"Viper..." Baron Strucker said, recognizing the woman in front of him.
Viper was one of the leaders of HYDRA. There were several leaders around the world, each with their own territory and industry. As leaders of different factions, they would naturally have some conflicts of interest. However, since HYDRA was too notorious and operated in secret, any conflicts were kept under the surface to prevent exposure. They would even cooperate for mutual benefit.
Viper's power wasn't as strong as his, but it wasn't much smaller. This woman's intelligence, ruthlessness, and decisiveness were recognized by them all. He knew that Madripoor was originally under Viper's control. But since the major incident there, he'd assumed Viper couldn't survive. Yet, the Viper Gang had remained active around the world, leading him to guess that Viper must have surrendered to that mysterious man.
Now, she had the audacity to break into Sokovia with this kind of attitude and come directly to him. This gave Baron Strucker an unprecedented sense of crisis.
Noticing the change in his eyes, Ophelia's lips curled into a smile. "You guessed it?"
"Viper, have you forgotten HYDRA's philosophy?"
"No, HYDRA is a thing of the past, Strucker. The so-called philosophy is just HYDRA's method of brainwashing. You and I both know that very well." Ophelia was dismissive. A philosophy? That was just a means for HYDRA's top brass to brainwash and control lower-level soldiers to achieve their ambitions. Who would actually believe in such a thing?
"Aren't you afraid that this will provoke those guys?"
"Have you ever seen a god care about the anger of ants?"
Ophelia was too lazy to waste time with a guy who was doomed to fail. She got straight to the point: "Okay, since I've appeared in front of you, you should know that your journey ends here. Cooperate with me so I can take over all your assets, and you can die in peace."
"Why can't I be like you?" Baron Strucker said, full of resentment.
"Because I don't like you."
Ophelia gave him an unexpected answer. Strucker seemed to have misheard and looked confused. "What kind of reason is that?"
"You and I are both ants; he won't care. But I am luckier than you. I can occasionally get a little emotional, you understand?" Ophelia said with a mischievous wink, which completely broke Strucker's composure. He hadn't expected that this "damned woman" was the one who wouldn't let him live.
After a moment, Baron Strucker suppressed his anger and said in a low voice, "I don't remember having any bad blood with you, Viper."
"No, we definitely have bad blood," Ophelia smiled and explained with a completely nonchalant look. "Remember the first HYDRA meeting?"
"Yeah..." Baron Strucker didn't understand and tried to recall the scene.
"That was my first time representing at a high-level meeting. I'll always remember what you said to me." Ophelia pointed her index finger at her cheek. "'A scar can't make you look more like a man. You shouldn't be here, Viper.'" Ophelia's retelling made Baron Strucker recall the scene. He was filled with disbelief. "Just because of that sentence?"
"I hate it when my scars are laughed at."
Ophelia's tone turned cold. It was because she cared about her appearance, youth, and life that she had signed a contract with the ancient Old God. Baron Strucker's words were as lethal to her as killing her loved ones.
"You're kidding me, Viper." Baron Strucker couldn't stand this absurd reason. He stood up abruptly, slammed his fists on the desk, and shouted angrily, "If you want to kill me, he has to come in person. My whole body is full of the death spore virus."
"My death will completely release the virus. The entire Sokovia, and even all life in the world, will be infected and wiped out. You can try me, Viper."
It was because of the death spore virus that Strucker had been transformed into what he was today. He knew very well that this was his most powerful means of survival. He himself was a triggered nuclear warhead, and death was the button that would set it off.
However, what Strucker didn't expect was that Ophelia showed no fear at all. She still had the same smile as a beautiful venomous snake. Strucker suddenly felt something was wrong.
Sure enough, the next second, golden threads suddenly appeared out of thin air, forming a cage around his body. He didn't even have time to react before the cage completely enveloped him. Strucker pulled out his gun and pulled the trigger at the thin golden barrier in front of him.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Sparks burst from the muzzle, and bullets hit the barrier, causing ripples. But at the same time, in the office, dozens of officers were also shot by the Super Soldiers brought by Viper and fell to the ground, dead. "Damn it!" Baron Strucker tried to actively release the death spore virus, but he was horrified to find that his body seemed to be out of his control. His entire body suddenly floated up.
Blinking, he saw himself and a stranger wearing a coarse cloth robe with one hand on him. The middle-aged man looked a little weathered and gloomy. He looked up at Baron Strucker with a cold expression. "Can a body without a soul also release the virus?"
Baron Strucker fell into despair. Ophelia stood up and walked to the edge of the cage, playfully touching it with her index finger, full of admiration. "I love magic."
After that, she looked up, and although she couldn't see Baron Strucker's soul, she still said words that chilled him. "In front of this magician, the soul will have no secrets, and your body will become a new experimental subject for the Science Department. I believe they will love it."
"NO!" Baron Strucker shouted desperately, a sound only magicians could hear.
(End of Chapter)
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