Budapest outskirts, Hungary.
An ancient medieval castle sat perched here. During World War II, it had served as one of the Nazis' strongholds, but it had been thoroughly purged following the war's end.
Of course, that didn't stop Hydra agents who had infiltrated the Eastern European bloc from re-establishing a presence here, eventually turning it into the headquarters for the Neo-Hydra—for it held the truth regarding Hydra's origins.
In fact, Peter's suspicions were correct. Richard Parker had indeed discovered a similar structure in Budapest based on his research in Taranto, ultimately uncovering Hydra's greatest secret.
"It seems Nick Fury has managed to stretch his tentacles all the way here."
The master of this castle was an elderly, bald man sitting in the courtyard sipping tea. He looked unremarkable at a glance, wearing an elegant monocle and an aged black military greatcoat. However, the right hand he used to lift the teacup was highly peculiar; it was a deep crimson, appearing to be a prosthetic limb with visible metallic structures.
"It seems Arnim failed your expectations, Zemo."
"Shouldn't it be that you failed to hide your tail, Strucker, thereby drawing Fury's pursuit?"
Facing the man across from him, Baron Strucker, the Supreme Commander of Hydra, flashed a smile. While many believed Baron Zemo was the supreme leader of Hydra, it was actually Strucker who had been responsible for handling the organization's affairs all these years.
Viper, Strucker, and Zemo—these three were the current supreme leaders of Hydra. Their status was even higher than that of Alexander Pierce, who wielded immense power in the United States. Strucker stood up, still smiling. "So, Richard Parker's son and our old rival, Captain America, are both on their way?"
"Old rival? You were barely a boy when the Captain 'died,' Strucker."
Zemo stood up as well. "We need time to relocate the temple. This plan should have been initiated back when I eliminated Richard Parker."
Strucker arched an eyebrow. Back then, the assassination of the Parkers could have been left entirely to the Winter Soldier. But for some reason, Zemo didn't trust the Winter Soldier, so in the end, the two of them hijacked the plane together. The Winter Soldier killed the flight crew, while Zemo personally ended the lives of the Parkers.
Of course, Fury knew none of this. He only knew the Winter Soldier was here.
"Everything has been ready for a long time, Zemo. We were merely waiting for the moment when relocation became necessary." Strucker also stood up. "Come, let us take one last look at our temple."
The two old men stepped into the castle's ancient elevator, descending over seven hundred meters deep into the earth.
Here lay Hydra's deepest secret—its true origin.
When they arrived at the bottom of the temple, they saw the skeletal remains of Hydra predecessors. Ignoring them entirely, they walked forward until they reached an ancient idol.
The statue appeared to depict a monster. It had the body of a serpent, and from its midsection, eight serpent heads branched out, surrounding a humanoid upper body. Ultimately, with the human head in the center, it formed a nine-headed deity.
The idol radiated a strange aura. Every person who came into contact with it could feel the power it emitted and the meaning it represented.
Its name was Set, also known as Tiamat, the Apocalypse, Leviathan. His existence had been erased by Gaea and replaced by local deities, substituting the image of the nine-headed hydra with that of a seven-headed sea serpent.
He was an entity on par with Gaea, Oshtur, and Chthon.
"It is said that during the age of the Elder Gods, Set first devoured his own kind, thereby becoming the world's first Demon Lord and attaining supreme power. Hydra draws directly from his power and philosophy—we seize power from the hands of ignorant mortals and then use them to rule over those very same mortals."
Strucker gazed at the idol of Set with admiration. "The ignorant do not realize what terrifying power they possess. Some know, yet believe they can guide it to deal with their enemies, never realizing how pathetic and laughable they are. It's truly fascinating."
"Stop your pointless jokes, Strucker. I've long since grown tired of hearing about myths. Hydra's philosophy is simple: plunder the strength of others, master the powers that others do not realize they possess, make them believe they are helpless mortals, and establish absolute order."
Zemo interrupted Strucker impatiently. "Red Skull once tried to conquer the world entirely, which proved to be a delusion. Zola planned to use his algorithm to control and guide the world, but look at this world now—it's long since gone mad beyond recognition."
"And isn't that exactly our opportunity? Look at how dangerous this world is, how much humanity suffers." Strucker smiled. "The Avengers, or whatever else—one day, people will realize how weak their protective heroes are, how helpless they are to save them. Therefore, what we must do is very simple."
Hydra would protect humanity, and the price would be humanity voluntarily surrendering its freedom. As supervillains, alien threats, mutants, and all these chaotic dangers grew more severe, a day would come when Captain America and his friends could no longer protect the entire world.
When that time came, the world would tie itself to the chariot. People would pursue a greater power to protect themselves from destruction. They would establish a powerful institution of force, one that would protect humanity and be granted unprecedented authority.
"Unrestrained power brings unrestrained authority. All Hydra needs to do is give a little push—bring fear to everyone, let them naturally abandon their freedom to become slaves of Hydra, and we shall become the Set of the New World."
Strucker gazed obsessed at the statue, but Zemo merely turned to leave, tossing back a single sentence.
"Do as you wish. But before that, I will first kill Captain America with my own hands and dismantle everything he defends. I want to personally tell the Captain that the freedom he guards is worthless."
Reaching the elevator, Zemo looked back at Strucker and stated his demand: "I don't care about anything else, but I need Jim Hammond. I want to prepare a surprise for the Captain."
"He will undoubtedly be very pleased to see another comrade-in-arms besides Bucky Barnes."
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