"What? Did you really think that just because you showed me the way, I wouldn't kill you?" Robert scoffed as he noticed the expression on Kurt's face, his voice dripping with disdain. "Don't be foolish. Every last Hydra agent deserves to die. You'll join your colleagues in hell soon enough."
"No…" Kurt, despite having received the super-soldier serum, did manage to hold on longer than the other Hydra soldiers. Perhaps it was his sheer terror of death, knowing that vengeful spirits awaited him on the other side.
Unfortunately, no amount of willpower could save him. His body grew colder with each passing second, and after his third near-death experience, Kurt finally perished. His soul was immediately beset by the same vengeful spirits, tearing into him, causing unimaginable pain while keeping his consciousness intact, ensuring that he couldn't fully escape his torment.
Kurt had genuinely believed that Robert would spare him after his cooperation. After all, their loyalty to Hydra had already been broken, and in their minds, Robert now held more authority than Hydra ever did. This was why they looked to Robert instead of their superiors when receiving orders.
But Robert had no intention of sparing any Hydra member. Regardless of Hydra's motives for targeting Alex, they had threatened Robert's family. After learning from the incident with Lex Luthor, Robert wasn't about to let anyone who posed a potential threat to his loved ones live.
"Damn it! Who are you? You're not Alex!" The two men, who had previously dismissed Robert as a threat, now panicked, especially after witnessing the unimaginable energy he unleashed. They aimed their weapons at Robert, shouting in fear.
"You're Kona and Kojar, aren't you?" Robert said calmly, his face showing no concern as he looked at their advanced laser weapons. He intended to use these two men as bait, just as he had done with Kurt and the others.
Robert had already sensed that, while the warehouse had a lower level, there was no one else present. This meant that Kona and Kojar were merely intermediaries. Robert would need to use them to lure out the bigger fish.
"Hmph! Looks like they've betrayed Hydra and our cause!" Kona shouted in fury as he heard Robert's question, and both he and Kojar immediately opened fire.
Pew!
Pew!
Two beams of energy shot toward Robert. Although Earth hadn't yet fully entered the interstellar age, its conventional weapons were already on par with those of spacefaring civilizations.
Unfortunately for them, even weapons from the interstellar age were no threat to Robert. He waved his hand, deflecting the beams back toward them.
Swish!
Swish!
Kona and Kojar didn't even have time to react before their chests were pierced by the reflected energy, and they collapsed to the ground, blood pouring from their wounds as their breaths grew weaker.
"No…"
"Am I really going to die like this?"
In their final moments, Kona and Kojar's minds filled with regret. Their consciousness began to fade, only to clear again as they found themselves surrounded by vengeful spirits. Their souls were like a feast for these spirits, and they felt countless jaws sink into them.
"Aahhh!!"
"No! Stop!"
As the pain reached their souls, they screamed in terror. Then, with a jolt, their bodies sat up, drenched in cold sweat. The two men exchanged bewildered glances, struggling to discern whether what they had just experienced was real.
But it didn't take long for them to realize that, even if the vengeful spirits weren't real, the laser wounds that had pierced their chests certainly were. Their torn clothes confirmed that what had happened was no illusion.
"The Hell Dimension? What's going on?" Robert muttered to himself as he sensed the faint trace of the Hell Dimension lingering around the two men. He then glanced over at Kurt's corpse.
If Kurt's experience of being targeted by vengeful spirits after death had been an isolated incident, Robert might have dismissed it. But now that both Kona and Kojar had gone through the same thing, it was clear that something was stirring in the Hell Dimension.
However, now wasn't the time to deal with the Hell Dimension. Robert first needed to root out Hydra and discover why they had targeted Alex. Using Hydra members to probe into the Hell Dimension could wait.
Besides, the current anomaly in the Hell Dimension seemed to be working in Robert's favor, amplifying Kona and Kojar's fear, making them easier to break.
"Now, tell me, why were you after Alex?" Robert snapped back to the present, his gaze locking onto Kona and Kojar. His voice was icy as he added, "If you don't tell me, I can make you experience that nightmare again, just to see if it was real."
"Who are you?!" Kona, feeling the overwhelming pressure Robert exerted, could barely move. Trembling, he cried out in terror.
Thud!
Before Kona could finish speaking, his chest was once again pierced by a blast of energy, striking the exact same spot where his clothes were already torn.
"When I ask a question, you answer it. No need for extra chatter," Robert said, shaking his head in disappointment as he turned to Kojar. "What about you? Can you just answer me directly?"
"You're not Alex, you're—" Kojar, filled with fear, stared at Robert, his voice trembling. But before he could finish his sentence, he too was struck by an energy blast, just like Kona.
For a moment, Robert paused, then looked back at Kona, realizing that the delay had caused him to miss his chance. Kona was already dead, his body too cold for Robert's healing powers to work.
"Figures. Your subordinate Kurt had the super-soldier serum, but you didn't. No wonder you couldn't last long," Robert muttered, shaking his head as he revived Kojar, who was still warm.
"No! Don't let them eat me!" Kojar screamed as he woke up, his body jerking upright in terror. The memory of being devoured by vengeful spirits had been far more horrifying than any physical pain.
"You're awake? Now, can you tell me why you targeted Alex? What is it about her that caught Hydra's attention?" Robert asked, his tone much calmer now as he patiently waited for answers.
"I'll tell you! Whatever you want to know!" Kojar quickly nodded, eager to comply.
As he spoke, his gaze drifted toward Kona's lifeless body. In the realm of vengeful spirits, he had seen Kona endure the same torment as him. But now, Kona hadn't woken up, which meant the spirits had likely devoured him completely.
"Don't bother looking. He's dead. If you don't want to end up like him, I suggest you start talking," Robert said coldly, making Kojar shudder with fear.
"I don't know why we were ordered to capture Alex. It was a command from my superior, Schneider. Kona and I both report to him—he's a high-ranking member of Hydra!" Kojar explained in a panic, desperate to avoid Robert's wrath.
Robert frowned, dissatisfied with Kojar's answer. Hydra's organizational structure was so convoluted, it was almost like a contractor system. Everything was outsourced, layer after layer, and not even Kojar seemed to know who had issued the original order.
"Fine. Take me to Schneider then," Robert said, deciding to move up the chain step by step until he found the answers he needed.
Kojar, of course, didn't dare refuse. After glancing at Kona's corpse, he led Robert out of the warehouse's underground section.
They arrived at an office building, where Kojar and Robert—still disguised as Alex—entered a hidden underground base. Kojar had no idea who Robert really was, but he knew for certain that this person wasn't Alex.
After inputting a long series of codes, Kojar and Robert passed through a thick door and entered the base. Inside, a balding man greeted them. He appeared to be Schneider, the superior Kojar had mentioned.
"Well done... hmm?" Schneider started to praise Kojar, but his eyes narrowed as he took in the scene before him. He quickly fell silent, his face growing tense. Then, forcing a smile, he said, "Kojar, take her to the holding cells. I'll be there shortly."
"Yes, sir…" Kojar instinctively nodded, but then, just like Kurt before him, froze in place as realization dawned.
"How interesting. How did you know something was off with me?" Robert asked, raising an eyebrow as he looked at Schneider, a slight smile on his lips.
"What do you mean, something's off?" Schneider's gaze sharpened, but he tried to maintain a calm facade. "Alex, what are you talking about?"
"Heh." In a blink, Robert disappeared and reappeared beside Schneider, grabbing him by the throat. His disguise dropped, revealing his true form. "You don't seem to have any superhuman powers. How did you figure it out?"
"Beep! Beep! Beep!"
Just then, alarms blared throughout the underground base, and a large group of Hydra soldiers rushed toward them. At last, this place started to resemble a true Hydra facility.
"Let go of Commander Schneider! Or we'll shoot!" a Hydra officer shouted, raising his laser weapon and aiming at Robert. But Robert ignored him entirely, focusing on Schneider instead.
Pew! Pew! Pew!
Seeing that Robert wasn't responding, the Hydra soldiers opened fire, but the energy beams were all blocked by an invisible barrier surrounding Robert.
"Wait! Is he a Saiyan?!" one of the Hydra soldiers suddenly shouted in shock, recognizing Robert's identity. Hearing this, Schneider's pupils dilated slightly in fear.
"Doesn't matter. You don't need to say anything," Robert said coldly. "You Hydra guys are notoriously tight-lipped, but I have my ways of getting you to talk." Without hesitation, Robert tightened his grip, snapping Schneider's throat in an instant, just as he had with Kurt and the others. He prepared to give Schneider a taste of the same near-death experience.
However, as Schneider's life force faded, something entirely unexpected happened. Schneider's body began to change, his form shifting and morphing until he took on the appearance of a Skrull.
"A Skrull?!" Robert's voice carried both surprise and excitement. He had been hunting for clues about the Skrulls for some time, and now one had practically fallen into his hands by accident.
It all made sense now. Hydra, with its deeply embedded operatives and networks, was the perfect cover for Skrulls to infiltrate without drawing attention.
Across the room, the Hydra soldiers were equally stunned. They had sworn allegiance to Schneider, their superior, but none of them had realized he was actually an alien. Now they faced a dilemma—had Schneider always been a Skrull, or had he been replaced? And if he had been replaced, should they continue following orders?
If Schneider had always been an alien, it wouldn't be too far-fetched for Hydra. After all, Hydra had always harbored anti-human tendencies, and an alien leader wasn't entirely out of the question. But if Schneider had been replaced, their loyalty to him as an individual was in question. Were they still obligated to follow this Skrull imposter?
"Well, well. Just when I was struggling to find any leads on the Skrulls, one shows up out of nowhere," Robert mused, reviving Schneider in his Skrull form. Looking down at the bewildered alien, Robert's voice grew colder. "So, was it because you figured out the connection between Alex and me? Is that why you were targeting her?"
Schneider—now fully revived as a Skrull—had a more hardened psyche than Kurt or the other Hydra soldiers. Though Robert could still sense the lingering aura of the Hell Dimension on him, Schneider's fear hadn't yet overwhelmed him to the point of breaking down. He stared at Robert, his eyes filled with both terror and defiance.
But despite his mental resilience, the fear flickered across Schneider's face as he realized there was no escape from Robert's clutches.
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