The Winter Soldier was typical of his kind. While he retained his own thoughts, emotional fluctuations were rare, and his reactions were always subdued.
"Well, now please follow us to claim your prize," Zod said with a smile. In truth, Zod wasn't concerned whether S.H.I.E.L.D. or Hydra made a move against him. If they tried anything, he'd simply deploy a hundred war machines—and no one would be able to stop them.
As Bucky was led away, a Hydra agent sensed something was wrong but could only wait outside for Bucky to emerge.
Meanwhile, Bronsky, accompanied by a few beast soldiers, silently apprehended targets Zod had previously marked. Zod's psychic powers made this a breeze; he could easily read the mental fluctuations of the crowd, almost like performing a mass mind-reading. The Hydra agents' thoughts stood out the most—particularly their growing anxiety. Zod had no trouble identifying them.
"Let me go! Do you know who I am?" one of the Hydra agents protested as they were bundled into a Chevrolet SUV. Soon after, the commotion died down, and Bronsky stepped out, signaling the beast soldiers to disperse and secure the area.
Bronsky, having undergone Ultra-Beast Soldier enhancements, realized that even without transforming, his physical abilities far exceeded his peak from a century ago. This newfound strength made him even more eager for Zod's ultimate beast soldier program.
Moreover, Bronsky saw tremendous potential in Zod's vision. With war machines and enhanced soldiers, Zod could dominate the world for years to come.
Bucky was escorted into Zod's laboratory, and as soon as they arrived, Zod used his psychic powers to take control of him. Several other pre-selected candidates for the Ultra-Beast Soldier program were already lying in stasis tanks, ready for transformation.
"BOSS, how would you like to modify him?" Connors asked after securing Bucky.
"Hmm, make him the strongest," Zod replied with a grin. He had high hopes for Bucky. As Captain America Steve Rogers' best friend, Bucky certainly had potential.
The strongest Ultra-Beast Soldiers were enhanced with a three-layer bone structure: their original skeleton plus two layers of exoskeleton, covered with an extremely durable material. Zod dubbed these new creations Asura One-Horns—a force to be reckoned with.
As for the unfortunate Hydra agents, they too were converted into beast soldiers, and Zod turned them into his informants within Hydra. Using these infiltrators, Zod planned to trace the organization's upper echelons, gradually gaining control. With enough repetition, perhaps Hydra itself could be turned into his personal power base.
However, Zod was cautious. Hydra had many heads. The Baron, who was focused on studying alien races, and Madame Viper in Japan were particularly formidable. Zod knew that even though he could manipulate many aspects, he had to proceed carefully, especially since the stakes were different in reality compared to movies or comics.
"I'll wait until I'm stronger," Zod thought.
S.H.I.E.L.D. Headquarters – Director's Office, Nick Fury
Nick Fury sat in his office, wearing his signature heavy coat despite the sweltering 40-degree weather outside. The coat served multiple purposes—it kept him cool thanks to hidden air conditioning units, concealed weapons, and protected him with its bulletproof layers.
"Unregulated fighting—what exactly is Zod Heath planning?" Fury mused aloud.
As a super genius, Zod Heath was naturally on S.H.I.E.L.D.'s radar. However, Nick Fury's investigations revealed nothing suspicious about Zod's background. After creating the Black Queen AI, Zod had erased all traces of his connection to the Midnight Hotel, leaving his identity clean.
Originally, Fury had thought Tony Stark was S.H.I.E.L.D.'s best hope. He had kept a close eye on Stark, ensuring his protection. But Zod had blindsided him—a young man, even more brilliant than Stark, with inventions that were shaking the world.
Between secondary Kryptonian tech, war machines, and miniature arc reactors, Zod Heath was shaping up to be this century's Einstein or Tesla. But Fury was all too aware of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s limitations. As a secret organization built by five global powers to maintain global security, S.H.I.E.L.D. couldn't openly buy or deploy war machines. If they could, Fury would have already placed an order for hundreds of them.
Fury wanted Zod to work with S.H.I.E.L.D., but he knew he couldn't force the issue. Instead, he had to play the long game—support Zod wherever possible and try to influence him from the shadows.
Then came the news: Zod Heath had recently made contact with Wilson Fisk, aka Kingpin, the infamous underworld leader. Together, they were organizing underground fighting tournaments.
Fury's first thought was that this sounded like a bad joke. Fisk was a major player in the criminal underworld, and if not for the power vacuum that would follow his elimination, Fury would have taken him out years ago. But Zod working with him? That was strange.
Soon after, Fury's intel sources informed him that Zod had developed some kind of breakthrough in biotechnology. This underground fighting ring was connected to that breakthrough.
This immediately grabbed Fury's attention. Had Zod already made another groundbreaking invention? And if so, what exactly was going on inside his head?
Fury had initially planned to send either Black Widow or Hawkeye to investigate, but unforeseen circumstances required him to allocate resources elsewhere.
Fury could no longer afford to sit on the sidelines. Zod's inventions had already attracted dangerous attention, and if this latest one fell into the wrong hands, the consequences could be disastrous.
To protect this new invention, Fury decided to send Black Widow to infiltrate Blade Industrial, Zod's tech company, and discreetly help safeguard the breakthrough.
"Zod, Mr. Obadiah Stane from Stark Industries wants to speak with you," Uld stepped into Zod's lab, her high heels clicking on the floor. She passed through the voice-locked and biometric security system Zod had designed himself.
Uld entered just in time to see Zod shirtless, muscles rippling as he worked on something at his lab table. Her heart raced, and her eyes lingered on his collarbone and well-defined abs.
"Obadiah?" Zod asked casually, not looking up as he continued his work.