"Hello, I've been waiting for you," Shiller said to Garrett, cutting straight to the chase. "We're in a bit of a fix, so I'll make it quick. I'm Director Pierce..."
Before Shiller could finish his sentence, Garrett pulled out a gun and pointed it at him.
Just as he was about to pull the trigger, the dulled sound of a gunshot rang out prematurely and his head was blasted open by a bullet. The body of John Garrett slowly crumbled to the ground.
Nick emerged from the shadows, and Shiller chuckled, "Nice shot, Director."
After finishing his sentence, he circled around Garrett's corpse and said, "They're pretty bold, trying to kill someone here. I thought they'd lure me out first..."
Why Nick and Shiller were there and why they killed Garrett directly can only be explained by starting with the plan of Shiller.
As a transmigrator who has read the original comics, Shiller knew that S.H.I.E.L.D. was essentially Hydra's nest. The former director of S.H.I.E.L.D., Alexander Pierce, was one of the heads of Hydra, and the leader of Hydra's members within S.H.I.E.L.D.
Why Pierce disappeared completely and fell silent could be traced back to the competition between Stark and Steve.
The so-called "when immortals fight, it's the mortals who suffer," applies to both Stark and Steve. When they put their all into something, they not only succeed, but their results surpass everyone else's by hundreds of times.
The Avengers team which Steve had assembled was quite a formidable group indeed.
In terms of brute force, Steve alongside Peter could face the enemy head-on. There wasn't a defensive line that couldn't be broken by these two powerhouses, regardless of how formidable Hydra's base defenses were, the combination of Spider-Man and the Red Bee could smash through the strongest doors.
Facing massive firepower? Not a problem, Captain America's shield was immune to all bullet attacks. No matter how powerful or accurate the snipers were, just rushing in with the shield would do the trick.
When it came to formulating tactics, the combination of Venom and Matt was more than sufficient. The simpler the tactic was, the better, given the combatants' abilities. The basic strategy was to cause a bit of commotion, attract attention, and then charge in.
For those places that could not be taken by force, there was the combination of Natasha and Barton. The Black Widow was responsible for infiltration, while Hawkeye Barton took charge of long-range sniping. Once the non-stronghold areas were dealt with, it would be a brute force attack again.
There were very few forces on Earth that could withstand the combination of Captain America and Spider-Man. At first, their collaboration was somewhat rough, often interfering with each other. For instance, Spider-Man would rush into a fight before Captain America's shield was ready, resulting in both of them flying out. Or Peter would talk too much during fights, which Steve found annoying.
However, as they carried out more operations, their cooperation got smoother and their efficiency increased. Steve had been dealing with Hydra for many years; he wasn't to be trifled with. He took down several of Hydra's underground bases in New York, captured many prisoners, and found one of their important laboratories.
The Avengers were making steady progress and some people were getting restless.
Stark's target and Steve's were completely different. His plan was to tackle the problem at the root, and so he decided to start from the top.
In terms of technological prowess, there was no one on Earth who surpassed Stark. There was no old score he couldn't settle. Many leaders of Hydra had been careless in their youth, including Alexander Pierce.
Pierce had been able to serve as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. for so many years due to his formidable abilities. However, in his youth, he had revealed his tracks.
Pierce had played a vital role in fighting Hydra and so he had been appointed as the director of S.H.I.E.L.D. But in his youth, he had been impulsive and eager to protect key Hydra members. During a crackdown, he had secretly switched out two important scientists. This was the loophole that Stark had seized.
Of course, the files were too old and evidence was lacking. Stark knew he needed to capture more solid evidence to hook the big fish, Pierce.
Just as Stark began to use advanced tactics for surveillance, Pierce quickly realized that he was being watched.
As someone who had successfully infiltrated and become the leader of the enemy force, Pierce was extremely vigilant. When he noticed the surveillance was too advanced to be Earth's technology, he knew that the person spying on him could be Stark.
Pierce was aware of the deaths of Howard and his wife. He had long anticipated this day, and he immediately went silent across all channels.
It wasn't that he was a coward. If Steve and the Avengers were the ones tracking him, Pierce wouldn't have been afraid. He wasn't afraid of any brute force tactics, and even if he was brought to court forcefully, he could still plead his innocence loudly.
But Stark was different. He was not only a scientist but also a leader of an industrial giant. Stark didn't need to capture Pierce to avenge the Stark family. An industrialist had many more options available to him. Even if Pierce was a member of The World Security Council, he could not withstand the offensive of Stark Group.