"Pierce, you must give me an explanation!" The deployment of the animal warriors to rescue Bucky was not something Baron Strucker had volunteered for, but rather a directive from Alexander Pierce's oppression.
After all, Alexander Pierce currently represents the most powerful faction within Hydra. Even though he hasn't unified Hydra completely, he is one of the most influential figures. Normally, the other Hydra branches would cooperate with his directives to some extent.
Of course, this also had to do with Baron Strucker initially not anticipating any issues with the animal warriors...
But now that his animal warriors had been lost, Baron Strucker was definitely looking to shift the blame elsewhere. Bearing such a loss on his own was too much of a setback for him. "So, did the Winter Soldier bring anything back?" Alexander Pierce, after a moment of silence and hearing Baron Strucker's complaints, finally slowly spoke up.
"Did he bring anything back? Don't you know? There's a tracking device in the Winter Soldier's arm..." Baron Strucker replied subconsciously.
"What are you yelling at me for then?!" Alexander Pierce instantly interrupted Baron Strucker, his voice carrying a hint of authority and anger. Even through the phone, one could feel Pierce's formidable presence. As Hydra's most important decision-maker and the one who helped plan Hydra's growth to its current size, Pierce usually kept a low profile. But when he did assert his authority, he was a force no one wanted to reckon with.
Especially since each Hydra branch had its means, but nobody knew what trump cards Alexander Pierce held. After all, the position he occupied was one of the most powerful in the world.
Holding such a high position, having access to countless intelligence, countless people working for him, and knowing numerous supernatural secrets, how could Alexander Pierce not have any trump cards?
Therefore, when Alexander Pierce's aura exploded, even though Baron Strucker was very displeased, he instinctively shut his mouth.
"Your animal warriors failed. Can you develop more? They seem to make decent cannon fodder..." Pierce, seeing Strucker fall silent, softened his tone and continued.
"How can it be that simple? It took me several years to develop these few animal warriors. Now that they're all gone, the success rate of creating more is just too low..." Baron Strucker regained his senses and replied somewhat reluctantly.
"Can you still deploy your subordinates to continue the operation and capture the Winter Soldier?" Alexander Pierce paused again before asking.
"I don't have many super-soldiers left, and their abilities are far inferior to the animal warriors. The animal warriors have already failed, sending these super-soldiers would be a death sentence!" Baron Strucker immediately rejected Pierce's suggestion. What a joke, even if Pierce was an important Hydra figure, he couldn't just exploit Strucker like this. He had only a few capable subordinates left; if they were all used up, what would he do?
"Then forget it!" Alexander Pierce pondered for a moment before making a decision. "It's just an ordinary super-soldier, after all. Although a bit more powerful than the regular ones, he's not among the strongest super-soldiers..."
"We can always get a few super-soldiers, modify them, spend some resources to equip them with metal arms, and ensure their combat power is stronger than the Winter Soldier's!"
Once, in the era when Captain America and Hydra were active, a single super-soldier was enough to strike terror in the hearts of Hydra. But the Hydra of today was different.
For Hydra now, although the success rate of the super-soldier serum is still not high, they have developed quite a few super-soldiers. With more and more extraordinary powers being discovered, the combat power of super-soldiers is no longer impressive in their eyes...
Even the Winter Soldier, enhanced with a metal arm, is only pursued out of habit and the fear of leaked secrets.
After all, in these years, Hydra has witnessed numerous extraordinary powers. Not to mention magical artifacts, in the past two years, Hulk, Abomination, Giant-Man, Iron Man, Superman – which of these isn't more powerful than a mere super-soldier?
In this era, super-soldiers have returned to their original purpose: to create a group of slightly more powerful, obedient soldiers.
Only special super-soldiers like John Walker, who can lift ten tons, get some attention. After all, times have changed, and Captain America is outdated in the eyes of Hydra...
And Hydra doesn't know that this "outdated old man" has reignited his fighting spirit, ready to continue the battle against Hydra!
Soon, the phone conference between the Hydra leaders ended. Baron Strucker's eyes flashed with unwillingness. He could not accept such a loss without any compensation, but faced with Alexander Pierce's firm stance, he had no choice but to relent...
"It's time," Valon, having witnessed Pierce's imposing manner, thought with a glint in his eyes. He turned to Alfred and said, "Go, I've prepared a private jet for you. Bring Baron Strucker back, but be careful. Who knows what trump cards he might have up his sleeve!"
"I won't lose to a bureaucrat!" Alfred's eyes flashed with disdain as he spoke firmly. "Besides, I'm not the same as before. That serum is very effective; I'm much stronger now!"
"Still, it's better to be cautious. If he could use the Monkey Talisman to create so many animal warriors, who knows what modifications he might have made to himself?" Valon shook his head and advised earnestly.
"I remember you once told me that the greatest taboo for a martial artist is arrogance and looking down on others. A martial artist can be proud, but not arrogant..."
"I'm sorry, boss, I got a bit carried away. That serum seems to affect the mind..." Alfred's expression stiffened upon hearing Valon's words, then he spoke seriously, realizing something.
"Only one person in history has perfectly accepted the serum without any side effects, and even he wasn't affected in terms of temperament. Still, his strength doesn't stand out among today's super-soldiers..." Valon waved his hand dismissively and then instructed again.
"Be careful. I'm worried Baron Strucker might have some aces up his sleeve. If it doesn't work, find a way to lure him here, use Alexander Pierce's situation to provoke him, and don't be too rigid, understand?"
"And most importantly, bring back the Monkey Talisman. Even if you can't bring Baron Strucker, the talisman must be secured!"
"I know what to do!" Alfred responded and left.
After encountering powerful figures like Jin and Robert, Alfred trained hard. But after hearing about several failed attempts to seize the talismans, he decided to inject the super-soldier serum to repay Valon's kindness.
At first, Valon didn't agree, knowing the high mortality rate of the serum. He didn't want to lose a major subordinate in the lab.
Valon planned to enhance his subordinates once he obtained all the talismans. He specifically reassigned his closest subordinates, Zhou, Rasu, and Teru, to clerical duties to keep them safe.
But while Rasu's trio was fine, Teru and Alfred clearly weren't suited for such mundane work. Teru left for a long vacation, and Alfred was determined to enhance his abilities with the serum...
Finally, Valon agreed. Fortunately, not only did Alfred succeed, but he also seemed to become even more powerful, surpassing all known records about super-soldiers. His combat performance even exceeded that of the animal warriors!
Valon didn't know if this was due to Alfred's stronger will or his background as a martial artist, but having an extra strong fighter was definitely good for him, especially for the upcoming operation against Baron Strucker...
This operation was Valon's final preparation. Before obtaining all the talismans, he needed to deal with Baron Strucker, an unstable element. This would allow Valon to safely retrieve the remaining talismans and even continue having Strucker research the Rat Talisman and others after restraining him.
"The Holy Master is now completely asleep. I've tested many times recently, and there's no response. He must have been injured in the last outbreak. This is my chance!" After Alfred left, Valon looked towards the Holy Master's secret chamber and thought.
"The Rat Talisman is with the Super Check Department. Although we alarmed them by sending the Black Shadow Ninjas, they haven't moved the talisman or shown any interest in studying it. It seems like just a supernatural collectible to them..."
"Their attitude lets me steal the Rat Talisman more easily. My people have already replaced several middle-level members of the Super Check Department. They have access to the talisman, just waiting for my command."
"As for the Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Rooster, and Pig Talismans, all nine are with Zone Thirteen. My people have infiltrated there too. The Monkey Talisman is with Baron Strucker. If Alfred's operation goes smoothly, we can bring it back..."
"And finally, the Dog Talisman. Nick Fury, right? He's a bit troublesome. I'll need to wait for an opportunity. I don't have anyone who can infiltrate his circle and gain his trust. Alexander Pierce's men won't follow my orders. Snatching the Dog Talisman from him will be difficult."
"But it's not impossible. After all, he can't always stay in S.H.I.E.L.D. Pierce's men may not obey me, but passing some information is feasible..."
"To prevent Fury from noticing the talisman movements, we must act simultaneously. Once Alfred brings back the Monkey Talisman, we can inform all parties to coordinate and strike!"
"Let's adjust the update time. If it's five chapters, it'll be about 2,100 words each, time unchanged. If it's three chapters, then about 3,500 words each, at 00:08, 12:08, 20:08. Let's see how the three-chapter format works. Subscriptions have been a bit low lately. If this continues, even reaching the average subscription requirement for the Power Rankings will be tough, not to mention updating more to climb the ranks."
"o(╥﹏╥)o"
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