L.D.. should be called S.H.I.E.L.D. Serpent S.H.I.E.L.D.. more accurately!
Pierce couldn't help but laugh out loud every time he thought about it.
However, the smile on his face quickly disappeared.
Because he thought of two names that gave him a headache.
Luca Stark. Tony Stark.
Howard's two sons.