Amazon Rainforest.
A damp, unmarked area in the interior of the country.
The S.H.I.E.L.D. S. H. I. E. L. D. team had been trekking here for three days, their combat suits covered in mud, and every face etched with undisguised exhaustion.
"How much longer do we have to go, Advisor Minerva?"
Team leader Jackson, a seasoned veteran agent, finally couldn't help but ask.
His voice was somewhat hoarse from the oppressive heat of the air.
Barbara Minerva, who was at the very front, stopped.
She turned around, her face showing apology.
"According to the ancient texts, it's in that valley ahead. I'm sorry, the environment here is harsher than I expected."
That being said, her state of mind stood in stark contrast to that of the others.
He moved with light steps, and there was hardly any sweat on his forehead. For some reason, his ordinary adventure clothes always remained relatively clean.
Jackson grunted and didn't ask any more questions.
The order came personally from Director Fury, an advisor from the Peggy Carter era who was key to this operation.
He sensed something strange about the old woman, but an order was an order.
As the S.H.I.E.L.D.. team struggled through the last patch of vine-covered forest, a breathtaking view suddenly opened up before them.
In a secluded basin surrounded by cliffs, grows a strange plant species.
The flowers had an eerie, deep red color, appearing as if they were flowing with blood in the dim light.
" Blood Orchid!"
The botanist in the group let out a suppressed gasp, his voice trembling.
"My God, they really exist!"
The agents spread out warily, guns pointed in all directions, and quickly established a circular defensive line.
The botanist then carefully approached the flowerbed with his collecting tools.
Just as his hand was about to touch the deep red, the pool beside him suddenly burst open, splashing water everywhere.
A massive, incredibly thick python suddenly leaped out of the murky water, its gaping maw large enough to swallow a cow, and a foul-smelling gust of wind rushed towards the botanist who hadn't yet reacted.
"Fire!"
Jackson reacted swiftly, roaring as he pulled the trigger.
The bullets rained down on the python's dark green scales, but only sparks flew, without even breaking a layer of skin.
The giant python, in pain, swung its massive tail, as thick as a water vat, across the ground.
"Spread!"
Before Jackson could finish speaking, the two agents were swept away, their bodies deformed in mid-air before crashing into the distant cliff face and turning into two indistinct piles of flesh.
The remaining men, while taking cover in terror, switched to high-explosive grenades and returned fire.
Just as the team was locked in a stalemate with the giant python, a blazing wall of fire completely sealed off the entrance to the basin.
The Flame were extremely hot; the two agents on the periphery were reduced to charred remains before they could even scream.
Who goes there!
Jackson screamed in horror, a fear even deeper than when he had faced the python.
There was an ambush here?!
A figure engulfed in Flame emerged from the wall of fire that separated life and death, hovering in mid-air.
The Human Torch, Jim Hammond.
He looked down at the group of "elites" who were in a sorry state after being attacked by the giant python, as if they were a group of insects about to be eliminated.
Immediately afterwards, a swift shadow flashed through the chaotic crowd.
"My gun!"
"Careful!"
The agents were horrified to discover that their weapons had been neatly sliced in half.
Jackson was in despair.
There's no signal here, so we can't contact S.H.I.E.L.D.. at all. It looks like we're all going to die here today.
That wasn't the end of it. A figure descended from the sky and landed with a thud in front of everyone.
Soldier Boy.
He held the classic shield in his left hand, his face displaying undisguised cruelty.
"A lackey of S.H.I.E.L.D.." The Soldier Boy's voice was full of contempt. "Is this all you've got? You dare to covet what doesn't belong to you?"
Jackson gathered the last few survivors together and stared intently at the Soldier Boy.
" Vought... do you want to make enemies of the whole world?!"
"Worldwide?"
The Soldier Boy burst into laughter.
Without another word, his burly figure rushed to Jackson in three quick steps, and his large, fan-like hand slapped him across the face.
Jackson instinctively raised his arms to block, but it was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot against the strength of the Soldier Boy.
"Snap!"
The sound of bones cracking rang out.
The Soldier Boy grabbed Jackson's cheek and lifted him up, speaking into the communicator in a bored tone, " Motoko, the weeds are done. It's more boring than mowing your own lawn in the summer."
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly tightened his grip with his five fingers.
"Pfft!"
Jackson's head exploded like a watermelon being crushed.
The Soldier Boy was splattered with red and white substances.
He disgustedly shook off what he was holding, casually tossed the headless corpse to the ground, and stomped on it.
"Couldn't you have cleaned it up a bit more? It's disgusting."
Barbara had somehow managed to get to a safe spot. She frowned her pretty eyebrows, admiring her newly done manicure while playfully complaining.
Her tone was full of disdain, without a trace of fear.
The remaining Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. were completely devastated; their advisors were actually chatting and laughing with the enemy?
The giant python, which had been so arrogant just moments before, hissed and lunged at the Soldier Boy.
Instead of retreating, the Soldier Boy advanced, delivering a powerful uppercut that slammed squarely into the python's jaw.
"Bang!"
The immense force shattered the python's hard jaws, splitting half of its head in two.
With a flick of his wrist, Human Torch unleashed a burst of Flame, and within seconds the giant python was roasted alive into charcoal, the air even filled with a peculiar aroma of meat.
The Soldier Boy walked over, broke off a piece of roasted snake meat that was crispy on the outside and tender on the inside, and stuffed it into his mouth without a care, chewing it heartily.
"Hmm... it tastes alright, just a bit dry."
Yasuo sheathed his sword, showing no interest in the one-sided Carnage or the crude scene before him.
After ensuring that no one survived, the group quickly looted all the Blood Orchid in the basin.
The Soldier Boy casually handed a small handful to Barbara.
"Take it, this is what you deserve, survivor."
Barbara didn't care about his attitude at all; it was common knowledge that this guy was foul-mouthed and had a bad attitude.
Before the three of them were about to leave, she walked to a sharp Rock.
Barbara glanced at her smooth, jade-like arm, then slashed down without hesitation.
A deep wound, exposing the bone, appeared, and blood gushed out.
She was even more ruthless to herself than to her enemies, inflicting several more seemingly severe injuries on her body. She even tore her clothes and rolled around in the mud, mixing the mud and blood all over her body.
When she stood up again, she was a blood-soaked, terrified, and disheveled "survivor."
The Soldier Boy watched her performance with great interest, arms crossed.
"Major."
Human Torch gave her a thumbs-up in mid-air.
Barbara gave them a weak yet alluring smile, then turned and limped back the way she had come.
S.H.I.E.L.D.. Medical Department.
Nick Fury stood by the hospital bed. The room was eerily quiet except for the monotonous ticking of the medical equipment.
The sound was like a death knell.
Maria Hill stood behind him, equally silent.
Barbara Minerva was lying in the bed.
She had tubes inserted into her body and was wrapped in bandages. Several coin-sized spots of blood seeped through the snow-white sheet, like red plum blossoms blooming in the snow.
That once captivating face no longer held its former elegance, only a paleness etched by pain and weakness.
Fury watched silently, his hands behind his back.
An elite squad, S.H.I.E.L.D..'s top agents, now has only one survivor.
A half-dead survivor.
"Cough... cough cough..."
Barbara's eyelids twitched a few times as if glued shut, followed by a heart-wrenching fit of violent coughing.
She struggled to open her eyes, her cloudy gaze wandering across the ceiling for a moment before slowly focusing on Fury's face, which was blacker than the bottom of a pot.
"Chief... I..."
Fury leaned down. "Don't speak, Barbara, you're safe."
"No..."
Large tears welled up in Barbara's eyes without warning, mingling with the dirt at the corners of her eyes as they slid down her cheeks.
She stretched out her only hand, which wasn't in a cast, and with the strength of someone on the verge of death, gripped Fury's sleeve tightly.
Her fingers were still trembling.
"They... they all... they all sacrificed themselves..."
Fury gently placed his other hand on the back of Barbara's hand, trying to transfer some warmth to her.
"Tell me, Barbara," his voice trembled with barely suppressed emotion, "Who were the people who attacked you?"
Barbara's body began to tremble violently, and her breathing became rapid. The vital signs monitor next to her emitted a piercing alarm.
"Chief! The patient needs to calm down!"
The doctors and nurses waiting outside rushed over, but eventually retreated sheepishly under Fury's murderous glare.
Barbara gasped for breath, trying to calm herself.
"They're ghosts..." she stammered, "We just found the Blood Orchid, and then... they appeared."
"Fire... an overwhelming fire, Jerry and Mike were reduced to charred remains before they could even utter a sound."
"There's another one... and another one with an energy cannon, they're moving too fast..."
"Then the leader appeared," Barbara struggled to recall the scene, "A masked man, he... he had a metal arm..."
Metal arm?
Mom, I'm so angry!
Winter Soldier!
"That monster only used one punch," Barbara, closing her eyes in pain, "I saw Captain Jackson's head... smashed like a ripe watermelon..."
Barbara couldn't continue speaking; she turned her head away, her shoulders convulsing violently.
"I should have died with them... Why did I survive... Why..."
Maria Hill called for the medical staff waiting outside. The doctor rushed over to comfort her and hurriedly gave her a sedative.
Fury stared at her expressionlessly until she quieted down and fell back into a deep sleep, then turned and walked out of the ward without a word.
Hill followed behind him.
Fury stopped in the hallway.
"OMG Fuck!"
He cursed under his breath, his pent-up anger finally finding an outlet, and slammed his fist hard against the wall.
" Vought is setting fire to the front door, Hydra is digging graves in the backyard. This world is getting more and more exciting."
"Sir," Hill asked tentatively, "Isn't this... too much of a coincidence? We just found the Blood Orchid, and Nine-Headed Eyes followed right after? When did their intelligence capabilities become so accurate?"
Fury stopped and turned to stare at Hill.
You suspect Barbara?
I suspect everyone.
Hill did not back down.
She was the only survivor.
Fury fell silent; wasn't he the same?
But Barbara Minerva's resume is impeccable, and her loyalty to S.H.I.E.L.D.. has stood the test of decades.
Her genuine pain and fear just now didn't seem fake.
More importantly, the words " Winter Soldier " and " Hydra " drew all his attention.
Compared to Vought, a monster whose origins were unknown even to the core leadership and whose depths were unfathomable, Hydra became a "familiar" enemy.
He understood Hydra's modus operandi, their madness and cruelty.
Faced with an unknown and incomprehensible enemy, and a familiar and antagonistic foe, human instinct will subconsciously lean towards the latter.
This is a cognitive comfort zone, even if that comfort zone is riddled with landmines.
"No, it's not her." Fury finally shook his head, his voice weary. "I trust Director Carter's judgment."
" Hill, raise the security level to the highest. Block all news about the Amazons operation; not a single word is allowed to leak out."
"Research on the Blood Orchid is suspended. Retrieve all archived files related to the Winter Soldier, leaving no punctuation mark unchecked. Also, activate the backup plan for Wild Dog Project."
Fury's voice was very low.
"We can't touch Vought, but Hydra... since they dare to crawl out of their graves, I don't mind burying them back in with my own hands!"
Hill nodded, his expression serious. "Understood."
Watching Hill's hurried departure, Fury looked out the window at the gray sky.
He felt like a firefighter constantly on the go, just as he was about to put out the fire in the east, he discovered that his old lair in the west was also on fire, with oil being poured on it.
What he didn't know was that the two fires were started by the same person.