As if reading Pierce's mind, Dr. Zola's tone softened slightly.
"Of course, I'm not saying we should completely ignore it."
"You can start from two angles and test the waters first."
Pierce immediately sat up straight and listened intently.
"I have carefully reviewed the data analysis in the report."
"The one among them who truly poses a threat to us is Luca Stark. His abilities are completely unknown variables, and he's also incredibly intelligent."
"As for Tony Stark, although his Jaeger is not to be underestimated, it is ultimately just a technological product. Technology has its weaknesses, which we'll discuss later."
"The most urgent task is to figure out Luca Stark's background: the source of his power, his weaknesses, and his limits."
"So, the first step." Dr. Zola slowed down his speech.
"Go and select the most beautiful female agent in the organization, and assign her a suitable identity. Whether it's a personal assistant or something else, find a way to get her infiltrated into Stark's inner circle."
"Then, in the most traditional and effective way, you know what it is."
" Luca Stark is a Playboy, as can be seen from his public profile."
"This kind of person is the easiest to deal with. As long as our agents are good enough, they will definitely be able to get close to him and obtain all the intelligence we need."
Pierce nodded.
This is indeed a good plan.
It has low risk, low cost, and a high success rate.
After all, no Playboy can resist the allure of a beautiful woman.
Even Captain America, with his saintly nature, fell for Peggy Carter, didn't he?
"First step, I agree," Pierce said.
"And what's the second step?"
"Step Two?"
Dr. Zola's lips curled up slightly, revealing a sinister smile.
"Although it's inconvenient for us to act now, we can have others do it for us."
Pierce paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up.
"You mean...?"
"That's right," Dr. Zola said.
"Their arch-rival, Hammer Industries."
Justin Hammer?
Pierce blurted out a name.
But he immediately frowned, seemingly with some doubt.
"Doctor, why not Osborn Industries?"
"As far as I know, Norman Osborn is no pushover either. The Osborn Group has a very deep accumulation in genetic engineering and biological weapons, and he himself has an almost fanatical obsession with Superman powers."
"Using him to deal with the Stark brothers might be more effective."
Dr. Zola shook his head.
" Norman Osborn is indeed capable, but he's too small-scale. Moreover, he's too ambitious and his personality is too unstable; if he gets out of control, he'll cause us unnecessary trouble."
"More importantly, Norman Osborn will be very useful later. The later stages of God-Seeking Project require the Osborn Group's genetic technology. This card can't be played now."
Pierce nodded slightly, agreeing with the analysis.
"But Hammer Industries is different," Dr. Zola continued.
"Justin Hammer is a vain, jealous, and desperately self-proving fool."
His biggest goal is to surpass Stark Industries and become the world's number one arms dealer.
"Now that Stark Industries has announced it will no longer produce weapons, all the military orders are vacant. And at this moment, Justin Hammer must be incredibly hungry."
"We just need to give him a little push and a bit of technical support, and he'll charge in and go toe-to-toe with the Stark brothers."
"At that time, no matter the outcome, we'll just sit back and watch the show, guaranteed to make a profit."
Pierce was convinced.
He leaned back in his chair, a slight smile playing on his lips.
"As expected of Dr. Zola. This plan is flawless."
Then, Pierce's expression turned serious.
As for the choice of infiltrators...
He lowered his head, quickly flipping through the files and photos of all the female agents in Hydra's roster in his mind.
A few seconds later, a face appeared in his mind.
Pierce looked up and gave a meaningful smile.
" Luca Stark is a Playboy."
"And our organization's most beautiful agent..."
Pierce paused for a moment, then said a name.
"I think no one is more suitable than Jessica Drew."
Dr. Zola nodded in agreement.
Jessica Drew, codenamed Spider-Woman. The most successful female Hydra agent in history in terms of infiltration success rate.
"This candidate is indeed the best choice. Her looks, figure, intelligence, and disguise skills are second to none in the entire organization."
"Let's choose her."
Dr. Zola's tone became decisive.
"She seems to be on an assassination mission in Europe recently. She needs to wrap up what she's doing and return to the United States immediately."
"I understand." Pierce nodded.
"Then hurry up and arrange for someone to carry it out. Time waits for no one, Pierce."
"We must place the pieces before the Stark brothers are ready."
"Also, when Fury contacts you to get him out, give him a good talking-to and stop him from doing anything funny. His shady dealings have been exposed enough."
Pierce gave a knowing smile.
"Don't worry, Dr. Fury. This cotton machine is already in my grasp."
"That's good."
" Hail Hydra!"
" Hail Hydra!" Pierce replied respectfully.
Then, the characters on the screen began to scatter rapidly, Dr. Zola's face gradually disappeared, and finally vanished into nothingness.
The display screen went black again, and the panel closed silently.
The office returned to silence.
Pierce was silent for a few seconds.
Then, he picked up an encrypted pager from his desk and pressed the call button.
"Connect to the Special Operations Division."
"Yes, Minister." A respectful male voice immediately came through the pager.
"Have someone reliable contact Justin Hammer immediately. They should appear as an anonymous military sponsor. I'll send you the specific script and plan later."
"I understand."
"Also..."
Pierce paused for a moment.
"Get Jessica back immediately, there's a new mission for her!"
"I'll handle her identity arrangements myself. Before she returns to China, I need to create a fake identity for her."
"Yes, sir! Are there any other instructions?"
"That's all. Go ahead."
Pierce put down the call button and leaned back in his chair.
He looked at the ceiling and laughed smugly.
Stark, I hope you cooperate well.
It's best not to do anything earth-shattering again.
Otherwise, you will find that this game is much crueler than you imagined.
Pierce stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the brightly lit cityscape of Washington.
In the distance, the spire of the Washington Monument stands tall against the night sky, like a sharp sword pointing straight to the heavens.