The Quinjet roared across the globe under cover of darkness, chasing the horizon from night into dawn.
Inside the aircraft, Peter looked considerably bulkier than usual due to the Iron Spider suit's additional mass.
The other team members aboard couldn't help but steal curious glances at his armored form.
"Is your suit powered the same way as Tony Stark's armor? Some kind of energy source?" Crossbones asked with genuine curiosity.
"Energy source? Why would my suit need an energy source?" Peter replied, clearly confused by the question.
"I mean, how does something that heavy actually move?"
This only increased Peter's bewilderment. "It moves the same way I move. Don't you guys wear clothes?"
"Clothes don't weigh nearly that much," Crossbones pointed out.
Peter raised his arm experimentally. "It's not heavy at all."
The lightweight armor weighed less than a ton total. With his enhanced physique, wearing it felt completely natural.
Heavy? For Spider-Man, that concept was practically foreign.
"Let's focus on the mission," Captain America interrupted, unbuckling his safety harness.
The Quinjet was now hovering directly over their target destination. He opened the bay door, and immediately powerful winds whipped through the cabin.
Peter quickly released his own restraints. In the fierce gusts that would have knocked ordinary people off their feet, he moved with perfect stability as if walking on solid ground.
Captain America looked back and announced, "I'll take Spider-Man into the base for initial reconnaissance. The rest of you maintain perimeter security—don't let any Hydra operatives escape!"
The tactical team members naturally had no objections to these orders. Peter, however, seemed surprised: "Wait, Captain, there are only two of us going in?"
"This is a stealth operation. The fewer personnel involved, the better our chances of success," Steve explained.
After all, this Hydra base wasn't located within U.S. territory. Although the Polish government couldn't realistically challenge American operations, it was still preferable to maintain a low profile.
"If Prime was here, this might be significantly easier," Captain America observed.
Although he'd announced just hours earlier that it was time for the Avengers to assemble, the assembly was incomplete.
Ben had been summoned to SHIELD headquarters by Nick Fury, leaving the mission to Peter and Captain America alone.
Inside SHIELD's underground facility, Nick Fury guided Ben through a series of corridors before they arrived at a massive subterranean complex.
"Concerned about your cousin?" Nick observed, noticing Ben's apparent distraction. "Don't worry, they'll be fine. Our task here is actually more challenging than theirs."
He walked to the edge of a suspended walkway and gestured dramatically. Every light in the underground facility illuminated simultaneously, revealing a helicarrier as massive as a floating island.
"Allow me to introduce you to SHIELD's flying aircraft carriers. There are two of them stationed here, and a third has already been deployed."
As he spoke, he took measured steps forward along the observation platform.
Ben was genuinely impressed by the sight before him.
It wasn't necessarily that the helicarrier represented cutting-edge technology, but when humans confronted truly massive objects, they inevitably felt their own insignificance.
It was like encountering a giant whale in the deep ocean, gazing at the infinite starry space, or when Ben contemplated Mary Jane and Felicia's... well, certain impressive attributes.
Big is beautiful! This was a fundamental truth of the universe.
"The more important task is repairing aircraft carriers?" Ben asked, following Nick Fury's measured pace.
No matter how he analyzed it, this situation seemed designed to serve Nick's personal agenda.
Nick Fury responded with studied calm, "A single small Hydra base isn't the full scope of what we're dealing with, is it?"
He adopted a knowing expression, as if the mission to attack the Hydra base was merely a minor tactical maneuver he'd anticipated.
Ben maintained his facade of innocence. "Of course not. Hydra operates like cockroaches—when you discover one, it proves they've been multiplying in secret for quite some time."
Hearing this assessment, Nick Fury nodded with obvious approval.
"You understand Hydra very well!"
"But what does this have to do with the aircraft carriers?"
"With these carriers, we can launch comprehensive operations against Hydra!" Nick Fury declared without hesitation.
Although he did possess the classified Project Insight protocols, even he didn't know the specific details of the dangerous targets identified by the system's algorithms.
It wasn't that Nick Fury didn't want to eliminate Hydra—the fundamental problem was that he couldn't locate them at all.
The source of Project Insight's targeting algorithm came from Dr. Zola's research. How could someone who was himself a Hydra operative turn those weapons against his own organization? Instead, the system classified superheroes as primary threats.
Nick Fury believed he understood everything, never realizing that even he appeared on Hydra's elimination list for Project Insight.
Ben moved beneath the aircraft carrier, examined its structure carefully, then frowned. "Simply upgrading the propulsion systems isn't technically difficult, but changing the power source will require modifications to numerous other components. The workload will be enormous."
After confirming there were no insurmountable technical obstacles, Nick Fury wasn't particularly concerned. As for the extensive labor requirements? There were plenty of SHIELD agents who could work twenty-five-hour days if necessary.
Whether they were genuine SHIELD employees or Hydra infiltrators, everyone believed that after these three carriers were fully upgraded, the ownership would belong to their respective organizations, so they were working with exceptional dedication.
"We should accelerate the timeline," Nick Fury considered for a moment, then whispered confidentially in Ben's ear: "Actually, I suspect there's a high probability that Hydra spies have infiltrated SHIELD."
Ben: ???
"How did you reach that conclusion?"
"Just after we decided to target Hydra—last night, specifically—SHIELD's computer systems were compromised," Nick explained.
"Although our technicians quickly traced the signal's origin, the timing of the attack was far too coincidental."
Nick Fury's expression darkened with suspicion.
"Just before we were preparing to move against them, the agent responsible for monitoring our firewall defenses neglected his duties..."
"Playing video games?" Ben asked with raised eyebrows.
"No, watching football."
"He didn't watch games earlier or later, but chose that exact moment. Don't you think he was deliberately creating an opening for Hydra? I suspect he's one of their spies, but he refuses to confess."
Ben looked at Nick Fury with speechless amazement.
This man seemed to have some fundamental misunderstandings about Hydra's operational methods. The real Hydra operatives were fanatical believers who would never engage in such negligent behavior.
If you simply reviewed personnel files and identified agents who worked year-round, maintained perfect mission records, and completed assignments with exceptional efficiency, you could easily identify Hydra infiltrators.
The unfortunate individual who'd stayed up late secretly watching football was obviously one of the few genuine SHIELD agents remaining.
"Would our well-trained SHIELD operatives really slack off like that?" Nick Fury asked incredulously.
"At least this well-trained agency director excels at budget manipulation," Ben replied dryly.
"In that case, I suggest you find me an assistant. It would accelerate the process significantly."
"Assistant?" Nick Fury paused, then realized who Ben meant. "Tony Stark?"
Several hours later, Tony landed wearing his full armor, retracting his faceplate to reveal his characteristically arrogant expression.
"I heard someone requested my assistance?"
"I need a competent assistant," Ben responded with deliberate sharpness.
Seeing these two individuals display such obvious antagonism, Nick Fury felt relieved—or rather, the Hydra operatives monitoring the situation felt reassured.
Although Ben and Tony had already coordinated their strategy privately, they couldn't allow Hydra to detect any signs of cooperation in public.
Otherwise, their deception would be far too easy to expose.
Therefore, when Coulson had initially called requesting help, Tony had refused without hesitation, acting as if SHIELD's affairs were completely irrelevant to him.
Coulson had tried various persuasive approaches, even enlisting Pepper Potts's assistance.
Tony still hadn't agreed.
Finally, Coulson had vaguely mentioned that Ben Parker specifically wanted his help.
Only then had Tony pretended he was coming specifically to mock Ben's efforts, and agreed with obvious irritation.
Since his past behavior was sufficient proof of his abrasive personality, no one suspected Tony of having ulterior motives.
Their eyes met briefly, and Tony immediately said with obvious disdain, "Why bother with suspension system upgrades? That's completely outdated technology!"
He looked at Nick Fury as if he wanted to compete directly with Ben.
"If you're going to modify anything, upgrade to genuine anti-gravity systems!"
"True anti-gravity? Even your father couldn't achieve that. Can you?" Ben retorted sarcastically.
Tony's anger flared immediately, and he sneered, "Do you think I'm inferior to him?"
"I think you're inferior to me. You can't even discover new elements independently. Honestly, I don't see how you qualify as a genius."
"Then let me demonstrate that I only need ten days to construct a functional anti-gravity system," Tony glared at Ben and stepped forward aggressively.
He appeared genuinely furious.
"I only need seven days!" Ben shot back.
Watching these two geniuses display such obvious mutual antagonism, Nick Fury was absolutely delighted.
Let them compete! I'm the one who benefits ultimately! he thought with satisfaction.
Meanwhile, Ben and Tony sneered at each other and began working on their respective projects.
Tony simply sealed his armor's faceplate, appearing to have no intention of communicating with Ben. Ben also kept his Spider-suit active and worked alone at his designated laboratory station.
On the virtual display inside Tony's helmet, a private message window remained active.
Tony: How do we proceed? Do we actually need to upgrade his anti-gravity systems?
Ben: Upgrade everything. If we don't modify the system, how can we sabotage the main control systems of the aircraft carrier?
The control systems were their real objective. As long as they could compromise the main control infrastructure, even if Hydra operatives occupied the command center, they wouldn't be able to control the aircraft carriers.