Screw the air conditioning system!
The Hydra officer cursed internally and immediately dispatched a repair team to restore their compromised systems.
At the base entrance, Peter and Steve continued their aggressive advance into the facility.
Steve held his head, still feeling disoriented as if Thor's hammer had struck him directly.
"Peter, promise me you won't use that armor's sonic capabilities anywhere near populated areas..."
"I wouldn't dare use it there either," Peter replied, covering his face in embarrassment.
He turned to address his AI assistant: "Karen, why didn't you warn me that the sonic cannon was that powerful? Thank goodness I aimed at the Hydra base entrance this time. If I were in New York right now, I would have leveled an entire city block!"
"I specifically stated that the sonic cannon possessed sufficient power to destroy the ten-centimeter steel barrier in front of us," Karen responded matter-of-factly.
"Well, that's my fault for not asking for specifics," Peter admitted, still covering his face.
The Iron Spider armor was far too destructive, and Peter resolved not to use it again except against targets like Hydra.
"Additionally, I've deployed electronic interference signals to disrupt most of the base's systems, so please proceed with your infiltration," Karen informed him.
"Excellent work!" Peter said, pumping his fist before turning to Captain America.
"Captain, let's charge ahead without restraint!"
Meanwhile, in SHIELD's underground facility, the massive aircraft carrier stretched before Ben like a floating island.
Tony, encased in his armor, flew around the ship's superstructure, occasionally using laser cutters on metal components while consulting modification blueprints. With Jarvis's assistance, he calculated complex data for the anti-gravity system implementation.
Even for a genius of his caliber, this represented a significant engineering challenge.
As for Ben, since he couldn't transform into Grey Matter at the moment, he couldn't participate directly in such high-level technical production.
Fortunately, Eunice's computational capabilities prevented him from appearing incompetent and maintained his cover.
Besides, Ben hadn't come here primarily to develop anti-gravity systems.
After modifying the turbine assemblies according to specifications provided by Eunice, Ben approached the main control room under the pretense of testing the new systems and inserted a specialized chip into the carrier's command console.
Instantly, the black and green circuitry patterns began spreading from the chip, infiltrating every control board throughout the ship.
This was an electronic virus that Ben had developed based on the characteristics of Galvanic Mechamorph technology.
Under normal circumstances, there would be no apparent problems, but when Ben transformed into Upgrade, he could remotely access the chip's core systems, thereby controlling the massive ship without physical contact.
Having completed this crucial step, the most important element of his "Counter-Insight" plan was now in place.
Ben relaxed and decided to explore whether the base contained any other valuable assets.
When everyone had settled in for the night, a translucent figure phased through the walls and wandered throughout the facility.
It was Ghostfrak, naturally.
"The Tesseract isn't here," he concluded after searching the entire installation.
Obviously, Nick Fury had stored this critical artifact separately. In fact, there wasn't much else of value in the base beyond the aircraft carriers themselves.
"The Tesseract isn't on the carriers or anywhere in this facility. It seems Nick Fury may have resumed Tesseract research elsewhere," Ben mused, stroking his spectral chin thoughtfully.
He referred to it as "resumed" research because SHIELD had previously conducted Tesseract studies. That program had been called Project Pegasus, which had ultimately created a powerful entity like Captain Marvel.
This reconnaissance mission yielded no additional intelligence. Apparently, Nick Fury understood the principle of not putting all his eggs in one basket—or perhaps more accurately, having countless hidden baskets.
Ben wasn't particularly disappointed.
He'd never harbored intense desire for the Infinity Stones anyway.
After all, the most mysterious treasure in this universe had always resided on his wrist.
Returning to his temporary quarters within the base, Ben change back.
He planned to return to Queens first and allow events to develop naturally. Besides, he had another strategic component to implement during this operation.
When he arrived back in Queens, Ben Sr. and May were already asleep.
"Feels like I haven't been home in ages..." Ben murmured, scratching his head.
He'd experienced so many significant events recently that he felt genuinely exhausted.
To his adoptive parents, he'd maintained the story that he was conducting research at Primus Tower.
The next morning, when May was preparing breakfast, she was surprised to see Ben emerging from his room.
"When did you get home?"
"Last night," Ben said, settling at the dining table and picking up a prepared omelet. "I saw that you were both asleep, so I didn't want to disturb you. As for Peter, he might not be back for several days—his current experiment just reached a breakthrough phase."
"I don't understand all this scientific research, but no matter how busy you two get, don't forget to eat properly," May said, placing another fried egg on Ben's plate before putting her hands on her hips. "It's getting colder outside. Why aren't you wearing a jacket?"
"The company has excellent climate control."
"See you later, Mom. I'm going to visit Harry," Ben said around a mouthful of food, then jumped up from his seat, offered a quick farewell, and headed out.
Shortly afterward, he arrived at Osborn Manor.
This time, without requiring permission, the butler directly escorted Ben inside.
"Good morning, Ben." When Norman saw his arrival, he immediately approached with a welcoming smile, though his expression carried a hint of reproach.
"Harry told me everything. I had no idea that you and Peter were superheroes."
He seemed to be gently criticizing Ben for concealing such important information, but his tone also conveyed genuine concern.
He wasn't particularly worried about Ben—his primary concern was for Peter's safety.
"I was wondering how that young man consistently managed to photograph Spider-Man. Turns out he is Spider-Man. It's unfortunate that he's been doing heroic work, but people don't always appreciate his efforts," Norman sighed, guiding Ben to sit down.
"Those who have been saved by him will support him," Ben replied with confidence.
He was absolutely certain about this assessment.
Norman nodded in agreement, then asked, "What about you? What are your current plans?"
He'd observed that while Ben wasn't the type to visit without purpose, he definitely wouldn't appear suddenly unless something significant was developing.
"You guessed correctly?" Ben seemed mildly surprised.
Norman smiled and tapped his temple knowingly.
"Ever since Harry revealed your secret identity, I suspected you must have some strategic plan in motion. Harry isn't the kind of person who would betray his friends' confidence. He shared this secret only because you specifically asked him to."
Clearly, Norman understood Ben's character very well.
He functioned like a caring elder who had studied the personalities of Harry, Ben, and Peter extensively.
"Tell me how I can assist you."
In truth, Norman felt pleased that Ben was willing to discuss important matters with him, which indicated that even someone as intelligent as Ben still valued his guidance and experience.
This represented recognition of his continued relevance and capability.
He was determined to prove himself worthy of that trust.
For Norman—a father who had neglected Harry for far too long—this felt like an opportunity for redemption.
"I do have a plan," Ben said, straightening in his chair. "I assume you're familiar with SHIELD."
"Naturally. This organization maintains secrecy from the general public, but for people in our position, it's hardly unknown."
This wasn't simply due to wealth, but because Osborn Industries' projects frequently involved military contracts, making contact with SHIELD inevitable.
Especially after the development of their regenerative formula, SHIELD had increased their interactions significantly.
"Is your plan connected to SHIELD?" Norman frowned, looking concerned. "The origins of this organization are extraordinarily complex. I attempted to investigate them but achieved limited results."
Compared to well-known agencies like the FBI and CIA, SHIELD remained far more mysterious, which also made them considerably more dangerous.
Therefore, Norman couldn't help worrying that Ben might find himself trapped once he became involved with them.
Honestly, he preferred that Ben avoid dealing with such organizations prematurely. One careless step could transform him into a pawn for powerful interests—a tragic victim of political machinations.
But Ben shook his head firmly.
"I'm not anyone's pawn."
"You want to become a player instead?"
"No, I want to be the one who designs the game board and establishes the rules," Ben replied with a slight smile, then explained everything that had transpired over recent days and SHIELD's current compromised status.
After hearing this comprehensive briefing, Norman felt genuinely dizzy.
Even someone of his experience and capabilities couldn't help feeling terrified upon learning that Hydra had unknowingly infiltrated the nation's power structure so thoroughly.
If the day truly came when the entire country fell under Hydra's control, who could possibly stop them then?
"Since SHIELD is no longer the shield protecting our nation, let it be destroyed along with Hydra!" Ben declared firmly.
"But shields can be broken, and people cannot be left defenseless."
"We need to forge another weapon, so that when facing external dangers and space threats, humanity will feel secure."
Norman nodded initially, then said, "So you established the Plumbers, and you're planning to have them replace SHIELD."
He thought he'd grasped Ben's strategy, but Ben simply shook his head.
"If someone going to replace SHIELD, then it cannot be the Plumbers."
The reasoning was actually quite straightforward.
"Currently, those forces with knowledge of the Plumbers all believe it's an organization constructed by extraterrestrials. How can the vital responsibility of protecting Earth fall into alien hands?"
After hearing this explanation, Norman understood completely.
It wasn't that aliens couldn't protect Earth, but that this authority couldn't be controlled by extraterrestrial entities.
Otherwise, wouldn't Earth become a satellite world, forced to defer to alien oversight in all matters?
Put simply, even if you were Superman, you had to be a Kansas farmer's son first. Even if you were Ultraman, you had to find a human host, or at least become human and think and act according to human values.
So the Plumbers could operate and assist!
But the Plumbers becoming Earth's sole super-powered organization? Absolutely not!
Not only would the United States refuse to allow it, but no nation on Earth would permit such an arrangement.
SHIELD's legacy wouldn't transfer to the Plumbers.
Therefore, Ben needed another organization—one that was completely human.
So he'd conceived of the H.A.M.M.E.R. agency that Norman Osborn had founded in the comics.